We’ve ordered cheese curds in the restaurant before and I finally found some in HEB so I could try making them myself. I like the curds as they are more string cheese like and don’t just explode into a fried cheese mess. Mine came out darker brown color due to using the stout beer below. When I do it again I would stick to more of a pale ale or cheap beer like Miller Lite to not over power the flavor.
Beer Battered Deep Fried Cheese Curds
(Adapted from Fox Valley Foodie)
1 pound cheese curds or cubed mild cheddar
1 cup flour
1 cup beer + 1-2 tbsp as needed
1 egg beaten
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp table salt
Heat oil to 400 degrees.
Mix flour, baking powder and salt together.
Add beaten egg and beer and mix till combined. The batter should have the consistency of thin pancake batter. If it is too thick add additional beer as needed. If it is too thin, sprinkle in a little flour.
Deep fry one cheese curd to test the batter if needed.
Working in batches, add cheese curds to the batter and evenly coat then lift cheese out of the batter with a spider or slotted spoon and let the excess batter drip off before placing in the oil.
Fry for 1 minute then remove curds to drain on paper towels.
Let cool slightly and serve.
Recipe Notes –
I found anywhere between 375 – 400 degrees to be a good frying temperature. Oil temperature drops when food is added, so by heating your oil to 400 degrees it should stay within the proper range when frying.
Frying in batches ensures the oil temperature doesn’t drop excessively and also ensures the cheese curds aren’t too crowded in the pan and clump together.
I found 1 minute to be the ideal cooking time, however if you see cheese leaking out while frying they have been frying longer than needed and should be removed.