Can you make arancini out of leftover risotto? Absolutely. But this arancini recipe starts at the very beginning, flavoring the Italian rice balls with Parmesan cheese, lemon zest and juice, and garlic and stuffing them with gobs of mozzarella. It’s a labor of love that will inspire devotion in anyone you serve them to—reason enough to give it a try. (More of a visual learner? Watch Molly Baz make them here.)
This deep-fried Sicilian snack is all about textural contrast. You want a crispy-crunchy exterior wrapped around a gooey filling that’s never dry or mushy. To nail that balance, pull your chicken-broth-enriched rice from the stove when it’s al dente. Adding a few tablespoons of heavy cream to the finished risotto offers an additional level of protection.
For the exterior, a three-part dredge is key. Designate one hand as your wet hand for dipping into the egg and the other as your dry one for the breadcrumbs and flour. When you fry the risotto balls, let them sizzle in the hot oil until they are truly golden brown. For dipping, try Molly’s bright and spicy Calabrian chile sauce. For those who don’t like heat, marinara sauce is a good alternative. Or if you’d like to turn the appetizer into a meal, serve the arancini oven a meaty pork ragù.
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What you’ll need
TuttoCalabria Crushed Calabrian Chili Peppers
$13 At Amazon
Deep-Fry Thermometer
$29 $16 At Amazon
Microplane
$18 At Amazon
Medium Saucepan
$50 $39 At Amazon
Ladle
$27 At Amazon
Ingredients
Makes about 14
Calabrian Chile Sauce
3
2
1½
2
½
Arancini
3½
4
1
2
1
1½
½
2
¼
2
1
1
3
2
½
2
Preparation
Calabrian Chile Sauce
Step 1
Mix 3 Tbsp. chopped oil-packed Calabrian chiles from a jar, 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, 1½ tsp. finely grated lemon zest, 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice, and ½ small garlic clove, finely grated, in a small bowl to combine.
Do Ahead: Sauce can be made 12 hours ahead. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill.
Arancini
Step 2
Bring 3½ cups low-sodium homemade chicken stock or store-bought broth to a simmer in a medium pot over medium heat, then keep warm over low.
Step 3
Heat 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium. Add 1 medium onion, finely chopped, and cook, stirring often, until softened but not browned, 4–5 minutes. Add 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, and cook, stirring constantly, until softened but not browned, about 1 more minute.
Step 4
Stir in 1 cup carnaroli rice or arborio rice; season with 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt. Cook, stirring often, until some of the grains turn translucent around the edges, about 3 minutes. Add ½ cup dry white wine and cook, stirring often, until pan is almost dry, about 2 minutes. Ladle in 1 cup warm stock, bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring often, until liquid is absorbed, about 4 minutes. Ladle in another 1 cup stock and continue to cook, stirring yet again, until most of the liquid is absorbed, 5–7 minutes. Add remaining 1½ cups stock and cook, stirring often, until rice is cooked through but retains some bite and liquid is mostly absorbed, 9–11 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Stir in 2 oz. finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup), ¼ cup heavy cream, 2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest, 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, and remaining 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter. Season risotto with kosher salt.
Step 5
Spread risotto in an even layer on a rimmed, parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Do Ahead: Risotto can be prepared and chilled 24 hours in advance. Cover with plastic wrap after 1 hour so it doesn’t develop a skin.
Step 6
Line another rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop about ¼ cup risotto into your hands and form into a patty about 2½" in diameter (it doesn’t need to be perfect!). Place 2–3 pieces mozzarella from 3 oz. low-moisture mozzarella cheese, cut into ⅓" pieces, in the center of patty. Carefully pinch and shape risotto so it completely encases the cheese, then roll into a 2" ball. Your hands might get messy, and the balls may be slightly misshapen (they’ll firm up later). Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining risotto and mozzarella. Freeze rice balls 10 minutes.
Step 7
Meanwhile, pulse 2 cups panko in a food processor or place in a ziptop plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin until finer crumbs form. Transfer to a shallow bowl. Place ½ cup all-purpose flour in another shallow bowl. Lightly beat 2 large eggs in a third shallow bowl to blend; season all bowls with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Working one at a time, dredge rice balls in flour, shaking off excess. Transfer to bowl with egg and turn to coat, letting excess drip back into bowl. Coat with panko, pressing gently to adhere. Transfer to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Chill rice balls while you heat oil.
Step 8
Pour canola or vegetable oil (about 6 cups) into a medium heavy pot fitted with thermometer to a depth of 2". Warm oil over medium-high heat until thermometer registers 350°. Carefully lower half of rice balls into oil with a slotted spoon or spider and fry until deeply golden brown, 6–8 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain; season with salt. Repeat with remaining batch of rice balls. Serve warm with sauce alongside.
Editor’s note: This arancini recipe was first printed November 2018. Head this way for more of our best Italian recipes →
How would you rate Arancini (Stuffed Italian Rice Balls)?
