Fried Cheese Curd Recipe
Indulge in a quintessential Wisconsin delight: deep-fried cheese curds. This recipe will allow you to enjoy the perfection of the Wisconsin bar appetizer right at home!
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Happy National Cheese Curd Day! Yes, this is a holiday, and don’t tell a Wisconsinite otherwise. You have been warned.
For anyone who is not familiar with this holiday, it’s a great day to celebrate the amazing cheese curd.
Have you ever wondered what a cheese curd is? Well, you might have heard of curds and whey. Cheese curds are actually the solid part that’s left after the whey (the liquid) is removed during the process of making cheese. The curds are often compressed together to make cheese blocks. However, in the Midwest, cheese curds themselves are also considered an amazing snack!
To celebrate this delicious little snack and the National Cheese Curd Day itself, I am excited to share my fried cheese curd recipe using my beer batter!
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If you’re also looking for the best restaurants to try cheese curds in Wisconsin, check out Sam, also known as the Cheese Queen and the creator of Wisconsin Cheese Please, on Instagram. She even has a website with a cheese curd map that highlights the top spots.
Before you get started…
Substitutions/suggestions
- Light Colored -Ale beer (I like New Glarus®Spotted Cow or Blue Moon® are good choices, just make sure it’s an Ale) Don’t use IPAs or Dark beers. This is supposed to be light and go with the curds. You will not taste the cheese and the spices won’t work the same.
- If you don’t want to use beer, you can use mineral water. In a REAL pinch, use tap water.
- Wisconsin Cheese Curds (in today’s post I’m using Shullsburg Creamery Cheese Curds, but I also LOVE Westby Creamery’s Cheese Curds as well (although, I’m not sure if Westby ships their curds, other than in gift boxes).
- Oil: Peanut Oil It can hold high temp and is less expensive than others.
- If you have a peanut allergy and can’t use it, then I highly suggest using canola or avocado oil instead.
A few items that I use to help make your job a bit easier.
- A Wok/Cast Iron Skillet. I prefer I good wok, but my mom is a cast iron pan all the way. Either is fine (Check “What Type of Pan Should I Use for Frying?” for more details).
- Mixing Bowls. I love these Pyrex glass bowls. In fact, my set is actually a hand-me-down and is almost 20 years old, so once you buy them, they’ll last you a while.
- Spider Strainer, I’ve linked one on Amazon, but to be honest, you can go to any Local Asian Store and grab them in different sizes. I bought mine at one of my local markets.
- Whisk, it helps mix the batter better than a spoon.
Let’s get Frying!
Start by Freezing your cheese curds in one flat layer on a pan (no need to line or anything, you just want to freeze them for a few hours, 1 hour is the shortest I could go)
Now For the Batter
The beer batter used is my Wisconsin Supper Club Beer Batter Mix which I use for my Beer Battered Fried Fish as well. If you’re like me, and keep this mix on hand to use when needed, just scoop out ¾ cup of the mix. If you don’t have it on hand, simply mix all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl according to this recipe.
Pour in the beer of your choice. I really don’t recommend light beer, it doesn’t really have the same taste, but if that’s what you drink, use that. I just personally feel that “regular” ale beers give a better flavor than light beers. Ultimately, it’s not my kitchen, so go for what you like. 🙂
Some things to note:
- I do not use IPA’s or Dark beers. This is supposed to be light and go with the curds. You will not taste the cheese and the spices won’t work the same.
- If you don’t drink beer use mineral water. In a REAL pinch, use tap water.
- You don’t have to pull out a measuring cup either, you just start pouring in beer (slowly) and stirring it in.
- You’re looking for a thick pancake batter-like consistency. What my husband and I do is start with 1/4 of the bottle/can, and whisk, if it looks too thick slowly add more, whisk and keep going until it’s where we want it…
- When you get the consistency right… drink the rest (you’re welcome). 🙂
Next, heat the oil.
We want to heat the oil to about 300℉ (the oil needs to be clean and hot).
Now, grab your cheese curds out of the freezer and set up a station line. Frozen curds, batter, a hot oil pan, and a plate lined with a paper towel.
*I also like to use a fork to help batter the cheese curds.
Next, cover a curd in batter and drop it in the fryer. You’ll want to do a few at a time to keep the oil temp so you have to get them out without them oozing out all the cheese from the batter (Which is also why we freeze the curds first).
