Arancini Recipe
Published February 19, 2024. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Bring your favorite Italian restaurant to your own house with this delicious, easy-to-make arancini recipe of stuffed fried risotto balls. These will quickly become your favorite recipe once you try them.
My favorite part of any meal is the delicious appetizers. The assortment of different flavors always makes the experience that much better. If you feel similar, you must try my Chili Garlic Wings or Bruschetta.
Arancini
Arancini are fried risotto balls that are coated in breadcrumbs and fried until golden brown. They are traditionally stuffed with Bolognese sauce and mozzarella, although you can stuff them with whatever you’d like. I personally added peas and fontina cheese to the center of mine.
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.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Risotto – You will need cooked and chilled risotto for this recipe.
- Cheese – I used fontina, which is a softer creamy cheese. Feel free to substitute with Pecorino Romano, Parmigiano Reggiano, or Asiago.
- Peas – Fresh or frozen peas work perfectly.
- Flour – You will need some all-purpose flour for the standard breading procedure. Substitute with bread flour if that is all you have.
- Eggs – Large chilled or room temperature eggs work fine.
- Breadcrumbs – You will need store-bought or homemade breadcrumbs for this recipe. Feel free to use panko if that is all you have.
- Sauce – This is optional, but I served these arancini balls in Pomodoro Sauce. You can also try serving it in a Spaghetti Sauce or Ragu alla Bolognese.
- Oil – Any neutral flavored oil will work for frying the arancini.
How to Make Arancini from Scratch
- Place about 3 tablespoons of chilled risotto into your hand and place some fontina cheese and peas in the center. It’s a good idea to get your hands wet ahead of time since risotto is sticky, and this will help release it with ease.
- Take about 2 tablespoons of chilled risotto and place it over top of the fontina and peas.
- Form into a golf ball-sized ball and repeat the process until all of the ingredients have been used.
- 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.
- Dredge an arancini ball in the flour, completely coating it, followed 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.
- 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.
- Set the arancini balls onto paper towels to drain before serving.
- Serve the fried arancini balls alongside a meat or meatless tomato sauce.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: These are meant to be eaten when they’re done cooking. However, you can keep them warm on a rack over a sheet tray in the oven at low temperatures (180° to 200°) for up to 20 minutes. In addition, you can make them and bread them and store them covered in the refrigerator 1 day before frying and serving.
How to Store: Store the arancini 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. Thaw them in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating.
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.
Chef Notes + Tips
- A standard breading procedure consists of a 3-part technique where food is dredged in flour, then coated in egg wash, and then coated in breadcrumbs.
- Try adding sautéed mushrooms to the middle of the arancini along with the peas and fontina cheese.
- Once the arancini are breaded, they can be set on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper for up to 30 minutes before frying.
More Italian Recipes
Video
Homemade Arancini Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 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 breadcrumbs
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups Pomodoro sauce
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Heat enough oil in a medium-sized pot until it is about ¼ full 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, 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-sized shallow wide bowl or cake or pie tin, mix together the flour, salt, and pepper and set aside. In a separate medium-size shallow wide bowl or cake or pie tin, mix together the whisked eggs, salt, and pepper and set aside. In another separate shallow wide bowl or cake or pie tin, 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 the 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.
These are the bomb, Chef Billy! You are making me quite the Chef, too. Thanks for your explanation and instruction on every step. Can’t wait for the next recipe and video. Thank you!
so good!!
Chef Billy, I have never made these so far, but they are delicious. I have had them before. This is a must try for me, I know they will be a hit in my house. Thank you Chef for another Great, Fantastic, recipe….
I made this a while ago. It is the best. Fontina is delicious but hard to find in my area. I found it at Wegmans grocery near the deli.
Great tips which made for a sucessful Christmas dinner!
Have not made but it’s on my list for this week. Thank you, chef.
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!
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!
I can’t wait to try these. They sound amazing.
I love this Italian recipe. So good and so unique. I love the flavors. We will make it again. Thanks.
Tastes exactly like what I got in Italy! One of my absolute favorites!
These are amazing!! They were such a hit at my house! Thanks for sharing!
I LOVE arancini balls! So flavorful and delicious!