Air Fryer Potato Cheese Balls (Gluten Free)
These air fryer potato cheese balls are the perfect addition to any meal! With their crispy outer layer of mashed potatoes and gooey, cheesy filling, they make for a delicious vegetarian side dish or appetizer that’s loved by all ages.
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Air Fryer Potato Cheese Balls Ingredients
- Boiled Potatoes. Russets potatoes are great.
- Rice flour.
- Garlic powder.
- Chili flakes
- Salt and pepper.
- Italian seasoning.
- Mozzarella cheese.
- Corn flour.
- Gluten free Panko bread crumbs. You can use regular if not gluten free.
Recipe Variations and Ingredient Substitutions
- Gluten free Panko crumbs: You can swap these for regular Panko breadcrumbs if you’re not gluten free. The regular version is smaller and fries a bit better.
- Mozzarella cheese: You can use cheddar cheese if you would like but the mozzarella will be more “stretchy” where cheddar will be gooier.
- Leftover mashed potatoes: You could use leftover mashed potatoes instead of boiling them, but I would be weary about what you put in the mashed potatoes, you don’t want them too mushy. So if you added butter, cream, etc you can try it but the recipe may not work.
- Bacon: You could add small pieces of cooked bacon in with the potatoes.
- Green onions: Diced green onions would also make a delicious addition to the cheesy potato bites.
Aside from that, I wouldn’t change any more of the recipe as they may not form a ball properly and they were not tested another way.
Tools Needed
Air Fryer
You’ll need an air fryer to make this recipe. An air fryer replaces deep fried foods with air fried foods. You use less oil (if any), making it a healthier option for cooking crispy foods.
Mixing Bowls
You’ll need some mixing bowls for the potato cheese mixture, the corn flour slurry, and the panko crumbs.
Air Fryer Basket Liners
If you want to save on cleanup, try these air fryer liners.
Storage
You can refrigerate the potato cheese balls in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freeze Them for Later
You can freeze the cooked air fryer potato cheese balls for 3 months.
To freeze, place a piece of parchment paper in between each layer of potato cheese balls to prevent them from freezing to one another.
How to Make Potato Cheese Bites in the Air Fryer
Step 1
To get started, simply mash your boiled potatoes and mix them with rice flour, garlic powder, chili flakes, salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning.
Step 2
Mix together until smooth and form a ball to see how the mixture feels, you don’t want the balls to be too dry or too wet.
Step 3
Using your hands, shape the potato mixture into 20 balls in total. Take one ball and flatten it between your palms, then place 2 teaspoons of shredded mozzarella cheese in the center. Fold the edges over to enclose the cheese and form the ball shape again. Repeat with the remaining balls until all are filled with cheesy goodness!
Step 4
In a bowl pour cornflour and water to make a slurry paste. In another bowl add the cup of panko bread crumbs.
Dip the balls in the slurry paste and then roll them in the bread crumbs, ensuring they’re coated with the Panko.
Step 5
Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Brush the basket with little oil and gently add the potato cheese balls. You don’t want to crowd the basket so you may have to do a few batches of a single layer.
Step 6
Brush a little oil over top of each ball. Cook for 7 minutes on one side then turn and cook for another 5-6 minutes or until golden brown. Repeat with the rest of the balls.
Dip Options
- Marinara sauce. A classic dipping option for cheesy snacks, marinara sauce adds a tangy tomato flavor. This is my personal pick for this recipe..
- Ranch dressing. Ranch dressing goes with almost everything, including air fryer potato cheese balls. Its creamy, tangy flavor complements the cheesy filling and adds a bit of zing.
- Ketchup. The number 1 choice for kids.
- Gravy. Potatoes and cheese go amazing with gravy (hello poutine), so this would be a tasty dipping sauce.
- Sour cream and chives. The cool creaminess of sour cream pairs well with the richness of the potato and cheese balls. Add some chopped fresh chives for extra flavor and texture.
- Spicy mayo. Want a dip with a bit of heat? Try mixing some hot sauce or sriracha with mayonnaise for a spicy dipping option.
The best dip for cheesy potato bites will depend on your tastes, so feel free to experiment and try different options until you find the perfect pairing for your air fryer potato cheese balls!
Serve These With
Air Fryer Potato Cheese Balls
Ingredients
- 1 pound potatoes boiled
- 3 tablespoon rice flour
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 225 grams mozzarella cheese shredded
- 4 tablespoon corn flour
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs.
- Oil for brushing
Instructions
- Remove the skin of the boiled potatoes and mash them until smooth.
- Add rice flour, garlic powder, chili flakes, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Mix together until smooth and form into a ball to see how the mixture feels, you don't want the balls to be too dry or too wet.
- Roll out 20 balls in total using your hands.
- Flatten a ball between two hands and stuff 2 teaspoons of shredded mozzarella in the center and fold it over to form a ball again.
- In a bowl pour cornflour and water to make a slurry paste. In another bowl add the cup of panko bread crumbs.
- Dip the balls in the slurry paste and then roll them in the bread crumbs, ensuring they're coating with the Panko.
- Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 350 degrees F / 180 degrees C.
- Brush the basket with little oil and gently add the potato cheese balls. You don't want to crowd the basket so you may have to do this in a couple batches.
- Brush a little oil over top of each ball. Cook for 7 minutes on one side then turn and cook for another 5-6 minutes or until golden brown. Repeat with the rest of the balls.
- Serve hot with marinara.
