Arancini is one of the most delicious and savoury hand held dishes. It's creamy, loaded with umami flavour and super crispy. This Arancini Al Forno is baked in an Air Fryer to cut back on some of the preparation calories but doesn't cut back on any of the flavour.
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Why This Recipe Works
Made with leftover risotto, these Arancini come together incredibly quickly and are made with less fat and calories than traditional fried arancini.
Using the Air Fryer makes clean up quick and the cooking time even quicker. This can also be made in the oven but I prefer the Air Fryer for quick and extra crispy Arancini balls.
Ingredients
Traditional arancini is made with risotto, beef, peas and mozzarella - I make a vegetarian version that just contains peas and mozzarella as a filling.
If you already have cooked risotto, this is made with household and pantry staples like eggs, flour, breadcrumbs and seasonings. The addition of peas and mozzarella isn't necessary but makes this recipe more authentic (and much tastier)!
Leftover Risotto. This recipe is made best with risotto that has sat and chilled. If you're going to make risotto the same day, chill it in the fridge until cooled. Here's a recipe for risotto I like a lot.
Panko Breadcrumbs. You can use any breadcrumbs, but using Panko gives the Arancini a nice texture that some baked Arancini miss out on.
Parmigiano-Reggiano. Parmigiano-Reggiano is Parmesan made to strict standards in a specific region of Italy. You can substitute good quality Parmesan (not Kraft or powdered), Asiago or Grana-Padano. You can also leave the cheese out all together if desired.
Fillings. I fill my Arancini with mozzarella and peas. You can leave them plain or use any kind of fun filings you have on hand such as meat sauce, ham, cheese, marinara or veggies.
How to Make This Recipe
Preheat your Air Fryer to 380°F.
In three separate bowls, prepare your dredging station.
In the first bowl, add your flour.
In your second bowl, add your two eggs and whisk them until combined.
In your third bowl, add your Panko breadcrumbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Salt Pepper and Olive Oil.
Take your frozen peas and heat them in the microwave until they are thawed. Mix them into the chilled risotto.
Divide your risotto into 8 equal balls (about ¼ cup per Arancini). Take a 1-inch cube (or 2 ½ inch cubes) of mozzarella and stick it in the middle of the risotto ball.
Roll the risotto around the mozzarella like a meatball until they are round and even. Repeat with all the risotto balls until you have 8 equal spheres.
Working one at a time, dip each risotto ball into the flour, then into the egg wash and then into the breadcrumb mixture - ensuring there are no gaps in the breadcrumb coating.
Drizzle the basket of your Air Fryer with a bit of olive oil (or Canola/Vegetable Oil).
Place your Arancini balls into your Air Fryer and cook at 360° for 8 minutes then flip them over and cook for another 6-8 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.
Serve immediately with a marinara sauce, pesto or just as is.
FAQs and Expert Tips
This recipe works best with leftover risotto. If you are making it fresh, allow it to cool completely in your fridge before assembling the balls.
Parmigiano-Reggiano is optional and may be substituted for Asiago or Grana Padano. If you substitute for "Parmesan" - make sure it is real Parmesan and not the Kraft style Parmesan. If you don't have these, you can leave it out all together.
You can use 8 1-inch pieces of mozzarella, but I prefer using 16 ½-inch pieces. I find they fit better into the Arancini.
I choose to not add any seasonings into the breadcrumb mixture other than salt and pepper (to taste) as your risotto should be seasoned. Feel free to add in any seasonings you have around. I like Italian Seasoning, Oregano, Dried Basil or Chili Flakes if I want to change things up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Both dishes are fried risotto balls that are stuffed with some sort of filling (usually containing mozzarella cheese).
Arancini is a risotto ball filled with mozzarella, peas, beef and is circular in shape. Arancini is Sicilian.
Suppli is risotto ball filled with mozzarella and tomato sauce. Suppli is Roman and usually served at Pizzerias as an appetizer.
