Arancini (Rice Balls) with Marinara Sauce
My first taste of authentic arancini, or Italian rice balls, was at Stuzzi Ristorante, a tiny restaurant in Manhattan’s Flatiron neighborhood and just steps from where I attended culinary school. Back then, we knew the local hotspot as Bar Stuzzi, and it was a favorite for Italian small plates paired with towering glasses of crisp Prosecco. I’ll never forget my first taste of arancini, as my eyes went wide at the sight of the baseball-sized rice balls coated in breadcrumbs, deep-fried and served atop a bed of bright red marinara. They were a total triple threat: crunchy, creamy and cheesy.
If fried rice isn’t your thing, then arancini are the ultimate excuse for using up what’s left of the ol’ Uncle Ben’s in the fridge. Although many arancini recipes begin with a risotto base, it’s perfectly acceptable to skip the 20-minute stir time and start with day-old rice. Just make sure to check out my notes at the end of the recipe for a few tips that could mean the difference between perfectly rounded cheesy fried rice balls and, well, a hot mess of rice and dairy.
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Arancini (Rice Balls) with Marinara Sauce
Yield: 8 arancini
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 5 min
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked white rice, cooled (See Kelly's Notes)
½ cup grated Parmesan
3 eggs, separated
8 small cubes fresh mozzarella
1 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs
Oil, for frying
1 cup store-bought or homemade marinara sauceDirections:
Place a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat and add enough vegetable oil to rise 4 inches in the pot.
Combine the rice, Parmesan and 1 egg in a medium bowl and use your hands to thoroughly combine the mixture.
Form each arancini by taking a small portion of the mixture, squeezing it firmly and stuffing one cube of mozzarella inside each ball. Repeat this process to form 8 arancini.
Whisk together the remaining 2 eggs. Dip each arancini in the eggs and then in the breadcrumbs, shaking off any excess.
Once the oil reaches 375ºF, add 2 or 3 of the breaded arancini to the pot and fry them until golden brown and cooked throughout.
Use a slotted spoon to remove the fried arancini from the pot and transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate. Immediately salt the arancini. Repeat the frying process with the remaining arancini.
Serve the arancini warm with a side of warm marinara sauce.
Kelly's Notes:
I've made arancini with many types of rice, but some varieties prove more successful than others. For example, regular old Uncle Ben's will only work if it's particularly sticky. The best rice for arancini is actually sushi rice (despite how unauthentically Italian that may be!) because it is much more glutinous so it's easy to work with.
Make sure you really squeeze the arancini together to make them as compact as possible. This will ensure the arancini hold their shape when frying.
Julie @ Table for Two — February 29, 2012 @ 8:48 am
These look SO good!! Who knew how easy it’d be to make! I love the oozing cheese coming out of the center. So delicious, Kelly!
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc. — February 29, 2012 @ 9:14 am
omg I want one! Very awesome as always
Kelley {mountainmamacooks} — February 29, 2012 @ 9:40 am
These look AWESOME. I’ve actually never had arancini but have always wanted to try and make them. Absolutely beautiful!!
Bev Weidner — February 29, 2012 @ 10:06 am
There’s a restaurant in town that serves these and I’ve always been so curious how to make them. YOU JUST SAVED MY LIFE!
Brian @ A Thought For Food — February 29, 2012 @ 10:12 am
Why oh why did I open this link! Now my stomach is gurgling! It wants these rice balls!
Cassie — February 29, 2012 @ 11:18 am
These are right up my alley. I can’t wait to try a homemade version, LOVE this Kelly!
Meagan @ A Zesty Bite — February 29, 2012 @ 2:37 pm
I love risotto balls and have been wanting to make them so bad. This recipe is much simplier! THANKS!
Meg's Everyday Indulgence — March 1, 2012 @ 11:45 pm
These look incredible! I’ve never had rice balls before but I will be trying them very soon!
Kelly replied: — March 3rd, 2012 @ 10:49 am
Thanks, Meg!
kamran siddiqi — March 2, 2012 @ 9:26 am
Oh, how I adore these! I went to Stuzzi last month, and it was fantastic! Now, it’s 9:25, and I’ve yet to eat breakfast, and I’m pretty sure all I’ll be thinking about are these arancini! These will be made on Sunday!
Kelly replied: — March 3rd, 2012 @ 10:49 am
LOVE Stuzzi
I think we know our next dinner spot!
Shae — March 2, 2012 @ 5:08 pm
Mouth is watering. Making this ASAP.
xoxo
Kelly replied: — March 3rd, 2012 @ 10:49 am
Hi Shae! So great to hear from you!
Rachel @ Not Rachael Ray (Soon to be Rachel Cooks) — March 5, 2012 @ 4:18 pm
Oh my gosh, drool! These look amazing!
