These allergy friendly, egg free crispy baked Fish Sticks are a fun way to dress up white fish. They’re eggless, dairy free (just use DF milk), and nut free, with Ritz crackers giving them a light crunch right out of the oven – no eggs and no frying required! For another great kid-free protein option, check out my new Egg Free/Dairy Free Chicken Strips!
We also love to use the same recipe on larger pieces of fish for an egg free fish and chips dinner. Usually I’ll make the eggless fish sticks for the kids, and use larger pieces for my husband and myself. The bake time is usually the same (the sticks will be hotter, but they shouldn’t dry out much).
For a full, egg free Fish and Chips style dinner, try pairing this recipe with my Crunchy Baked French Fries!
I’ve used fresh Lake Superior white fish (our favorite–fresh is best!), frozen tilapia, and cod for mine, but you can use any white fish you like. Since my two year old has egg and nut allergies, I try to incorporate fish and shrimp whenever I can to give him a variety of protein and healthy fats. These egg free fish sticks have been a great way to make eating fish a little more fun for all of us, especially the kids.
Eggless Binder for Fish and Chicken
Many breaded fish and chicken recipes use eggs as a binder, but I’ve found that it’s not necessary. Especially for a light cracker crumb breading like my recipes use. Here is the link to my egg free breaded chicken strips recipe.
This egg free fish recipe uses a simple oil and milk mix to bind the breading to the fish. If you’re dairy free, you can also just use oil – I’ve made them both ways, and it doesn’t make much of a difference, if any! Do what works best for you.
How to Make Egg Free Fish Sticks (or Fish Fillets)
Making these eggless fish sticks is easy! You’ll prepare your dry mix and wet mix, and dip fish into each one before baking. (For complete recipe and instructions, click “Jump to Recipe” below, or scroll down).
Jump to RecipePrepare by preheating oven to 450F, and spraying a large baking sheet with cooking spray. Crush your crackers with the back of a fork (or use a food processor for a very fine crumb), then stir in the rest of your breading ingredients in a wide-bottomed bowl.
Rinse and dry fish, and slice into the desired size and shape. Stir together oil and milk in a medium bowl.
Dip each fish into oil/milk mixture, then press into breading until evenly coated on all sides. Place onto prepared baking sheet, leaving space in between each piece.
Bake for 10 minutes, then carefully flip each piece. Bake an additional 4-6 minutes, or until cooked to internal temp of at least 145F and golden brown on both sides.
Looking for more allergy friendly kids’ favorites?
- Crunchy Baked Chicken Strips (Egg, Dairy, Nut Free)
- “Battered” Crunchy Baked French Fries (Egg, Dairy, Nut Free)
- Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese (Gluten Free, Vegan option)
- Baked Apple Cinnamon Fries (Top 8 Free)
- Baked Veggie Tots (Egg Free, Dairy Free)
- Eggless Pizza Puffs (Vegan option)
- Eggless Sausage Breakfast Bites or Sausage Hash Brown Bites
These allergy friendly Crunchy Baked Fish Sticks are:
- Egg free / Eggless
- Dairy Free (sub DF milk, or omit milk altogether – it works just as well!)
- Peanut free
- Tree Nut Free
- Shellfish Free
Crispy Baked Fish Sticks (Egg Free, Dairy Free)
Ingredients
- 1 pound tilapia, cod, or other white fish
- 2 Tablespoons milk or DF milk
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- 3/4 cup crushed Ritz crackers (or other buttery-flavored cracker) – about 15 crackers
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp onion powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F. Lightly spray baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Rinse, dry, and slice raw fish to desired size (I like to make ¾ inch strips for the kids, and larger pieces for the adults for "fish and chips" style).
- In small bowl, stir together oil and milk. For dairy free option, substitute additional oil for milk – I've made both ways, and both turn out great!
- In a separate bowl, stir together crushed crackers, flour, salt, and garlic powder. To crush crackers, use the back of a fork, or a food processor for a finer crumb.
- Dip each piece of fish into oil/milk mix, then press into dry mix until evenly coated on all sides.
- Place onto prepared baking sheet, leaving space in between each piece.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, then carefully flip each piece. Bake an additional 4-6 minutes, or until golden brown on both sides and internal temp reaches at least 145F. Bake time will vary based on size of fish. For extra crispness, bake a few minutes longer.
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I’m so glad to have cone across this recipe! I love how the milk and oil helps the dry ingredients stick to the fish. I used brown rice cereal. I crush it with a rolling pin and it works great! I also use this same recipe to make chicken nuggets and works awesome! My toddler with many food allergy loves it and it’s great to have more variety for her. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Hi, can you substitute bread crumbs or saltine crackers instead of using Ritz crackers? Thanks!
Hello! I bet you could substitute any cracker or breadcrumb in place of the Ritz! I only use Ritz because we always have them on hand. 😉
It’s not dairy-free if it has milk.
Hello! The description on the recipe card says to substitute DF milk to make them dairy free. 🙂 They will turn out the same way.
These look great ! I’m excited to have my daughter try these soon. Do you have to use veggie/canola oil ? Could I use maybe coconut or olive oil ? Thanks 🙂
Thanks, Alison! They’re great for kids (and adults!). I haven’t made them with olive oil or coconut oil yet, but I bet olive oil would work well as a substitute. I’ll try that next time, and will come back and update. 🙂
I haven’t cooked/baked with coconut oil much myself, so I’m not sure about that one. I should really experiment with it more!