These Air Fryer Goat Cheese Balls made with homemade gluten free bread crumbs are crispy, creamy, and a definite must try! Make ahead and freeze these goat cheese bites ahead of time and you have a quick and easy frozen appetizer for your next party.
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I don’t want to lie here, but I don’t think I’ve ever had goat cheese before this; well at least not as the star of a recipe.
But I’d been seeing so many of those fancy cheese based recipes over the holidays so I wanted to try something too.
Why did I pick goat cheese? Probably because I was getting these smaller portioned out logs from Costco that just seemed like a good deal for feeding a single person.
There were already too many of those fried balls with spicy honey and such, but I’m not into all that sugar – or the overtly conventional recipes – so here’s something a little different!
Can goat cheese be cooked?
While it does have a creamy texture, you can definitely cook goat cheese; You just need to make sure you follow the freezing step and also be careful about timing when cooking.
Ingredients for the Air Fryer Goat Cheese Balls
These goat cheese balls are made from scratch with no bread crumbs – you make your own – and an almond flour coating, so they’re perfect for a healthy appetizer!
- Creamy Goat Cheese Log – the obvious; I’d recommend going for a good quality version
- Almond flour – To replace the typical all-purpose flour and also make this recipe Gluten-free
- A slice of bread to make homemade bread crumbs for a ‘from scratch’ recipe, but you can also use regular bread crumbs. This is also another way to have a gluten free recipe.
- Egg to catch the coating
- Italian Seasoning or other dried herbs like Oregano or Basil
- Dehydrated Minced Onion
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- Pepper
To make keto air fryer goat cheese balls:
Use a keto friendly sliced bread for the breading – there’s plenty on the market – or use pork rinds instead.
Another alternative is to use crushed keto-friendly chips.
Now let’s make these Air Fryer Goat Cheese Bites
If you’re looking for an easy air fryer vegetarian appetizer, you’ve come to the right place, because these cheese bites are just that!
- Slice the log of goat cheese into 8 pieces using a sharp knife or dental floss.
- Roll the pieces into balls using your palms, place them on a plate and put them in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes until frozen.
Why do you freeze the goat cheese?
Since goat cheese is quite creamy and can melt quite easily when heated, you want to freeze it so that the breading has time to crisp up without melting the cheese on the inside when cooked.
Make the homemade gluten free bread crumbs:
- Toast the sliced bread in the air fryer for about 3 minutes at 400˚F.
- Tear the bread into rough chunks, place them in a food processor and process to form crumbs.
Some pieces might be soft and not shred. Cook them again in the air fryer for a minute or 2 and then process them again.
Air Fry 
Process
Now bread the balls:
- Whisk the egg in a shallow bowl.
- In another bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, minced onion, crushed red pepper and pepper
- Prepare your workstation with the almond flour, egg and seasoned bread crumbs.
- Take a ball of cheese at a time, coat it in the almond flour, dredge it in egg, and then place it in the gluten-free breading. Use your hands to toss the breading over the ball to coat it completely.
How do you cook frozen cheese balls in an Air Fryer and for how long?
First place a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of your air fryer. This is so that the bread crumbs don’t fall to the bottom, and you can remove the balls immediately after cooking them so they don’t melt sitting in the hot basket.
To avoid the cheese from completely melting and oozing out of the coating when cooking, you want to cook the goat cheese balls at a high temperature (400˚F) for only about 6-8 minutes in the air fryer.
This way you have the crispy coating on the outside with the perfectly creamy cheese on the inside!
Can you Deep Fry or Bake?
Yes. To make baked goat cheese balls, place the bites on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes at 425°F. Be sure to move them to a cooling rack immediately after cooking so they don’t melt on the hot sheet.
I prefer to say no to the deep fryer or frying in general since it adds a lot of extra fat, but you can if you want it. Heat about 2” high oil in a skillet to 375°F and fry each side for about 2 minutes.
Can you store air fryer cheese balls?
