Best Dip for Mozzarella Sticks

Mozzarella sticks combine everything good about food: creamy dairy, a satisfying crunchy coating, and a little bit of finger-moistening oil from being deep fat fried. But even though mozzarella sticks are pretty much perfect as is, there’s always room for a little dippage to make eating them a god-tier experience. The best dip for mozzarella sticks complements their mild, cheesy glory rather than covering it up—but not all dipping sauces are created equal. Yes, a lot of frozen mozzarella sticks you buy at the grocery store come with a little packet of marinara, but we don’t think you should settle for whatever they’ve decided to throw in the box. Level up with the best dips for mozzarella sticks.

Okay, if you’re a regular Sporked reader, then you know we love Rao’s sauces. Their arrabbiata? Amazing (but we’ll get to that in a sec). Their bolognese? A beut. And their marinara is unparalleled—especially when we’re talking about the best dip for mozzarella sticks. Rao’s Homemade Marinara is made from good ingredients that actually taste fresh—no overpowering dried herbs here. As one taste tester said, “This is basically homemade marinara in a jar.” Blindfold your friends and feed them Rao’s and they’ll think you flew to Italy that morning to pick up a batch of nonna’s sauce straight from the source. If you want to go the classic route by pairing your cheesy, stretchy sticks with marinara, this is the best marinara for mozzarella sticks, hands down.

Read the full ranking of the best marinara sauce

Rao’s strikes again, and this time they’re coming in hot—as in spicy. For the uninitiated, arrabbiata is basically marinara with red pepper flakes added for heat. If you love Rao’s marinara but you crave some spice, this sauce is a revelation, and it’s also one of the best dips for mozzarella sticks if you like an extra kick. It has a nice, subdued sweetness that helps balance out the salty coating on your mozzarella sticks and adds depth of flavor that, let’s be honest, benefits even the best mozzarella sticks.

Read the full ranking of the best arrabbiata sauce

We turn to Rao’s for pasta sauce and we go to Marie’s for ranch. If you (like many of us) believe ranch dressing is an all-purpose dipping sauce rather than a salad dressing, you have to have a jar of this in the fridge at all times. It’s thick, creamy, and full of flavorful herbs that add so much dimension to even the blandest mozzarella sticks. There’s no weird chemical-y aftertaste or unpleasant twang—just creamy, dreamy, ranchy goodness. A stick of cheese drenched in ranch dressing may be a Midwesterner’s wet dream, but anyone can enjoy this combo. Say it with us: ranch is one of the best dips for mozzarella sticks!

Read the full ranking of the best ranch dressing

Just as our marinara has a spicy counterpart in arrabbiata, our ranch has one in this excellent peppercorn ranch from Ken’s. If you love mozzarella sticks that pack a lot of black pepper in their breading but you made the mistake of buying a batch that’s lacking in that department, this is the way to go. It’s is a restaurant quality salad dressing and it’s also one of the best dips for mozzarella sticks. This might be a tougher sell for your Midwestern friends (we weren’t made to taste ranch with a kick this big!), but this one is perfect for the people who always like a few extra cranks from the pepper grinder on whatever they’re eating.

Read the full ranking of the best ranch dressing

Pesto is great, but a sauce that oily probably isn’t all that well suited to deep fried pieces of cheese. That’s where this creamy, dreamy Bitchin’ Sauce comes in. This nut-based dip is incredibly flavorful and loaded with umami, and this version has all the fresh, herbacious basil flavor you love in pesto, but it isn’t a total oil bomb. It’s thick. It’s creamy. It’s one of the best dips for mozzarella sticks if you want something totally different than the marinara you’re used to.

Read the full ranking of Bitchin’ Sauce flavors

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