Arancini is one of my favorite “fancy” recipes. For a traditional arancini recipe, you would use leftover risotto. You shape the risotto into spheres, coat them with panko, and deep fry them. They’re absolutely delicious. But who has leftover risotto? Not me, haha! So in this recipe, I’ll teach you a hack to make this classic appetizer dish with items you likely have on hand. Plus, because these are done in the air fryer rather than frying in oil, they’re slightly healthier than the deep fried version as well.
Specialty Ingredients and Kitchen Equipment
For this recipe, you’ll definitely want to have an air fryer. I love air fryers. They make everything crispy and eliminate unhealthy fats when you want something to taste deep fried. My absolute favorite air fryer is built into my Ninja Foodi. I love all the different functions my foodi has to offer. If you can get one, I highly recommend it. You can also use a traditional air fryer. I do love only having one appliance that can do it all without taking up as much space though.
Also, you *could* deep fry these the traditional way, but I have not made them this way. If you decide to deep fry your “arancini,” I’m unsure of the temperature the oil needs to be heated to. Furthermore, I’m also unsure of the length of time that they would need to cook. I do not guarantee good results if you decide to go this route.
As far as specialty ingredients go, everything should be available at your local grocery store. All of the ingredients in this recipe are fairly common.
Pictures of Air Fried “Arancini”:
For the “arancini,” you can see that we start with creamy rice which we allow to sit overnight in the fridge to firm up. We then bread that rice by dredging in flour, then an egg wash, then panko. Lastly, we air fry them and end up with these perfectly golden brown rice balls. I served our arancini with marinara sauce. However, you could also serve them with alfredo, blush sauce, or any other sauce that you enjoy!
Recipe:
Lazy Arancini in the Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Jasmine rice or other long grain white rice
- 1 1/4 cup Chicken stock
- 1 10 oz can condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 1 tsp + 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp + 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tsp + 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1/4 cup + 1 cup Italian seasoned panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 eggs
Instructions
- Cook the rice using the chicken broth according to package instructions. Allow the rice to cool completely.
- When the rice has fully cooled, transfer to a mixing bowl. Stir in the cream of mushroom soup, 1 tsp of each seasoning, salt and pepper to taste, both of the cheeses, and 1/4 cup breadcrumbs. Mix very well to ensure all ingredients are fully incorporated. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil or saran wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- When you are ready to assemble the "arancini", pour flour into a shallow dish and mix with salt, pepper, and 1 tbsp of each remaining seasoning. Set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk eggs until yolks and egg whites are fully incorporated. Set aside.
- Pour breadcrumbs into a shallow dish. You will then want to arrange a dredging station with the dishes in this order: flour, then eggs, then breadcrumbs and lastly a plate to set the assembled arancini on.
- Preheat air fryer to 350 degrees while you assemble the arancini.
- Scoop 2 tbsp of the rice mixture and shape it into a small, tightly formed ball using your hands. Repeat this step until you have used all of the rice mixture. You should have 20 rice balls or so.
- Roll each rice ball in the flour, shaking off the excess. Then, roll each rice ball in the egg wash. Lastly, roll each rice ball in the panko breadcrumbs. Make sure the ball is fully covered in panko so that it gets nice and crispy.
- Spray the inside of the air fryer with nonstick spray or use a sheet of parchment paper. Place the arancini in the air fryer basket. Lightly spritz the tops with oil or spray with non-stick spray.
- Air fry for 8 minutes and then spray with another coat of oil. Air fry for an additional 5-8 minutes or until the arancini is golden brown and crispy on the outside.
- Serve with a dipping sauce of your choice, such as marinara, alfredo, etc.
If you don’t have leftover risotto, this recipe is a great way to still enjoy arancini with ingredients you likely already have laying around! Plus, who doesn’t love a good air fryer recipe? I know I do!
If you enjoy this recipe and want more like it, make sure you subscribe to Growing Up Garlicky for new recipes every Friday! You can also check out my recipes page or any of the recipes down below. And of course, make sure you let me know what you think by leaving a comment. I love hearing your feedback! Thanks everyone!