This air fryer arancini recipe is an easy way to prepare the classic Italian rice balls. Brown, crisp outside encloses melted mozzarella cheese within, for a perfectly dippable appetizer.
2Mozzarella cheese sticks, cut into ½" pieces(approximately 8 per stick)
¼Cupall purpose flour
½CupItalian seasoned breadcrumbs
Nonstick spray
Marinara sauce for dipping
Instructions
Melt butter in a pan on the stove over medium heat
2 Tbsp butter or margarine
Add the diced shallot and garlic and cook until soft and slightly browned
1 Shallot, 2 Cloves garlic, minced
Remove from heat and allow to cool
In a mixing bowl, add cooked rice, 2 eggs, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and the cooled shallot and garlic mixture
2 Cups cold cooked rice or leftover risotto, ½ Cup grated parmesan cheese, 3 Large eggs, 1 Tsp Italian seasoning, 1 Tsp salt, ½ Tsp black pepper, ¼ Tsp red pepper flakes
Stir to combine well
Spoon approximately 2 Tbsp of the mixture into your hand
Insert a mozzarella cube into the center of the rice pile
2 Mozzarella cheese sticks, cut into ½" pieces
Squeeze together and then roll into a ball using your hands (similar to rolling a meatball) making sure to completely enclose the cheese
Repeat until all of the arancini have been formed
Chill the rice balls in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes so they cool and set (feel free to leave them for longer if you’re preparing in advance)
Preheat your air fryer to 370°F (or 375°F depending on your air fryer’s settings)
Set up a dredging station with all purpose flour, the remaining egg (beaten), and the seasoned breadcrumbs. Season each with some salt and pepper
¼ Cup all purpose flour, ½ Cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
Roll the chilled arancini in the flour, then the egg, and finally the breadcrumbs, making sure to coat thoroughly
Place the breaded balls in the preheated air fryer basket. Spray with a mist of oil or nonstick spray
Nonstick spray
Cook on the air fryer setting for 10-15 minutes at 370°F, pausing to flip and reapply oil halfway through
Arancini are done when they are golden brown and crisp on the outside and the cheese is melted in the center (around 130°F for mozzarella)
Serve with marinara for dipping
Marinara sauce for dipping
Notes
If you’re cooking fresh rice, I still recommend Arborio (though it works with other varieties if need be). I cook mine with chicken stock and white wine for flavor (but you can use veggie stock to keep it vegetarian friendly). If you’re using leftover risotto, you will likely want to adjust other seasonings accordingly
All of the seasonings listed here are adjustable based on preference or depending what flavor leftover risotto you have. This is a good starting point, though
You may cube a block of regular or fresh mozzarella if preferred in place of the sticks
For a meat arancini variation, add 1 tsp cooked ground beef or italian sausage to the ball along with the cheese
You can swap in another type of flour or cornstarch if needed
Substitute seasoned panko instead of regular bread crumbs if desired
You can skip browning the shallot and garlic if you don’t want to use the stove (but the flavor is much better cooked), or you can combine it with cooking your rice if you’re not using leftovers
Beat your eggs before adding to the rice mixture to ensure they’re more evenly distributed
This recipe makes about 12 arancini balls based on the quantity of ingredients listed. However, it’s easily doubled for a crowd
I cooked mine for 12 minutes in a Ninja Foodi Dual Zone air fryer and that was the perfect mix of exterior browning and melted cheese. However, other air fryers may differ slightly in terms of cooking time
Exact nutritional values will vary based on brand of ingredients and quantity consumed, so please consider this a guideline only
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