These Air Fryer Arancini Rice Balls are scrumptious balls of melted shredded cheese and fluffy rice, rolled in breadcrumbs and fried to a crispy perfection. Cooking these Arancini rice balls in an air fryer is the healthy option to take. It’s also way less messy.
You can enjoy these Air Fryer Arancini Rice Balls as a delicious party snack with your favorite dipping sauce or even as a side dish.
Recipe Notes:
- If you’ve got left over rice in the fridge from that curry you made 2 nights ago, it will work perfectly for this recipe. Let nothing go to waste!
- For extra flavor, you can add onions, garlic, or even chopped bell peppers!
- Always check if the breadcrumbs that you use are seasoned or not. It helps to know what flavor profiles you are working with when you want to add on to a recipe.
If you don’t have an air fryer, don’t skip this recipe – you can still deep fry these balls the traditional way. Simply place 2-3 balls at a time in a pan of hot oil, and fry until both sides are crispy and golden brown.
You can serve these as an appetizer alone, or with some green veggies or side salad to make it a meal.
Air Fryer Arancini Rice Balls
- Bring the water and arborio rice to a boil in a large pot. Stirring occasionally, cook the rice until the water is completely absorbed (the rice should be full and tender).
- Fold in the mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, parsley, and salt to the cooked rice until combined.
- Using a spoon or a large cookie scoop, scoop balls of rice onto a lined baking sheet and place in the fridge for 15-20 minutes, or until they are cool.
- Place the flour, panko breadcrumbs, and eggs into separate bowls/containers. Roll each rice ball in the flour, then the egg, then in the panko breadcrumbs.
- Place the breaded rice balls in the basket of the air fryer, leaving room around of the balls.
- Cook at 370 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes before flipping the rice balls and cooking for an additional 5 minutes.
- Repeat until all of the rice balls have been made.
- Serve immediately with marinara sauce, or another dipping sauce of your choice, and enjoy!
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Air Fryer Arancini Rice Balls
Ingredients
- 1 quart of water
- 2 cups Arborio Rice
- 1 ½ cups Mozzarella cheese shredded
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese shredded
- 2 tablespoons parsley chopped
- 2 teaspoons salt
For the Breading
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 3 eggs beaten
- Marinara Sauce for dipping, optional
Instructions
- Bring the water and arborio rice to a boil in a large pot. Stirring occasionally, cook the rice until the water is completely absorbed (the rice should be full and tender).
- Fold in the mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, parsley, and salt to the cooked rice until combined.
- Using a spoon or a large cookie scoop, scoop balls of rice onto a lined baking sheet and place in the fridge for 15-20 minutes, or until they are cool.
- Place the flour, panko breadcrumbs, and eggs into separate bowls/containers. Roll each rice ball in the flour, then the egg, then in the panko breadcrumbs.
- Roll each rice ball in the flour, then the egg, then in the panko breadcrumbs.
- Place the breaded rice balls in the basket of the air fryer, leaving room around of the balls.
- Cook at 370 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes before flipping the rice balls and cooking for an additional 5 minutes.
- Repeat until all of the rice balls have been made.
- Serve immediately with marinara sauce, or another dipping sauce of your choice, and enjoy!
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Nutrition Information:
Nutrition Disclaimer
Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
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