arancini (fried Italian rice balls)

Arancini are pure luxury. They’re crunchy balls of creamy risotto and oozy cheese. What better finger food is there? When you make them ahead, they can be fried to order for the easiest and most indulgent appetizer. Just don’t forget the bubbly cold Prosecco!

Why I love them:

Arancini can be as simple as a basic parmesan risotto and a piece of mozzarella-- like the base recipe I’m sharing. But they can also be modified a million different ways to reflect changing seasons and flavors.

Butternut squash arancini with smoked mozzarella? Lemon arancini with bits of preserved lemon peel and a dollop of mint gremolata? Sweet pea arancini with a chunk of melty gruyere? Basil arancini with a fresh tomato salad? Yes, yes, yes, yes. I'll take them all, please.

The flavors and combinations are endless, but the basic technique to make fried rice balls stays the same.

I hope you’ll view this recipe as a template for great technique and a springboard for whatever season you’re in.

Be bold with your flavors and share your adventurous combinations with me in the comments below! I can’t wait to see what you dream up.

What are arancini?

Spoiler alert. Arancini are fried balls of leftover risotto with a piece of cheese inside. We love to overcomplicate things (I’m the greatest offender here) but at their core, arancini are just a creative way to reuse old rice.

They’re like mozzarella cheese sticks for grown-ups.

That doesn’t mean they can’t be wonderfully elegant and upscale and filled with gorgeous seasonal ingredients. But in their most basic form, arancini are a cozy and homely Italian snack of fried rice balls.

Pro tip: arancini is an Italian word (and food), which means the “ci” is pronounced CHEE, not SEE. Arancini is pronounced "ah-rahn-CHEE-nee".

arancini ingredients

how to make arancini

1. Make risotto (cook it thicker than you normally would).
2. Spread it out on a sheet pan and chill for a few hours.
3. Scoop risotto into ¼ cup portions.
4. Stuff a piece of cheese in the center, squeeze tight, and roll smooth.
5. Freeze completely.
6. Dip in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs.
7. Deep-fry for 8- 10 minutes at 360°F.
8. Serve hot with your favorite marinara sauce!

how to make arancini in an air fryer:

1. Preheat air fryer to 450°F.
2. Spray the breaded arancini rice balls all over with canola oil cooking spray.
3. Air fry for about 10 minutes or until golden and crispy.

Tips: Don’t overcrowd the basket, and work in batches if needed.

how to make baked arancini:

1. Preheat oven to 500°F.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil and add arancini rice balls. Spray them all over with canola oil cooking spray and arrange them evenly on the sheet.
3. Bake for 10- 12 minutes or until golden brown and crunchy. 

make these arancini your own:

I love the blank canvas of arancini. Play with the type of risotto, the cheese filling, the breadcrumb coating, and the dipping sauce. With these 4 levers, you can create hundreds of variations of the simple rice ball. Below are some fun ideas to get you started…

• artichoke: add finely chopped marinated artichoke hearts to this parmesan risotto, and stuff the arancini with fresh mozzarella.
• bacon cheddar: Fill basic arancini with a mixture of crispy bacon bits and cheddar.
• black truffle: use this truffle arancini recipe!
• bolognese: fill each rice ball with 1 tsp bolognese and 1 cube of mozzarella.
• butternut squash: use butternut squash risotto and stuff with gorgonzola.
• lemon: use this lemon risotto and stuff with a scoop of fresh goat cheese.
• lobster: use lobster risotto and stuff with 1 tsp ricotta.
• saffron: Use this saffron risotto and stuff the center with sweet peas.
• sun-dried tomato: Mix in ½ cup finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes into the risotto, then stuff the arancini with goat cheese.

how to make arancini ahead of time:

While making arancini from scratch can seem like a lot of work, it’s best to view them in terms of prep steps and stopping points. I never start to make arancini the day I want to serve them-- that feels way too stressful.

Instead, plan on having frozen and breaded arancini balls ready to fry the day you want to serve them and backtrack from there.

Arancini can be so flexible and low stress if you know what to prep!

Here are the steps you can do ahead: 

• Make the risotto and chill until firm. Refrigerate risotto pan for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
• Shape into balls and freeze. Store in the freezer for at least 6 hours and up to a few days.
• Bread the balls and fry.
  • Or stop here and fry to order! Store in a ziptop bag in the freezer for at least 1 hour and up to a month.
• Fry arancini a few hours ahead of time and reheat in the oven (directions below).

how to reheat arancini:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Arrange fried rice balls on foil-lined baking sheet.
3. Reheat for 15- 20 minutes, or until heated through and crispy.

a few more tips:

Use less broth. If you are using any risotto recipe (and you can!), cook the risotto until it’s dense and creamy, not loose and brothy. Thicker risotto is the best for shaping and holding a ball.

Spread it out: Spread the risotto out into a thin, even layer on a sheet pan. This helps the rice rapidly cool and gel, so the balls stick together nicely.

Measure it: Use a ¼ cup measuring cup to scoop out even portions of risotto. When shaping the ball, I like to squeeze the rice a bit so it clumps together. Then I roll it into a smooth ball. If it cracks or starts to fall apart, squeeze it tight again and gently roll.

Freeze the rice balls before breading. You can bread them when cold but not frozen, but it can be messy, frustrating, and the balls may fall apart.

Deep-fry in refined coconut oil for the crispiest, non-greasy feel.

Use a thermometer. Deep frying at the right temperature is key to a crispy outside that is perfectly golden brown and dry, rather than burnt or greasy. I love this instant read thermometer!

If you fry frozen arancini: Add a few minutes and watch the oil temperature closely. If the oil is too hot (above 360°F), the balls will brown without fully melting the cheese. You can re-fry them for a few more minutes or pop them in the oven (or toaster oven) at 325°F for a few minutes until fully melted.

Use the grill. If you absolutely hate frying and the smell it leaves in your house, try it outside! I love to heat the oil on the extra burner of our grill to keep the mess and smell of KFC out in the wild.

more appetizer recipes to try!

burrata toast: 4 ways

fried goat cheese balls

honey baked camembert

prosciutto bruschetta

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