Bring your favorite Italian restaurant to your own house with this delicious easy to make arancini balls recipe served with a homemade Pomodoro sauce.
Arancini is one of the few things you can’t buy in the frozen food section or center aisles of the grocery store. It’s something that is homemade and only takes about 30 minutes from start to finish, once you have your risotto recipe all finished up. If you want to impress some guests with a great appetizer just like with my grilled chicken wings, then this recipe is for you!
Arancini
Arancini are simply fried risotto balls that are traditionally stuffed with Bolognese sauce and mozzarella. They are breaded using a standard breading procedure of flour, egg wash, and seasoned breadcrumbs.
You can absolutely stuff the risotto balls with whatever you’d like, I did fontina and peas and served a tomato sauce
Who Invented Arancini
Arancini was invented in Sicily and is said to date back all the way to the 10th century. While there isn’t any knowledge regarding the exact person who came up with the arancini, the recipe itself seems to have ties to the Arab world since they were the ones who introduced the Sicilians to rice cultivation.
Originally it had saffron in it, which you will still sometimes find in certain arancini recipes.
Can You Eat Them Cold
When you make arancini, the risotto that is cooked is definitely cold at first which is then formed into arancini balls and later breaded and fried. You can absolutely eat these cold, however, I believe it’s far superior when served up hot and with a side of tomato sauce.
If you choose to eat arancini cold, I would obviously chill them after they are fried. Whether you enjoy it cold or hot, it’s completely up to you.
What Is the Difference Between Suppli and Arancini
Suppli and arancini are super similar in the fact that they are both fried rice balls. However, suppli most commonly is stuffed with cheese and chicken giblets, while arancini are traditionally stuffed with a meat sauce, cheese, and peas.
Suppli is classically a Roman recipe while Arancini is synonymous with Sicily. My recipe is kind of a combination since I stuff them with cheese and peas, and then I serve alongside the sauce. My personal preference is always sauce on the side.
How to Make It
- 1. Place about 3 tablespoons of chilled risotto into your hand and place some fontina cheese and peas to the center. it’s a good idea to your hands wet ahead of time since risotto is sticky and this will help release it with ease.
- 2. Take about 2 tablespoons of chilled risotto and place it over top of the fontina and peas.
- 3. Form into a golf ball-sized ball and repeat the process until all of the ingredients have been used.
- 4. Chill in the refrigerator while you set up your standard breading procedures of seasoned flour, seasoned whisked eggs, and seasoned breadcrumbs. It’s important to season each breading procedure.
- 5. Dredge an arancini ball in the flour completely coating it, followed up by dredging in the egg wash coating it, and then finely in the breadcrumbs completely coating it. Repeat until all of the arancini have been breaded and set aside.
- 6.: Add a few arancini balls to some hot canola oil at 350° and cook for 6-7 minutes or until golden brown and the cheese has melted in the center.
- 7. Set the arancini balls onto paper towels to drain before serving.
- 8. Serve the fried arancini balls alongside a meat or meatless tomato sauce.
How to Serve It
If you are not stuffing the arancini with a classic meat sauce like Bolognese, I highly recommend serving it alongside or using your favorite vegetarian tomato sauce. It is my personal belief that being able to dip the arancini in as much sauce as you’d like is the best way to go, especially if serving this to guests.
Recipe Chef Notes + Tips
How to Reheat: Place them on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and cover with foil. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes, remove the foil and bake for 10 more minutes. Serve.
How to Store: Store the arancini sauce chilled and covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. They will freeze well and will hold in the freezer covered for up to 2 months. See the reheating instructions above.
More Italian Recipes
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Video
Delicious Arancini Balls Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 cups pre-made chilled risotto
- 4 ounces fontina cheese cut into small ½” chunks
- ¾ cup thawed peas
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 whisked large eggs
- 2 cups bread crumbs
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups Pomodoro sauce
- canola oil for frying
Instructions
- Heat some canola oil in a medium-size pot over medium heat to 350°.
