Arancini · Baked Italian Rice Balls
This is what you make with leftover risotto. Arancini—Italian rice balls stuffed with mozzarella, breaded, and baked until crispy. In Rome, they call these supplì, and when you bite into them or pull them apart, the mozzarella stretches like telephone wires. That’s the whole point.
This is Italian street food. You find these everywhere in Rome—pizza shops, bars, street vendors. They’re what Italian grandmothers invented to avoid wasting leftover risotto. Form the cold rice into balls around cheese, bread them, bake them, eat them hot.
Most recipes fry arancini. This version bakes them. Less mess, less oil, same crispy crust if you brush them with enough oil before baking. The key is cold, firm risotto that holds its shape, good mozzarella that melts and stretches, and high heat to crisp the breadcrumbs.
These work as appetizers, snacks, or a light meal with salad. Make them the day after you make risotto when the rice is cold and easy to work with. Or make risotto specifically for arancini and refrigerate it overnight.
Risotto · Technique Over Tradition
Baked arancini using leftover risotto, stuffed with stretchy mozzarella. Crispy breadcrumb crust, creamy rice, melted cheese center.
Ingredients
Method
Prepare the Risotto
- Your risotto must be cold and firm. If you just made risotto, spread it on a sheet pan and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours, preferably overnight. The colder and firmer the rice, the easier it is to form into balls that hold their shape. Room temperature risotto is too soft and sticky to work with.
- If your leftover risotto doesn’t have Parmesan in it, stir in 1/2 cup grated Parmesan while it’s still slightly warm, then refrigerate until cold.
Form the Rice Balls
- Take about 1/4 cup cold risotto (roughly the size of a golf ball) and place it in the palm of your hand. Make an indentation in the center with your thumb. Place a cube of mozzarella in the indentation. Close the rice around the mozzarella, forming a ball and making sure the cheese is completely enclosed with no gaps. The rice should seal around the cheese—if there are cracks, the cheese will leak out during baking.
- Roll the ball between your palms to smooth it and make it round. Place on a plate or sheet pan. Repeat with remaining risotto and mozzarella. You should get about 12-16 arancini depending on size.
- Once all the balls are formed, refrigerate them for at least 30 minutes. This firms them up and makes breading easier.
Set Up Breading Station
Prepare three shallow bowls:
Bowl 1: Flour seasoned with a pinch of salt and pepper
Bowl 2: Eggs and milk whisked together until smooth (no lumps)
Bowl 3: Breadcrumbs
- Line them up in order: flour, egg mixture, breadcrumbs.
Bread the Rice Balls
- Working with one arancini at a time, roll it in flour to coat completely. Shake off excess. Dip into egg mixture, turning to coat all sides. Let excess drip off. Roll in breadcrumbs, pressing gently so the crumbs adhere. Make sure the entire surface is covered with breadcrumbs—any bare spots won’t crisp up.
- Place breaded arancini on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Once all are breaded, refrigerate again for 15-20 minutes. This helps the breading set and prevents it from falling off during baking.
Bake the Arancini
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Arrange arancini on the prepared pan with space between them—don’t crowd. Brush or spray each arancini generously with olive oil on all sides. This is critical. Without oil, the breadcrumbs won’t brown or crisp. Be generous.
- Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from oven, carefully flip each arancini using tongs, brush the other side with more oil, and return to oven. Bake another 10-12 minutes until golden brown and crispy all over. Total baking time is about 22-25 minutes.
- Check one arancini by cutting it open—the center should be hot and the mozzarella should be melted. If the outside is golden but the inside isn’t hot enough, lower the oven to 350°F and bake 5 more minutes.
Serve
- Let arancini rest for 2-3 minutes after baking—this allows the cheese to set slightly so it doesn’t all run out when you bite in. Serve hot with warm marinara sauce for dipping. Garnish with fresh basil and grated Parmesan.
- Pull one apart or cut it in half to show the stretchy mozzarella center—that’s the whole appeal.
Notes
Use Cold, Firm Risotto: This is non-negotiable. Warm or room temperature risotto is too soft and sticky to form into balls. The rice must be cold and firm from the refrigerator. If you just made risotto, spread it on a sheet pan to cool quickly, then refrigerate at least 3-4 hours. Overnight is ideal.
Why This Works with Leftover Risotto: Arancini were invented to use leftover risotto. As risotto cools, the starches retrograde (firm up), which is exactly what you want for forming balls. Fresh risotto is too soft. Day-old risotto is perfect. This is Italian grandma wisdom—waste nothing.