Diana @ Appetite for China — March 8, 2012 @ 12:27 am
Another place that does great arancini is Luzzo’s in the East Village. Pair a plate of that with a large pizza and you’ve got one fantastic dinner. Anyway, your recipe seems like a great homemade version!
Kelly replied: — March 8th, 2012 @ 11:40 am
Thanks so much for the tip, Diana!
Ashley — March 17, 2012 @ 8:24 pm
I found this recipe and had to try. They came out AMAZING! Thanks for the recipe it’s awesome!!!! Gonna check out some more of your recipes!
Donna Latrell — March 19, 2012 @ 8:42 pm
Sticky rice has gluten??? Never heard that before.
Kelly replied: — March 19th, 2012 @ 8:47 pm
Thanks for catching that, Donna! I meant “glutinous”
Beth — March 21, 2012 @ 2:17 pm
Just made these – SO delicious!!!! A tip – if your rice/parmesan/egg mixture doesn’t seem to be coming together enough to form balls, stick it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes and it will then be nice and sticky and easy to form the balls. I used left over white rice from Chinese takeout that was not sticky at all and this did the trick perfectly
Kelly replied: — March 21st, 2012 @ 2:18 pm
Awesome trick, Beth! Thanks so much for sharing and I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Onigiri recipe — April 7, 2012 @ 1:38 am
I love eating rice balls and just stumbled upon this great recipe. Will definitely try this recipe out tonight. Thanks Kelly!
Ryan @ Spicy Richmond — April 27, 2012 @ 4:51 pm
I had Parmesan Risotto bites and my boyfriend and I were trying to think of how we could recreate them because they were so good. These sound just like them! A must try!
Kimberly — June 24, 2012 @ 11:57 pm
I just saw this recipe on Pinterest last night. Made this for dinner tonight as a side dish, wow! Such a tasty treat. Your directions were simple and easy to follow with great result. It is worth the effort to make risotto for this too, gives just that little extra flavor.
Kelly Senyei replied: — June 25th, 2012 @ 12:06 am
Thanks so much for your sweet comment, Kimberly! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Hannah — September 2, 2012 @ 2:27 pm
Yum! Tried this with left over rice peas and sweetcorn. I had no parmezan so used cheddar and only had gluten free breadcrumbs but it was delicious. I wont be throwing away left over rice again in a hurry!
JulieD — September 5, 2012 @ 2:48 pm
Oh my goodness, how did I ever miss these…they look divine!!
Christine @ Cooking with Cakes — September 19, 2012 @ 4:18 pm
Excellent tip on the sushi rice – When I make mine I use Arborio Rice (Trader Joes’ brand is great) and my riceballs held together perfectly!
Cindy Watters — November 20, 2012 @ 10:47 pm
I was intrigued by this recipe as I always have a ton of leftover rice left after meals. But I didn’t have mozzarella, bread crumbs or oil to fry in so I improvised. I used marble cheese chunks, cornflake crumbs and I baked them in the oven for 15 mins at 400 degrees. They are amazing! My kids are gobbling them down right now. Guess we’ll find out if 15 minutes at that temp was enough to cook the egg!
. I ran out of Parmesan so on the batch in the oven right now, I added cornflake crumbs and shredded marble cheese to the ball mixture. I added a chunk of smoked sausage in the middle and then rolled it in cornflake crumbs mixed with garlic seasoning. Going to dip them in pizza sauce!
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Mothercrone — January 12, 2013 @ 3:15 pm
So grateful to find this recipe. My brother Chris has been talking about Italian Rice Balls, which I’ve never had. Can’t wait to make this recipe for him. Thank you, Miss Kelly. ♥
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Elaine — February 2, 2013 @ 3:43 pm
Just made them…delicious….but had a hardtime molding them into ball.
Marsela — February 3, 2013 @ 12:11 pm
This is amazing . I cant wait to make it again .
Alicia — February 9, 2013 @ 3:38 pm
Yep, these are truly delicious. I’ve been making these but call them Suppli al Telefono (telephone wires, after the strings of mozzarella when you pull two halves apart) – they are great party food, but only if you make them small enough and cool a bit before serving. I think they originated as a way to use up left-over risotto: That’s what I’d read anyway.
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Jamie Carbone — March 17, 2013 @ 2:12 pm
I took the advice of Cindy Waters and baked them. Turned out fabulous. I too did not have bread crumbs, but I did have a loaf of pumpernickle bread in the freezer. Just threw a portion of it in the food processor with some fresh garlic, garlic salt and parsley. Great recipe. Thanks!
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Amy — April 4, 2013 @ 7:08 pm
These look like an appetizer/fast food I ate in Rome all the time many years ago (they were called Suppli there) and I’ve been craving them for years! Cannot wait to make them!!
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