Continue this process until all the curds are done. Serve with Ranch Dressing and enjoy!
Watch the entire process on my Instagram Reels!
ENJOY and Share!
Let me know what you think of this Deep Fried Cheese Curd Recipe! Your star ratings with your comments are tremendously helpful! I love seeing friends and family come together over food.
Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Facebook, @jenngiamsmith #JennGiamSmith I will always share your posts on my stories and tag you! You can also share it on this post’s Pinterest Pin! Don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest for a steady stream of recipe (and other) inspiration!
It’s always wonderful to see loved ones coming together over delicious food.
Need more Wisconsin Supper Club and Bar Recipes? Try these:
- Beer Battered Fried Fish
- Oven-Baked Beer Battered Fish
- Fun & Easy Burger Patties
- The Best Grilled Chicken Wings (with Air fryer cooking instructions)
Beer Battered Fried Cheese Curds
Get a taste of Wisconsin with my irresistible and easy homemade fried cheese curd recipe. Enjoy the crispy exterior and gooey interior of these delectable cheesy bites.
- Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 people 1x
Ingredients
- 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- pinch cayenne pepper
- 4 oz Light Colored -Ale beer (Or more. See notes for beer suggestions.)
- 18 oz Wisconsin Cheese Curds (See notes for cheese curd suggestions.)
- Peanut Oil for frying (I highly recommend this. It can hold high temp and is much less expensive than others. But if you have a peanut allergy use canola or avocado oil instead.)
Instructions
- Start by Freezing your cheese curds in one flat layer on a pan (no need to line or anything, you just want to freeze them for a few hours, 1 hour is the shortest I could go)
- Then in a medium-size bowl put all of your dry ingredients (flour, black pepper, salt, garlic and onion powder, baking powder, and cayenne pepper) in and whisk them all together.
- Next, pour in the beer of your choice (remember to pick a light-color ale), or mineral water.
- You don’t have to pull out a measuring cup either, you just start pouring in beer (slowly) and stirring it in.
- You’re looking for a thick pancake batter-like consistency. What my husband and I do is start with 1/4 of the bottle/can, whisk, if it looks too thick slowly add more, whisk and keep going until it’s where we want it… When you get the consistency right… drink the rest (you’re welcome).
- We want to heat the oil to about 300℉ (the oil needs to be clean and hot).
- Now, grab your cheese curds out of the freezer and set up a station line. Frozen curds, batter, hot oil pan, plate lined with some paper towel.
- *I also like to use a fork to help batter the cheese curds.
- Next, cover a curd in batter and drop it in the fryer. You’ll want to do a few at a time to keep the oil temp and so you have to get them out without them oozing out all the cheese from the batter (Which is also why we freeze the curds first).
- Continue this process until all the curds are done. Serve with Ranch Dressing and enjoy!
Equipment
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Lodge L8DSK3 Cast Iron Deep Skillet, Pre-Seasoned, 10.25-inch
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Mora Ceramics Small Mixing Bowls Set of 2 – 2.5 & 1.6 Qt – Vanilla White
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OXO Good Grips 11-Inch Balloon Whisk
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A Few Ingredient Recommendations.
And substitutions/suggestions
I’m not an affiliate of the brands themselves or get paid to recommend them, they’re just my honest favorites.
- Light Colored -Ale beer (I like New Glarus®Spotted Cow or Blue Moon® are good choices, just make sure it’s an Ale) Don’t use IPAs or Dark beers. This is supposed to be light and go with the curds. You will not taste the cheese and the spices won’t work the same.
- If you don’t want to use beer, you can use mineral water. In a REAL pinch, use tap water.
- Wisconsin Cheese Curds (in today’s post I’m using Shullsburg Creamery Cheese Curds, but I also LOVE Westby Creamery’s Cheese Curds as well (although, I’m not sure if Westby ships their curds, other than in gift boxes).
- Oil: Peanut Oil It can hold high temp and is less expensive than others.
- If you have a peanut allergy and can’t use it, then I highly suggest using canola or avocado oil instead.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: American, Wisconsin
Nutrition
- Calories: 748.42
- Sugar: 0.78
- Sodium: 1540.47
- Fat: 46.35
- Saturated Fat: 24.72
- Carbohydrates: 43.15
- Fiber: 1.44
- Protein: 34.46
- Cholesterol: 126.3
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