Fresh Mozzarella vs Low-Moisture: Fresh mozzarella (the kind packed in water) has the best stretch and flavor, but it’s wetter and can make the arancini soggy if it leaks. Low-moisture mozzarella (the kind you shred for pizza) is drier, melts well, and is more forgiving. Either works. If using fresh mozzarella, pat the cubes very dry with paper towels before using.
Supplì vs Arancini: In Rome, these are called supplì (or supplì al telefono—”telephone supplì”—because the stretching cheese looks like old telephone cords). In Sicily, they’re arancini (little oranges) and are traditionally round and larger. Arancini usually have various fillings—ragù, peas, ham. Supplì always have mozzarella and are often mixed with tomato sauce. This recipe is technically more like supplì, but “arancini” is the name people recognize, so that’s what we’re calling it.
The Cheese Stretch: The stretchy mozzarella center is the whole point. When you bite into an arancini or pull it apart, the mozzarella should stretch. This only happens if: (1) you use real mozzarella (not “mozzarella-style” or fake cheese), (2) the arancini are hot enough to fully melt the cheese, and (3) you don’t overbake them so the cheese dries out.
Baking vs Frying: Traditional arancini are deep-fried at 350-365°F until golden and crispy. Frying gives you the crispiest crust and is faster. Baking is healthier, less messy, and works great if you brush the arancini with enough oil. The key to crispy baked arancini is generous oil brushing and high heat (400°F). Don’t skip the oil or they’ll be pale and soft.
Oil is Critical for Baking: Breadcrumbs don’t brown and crisp without fat. If you’re baking instead of frying, you must brush or spray the arancini with oil—generously—before baking and again when you flip them. Use olive oil or any neutral oil. Don’t be shy. This is what makes them golden and crispy.
Breadcrumb Options: Italian-style seasoned breadcrumbs have herbs and Parmesan already mixed in and work great. Panko breadcrumbs are larger and crunchier—they create a very crispy crust but don’t stick as well, so you may need to press them on firmly. Regular plain breadcrumbs work but are less flavorful—season them with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and dried herbs if using.
Make Ahead: You can form and bread the arancini up to 24 hours in advance. Store them unbaked in the refrigerator, covered. Bake just before serving. You can also freeze unbaked breaded arancini for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen—add 5-10 minutes to the baking time.
Size Matters: Golf ball size (about 1/4 cup risotto) is ideal. Smaller and they’re fiddly to make. Larger and the outside browns before the center heats through. Keep them uniform so they bake evenly.
Sealing is Important: Make sure the rice completely encloses the mozzarella with no gaps or cracks. If there’s an opening, the cheese will leak out during baking and you’ll lose the stretchy center. Smooth the surface with your palms and check for cracks before breading.
What Risotto to Use: Any risotto works—plain Parmesan risotto, mushroom risotto, saffron risotto. The recipe linked is basic Parmesan risotto, which is traditional. If using mushroom or other flavored risotto, the arancini will taste like that risotto. All work. In Rome, supplì are often made with tomato-based risotto (risotto al pomodoro).
Serving Suggestions:
- As appetizers with marinara for dipping
- As a snack or light lunch with salad
- On a platter with other Italian appetizers (olives, salumi, cheese)
- With a simple tomato sauce or arrabiata sauce
- As part of an antipasto spread
- Meat Arancini: Add a spoonful of bolognese or ragù along with the mozzarella
- Pea and Prosciutto: Add cooked peas and diced prosciutto to the rice before forming
- Mushroom: Use mushroom risotto and add sautéed mushrooms with the mozzarella
- Saffron: Use saffron risotto for Sicilian-style arancini
- Spicy: Add a small piece of spicy salami or ‘nduja along with the mozzarella
- Rice balls fall apart: Risotto wasn’t cold enough, or you didn’t seal them properly
- Breading falls off: Didn’t refrigerate after breading, or didn’t press breadcrumbs on firmly
- Cheese leaked out: Gap in the rice seal, or arancini were too hot when breading (melt the cheese prematurely)
- Not crispy: Didn’t use enough oil when baking, or oven temp was too low
- Pale, not golden: Not enough oil, or they need more time in the oven
- Outside burned, inside cold: Oven too hot or arancini too large—lower temp to 375°F and bake longer
- No cheese stretch: Used fake cheese, or overbaked so the cheese dried out
