Easy Air Fryer Snack Idea: Dorito Crusted Babybel Cheese Bites

Air Fried Dorito Cheese Bites

There are two things we know- kids love cheese and kids love Doritos. So, I decided to combine the two to make a wonderfully cheesy and tasty air fryer snack called Dorito Cheese Bites. Not only will kids love this snack as an afternoon treat, but you will also love to serve this one at parties or BBQs this summer for Memorial Day, Father’s Day, or Fourth of July.

Keep reading to learn how to make this simple and easy air fryer snack!

How to Make Dorito Crusted Babybel Cheese?

This recipe is awesome because you only need a handful of ingredients. I don’t normally have Doritos or Babybell cheeses on hand, so it does require a quick trip to the store. But, chances are you will have everything else!

Ingredients You Need

To make this snack in the air fryer, you will need:

• 3/4 cup flour, divided
• 1 egg, whisked
• 2-3 handfuls of Doritos Nacho Cheese
• 4-8 frozen Babybel cheese

Ingredient Substitution Ideas

The ingredients are so simple for this recipe! Here are a few suggestions you can try out instead if you don’t want to use Doritos Nacho Cheese chips or Babybel cheese.

Replace Doritos Nacho Cheese chips with

• Other Dorito chip flavors such as-
  • Spicy Nacho
  • Cool Ranch
  • Spicy Sweet Chili
• Takis
• Cheetos
• Fritos

What other chips flavors do you think would taste great?

Replace Babybel Cheese with

• Mozzarella Sticks (I would cut them in half for this recipe so they are a little easier to work with)
• Other cheese bite flavors such as
  • Swiss cheese
  • Gouda cheese
  • Cheddar cheese
  • Edam cheese

What other Babybel substitutes have your tried? Share with us in the comment section!

Disclaimer: I have not personally tried these substitutions and do not know how it will effect the overall cooking time or taste. I imagine it will be similar. An instant read thermometer can help you gauge the internal temp and how cooked through everything is. Feel free to experiment and share with us your results in the comments below! 

How to Air Fry Babybel Cheese?

There are a couple things you want to make sure you do before you fry cheese in the air fryer. Check out these 5 tips!

5 Tips for Air Frying Cheese

Tip 1: Freeze the Cheese

To help the cheese from overly melting in the air fryer, place the cheese bites in the freezer for an hour or two before you start making this recipe.

You can leave the cheese bites in their wrappers.

Tip 2: Prepare the Doritos

The key to any fried food is to have a solid breading around the thing you are frying. To make these Dorito cheese bites, you will need:

• 1/2 cup of flour in one shallow dish or plate
• 1 whisked egg in a second shallow dish
• Crushed Doritos combined with 1/4 cup flour in a third shallow dish or plate

Important Note on the Dishes You Use

I like to use a Pyrex glass container anytime I am frying something in the air fryer and need to cover it in a mixture. Or, I like to use a plate. This makes it easier to completely cover the food item in the mixtures you are using because the ingredients are accessible and laid out flat.

Tip 3: Use Parchment Paper

You will want to have your air fryer basket ready as well before you begin the assembly line. Because you are cooking with cheese, you will want to place a piece of air fryer parchment paper in the air fryer basket.

Be sure to spray the air fryer basket with a little bit of oil if you are not using parchment paper.

Learn more about air fryer parchment paper in this YouTube video. 

What if I don’t have air fryer parchment paper?

If you don’t have air fryer parchment paper, you can make your own with regular parchment paper. Here is how you do it:

1. Cut a piece of parchment paper about the size of your air fryer basket.
2. Fold the parchment paper 5 times as if you were preparing to make a snowflake.
3. Cut holes into the parchment with scissors or with a hole puncher.
4. Unfold the parchment paper and place it in the air fryer basket.

Try this with me in this YouTube video.

Tip 4: Make the Dorito Cheese Bites

Peel off the wax coverings on the frozen cheeses. Then, dip the cheese in the flour dish, the egg dish, the Dorito dish, back in the egg dish, and one more time in the Dorito dish. Next, place the cheese bites in the air fryer basket.

