Fried Mac and Cheese Balls Recipe - Allrecipes.com
Fried Mac and Cheese Balls Recipe
  • READY IN 7+ hrs

Fried Mac and Cheese Balls

Read Reviews (29)

"A fun and easy recipe that the kids and guests will love! It's super cheesy and absolutely one of my faves. No need for spoons with this mac dish!!" —  

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Ingredients Edit and Save

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Original recipe makes 24 pieces Change Servings
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Directions

  1. Fill a pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Stir in the macaroni, and return to a boil. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the macaroni is cooked through but still firm to the bite, about 7 minutes. Drain. Stir in the 2 tablespoons butter, the 1/4 cup milk, and the cheese packet from the package.
  2. While the macaroni is still hot, stir in the Cheddar cheese, pimento cheese spread, and Italian cheese blend, and continue to stir until melted. Place the macaroni and cheese mixture in a container and refrigerate until firm, about 4 hours.
  3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the macaroni mixture from the refrigerator, and, using a cookie scoop, scoop into balls. Place mac balls on the prepared baking sheet and freeze for at least 2 hours.
  4. Heat oil in a deep fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  5. Whisk the bread crumbs with the paprika, chili powder, black pepper, sugar, and cayenne in a shallow dish; set aside. Beat the eggs with the 3 tablespoons milk in a small bowl. Remove the mac balls from the freezer, coat in the egg wash, and then dredge in breading.
  6. Fry the mac balls in small batches until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain briefly on a paper towel-lined plate; serve hot.
Kitchen-Friendly View
  • PREP 40 mins
  • COOK 30 mins
  • READY IN 7 hrs 10 mins

Footnotes

  • Editor's Note
  • The nutrition data for this recipe includes the full amount of the breading ingredients. The actual amount of the breading consumed will vary. We have determined the nutritional value of oil for frying based on a retention value of 10% after cooking. The exact amount will vary depending on cooking time and temperature, ingredient density, and the specific type of oil used.
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Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review
Jun 22, 2009

You know it's so interesting to read about the frozen middles because it was the first thing that crossed my mind before I even started to make the recipe. This is what I did. I fried according to the recipe (about 3 minutes) and nuked them straight away (time depends on the power of your microwave - should only take a few seconds) So the frozen middle wasn't a problem for me. Now for what I think of these. They were good but for some reason I felt at first that I enjoyed my mac n' cheese more without all this extra effort. Although, I have to say...I started to really enjoy them later down the line! I had these with chicken nuggets for a quick lunch. Good recipe and I can see potential in changing the flavour to suit your personal taste by using different cheeses, etc. Thanks for sharing.

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Most Helpful Critical Review
Mar 16, 2009

I was hoping these would taste like Arby's Mac & Cheesers (I hope they bring those back!) but they didn't really. They were just okay, I don't know. I guess I just set high expectations for this recipe. They are quite time consuming to make, and just not worth the final product. Sorry for the poor review.

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May 26, 2009

I thought this recipe was awesome... It is so versatile and the possibilities are endless. I've used this recipe quite a few times and have altered it in many ways. I love adding diced jalapeno or maybe some different cheeses. Although I must say, when it comes to adding the pimento cheese spread, I recommend that you NOT use the Kraft version. Use the fresh spread that's usually in the dairy or cheese isle. My kids and fam love this dish any way that I prepare it!! Thanks!

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Jan 19, 2010

I followed the ingredients exactly, I did cut down on the refridgeration time, 30 minutes, and I froze them for 2 1/2 hours. They were perfect! Reminded me of the same dish at Cheesecake Factory.

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Jun 22, 2009

I haven't tried making these yet, but could anyone tell me if its possible to bake them rather than deep fry? We don't deep fry too often at our house. If not I guess I will be the first to try this!

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Jun 25, 2009

We really enjoyed these! I fried them for 4 minutes and they were cooked through. The only problem I had was that the egg froze quickly before the crumbs could stick after the initial dip. I had to dip and roll twice, but that worked out great. I froze the entire batch (uncoated), then used half the egg and crumbs to coat half the batch. I'll make the rest in a day or two (or an hour or two). Since I have leftover pimento cheese spread, I may make another batch and keep them frozen. From freezer to fryer is pretty quick. Thanks for submitting this recipe, Erin! It will be enjoyed again and again!

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Jun 16, 2009

These are really good. I made my own pimento cheese minus any pimentos (kids would never eat them if I did). These are rich and the ultimate comfort food, I made them as a side dish but next time I will make them as a main dish. We all loved them and I will be making them again ;) Thx for the great recipe!! Something I forgot to add is I skipped the fridge step as the cheese cooled it off enough to just scoop with my large cookie scoop and drop on wax paper. I also dredged them in the egg and breadcrumbs twice to get a nice coating. I cooked until deep golden brown. I made the full recipe and froze half. They DO NOT reheat well just like any mac and cheese.

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Jun 17, 2009

These were really good. Unfortunately, I had to double fry them because initially the middle was still frozen after frying as stated. Next time I would like to make it cheesier and maybe even add bacon. Husband loved them just the way they were and he hates mac and cheese.

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Nutrition

  • Calories
  • 543 kcal
  • 27%
  • Carbohydrates
  • 42.1 g
  • 14%
  • Cholesterol
  • 159 mg
  • 53%
  • Fat
  • 32.3 g
  • 50%
  • Fiber
  • 2.2 g
  • 9%
  • Protein
  • 20.4 g
  • 41%
  • Sodium
  • 1204 mg
  • 48%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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