Sicilian Arancini Rice Balls
Arancini are balls of cold risotto rice stuffed with meat and mozzarella, coated in breadcrumbs and fried. The golden rule is that the rice must cool completely in the fridge — warm rice falls apart in the oil and the ball splits open.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 70 min
- Calories
- 290
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Gmelfi assumed (based on copyright claims). — Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Arancini were originally a practical idea: using up yesterday’s risotto. Today they are Sicily’s most famous street food. The name means «little orange», for their colour and shape after frying.
Method
-
1
The risotto
Sauté the onion in the butter for 5 minutes, then add the rice and stir for 2 minutes until glossy. Add the hot stock a ladle at a time, stirring constantly, and don’t add the next ladle until the last one has been absorbed. Add the saffron halfway through. It takes about 18 minutes.
-
2
Cooling completely
Stir the parmesan into the rice, spread it on a tray in a thin layer, cover it and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Cold, firm rice is the one condition that stops the balls splitting in the oil.
-
3
The filling
Brown the minced meat in oil for 6 minutes, then add the tomato sauce, peas, salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes until completely dry, with no liquid at all — any moisture in the filling turns to steam inside the ball and bursts it.
-
4
Shaping
Wet your hands, take 70 g of rice and flatten it in your palm, put a spoonful of filling and a cube of mozzarella in the centre, and close the rice around it well. Roll it into a ball, or shape it into a cone as the Sicilians do. Make sure there are no gaps.
-
5
Coating
Roll each ball in flour, then beaten egg, then breadcrumbs, pressing well. For a stronger crust, repeat the egg and breadcrumbs a second time. Refrigerate them for 30 minutes before frying.
-
6
Frying
Heat the oil to 175°C and fry only 3–4 balls at a time for 4–5 minutes until golden on all sides. Crowding lowers the oil temperature, so the balls soak up oil instead of crisping. Drain them on a wire rack.
-
7
Serving
Leave them for 5 minutes before biting in — the cheese inside is very hot. Serve with tomato and basil sauce on the side.
Cooked it? Rate it
Your rating tells the next cook whether this recipe is worth their time.
✓ Thanks — your rating is in.
Tips that actually matter
- The rice must cool for at least 4 hours — the most important condition in the recipe.
- The filling must be completely dry; any liquid will burst the ball.
- Coat with egg and breadcrumbs twice for a crust that doesn’t crack.
- Fry only 3–4 balls at a time so the oil temperature doesn’t drop.
People also ask
Why do the balls split open in the oil?
The most common reason is that the rice didn’t cool enough — it needs at least 4 hours in the fridge. The second is a wet filling, and the third an incomplete coating — coat with egg and breadcrumbs twice and press well.
Can I use ordinary rice?
You can, but the result is weaker. Risotto rice is high in starch, which gives the stickiness that holds the ball together. If you use Egyptian short-grain rice, don’t rinse it before cooking so you keep the starch.
Can I make them in an air fryer?
Yes — spray the balls with oil and cook them at 190°C for 15 minutes, shaking halfway. They are less crisp than deep-fried and less even in shape, but the result is respectable and much lighter.
Can I freeze them?
Yes — freeze them after coating and before frying on a flat tray, then move them to a bag. Fry them straight from the freezer at 170°C for 6–7 minutes. They keep for 3 months.
Cook mode
Sicilian Arancini Rice Balls
-
1
The risotto
Sauté the onion in the butter for 5 minutes, then add the rice and stir for 2 minutes until glossy. Add the hot stock a ladle at a time, stirring constantly, and don’t add the next ladle until the last one has been absorbed. Add the saffron halfway through. It takes about 18 minutes.
-
2
Cooling completely
Stir the parmesan into the rice, spread it on a tray in a thin layer, cover it and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Cold, firm rice is the one condition that stops the balls splitting in the oil.
-
3
The filling
Brown the minced meat in oil for 6 minutes, then add the tomato sauce, peas, salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes until completely dry, with no liquid at all — any moisture in the filling turns to steam inside the ball and bursts it.
-
4
Shaping
Wet your hands, take 70 g of rice and flatten it in your palm, put a spoonful of filling and a cube of mozzarella in the centre, and close the rice around it well. Roll it into a ball, or shape it into a cone as the Sicilians do. Make sure there are no gaps.
-
5
Coating
Roll each ball in flour, then beaten egg, then breadcrumbs, pressing well. For a stronger crust, repeat the egg and breadcrumbs a second time. Refrigerate them for 30 minutes before frying.
-
6
Frying
Heat the oil to 175°C and fry only 3–4 balls at a time for 4–5 minutes until golden on all sides. Crowding lowers the oil temperature, so the balls soak up oil instead of crisping. Drain them on a wire rack.
-
7
Serving
Leave them for 5 minutes before biting in — the cheese inside is very hot. Serve with tomato and basil sauce on the side.
Comments
Cooked it? Tell us how it went, or ask a question — we read every comment.