Vegan arancini (air fryer or oven baked)

Leftovers are convenient. They’re quick. But usually they don’t live up to the original in terms of texture.

There is, however, a notable exception to the leftovers rule… Arancini.

Arancini are Italian rice balls made with leftover risotto. This Sicilian street food is coated in breadcrumbs, and fried. That gives them a crisp outside. Then you bite through to melty risotto inside.

(While arancini is traditionally fried, for this recipe I offer instructions for air frying or baking instead. These cooking methods are a lot easier and less messy.)

Between creamy vegan risotto and arancini, I would be hard pressed to decide which one I like best. But luckily, choosing is completely unnecessary!

First, you can enjoy creamy vegan risotto with mushrooms and vegan sausage. Then pop the leftovers into the refrigerator. A day or two later, roll the cold risotto into rice balls to enjoy them anew.

Arancini is wonderfully creamy and rich inside with addictive crunch from panko breadcrumbs. It is reminiscent of the textural experience of mac and cheese finished with a crunchy topping.

Cold vegan risotto: For this arancini recipe, you’ll need to first start by making a batch of creamy vegan risotto and storing it in the refrigerator for a day or two.

My risotto recipe uses cashew cream for extra luxurious body. And when you go to repurpose it for arancini, the cashew cream also works to help panko breadcrumbs adhere to the exterior.

Panko breadcrumbs: This Japanese-style breadcrumb is the best choice for maximum crispiness.

Seasonings: Granulated onion, salt, and pepper add savory flavor and pop to the breading. Granulated onion can be replaced with onion powder.

Oil spray: Since these arancini balls aren’t fried, a generous coating of oil spray helps with browning the exterior. Avocado oil is my go-to.

Marinara: Arancini can be served on its own, but delicious warmed marinara on the side is good for dipping. Or add a thin layer of marinara to your dinner plate just before plating.

If you’d prefer, cilantro basil pesto is a tasty alternative.

Start with cold risotto that has been in the refrigerator for a day or two. The risotto will have thickened and condensed in the refrigerator.

Use your hands to make a ball of risotto, about the size of a tangerine. A ¼ cup measure will make just the right size. One full batch of creamy vegan risotto will make 12 to 15 rice balls.

Tip: If any of your mushroom slices are too large to stick on the outside, you have a couple of options. Push them to the inside of the ball and stick more rice on the outside. Or cut down any overly large mushrooms into smaller pieces. For the most part, this shouldn’t be a problem, though.

Roll each arancini ball in panko bread crumbs seasoned with granulated onion, salt, and pepper.

Tip: You can add more seasonings if you like (Italian seasoning blend, for example). But keep in mind that the risotto already includes thyme and rosemary.

Now it’s time to cook the arancini!

Traditionally, they would be fried in oil. For this recipe, we’re going to cook them in the oven or air fryer.

To air fry the arancini: Put the balls in a single layer in the air fryer basket. You don’t want the basket to be overly full, because they won’t brown as nicely.

In a 3.7 quart air fryer basket, about 6 arancini fit perfectly. So you’ll need to cook in batches.

For the best browning, spray the risotto balls generously with oil. (If you avoid oil, you can skip this step. But be aware they likely won’t get as golden.)

Air fry at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. The arancini will start browning at about 8 minutes. They will just keep getting more golden.

Keep your eye on them, so that they don’t burn. But obviously, browner is better. So don’t pull them out too early either.

While the arancini is air frying, don’t move them. They brown nicer and the shape is better if they stay in one place, as opposed to rotating them.

Remove them from the air fryer, and serve with warmed marinara.

To bake the arancini: Line the rice balls across a baking sheet. (For easy clean-up, line the baking sheet with parchment paper first.) Spray the arancini with oil. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

While they are cooking, don’t move the arancini. They brown nicer and the shape is better if they stay in one place, as opposed to rotating them.

Be warned: The risotto will be molten hot on the inside. But they are so gooey and perfect, it’s hard to wait to take a bite. Serve with warmed marinara for dipping.

This arancini is also delicious stuffed with vegan meatballs.

For this option, you can leave out the sausage in the vegan risotto recipe, if you like. (Feel free to add a few more mushrooms in the seitan’s absence.)

Then once the risotto is cold, form a ball in your hand. Push a divot into a ball using your finger, then stuff it with a thawed vegan meatball. Form the rest of the rice around it into a ball.

Gardein meatballs work particularly well. They are a little large. So you can pinch the balls in half and form them into balls. (That means for 12 rice balls, you’ll need 6 vegan meatballs.)

Remember to thaw the meatballs ahead of time, so that they will be malleable and won’t add extra moisture to your arancini.

Vegan arancini can be enjoyed as an appetizer or main course.

If serving as an appetizer, it goes well with these other starters:

If serving as an entree, it goes well with any of these vegetable side dishes:

To make arancini ahead of time for a party or gathering, simply form the cold risotto into balls, and roll the balls in seasoned bread crumbs, as directed in the recipe.

Then put the arancini in a covered container and refrigerate. (A standard covered lasagna dish works perfectly.)

Once you are ready to cook them, simply follow the baking instructions as written below.

(This is ideal for holiday gatherings! One year for Christmas, I prepared arancini balls on Christmas Eve, and transported them in an insulated carrier to my holiday destination. I refrigerated them, and then baked them on Christmas Day. They came out perfectly.)

Store leftover arancini in an airtight container in the fridge. They will keep for about 4 days.

Reheating instructions: To reheat, air fry at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. (Exact timing will vary from one air fryer to the next.) While reheating arancini that have already been cooked once, it’s okay to turn them occasionally for even browning.

Freezing instructions: To freeze arancini, form the risotto rice balls, and coat them in panko breadcrumbs. Don’t cook them. Instead, move them to a glass freezer-safe dish. (A large Pyrex works well for this.)

Make sure the arancini aren’t touching, so that they won’t freeze together. Cover and freeze.

How to reheat arancini from frozen: When you’re ready to re-heat, remove the arancini from the freezer, and put the rice balls into the air fryer. Air fry at 400 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes.

📖 Recipe

Vegan arancini (air fryer or oven baked)