Go Back

Air Fryer Arancini

Italian style rice balls stuffed with cheese or meat, then tossed into the air fryer to cook.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Equipment

  • Air Fryer

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups Cooked Risotto I use leftover risotto. See Notes
  • 1 cup Italian Style Bread Crumbs
  • 1 Egg scrambled

Cheese Stuffed Arancini

  • 10 Mini Fresh Mozzarella Balls you can also use string cheese chopped into pieces

Meat Stuffed Arancini

  • 1/2 lb Ground Beef
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp fresh garlic minced
  • 1/3 cup Marinara Sauce
  • 1/4 cup frozen peas

Instructions
 

  • If you are making meat stuffed Arancini, cook the meat, salt, pepper, garlic, and oregano in a pan with a little oil. When it is just about done, add the marinara sauce and peas and let it heat up. Once it is cooked, let it cool so that you can use this to stuff the rice balls.
  • Add eggs to a bowl and scramble.
  • Add risotto to a bowl with a 1/4 cup of bread crumbs. Mix
  • Add the remaining breadcrumbs to a bowl and set aside
  • Place a large spoonful of the risotto mixture in your hands, and then add a mini mozzarella ball int the center. Using you hands, form the risotto around the mozzarella. You can add more risotto on top if it makes it easier.
  • Roll the arancini into a tight ball, place it in the egg mixture, and then place it into the breadcrumbs. Place on a baking sheet as you make the others.
  • If you are making meat arancini, place a large spoonful of risotto into your hand, then add a little bit of the meat mixture in the center, and then form a ball in your hand. You may need to use more risotto to close the ball.
  • Tip - if forming the ball becomes sticky and difficult, lightly wet your hands. This will help the mixture stick less to your hands.
  • Roll all riceballs into the egg mixture and then the breadcrumbs.
  • Cook riceballs in an air fryer at 400 for 12 minutes, flipping them over after 6 minutes.
  • Serve with marinara sauce

Notes

The rice for Arancini should be leftover and completely cooled. You can use any leftover rice to make Arancini., but Risotto rice is best. I used my risotto from when I made Shrimp Risotto. My risotto was seasoned, so if you want to use leftover white rice to make rice balls, make you sure you season it so that your Arancini are not bland.
If you are using unseasoned rice, you should saute a diced Vidalia onion (medium) size with a tablespoon of minced garlic. Add about 1/2 tsp of salt to this while it is cooking. Then add this and mix it into your rice before you use it for rice balls. 
Also, if you do not have an air fryer, you can bake these in an oven. Follow the directions on how to prepare your arancini, but instead of putting them in your air fryer, you can bake them in the over at 425F for 25-30 minutes depending on the size. Be sure to pinch the rice around the cheese well or else the cheese will melt out as the rice balls as they bake.