Easy Parmesan Crisps (Frico) Recipe and Video

Name: Easy Homemade Parmesan Crisps
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 3
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 3/4 cup (~ 2 oz) Parmesan cheese, grated; pinch dried thyme - optional; pinch cayenne pepper - optional if you like heat

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This is a simple and easy homemade Parmesan crisp recipe. Parmesan crisps, called Parmesan Frico in Italian, refers to heated cheese.

This fast Parmesan crisp recipe is baked in the oven for ~ 4 minutes at 350F.

3 Parmesan Crisps with specks of thyme on a Wood Cutting Board. White Bowl of fava beans in back with a Parmesan crisp sticking out.

This easy and simple Parmesan crisp is a perfect fast appetizer or side dish for pastas, stews, or salads.

Serve frico parmesan cheese crisps with Gazpacho, Ceviche, Cucumber Soup, or Pickled Shrimp.

Parmesan or Asiago cheese are generally used for frico but any variety of melted cheese will also work.

Parmesan cheese crisps are naturally low carb, gluten free, and keto.

How To Make Parmesan Crisps

Grate some Parmesan cheese.
Optional: add some herbs or spices like thyme or cayenne pepper if you like some heat.
Bake in the oven for a couple minutes at 350F. Lit sit a couple minutes and remove from sheet pan while still warm but solid.

grated cheese on a see-through cutting board with a hand held cheese grater in the background.

Grate The Parmesan Cheese or Buy Pre Grated Cheese

Frico can be thin and harder cheese wafers or thicker and softer and more pliable Parmesan crisps depending on how long they are cooked and how much cheese is used.

Grating Parmesan cheese on a microplane will make for delicate, lighter and uber crispy Parmesan "chips".

Conversely, using a thicker store bought pre-grated Parmesan cheese will make a greasier, chewier, and browner Parmesan crisp.

Watch the video below and try this Parmesan Frico recipe both ways to see which cheese you prefer.

How To Get Perfect Crispy Baked Parmesan Frico Crisps

The only trick to making crispy Parmesan crisps is to let them sit for a couple minutes on the pan after baking until they get solid enough to move.

Having said that, if you wait too long, they will stick to the parchment paper or pan. If you try to get them off the pan right away they will be too melty, because they have not solidified enough yet to be moved.

6 Parmesan crisps on an elevated wire rack on a white table. 3 are darker and 3 are lighter in color. — The three lighter Parmesan crisps on the left and upper middle are made with fine grated block cheese. The 3 darker crisps are made with a store bought pre-grated thicker Parmesan. The lighter ones are crisper and more delicate. The darker ones are chewier and a wee bit greasier. Both are cooked exactly the same. You choose which cheese you prefer!

How To Store Parmesan Cheese Crisps

Parmesan crisps will stay good in the refrigerator a couple days if layered between parchment paper and placed in a ziplock bag.

Frico can also be frozen in a ziploc bag. Having said that, the crisps will need to be warmed up in the oven at 300F for a couple minutes if they are soft after defrosting.

Parmesan crisps are really simple and fast to make so it's just as easy to make them fresh.

Bowl of cooked bright green fava (broad) beans with salt and pepper in a white bowl with a spoon. topped with mint. garnished with a parmesan crisp. — *Served with a bowl of Buttery Fava Beans.*

Homemade Parmesan Crisp Recipe FAQS

Can I use any cheese to make crisps?

Yes sir! Yes ma'am! Frico (AKA) cheese crisps can be made with any cheese. Try colby jack, cheddar, mozzarella, Swiss, whatever cheese you like.

Why are my cheese crisps not crispy?

First - make sure that you are not using too much cheese. Smart with small disks and then get larger as you learn. Cheese crisps get melty first. Then they have to sit for a minute or two on the pan to be solid enough to move to a plate or cooling rack where they will continue to crisp up.

Things In My Kitchen:

Fish spatula - love this spatula - great for flipping fish and getting these delicate Parmesan crisps off the pan.
Silicone Baking Mats - the crisps come off really easy with these non-stick mats.

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Looking for food pairing ideas? Serve these delicious Parmesan Crisps as a garnish with:

Easy Homemade Parmesan Crisps

3 Parmesan Crisps with specks of thyme on a Wood Cutting Board

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EatSimpleFood.com

This is a simple and easy homemade Parmesan crisp recipe. Parmesan crisps, called Frico in Italian, refers to heated cheese. This fast cheese crisp recipe is baked in the oven for ~ 4 minutes at 350F.

Author: beckie
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 3
Category: Condiment
Method: Oven
Cuisine: Italian
Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

¾ cup (~ 2 oz) Parmesan cheese, grated
pinch dried thyme - optional
pinch cayenne pepper - optional if you like heat

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F.
Grate Parmesan cheese on the small side of a box grater.
Optional: mix in cayenne and thyme or any herbs or spices that you like. Leave out the cayenne if you are sensitive to heat!
Distribute 6 Parmesan mounds evenly on a wax or silicone lined baking sheet.
Lightly flatten out with your fingers into a slight fat disk shape, making sure to leave ~ an inch between each cheese crisp.
Bake ~ 4-5 minutes or until starting to bubble, melt together, and turn light brown.
Rest ~2 minutes and remove with a thin metal spatula. Don't wait too long to get them off the pan or they will harden and stick. Conversely, don't take them off too soon or they will be too soft to move.
Happy Parmesan crisp eating! Beckie

Notes

Grating your own Parmesan on a microplane will make for delicate, lighter and uber crispy Parmesan "chips". Using a thicker store bought pre-grated Parmesan will make a greasier, chewier, and browner crisp. Watch the video below and try it both ways to see which you prefer.