These Fried Brie Bites are out-of-this-world delicious, with crispy breaded coating and gooey melted brie on the inside. Make sure to read the notes below for cooking tips before you get started, plus see lots of serving ideas!
~2cupsvegetable oil for frying, you'll want at least ~2 inches of oil in the saucepan
Instructions
Freeze the brie in advance:
Chop the brie into ~1-inch bite-sized pieces, separate the pieces so they're not touching each other, and freeze them until solid (at least 1-2 hours). It is easiest to cut brie if it is straight from the fridge, or even frozen for 5 minutes.
Fry the brie:
Set up 2 bowls: one with whisked egg mixed with milk, the other with the Italian breadcrumbs.
Dip the frozen brie pieces in the egg mixture, then coat each piece completely in the breadcrumbs mixture. (Use tongs for less mess.)
Heat the oil in a small saucepan. Get the temperature hot enough so that when you dip a wooden toothpick into the oil, small bubbles form immediately.
Use tongs to gently add breadcrumb-coated brie pieces into the hot oil. Cook only 2-4 pieces at a time. Fry for about 30 seconds—no more than 1 minute—or until golden brown on the outside. Use a metal slotted spoon or tongs to remove the fried brie and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
Repeat step 5 until all the brie pieces are fried. Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce or on crackers with jam!
Notes
Ideas for serving: balsamic glaze (by far my FAVORITE dip for fried brie!!), cranberry sauce (for a fun Thanksgiving appetizer), honey or hot honey for drizzling, on crackers with fig jam, blackberry bourbon jam, or hot pepper jelly.Cooking tips (read this before getting started!):
Do NOT skip the freezing step!
Work quickly and make sure the brie pieces are still frozen when frying them. If not, the brie will melt before the breadcrumbs are fried, and the melted brie will ooze out of the breadcrumbs. So only take out as many brie pieces from the freezer as you can dip, dredge, and fry within a few minutes. Then get more pieces out.
Brie should only be fried for about 30 seconds, or up to 1 minute, so that the breadcrumbs turn golden brown but the cheese inside does not melt completely. Because of this, I recommend frying only 2-4 pieces at a time, so you have time to remove them from the hot oil before they melt too much.
Use a slotted metal spoon to remove the fried brie from the hot oil. If you use tongs, do NOT squeeze too hard with the tongs when you remove the brie pieces, otherwise you will squish them. They're super soft when coming out of the oil!
The nutrition facts assume 8 servings and do not include any sauces for serving. Actual nutrition will vary based on amount of oil absorbed and breading used.