I made these goat cheese bites for a meal prep dinner, and they lasted in the fridge for 5 days in an airtight container.
You can reheat them in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds for a quick option, but if you have more time, go for the air fryer again for about 5-6 minutes.
Can you freeze goat cheese balls for an appetizer?
These bites are great for a make ahead air fryer vegetarian appetizer or just a meal prep.
First dredge and coat each piece in the almond flour and seasoned bread crumbs, freeze each breaded goat cheese ball individually on a parchment baking sheet and then transfer them to a freezer-safe zipper bag.
You can also use a freezer safe container.
When it’s time to serve them at a party, cook your frozen appetizers in the air fryer out of the freezer for about 8 minutes.
What to serve with Goat Cheese?
There are quite a number of options to serve these air fryer goat cheese bites.
The most popular one is just as a vegetarian appetizer at a party – don’t forget to add on a sweet and spicy sauce in this case. Maybe some cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes with a sugar-free homemade BBQ sauce or maple syrup like the one from Lakanto (code HAYLSKITCHEN gets you 15% off).
Make a ‘baked’ charcuterie board with some meats, nuts, crusty bread, pretzels or crackers on the side.
Goat cheese on toast is a great combination too.
Or for a healthy dinner option, add it on some salad. You might like my strawberry spinach salad!
More quick and easy air fryer appetizers you’’ll love
- Healthy Mixed Vegetable Falafel
- Crispy Smashed Potatoes
- Mushroom Lentil Patties
- Crispy Smoky Sweet Potato Fries
Gluten Free Air Fryer Goat Cheese Balls you Must Make
Ingredients
- 8 oz Goat Cheese Log, 228g
- 1 slice Gluten Free or Whole Wheat Bread, see notes for sub
- ½ tsp Italian Seasoning/Oregano/other Dried Herbs
- ⅛ tsp Dried Minced Onion
- ⅛ tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- ⅛ tsp Pepper
- 2 Tbsp Almond Flour
- 1 Egg, only about ⅓ gets used
Instructions
- Slice goat cheese into 8 pieces using a sharp knife (wiping between each slice) or dental floss. Roll into balls.
- Transfer to a plate and place in freezer until hardened, about 30 minutes. This is needed so that cheese does not ooze when cooked.
- Place sliced bread in air fryer basket and cook at 400˚F for 3 minutes at until toasted.
- Tear into pieces, transfer to a small food processor, and process to form crumbs.
- Return any large soft pieces to the air fryer, cook another 1-2 minutes, and process again.
- In a shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, dried minced onion, crushed red chili flakes and black pepper, and mix.
- In another bowl, whisk egg.
- Prepare workstation with 3 bowls: almond flour, whisked egg, and seasoned bread crumbs.
- Dredge each ball in almond flour, dip in egg, and place in bread crumb mixture. Use hands to coat all sides, and transfer to parchment lined air-fryer basket.
- Leave enough room for air to flow, work in batches if needed.
- Cook at 400˚F for 6-8 minutes until golden brown.
- Lift out parchment paper and transfer to cooling rack to cool.
- Leaving on air fryer basket will make balls melt.
Notes
- To replace sliced bread, use ¼ cup bread crumbs.
- To bake, place breaded goat cheese on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes at 425°F.
- Nutrition information is calculated using gluten free bread and ⅓ egg.
- Fridge: In an airtight container for 4-5 days. Reheat in the microwave or use an air fryer.
- Freeze: Place on baking sheet and let freeze individually. Transfer to freezer safe bag and keep 2 months. Air fry to reheat.
- After breading, place in parchment lined freezer safe container for up to 24 hours.
- To cook, air fry for 8 minutes or bake for 10 minutes straight out of freezer.
- Servings: 8 2” balls | Serving size: 1
- Calories: 99kcal
- Fat: 7g | Saturated fat: 4.1g
- Carbohydrates: 2.7g | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 0.3g
- Protein: 5.8g
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