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These golden-brown tempura fried cheese curds are surprisingly simple to make at home! Deep fried in tempura batter, they’re light, melty, and perfect with a side of spicy, garlicky Sriracha mayo. Learn how to make this delicious snack for game day, a party appetizer, or happy hour at home.

A hand dipping tempura fried cheese curds in Sriracha mayo on a plate of cheese curds next to beer and an orange linen with a grey background.

When it comes to sports, I 10/10 only care about the food. As my friend group’s annual Super Bowl party host, half of the fun for me is drinking beer and eating silly amounts of loaded BBQ chicken nachos, cheesy loaded waffle fries, and crunchy spicy ranch snack mix. The husband, on the other hand, has feelings about football. I have never known so much about football players’ personal lives until now.

After recently acquiring a big bag of cheese curds that my dad bought me in Oregon, my initial reaction was “wtf do I do with these?” So I took it to an Instagram poll, and luckily, an old study abroad friend was like, “Duh, batter them, deep fry them, and dip the bitches in Sriracha mayo”.*

*not an actual quote

Of course, you don’t have to tell me to fry cheese twice. I love a good cheese curd situation! But, in this recipe, I wanted a lighter batter that didn’t require any breading. So I turned to the tempura method I originally learned when I was a student in culinary school and voilà. The ultimate game day app!

Key tempura ingredients

A grey bowl of cheese curds next to bowls of flour, salt, club soda, oil, and spices on a grey counter.

The two key ingredients you need for tempura are cake flour and club soda. The cake flour has less gluten which keeps the batter nice and light. And the club soda has bubbles which give the breading a light and airy texture. For a beer batter, use very cold, light beer!

Of course, you’ll also need cheese curds. You can find them in the fancy cheese aisle of most local grocery stores. Or, look for them at artisan cheese shops or well-stocked stores like Sprouts or Whole Foods.

Other ingredients you’ll need are mayonnaise, Sriracha, neutral frying oil (like canola or avocado), Morton’s Kosher salt, and a clove of garlic. You can also use other hot chili paste if you like!

Don’t want to buy cake flour? All good, you can make your own. Just measure out 1 cup of all-purpose flour and remove 2 Tablespoons. Then, add 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch to the flour, and sift to remove any lumps. Easy peasy!

Sriracha mayo

Two images; on the left, a white bowl of mayo and Sriracha next to a bowl of cheese and spices. On the right, a woman is mixing the sauce.
Whisk the mayo, Sriracha, and garlic in a small bowl until smooth. Cover & refrigerate.

Tempura batter

Three images; in the first image, a hand is pouring club soda into a white bowl of flour. In the second, someone is dipping cheese into batter. In the third, cheese is frying in oil.
First, whisk the cake flour, club soda, and Kosher salt in a medium bowl until you have a thin batter. Then, heat the oil to 375°F. Once the oil is heated, dip the cheese curds into the batter, working about 6 at a time. Fry the cheese curds just until the outside is crisp, about 30 seconds.

Don’t over-fry the curds. You should fry the cheese curds just until the batter is crisp, puffy, and light golden-brown. This will only take about 30-60 seconds. If the cheese is melting out, you’re cooking them too long!

Curds melting?

Cheese curds are, after all, cheese so they can melt if they are not cooked the right way. To keep the cheese from melting out, keep an even temperature. 375°F is perfect for this recipe. I recommend using a candy thermometer to monitor the temp!

I always freeze the cheese curds before battering. Frying frozen cheese curds will give the batter time to set without the cheese getting too melty. I like to freeze them overnight, but 1-2 hours will do.

A metal pan of tempura fried cheese curds with a bowl of Sriracha mayo next to beer and an orange napkin with a grey background.

How to store & freeze

To freeze the curds, place them in a single layer on a sheet pan and freeze for 1-2 hours, until firm. Then, layer the frozen curds in an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. You can also refrigerate the leftovers. Place the cheese curds in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Reheating cheese curds

The cheese curds can be reheated from the fridge or freezer. To reheat, stack a wire rack on a sheet pan and place the curds in a single layer on the wire rack (this will allow excess oil to drip through). Bake at 400°F for 5-6 minutes for refrigerated curds, or 7-10 minutes for frozen curds, until the outside is golden brown and the center is melty. Flip the curds halfway through to ensure they cook evenly.

A metal pan of tempura fried cheese curds with a bowl of Sriracha mayo on a grey table next to beer and a rust-orange linen.

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Tempura Fried Cheese Curds with Sriracha Mayo

Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
These golden brown tempura fried cheese curds are surprisingly simple to make at home! Deep fried in tempura batter, they're light, melty, and perfect with a side of spicy, garlicky Sriracha mayo. Learn how to make this delicious snack for game day, a party appetizer, or happy hour at home.
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Ingredients

Tempura Fried Cheese Curds

  • 1 pound cheese curds, frozen
  • 1 cup cake flour, sifted
  • 1 cup club soda, very cold
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1 quart vegetable oil

Sriracha Mayo

  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 Tablespoons Sriracha (more or less, to taste)
  • 1 garlic clove, finely minced

Instructions 

Sriracha Mayo

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the mayo, Sriracha, and garlic until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until you're ready to serve.

Batter & Frying

  • In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat until it reaches 375°F. Preheat the oven to the lowest setting (usually 150-170°F). Stack a wire rack on top of a sheet pan and place in the oven for later.
  • While the oil is heating, make the batter. In a medium bowl, combine the sifted cake flour, cold club soda, and Kosher salt. Whisk the mixture, just until the batter forms. Do not over-mix! A few lumps are ok.
  • When the oil is heated, you can start the frying process. Working with about six cheese curds at a time, dip the curds into the batter with chopsticks or the tines of a fork. Coat, and then let some batter drip off. From the side of the pot, drop the curds in the hot oil, frying them until they're puffy, crisp, and light golden-brown, about 30-60 seconds. Do not overcook, or the cheese will leak out.
  • Place the fried curds on the wire rack in the oven to keep them warm while you're frying the rest. Serve the cheese curds immediately with the Sriracha mayo.

Notes

If you’re sensitive to spice, start with 1 Tablespoon of Sriracha (or less). Add more to taste.
Using frozen cheese curds will prevent the cheese from melting out during the frying process. Freeze for at least 1-2 hours (or overnight) for best results.
For beer battered curds, use very cold beer instead of club soda. A light wheat beer is best.
I recommend using a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature of the oil. You want an even temperature to ensure that the cheese curds fry properly.
If the cheese is leaking out of the curds, they are cooking for too long. Cook for 30-60 seconds, just until the outside of the batter is puffy, crisp, and light golden-brown.
Cuisine: American
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Author: Sara Lynn Hunt Broka
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 385kcal, Carbohydrates: 18.2g, Protein: 14.9g, Fat: 28.8g, Saturated Fat: 13.3g, Cholesterol: 32mg, Sodium: 753mg, Potassium: 20mg, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugar: 1g, Calcium: 288mg, Iron: 1mg
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Originally posted on October 14, 2018.