Leave a Review
Reviews (63)
Back to TopMy favorite thing I’ve ever made! A little time consuming, but so worth it! I always double up to put some in the freezer! 💕
M House
Spartanburg, SC
11/12/2022
I’ve made these four times. Every time they come out perfectly. Amazing recipe, although a bit time consuming….worth all the effort!
Gayle Walker
Sydney
3/25/2022
Made these and they are perfection. Can this recipe easily be doubled?
Anonymous
toronto, on
3/15/2022
These came out great. The risotto is super flavorful and lemony delicious (I do like lemon). I watched the video to review the steps and that was helpful since this was my first time making arancini. I did not make the sauce, but it does sound delicious. Although they didn't come out with the traditional flavor of arancini I am used to from my family's region of Italy, these were thoroughly enjoyed.
Anonymous
San Francisco, CA
12/25/2021
Surprisingly uncomplicated compared to the list of ingredients and steps, I believe the key is a super tasty broth which I made with kombu and pork bone which added so much umami and depth to the risotto. You could make any kind of risotto base really, versatility is always nice. The mozarella center is winner af, this recipe is going in my repitoir.
Marie
Montreal
8/21/2021
Ok. So made again. This time I reconstituted cremini mushrooms, filtered the liquid, and used it as part of the simmering liquid. Also added some tasso that I chopped in the food processor. Added about 3 tbsp more cream. No salt, ham and parmesan enough. Absolutely amazing. Also doubled the recipe; will freeze and take out what we want as an appetizer.
Kay
Goshen, KY USA
4/22/2021
We. Ate. Them. All. Granted, we ate them as a meal, not as the appetizer or side they should be. I cut down on salt just a smidge. Loved the dipping sauce. With my homemade mozzarella, just perfection.
Kay
Goshen, KY USA
4/14/2021
a great recipe, i didn’t break up the panko and it was fine. i also added mushroom finely chopped and that was good. however, for me personally this was too lemony. next time i would probably do either the zest or the juice but not both. it was sort of competing with the richness instead of complementing it. i think maybe next time i might also make the balls a bit smaller too, more bite-sized. anyway, this recipe was a great one for making these my first time and the texture comes out perfect
Grace Pisano
boston, ma
1/13/2021
Just made these and they are absolutely delicious and worth the time! I substituted parmesan (not a fan and didn't have) with grana padano cheese and I used smoked mozzarella. I also used marinara instead of the recommended sauce. YUM!
Tina G
Ontario, Canada
1/1/2021
These turned out perfectly! The first time we made them, we just made one batch of the risotto with the plan to make the arancini the following day ... but oh wow, it was hard not to eat the whole batch the night before. The next time, we doubled the risotto. :) The risotto is a keeper recipe and the fry technique is spot on. The breading sticks and creates a perfect crunch. Changes we made: double the garlic and served with a mellow tomato sauce. They were gone in an instant!
Oakland, CA
10/16/2020
We followed the recipe carefully, except we used Rembrandt Gouda and Truffle Pecorino for our cheeses. It came out absolutely perfect. This was our first time making aranchini and it was so pleasing to find it an easy process. The Calabrian Chile Sauce was a revelation! We pressed the garlic glove, and that worked just as well. Next time we'll try some roasted garlic. The sauce is great on sandwiches, with beef and pork too. We're kina addicted.
Toronto
7/31/2020
This is an outstanding recipe! I made zero changes and watched the video for added help. I liked that the risotto can be made ahead of time - I actually made it the day before to help break up the steps. I used an ice cream scoop to help me form even sized balls. Having an oil thermometer is key to be able to maintain an consistent 350 degree frying oil Will definitely make these again. They definitely seem like they would freeze well after the breeding step so next time I’ll make a bunch to keep on hand if company comes over!
Anonymous
Miami FL
5/3/2020
Even though I ended up baking these at 180° for 30 mins (we have a no deep frying rule in my house after an *incident*), these were a HUGE hit ! I'll try and negociate lifting the deep-frying ban for next time though. I used an ice cream scoop to help form them, which was helpful because I have warm hands, so they never got too sticky.
Isabel hello
3/22/2020
I made these tonight and they are to die for. It’s a labor of love, but wow, are they good. I followed the recipe exactly except for 2 things. I had salted butter so I used that and added less salt later on in the recipe. And I used only 1 cup oil to fry. I turned the balls as they were frying so that each side got submerged and golden. It came out amazing! I wish there was a way to post pics to this site as evidence.
Anonymous
Boston, MA
1/19/2020
I made a single batch for Christmas Eve & it was SO freaking good that I was requested to make a double batch less than a week later. We cannot get enough of these! For the second time around I did take Sophie Q’s suggestion below & added 8oz crimini mushrooms (cooked in a pan with a simple butter & thyme mixture). It definitely added even more flavor & I’ll be sure to include mushrooms each time I make this in the future! Side note: I didn’t have Calabrian chiles on hand & instead made a classic marinara alongside a pesto cream sauce. Still super tasty & delicious though. MAKE THIS!!!! Trust me, you won’t regret it.
Anonymous
Phoenix, AZ
1/1/2020