Arancini balls
3 hours 30 mins cooking time

Exceed every expectation with stuffed arancini balls, one of Sicily's great pleasures. Inside a crisp breadcrumb shell sits saffron rice scented with orange, wrapped around a warm centre of béchamel, mozzarella, and ham. Serve them as a starter, hand them round at a gathering, or set them at the heart of the table and enjoy a traditional Italian snack.

Arancini balls Arancini balls

Arancini balls

  • 3 hours 30 mins cooking time
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Exceed every expectation with stuffed arancini balls, one of Sicily's great pleasures. Inside a crisp breadcrumb shell sits saffron rice scented with orange, wrapped around a warm centre of béchamel, mozzarella, and ham. Serve them as a starter, hand them round at a gathering, or set them at the heart of the table and enjoy a traditional Italian snack.

Exceed every expectation with stuffed arancini balls, one of Sicily's great pleasures. Inside a crisp breadcrumb shell sits saffron rice scented with orange, wrapped around a warm centre of béchamel, mozzarella, and ham. Serve them as a starter, hand them round at a gathering, or set them at the heart of the table and enjoy a traditional Italian snack.

Method

For the béchamel sauce
1

Melt Lurpak® Slightly Salted Butter in a saucepan, add flour, stirring with a hand whisk to form the roux.

2

​​​Add warm milk, salt, and nutmeg. Continue mixing until firm. Pour it into a bowl, covering it with cling film. Let it rest in the fridge.

For the rice
1

Cook water, orange juice, rice, saffron, and salt over medium heat until the liquid has been absorbed and evaporated. Turn it off.

TIP

Warm the orange juice and water before the rice goes in, so the temperature does not drop the moment it is added. Keep the heat moderate throughout, so the liquid is absorbed slowly rather than boiled off fast. Risotto rice needs that time to swell and turn tender through to the centre. Rushed over high heat, the grains soften outside but stay chalky within, and they will not bind when you shape the balls later.

2

Season with a little bit of salt and add the butter, cut into pieces, while stirring to help it melt.

3

Add orange zest and cheese. Put it aside.

For the batter
1

Pour water into the flour, stirring with a spoon until the mixture is combined. Make it smoother with a mixer.

For the arancini filling
1

Take some cold rice and mash it on the palm of one hand, giving it a cylinder shape. Place 2 teaspoons of bechamel and a few cubes of mozzarella and ham on it. Cover with more rice, and work with your hands to close it well.

TIP

Let the rice cool completely before shaping. Spread it out on a tray and chill it. Warm rice is loose and will not hold. As it cools, the butter stirred through firms up, which is what lets each ball keep its shape around the filling. Damp hands make the rice far easier to work with.

For the breadcrumbs
1

Dip each rice ball in the batter and then place it in the breadcrumbs.

2

Fry in oil at 170C. Once golden, place them on a sheet of kitchen paper.

TIP

Bring the oil to a steady 170C and fry only a few balls at a time. Crowd the pan and the temperature drops, so the shell softens and drinks up oil instead of crisping. You can do a quick test and add a pinch of breadcrumbs to the pan. It should sizzle briskly the moment it hits the oil.

FAQ: Questions about these arancini balls

Getting arancini balls right does take a little technique, but with this recipe, it should be fairly easy. If you have specific questions about these stuffed balls, you will find answers to the most common ones below.

  • Arancini balls are made from cooked risotto rice, shaped around a filling, coated in breadcrumbs, and deep-fried until golden. Fillings and flavourings vary widely. This recipe uses a saffron-scented rice cooked in water and orange juice until the liquid is absorbed, giving it a yellow colour and citrus flavour. Butter, orange zest, and cheese are stirred through to create a rich base, and the balls are filled with béchamel, mozzarella, and ham, then dipped in a flour-and-water batter, rolled in breadcrumbs, and deep-fried at 170C until golden and crisp.

  • The most traditional arancini filling is al ragù, a rich meat sauce often with peas, sometimes bound with a little mozzarella. Nearly as common is al burro, a mild ham-and-béchamel version close to this recipe. Other than these two, different regions make their own variations, for instance, with mushrooms, aubergine, and pistachio. Ragù remains the Sicilian original.

  • The best rice for arancini balls is short-grain, high-starch rice such as Arborio. Carnaroli and Vialone Nano work just as well, though Arborio is the easiest to find. Their high starch content is what makes the cooked rice sticky enough to hold together when mixed with butter, zest and cheese, and to stay shaped around the filling. Steer clear of long-grain varieties like basmati or jasmine, which cook up separate and fluffy and lack the starch to keep everything together.

  • If your rice keeps cracking, it is likely because it is too dry. Keep the mixture slightly sticky after cooking, and stir the butter, zest, and cheese through while it is still hot to help it stay moist as it cools. When shaping, use enough cold rice to build a thick wall around the filling and press it firmly in your palm to remove any air pockets. Damp hands help you smooth the surface, and any small crack can be patched straight away with a little extra rice.