Repeat with the remaining cheese bites. 

Tip 5: Air fry the Cheese Bites

Fry the Dorito cheese bites in the air fryer basket for 6 minutes at 370°F or 188°C, flipping at the halfway point.

Serving Suggestions

There are many different ways you can enjoy these Dorito Crusted Babybel Cheese Bites! Try this recipe for

• Memorial Day, Father’s Day, or Fourth of July BBQ Appetizer
• Afternoon or after school snack
• Midnight treat
• New Year’s Eve Appetizer
• Super Bowl Snack

Final Thoughts

There you have it! Easy, cheesy, and delicious Dorito crusted Babybel cheese that you can make and enjoy in under 30 minutes thanks to the air fryer! The best part about this recipe is that you don’t need a lot of oil! No deep frying required!

Share with us in the comments below how this recipe went for you!

More tasty air fried recipes

• 5 Ingredient Air Fryer Chimichanga Recipe
• Bacon and Pineapple Appetizer in the Air Fryer
• Air Fryer Eggplant Parmesan Bites
• Air Fryer Pigs in a Blanket
• Air Fryer Nacho Cheese Balls

Air fryer tips and tricks

• Common Air Fryer Mistakes!
• All about the Best and Worst Air Fryer Accessories
• How to Clean Your Air Fryer
• How to Cook Any Recipe in the Air Fryer
• FREE Download → Air Fryer Tips & Temps

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you make mozzarella cheese sticks in the air fryer?

These tasty Dorito cheese bites are a lot alike mozzarella sticks! Check out this easy air fried mozzarella sticks recipe.

Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks

Learn how to make fried mozzarella sticks with crisp breading in an air fryer. This fried mozzarella sticks recipe is great for parties, football games and kids!

Check out this recipe

Where do I get air fryer parchment paper?

You will want to use air fryer parchment paper for this recipe. I get mine off of Amazon. Make sure you get the right size for your air fryer basket. With my Cosori 5.8 quart air fryer, I have the 8.5 by 8.5 parchment paper squares.

You can learn more about air fryer parchment paper and air fryer silicone mats in these YouTube videos:

• Does AIR FRYER Parchment Paper HELP or HURT your Air Fryer Food?
• AIR FRYER Silicone Liner vs Air Fryer Parchment Paper – Which is Better in the Air Fryer?

Where do I get an oil sprayer?

You may want to spray a little bit of oil on your cheese bites to help them get extra crispy. You can view my favorite oil sprayer and my other favorite air fryer tools on my Amazon page at AirFryerTools.com.

Air Fried Dorito Cheese Bites

If you know any cheese and chip lovers, then you need to try this gooey and tasty fried Dorito crusted Babybel cheese bites in the air fryer. It's another super easy air fryer recipe that will be calling you back for more. 

4.70 / 5 ( 20 Reviews )

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 6 minutes minutes

Total Time: 16 minutes minutes

Serves: 2

Adjust Servings: 2

Equipment

• Air Fryer

Ingredients

• ¾ cup flour divided
• 1 egg whisked
• 4-8 Babybel cheeses frozen
• 1-3 handfuls of Doritos depending on how strong you want the Dorito flavor to be

Instructions

• Before you begin, make sure that you freeze Babybel cheese for at least 1-2 hours.
• Prepare 3 separate shallow bowls. One, ½ cup of flour. Second, 1 whisked egg. Third, crushed Doritos with ¼ cup of flour, mixed together.
• Prepare the air fryer basket by placing a sheet of air fryer parchment paper inside. (If you aren't using air fryer parchment paper, remember to spray the air fryer basket).
• Unwrap the cheese bites. Cover each cheese bite in the flour, egg wash, then Doritos mixture. Cover it in the egg wash again, then in the Dorito mixture again.
• Press down on the cheese so that the chip sticks to the cheese.
• Place the cheese inside and lightly spray with oil.
• Cook at 370°F/188°C for 3 minutes. Flip the cheese, and cook for an additional 3 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 213kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 3g | Sodium: 48mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g