- Take about 3-4 tablespoons of cold risotto in your hand and flatten it out a bit.
- Next, add about 3-4 chunks of cheese and 8-10 peas.
- Take another 2-3 tablespoons of cold risotto and cover the cheese and peas and then form into a ball using both hands. Repeat until all of the ingredients have been used.
- In a medium-size pan mix together the flour, salt, and pepper and set aside. In a separate medium-size pan mix together the whisked eggs, salt, and pepper and set aside. In another separate medium-size pan mix together the breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper and set aside.
- To bread, the arancini, place one of the balls into the seasoned flour and move around until completely coated.
- Next, add it to the seasoned egg mixture and dredge until coated. Lastly, add it to the seasoned breadcrumbs and move around until the arancini ball is completely coated in breadcrumbs. Set aside and repeat until all the arancini balls have been breaded.
- Place a few of the arancini balls into the hot oil and cook for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown and the cheese has melted in the center. Cook in batches so they don’t clump together and drain on a paper towel.
- Serve alongside Pomodoro sauce.
Notes
- You can absolutely stuff the risotto balls with whatever you’d like, I did fontina and peas and served a tomato sauce alongside.
- Originally arancini had saffron in it, which you will still sometimes find in certain arancini recipes.
- it’s a good idea to wet your hands ahead of time since risotto is sticky and this well help release it with ease.
- It’s important to season each breading procedure.
- How to Reheat: Place them on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and cover with foil. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes, remove the foil and bake for 10 more minutes.
Serve.
- How to Store: Store the arancini sauce chilled and covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Arancini balls freeze well and will hold in the freezer covered for up to 2 months. See reheating instructions above.
Beasley says
Fantastic – a new favorite … and making some this weekend to freeze for impromptu entertaining. Your thorough directions and background on each recipe distinguishes you from most other sites … keep up the good work!
Paul S. Sussman says
I made the risotto two days ago, and (as there are only the two of us) there was a pile leftover. So…Today we made Arancini. Before I make any suggestions, it is delicious and we loved it. We look forward to finishing it off over the next while. Half of what’s left is in the freezer, the other half in the fridge to have in a day or two. And thanks for the tip on the gloves. Really, use gloves folks.
Here’s what we changed: I’m not big on peas, so we used a can of Mexi-Corn instead. We absolutely never have bread crumbs unless we shake out the toaster or the breadboard (eww!) But we’re big latke fans so we always have a can or two of matza meal in the pantry. So, we used that. Both substitutions were great, tasty, and worked like they were supposed to. Every other ingredient was as listed. We used an induction hot plate to get the exact temperature (okay, 355 degrees F; sue me.) And I’m totally converted to cast iron frying pans for consistency of heat and non-toxic non-stick cooking. We put a cookie sheet in the oven on warm, put paper towels on it, and put the finished balls in the oven until we finished the lot.
Suggestions (read that as things I’m going to change next time I do this, and there will be a next time): We only got 12 balls, and I think it’s because the rice was refrigerator cold when we started. As a result, the rice was thick in texture, and the balls came out a little too big. Also, because they were so big, the cheese didn’t entirely melt into gooey goodness by the time the crust was the right colour. Next time I’m putting the rice on the sideboard and letting it come up to room temperature before forming it into balls. I also have a better idea of how big they should be, so I’d probably do better even with cold rice.
Billy, you mentioned Italian cooking contains a good number of this kind of use-up-the-leftovers recipes. More, please. This one absolutely rocks!
Becky Hardin says
I can’t wait to try these. They sound amazing.
Laura Reese says
I love this Italian recipe. So good and so unique. I love the flavors. We will make it again. Thanks.
Katie says
Tastes exactly like what I got in Italy! One of my absolute favorites!
Chelsea says
These are amazing!! They were such a hit at my house! Thanks for sharing!
Taylor says
I LOVE arancini balls! So flavorful and delicious!