  • There are five common reasons arancini balls fall apart while frying. First, if the rice is too warm, it will be too soft to hold its shape, so let it absorb all the liquid and cool completely before shaping. Second, if the filling is not sealed tightly inside a firm wall of rice, it can break through as the ball fries. Third, if there are gaps in the coating, the filling can leak out, so make sure the batter is thick enough to cling, and the breadcrumbs form an even, unbroken layer. Fourth, if the pan is too crowded, the oil temperature drops, so fry in small batches to keep it steady at 170C. Finally, if the balls go into the oil unchilled, they are more likely to lose their shape, so chill them fully first.

  • Yes, you can freeze arancini balls, breaded and unfried. Freeze the coated balls on a tray, spaced apart, until solid, then transfer to a container for up to three months. Fry straight from frozen at 170C, giving them an extra minute or two so the centre heats through. Fried arancini can also be frozen and reheated in the ​​oven at 190–200C for 10–15 minutes, though the shell is crispest when fried fresh from frozen.

  • Enjoy the arancini balls with dips and other easy accompaniments. A simple marinara or tomato sauce is a popular choice, its sharpness working well against the richness of the filling. Serve them as a starter, alongside a green salad for a light meal, or as part of an antipasto spread with olives and cured meats.

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Crispy fried arancini balls with cheese and ham

Arancini balls are Sicily's answer to cheesy street food. They are also a good way to use up any leftover risotto rice you may have. Roll it, fill it, coat it, and fry it until golden and crisp. As you bite through the shell, the inside gives way to soft saffron rice, melting mozzarella cheese, and savoury ham.

They take a little time, most of it hands-off while the rice and béchamel chill. Serve them hot, when the contrast between the crisp shell and soft centre is at its best. They will vanish faster than you can fry the next batch.

Saffron rice cooked with orange juice and zest

The rice makes up much of an arancini ball, so it is enhanced with plenty of flavour. Instead of plain stock, the grains cook in orange juice and water, giving the rice a faint citrus note. Saffron goes in alongside, staining the grains deep gold and adding its warm, sweet aroma.

Cubes of Lurpak® Butter loosen the rice and round off that sweetness, while grated Parmesan and a scattering of fresh orange zest add richness and a bright, fragrant finish.

Creamy béchamel centre with gooey mozzarella and ham

Once you reach the centre of an arancini ball, you are rewarded with a gooey mozzarella and ham filling. A spoonful of béchamel sits at the core, thick and velvety, made by whisking Lurpak butter and flour into a roux, then loosened with warm milk and given warmth with a whisper of nutmeg. Around it, mozzarella stretches into long strands, while diced cooked ham adds a salty, savoury bite against the smoothness of the sauce.

A crisp breadcrumb shell, fried to a golden crunch

These arancini balls would not be nearly as satisfying without their crisp crunch. Each shaped ball is dipped first in a loose flour-and-water batter, which clings to the rice and gives the breadcrumbs something to grip.

Rolled through breadcrumbs and dropped into hot oil, the shell sets within seconds and fries to a deep golden brown, crackling and firm. The crust seals the filling so the cheese stays put, and it delivers the crunch that makes you want another bite right after the first.

Perfect as a starter, snack, or part of an aperitivo spread

If you need a bite with Italian flair, these arancini balls are a must-try. Set them out as a starter before a larger meal, hand them round as a snack when people drop by, or make them the centrepiece of an aperitivo spread with olives and cured meats.

They travel well from kitchen to table and hold their warmth long enough to work as finger food, ideal for feeding a crowd without anyone needing a plate and fork. Serve them with a wedge of lemon or a bowl of marinara alongside for dipping.

Looking for more rice recipes? Have a look at this creamy saffron risotto and prawn and pea risotto. For something more fragrant and spiced, try a lamb kabsa or a chicken maqluba.

Swap the filling to suit your taste

The centre of an arancino is yours to play with, and almost every part of it can be swapped. In place of mozzarella, reach for fontina, provolone, or smoked scamorza, which all melt into the same soft stretch but carry more flavour of their own.

Swap the ham for mortadella, cooked pancetta, or a spoonful of spiced 'nduja, or leave the meat out altogether and fold in sautéed mushrooms, peas or strips of roasted red pepper for a vegetarian version. For the most traditional route of all, fill each ball with leftover ragù instead of béchamel and ham, the way it is done across Sicily.

COOK, BAKE AND SPREAD WITH

Lurpak® Slightly Salted Butter

Slightly Salted Butter
With Lurpak® by your side you’re always ready to cook, bake and fry up wonders, cook. With its delicate taste, Lurpak® Slightly Salted Butter enhances the flavour of whatever food you add it to. From a hearty pasta dish, your showstopper fruit pie, to some simple rustic crushed potatoes, its subtle notes complement every creation you rustle up in the kitchen. For people who love Good Food, Lurpak® makes it even better. Now sleeves up. Today we cook bold.
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