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These 3-cheese macaroni balls with béchamel sauce are deliciously fried. They're super creamy on the inside, and crisp and golden on the outside. An amazing appetizer the whole family will love!
![Mac and cheese ball cut in half on a beige plate, with other balls.](https://mariefoodtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/mac-and-cheese-balls-2.jpg)
💙Why you'll love them
- Incredible texture - with their melting interior and super crispy exterior, they're a pure, decadent delight…
- Perfect appetizer - super fun to share, it's the ideal recipe for an appetizer with friends, family dinners, buffets, barbecues… in short, for any occasion!
- Comforting - what could be more comforting than fried 3-cheese macaroni balls? Not many things, I think!
Table des matières
😉Other delicious appetizers
🧀Notes on ingredients
You can find a full list of ingredients and measurements in the recipe card below. Here are a few ingredient notes to make these delicious Mac and cheese balls.
- Cheeses - for this recipe, I've used cheddar, Swiss cheese and Parmesan, but feel free to substitute with mozzarella, Blue cheese, Gouda, Brie, etc…
- Pasta - I've used coquillettes, but you can use macaroni, Cavatappi, mini Penne, Farfalle…use whatever you like or have in your cupboards!
- Panko breadcrumbs - these Japanese breadcrumbs are the best you can find, much better than the classic ones. I promise you, once you've tried it, there's no going back.
🥦Variations
Feel free to change this recipe to go with your tastes. I suggest several options:
- Add meat, such as bacon, roast chicken or sausages.
- Added seafood - shrimp, crab or lobster, for example.
- Added vegetables - broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, etc.
- Spices and herbs - paprika, cayenne pepper, thyme, rosemary, oregano, etc.
- Cheeses - as I mentioned above, I used cheddar, Swiss cheese and Parmesan cheese in this recipe. But you can replace them with mozzarella, Blue cheese, Gouda, Brie, etc…
- Toppings - Panko breadcrumbs, fried onions, toasted almonds…
- Mexican version, with chorizo, jalapeños and cheddar.
- Italian version, with tomatoes, basil and mozzarella.
This recipe has not been tested using any other substitutions. If you do try substituting ingredients, it may not turn out as it's meant to. Please leave a comment below letting me know if it worked out!
✨How to make these delicious Mac and cheese balls?
Recipe details and quantities are in the recipe card below.
- Start by preparing the béchamel sauce - melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Once melted, add the flour all at once and whisk vigorously.
- Then add a quarter of the milk. The trick to a successful béchamel is to let the mixture thicken (stirring constantly with a whisk to avoid lumps), add a 2nd quarter of milk, let it thicken, add a 3rd quarter, and finish with the last quarter of milk. Keep whisking until the sauce thickens. At the end, the texture should be smooth and creamy, but not liquid. Meanwhile, start cooking your pasta.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the cheeses and stir until melted.
- Add the cooked and drained pasta, mix and spread out on a large plate.
- Put it in the freezer for 2-3 hours, or until you can form balls with your hands.
- Heat your frying oil in a saucepan. Dip each ball in the grated cheddar, flour, beaten eggs and Panko breadcrumbs.
- Fry each ball (place 2 by 2 or 3 by 3 in the pan) in hot oil (355°F/180°C) until golden brown. Place on absorbent paper and enjoy!
👩🏻🍳Chef's tips
- Hot frying oil is crucial - make sure your oil is hot enough (355°F/180°C) before you put your Mac and cheese balls in it. The best way to tell if the oil is ready to use is to use a kitchen thermometer. You can also put a drop of water in the pan. If it sizzles, you can use it.
- If your oil is too hot - it will first darken before turning black. Then the oil will burn and your balls will be overcooked.
- Make several batches - don't put too many balls in the pan at the same time, as the temperature of the frying oil may drop too low, causing them to overcook and soak up the oil.
💡Frequently Asked Questions
If your oil hasn't turned black, you can wait for it to cool completely, then put it back in the bottle for reuse.
Otherwise, don't pour your frying oil down the drain, as you risk clogging it. It's best to put it back in the bottle once it's cooled down (very important, otherwise it'll have a hole in it), then take it to a hazardous waste or household special waste depot. And if that's impossible, at least put it in the non-recyclable waste garbage can.
I've never tried it, but I'm sure it's possible, since the Air Fryer makes it possible to reproduce deep-fried recipes without frying.
❄️Storage/freezing
- Store - once fried, allow to cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
- Reheat - place in a hot oven (320°F/160°C) for a few minutes. Avoid the microwave, which will soften them.
- Freeze - I recommend freezing the balls once they've been shaped, but before you coating them with flour, beaten eggs and breadcrumbs. Simply place them in a freezer bag, labelled with the name of the recipe and the date of creation.
- Defrost - pass the balls through flour, beaten eggs and Panko breadcrumbs and fry as indicated in the recipe.
If you make these Mac and cheese balls, it would be so nice to leave me a comment and rate the recipe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. You can also tag me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook or Tik Tok, or even send me a photo, I love seeing my little dishes in your homes!
📖 Recette
Mac and cheese balls
Ingredients
For béchamel
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- salt to your taste
- black pepper to your taste
For macaronis
- 6 oz pasta
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- ⅔ cup grated Swiss cheese
- ⅔ cup grated Parmesan cheese
For breading
- ¾ cup grated cheddar cheese
- farine
- 3 eggs
- Panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Start by preparing the béchamel sauce - melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Once melted, add the flour all at once and whisk vigorously.
- Then add a quarter of the milk. The trick to a successful béchamel is to let the mixture thicken (stirring constantly with a whisk to avoid lumps), add a 2nd quarter of milk, let it thicken, add a 3rd quarter, and finish with the last quarter of milk. Keep whisking until the sauce thickens. At the end, the texture should be smooth and creamy, but not liquid. Meanwhile, start cooking your pasta.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the cheeses and stir until melted.
- Add the cooked and drained pasta, mix and spread out on a large plate.
- Put it in the freezer for 2-3 hours, or until you can form balls with your hands.
- Heat your frying oil in a saucepan. Dip each ball in the grated cheddar, flour, beaten eggs and Panko breadcrumbs.
- Fry each ball (place 2 by 2 or 3 by 3 in the pan) in hot oil (355°F/180°C) until golden brown. Place on absorbent paper and enjoy!
Notes
- Store - once fried, allow to cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
- Reheat - place in a hot oven (320°F/160°C) for a few minutes. Avoid the microwave, which will soften them.
- Freeze - I recommend freezing the balls once they've been shaped, but before you coating them with flour, beaten eggs and breadcrumbs. Simply place them in a freezer bag, labelled with the name of the recipe and the date of creation.
- Defrost - pass the balls through flour, beaten eggs and Panko breadcrumbs and fry as indicated in the recipe.
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