Leftover risotto is transformed into arancini with this quick and easy recipe. These Italian rice balls are golden and crispy on the outside, with a melty, gooey interior. The mozzarella hidden inside gives the arancini an insane cheese pull!
Just When You Think Risotto Can’t Get Any Better, You Use It to Make Arancini
Creamy Parmesan risotto is a comfort food favorite of mine. Its tender, creamy texture and delicate flavor makes it the perfect base for elevated toppings like brown butter scallops, shrimp scampi, or roasted tomatoes. And now, the perfect appetizer.
Years ago, I tried these fried risotto balls of toasty, cheesy deliciousness at a great little Italian restaurant, and now, I’m making them at home.
If you’ve never eaten arancini before, they’re essentially the OG, elevated mozzarella stick (please don’t tell any Italians I said that!) and the perfect way to use up leftover risotto. These rice balls encapsulate a molten mozzarella center that becomes ridiculously gooey after frying, while the breadcrumb coating on the outside crisps up and becomes gorgeously golden.
Put some marinara sauce on the side for dipping, and you’ve got yourself the ultimate Italian appetizer everyone will reach for.
Enjoy!
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
Chill the risotto overnight before rolling into balls. You want it to be super cold and for the starches to have had time to bind the rice together before shaping into balls and stuffing with mozzarella.
Pack the rice tightly around the mozzarella. Loosely packed arancini tend to fall apart or burst open when fried. You want to squeeze out any large air pockets when shaping the rice balls so they hold their shape.
Chill the rice balls before frying. Again, we’re doing everything we possibly can to make sure the arancini hold their shape and don’t fall apart in the hot oil. The body heat from your hands will have warmed up the rice while shaping the balls, so we need to chill them to firm them back up.
What’s in This Recipe?
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Leftover risotto — I suggest making a batch of Parmesan risotto and letting it chill in the fridge overnight to really firm up. While you could technically use risotto with mix-ins like mushrooms or asparagus, a simple risotto with no chunky veggies swimming in it will be easier to shape into balls.
- Mozzarella cheese — Buy a block of low-moisture mozzarella and cube it yourself for the best texture and flavor. Avoid using fresh mozzarella to fill the arancini; it’s too soft and contains way too much moisture.
- Breading — The risotto balls are dredged in flour, beaten egg, and then panko breadcrumbs to create an ultra crispy coating that won’t fall off when fried.
- Oil — Yes, we’re deep frying these bad boys. Use a neutral-flavored oil with a high smoke point; something like canola oil or sunflower oil is perfect. Do not use olive oil, which has too strong of a flavor and will likely burn.
Other Filling Ideas
If you’re making arancini for the first time, I suggest sticking with the basic recipe to learn the process. After that, feel free to get creative with the filling. Some ideas include:
- Basil pesto, tomato pesto, or kale pesto
- Bolognese sauce
- Roasted butternut squash
- Braised short ribs
- Lump crab meat or leftover crab
- Spinach and ricotta
Note that if you’re using bolognese, ragu, or short rib meat, you’ll need to let them cool overnight in the fridge before stuffing a small spoonful into the rice balls.
How to Make Arancini That Are Super Crispy
- Shape the risotto rice into balls, then stuff with mozzarella. I know it’s tempting to make giant arancini, but you want to keep them on the smaller side (about 1 tablespoon of risotto or so) otherwise the outside will turn out perfectly golden brown and the inside will still be cold.
Heidi’s Tip: Mold the rice tightly around the mozzarella cube to prevent it from oozing out in the frying oil. Pack down the rice tightly so no air pockets remain.
- Bread the arancini. You’ll want to dredge the rice balls first in the flour, then the beaten eggs, and finally the panko breadcrumbs. If you do it out of order, the breading will fall off.
- Chill for 30 minutes to firm up. I suggest covering the arancini with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out.
- Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan. You’ll know it’s hot enough when a panko breadcrumb dropped into the oil immediately starts to bubble and sizzle.
- Fry the arancini in batches. If you add them all at once, the temperature of the oil will drop and the arancini will be greasy. The rice balls only need to fry for 2(ish) minutes. You’ll know they’re done when they’re golden brown and crispy all over.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Arancini Recipe
Ingredients
- 14 ounces cooked, cold risotto
- 2 ounces mozzarella cheese. cut into 12 ½-inch cubes
- ¼ cup all-pupose flour
- 1 egg. beaten
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs. gently crushed fine
- 3 ½ cups canola or sunflower oil. for deep-frying
Instructions
- Mold the risotto balls. Wet your hands, then flatten a rounded tablespoon of chilled risotto in the palm of your hand. Place a cube of mozzarella in the middle of the rice, then mold the rice around it to form a ball. Make sure all of the mozzarella is covered and the rice packed tightly. Repeat to make 12 balls.
- Give the balls a bread crumb coating. Add ¼ cup flour, 1 beaten egg, and 1 cup crushed panko bread crumbs separately to 3 shallow bowls. Roll each risotto bowl first in the flour, then the egg, and finally the bread crumbs. Place on a plate or small baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.
- Fry the rice balls. Heat 3 ½ cups or about 4 inches of oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high. The oil is hot enough when a piece of panko dropped in bubbles and sizzles. Fry the risotto balls a few at a time for about 2 minutes, turning until gold brown all over. Use a spider or slotted spoon to transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Keep warm in a low oven to keep warm while cooking the rest. Serve with marinara sauce on the side or drizzled on top with more Parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
FAQs
No, the egg helps bind together the risotto balls and prevents them from falling apart as they fry.
Once you’ve fried the arancini, I suggest enjoying them right away while they’re nice and crispy. You can keep them warm in a 200ºF oven while you’re frying everything, but that’s the furthest in advance I’d prep these.
Another option is to shape the risotto balls and bread them, then chill in the fridge until you’re ready to deep fry them. I haven’t tested this method myself, but it should work.
You’d likely be fine shallow frying the risotto balls (i.e. in just 2 to 3 inches of oil), but they won’t be as crispy all over.
Make sure to seal the rice tightly around the mozzarella cube, then press the balls between your hands to really pack down the risotto and remove any air bubbles. This should prevent any leakage!
What to Serve With Arancini
- Dipping Sauces — Pesto, Marinara Sauce, Garlic Aioli
- Appetizers — Marinated Olives, Bruschetta, Roasted Tomato Crostini
- Salads — Italian Salad, Apple Arugula Salad, Caprese Salad, Mediterranean Tomato Salad
- Mains — Steamed Mussels, Shrimp Scampi, Skillet Balsamic Chicken
More Easy Italian Appetizer Recipes
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