Arancini Al Forno translates to directly to Arancini in the oven. If you want to use an oven instead of the Air Fryer, you may just need to add 5-8 minutes of cook time at the same temperature.
On top of using the Air Fryer to cook the Arancini, mixing in olive oil as well as fresh Parmesan cheese into the breading makes the outside of the Arancini crispier than most baked "fried" foods.
What Can I Fill My Arancini With?
Traditional arancini comes in many forms with many fillings. Some are loaded with meat, ragu sauce, cheese, mushrooms and tons of other fillings. I personally like just a bit of mozzarella cheese, but there's tons of fillings you can experiment with. Here are a few other filling ideas:
- Peas
- Meat ragu sauce
- Mozzarella
- Mushrooms
- Shredded carrots
- Any leftovers in your fridge 😉
Related Recipes You'll Love
If you're adventurous, try making my Arroz Caldo recipe and use that instead of leftover risotto for a savoury twist!
Have you tried this recipe? Leave me a 5 ⭐️ rating in the recipe card! I love to hear from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter, and sign up for my newsletter!
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Arancini (Arancini Al Forno)
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 2 cups Risotto leftover and chilled (note 1)
- 2 Eggs large
- ¼ cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano optional (note 2)
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- 8 1 inch cubes Mozzarella Cheese note 3
- ½ cup Frozen Peas thawed (or microwaved)
Instructions
- Preheat your Air Fryer to 380°F.
- In three separate bowls, prepare your dredging station. In the first bowl, add your flour. In your second bowl, add your two eggs and whisk them until combined. In your third bowl, add your Panko breadcrumbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Salt Pepper and Olive Oil.
- Take your frozen peas and heat them in the microwave until they are thawed. Mix them into the chilled risotto.
- Divide your risotto into 8 equal balls (about ¼ cup per Arancini). Take a 1-inch cube of mozzarella and stick it in the middle of the risotto ball and then roll them like a meatball until they are round and even. Repeat with all the risotto balls until you have 8 equal spheres.
- Working one at a time, dip each risotto ball into the flour, then into the egg wash and then into the breadcrumb mixture - ensuring there are no gaps in the breadcrumb coating.
- Drizzle the basket of your Air Fryer with a bit of Olive Oil (or Canola/Vegetable Oil). Place your Arancini balls into your Air Fryer and cook at 360° for 8 minutes then flip them over and cook for another 8 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.
- Serve immediately with a marinara sauce, pesto or just as is.
Notes
- This recipe works best with leftover risotto. If you are making it fresh, allow it to cool completely in your fridge before assembling the balls.
- Parmigiano-Reggiano is optional and may be substituted for Asiago or Grana Padano. If you substitute for "Parmesan" - make sure it is real Parmesan and not the Kraft style Parmesan.
- You can use 8 1-inch pieces of mozzarella, but I prefer using 16 ½-inch pieces. I find they fit better into the Arancini.
- I choose to not add any seasonings into the breadcrumb mixture other than salt and pepper (to taste) as your risotto should be seasoned. Feel free to add in any seasonings you have around. I like Italian Seasoning, Oregano, Dried Basil or Chili Flakes if I want to change things up.
Nutrition
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Emma
I can’t wait to try these
Lauren
Yes babe!!! I can't wait to hear how you like them!
Jess
I Love how crispy these get in the air fryer. So good!
Lauren
Glad they were a hit, Jess!
Tavo
Never crossed my mind to make arancini on an air-fryer but this recipe looks so yummy! I am trying it for dinner tonight!
Lauren
Hope you love it Tavo!
Gina
This is the kind of recipe the AF was made for! Love the crispy outside without the mess of frying on my stove. Nothing more comforting than warm arancini!
Lauren
I'm so glad you liked it Gina 🙂
Claudia Lamascolo
I am so thrilled to find a recipe for the air fryer for these and they look fabulous can wait to make these today! thanks