Air Fryer Risotto Balls (Air Fryer Arancini Balls)

Game changing air fryer risotto balls to try right now! We love our easy to make air fryer recipes! Use your leftover risotto to make these delicious arancini balls!

I am a huge risotto fan. I was intrigued by risotto after watching all the cooks on Hell’s Kitchen fail at the task of making it. If you have watched that show, you know exactly what I mean!

While many times it looked delicious, Gordon Ramsey was not happy with the quality and the consistency.

With that said, I decided that I needed to try it. Not that I was better than your average aspiring chef on Hell’s Kitchen. I just wanted to give it a try.

After so many batches of risotto, my kitchen was a bit over run! So I decided to make these Air Fryer Arancini Balls. Let's just say they are a HUGE hit with my family!

How to make Air Fryer Arancini Balls

1. If using leftover risotto, skip to step 6.

2. Add olive oil to a deep and large saucepan over medium heat. Heat the oil Add the onions and saute until soft.

3. Add dry rice and saute for 1 minute.

4. Next, add 2 cups of veggie broth. Let the broth cook down while you continually stir to avoid any burning. Once the liquid has been cooked down, add 2 more cups. Continue with this process until all your liquid is absorbed and your rice is soft. This process should take about 20 minutes. Stir in parmesan. 

5. Pour risotto into a casserole dish or sheet pan. Cool for 1-2 hours in the fridge. (This step is very important. The risotto HAS to be cold to be able to be rolled into balls).

6. In a small bowl, place the bread crumbs. In another bowl, place the beaten eggs.

7. Remove chilled risotto (rice mixture) from the fridge. Roll into 1 inch rice balls. Dip into eggs then into bread crumbs to coat the entire ball. Do this until you run out of ingredients.

8. Place rolled and coated balls back into the fridge for 45 minutes.

9. Remove from fridge and place into Air Fryer in small batches. Free at 400 degrees F for a cooking time of 10 minutes. Shake at minute 8. The balls are actually done around minute 6-7 but the browning doesn't happen until minute 8-10 🙂

10. Serve with marinara sauce and ENJOY!

We’ve created some mouthwatering risotto recipes that are amazingly easy. You have probably seen our other risotto recipes. If not, be sure to check out Broccoli and Cheese Risotto, and Vegan Risotto with red peppers.

What about the rice?

I have found that the key to good risotto is great rice. In our risotto recipes, we generally use Lundberg White Arborio Rice. We like this rice because it is certified gluten-free.

Wondering what Arborio Rice is? It is actually a traditional rice used when cooking creamy Italian dishes! If you want a creamy texture with your rice, Arborio Rice is the rice to use!

Air Fryer Risotto Balls made from leftovers!

Since it uses your leftovers, it’s a huge bonus in the menu planning area! We love to eat and use leftovers!

I think it is safe to say that after you try this one time, you'll be making double batches of risotto from now on. One batch to eat, then one batch to throw into the fridge to make Air Fryer Arancini Balls later in the week!

So maybe you are reading this recipe but don't have an air fryer yet, that's okay! My family has tried several Cosori Air Fryers and the Power Fryer Xl (which is pictured for this recipe.

We truly like each of those brands. You can easily get them on amazon. Many have next-day shipping if you have Amazon Prime!

Breading for Risotto Balls

Back to these risotto balls. So we are using our left over risotto (or even making a new batch) and coating the risotto balls with breading.

In our case, we are gluten-free. So our breading will be gluten-free breading. If you don’t have any food restrictions, you can use your favorite bread crumbs.

In this particular recipe, we used Ian's Gluten Free Italian Bread Crumbs. These particular gluten-free bread crumbs are super allergen friendly. So if you need to avoid things like eggs, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, soy and wheat, you should check them out!

Vegetarian Air Fryer Resources – We have a vegetarian air fryer newsletter, which you can subscribe to here. We also have a specific vegetarian air fryer recipes group on facebook. You can find that Veg Air Fryer FB Group here.

If you are looking for vegetarian recipes beyond air fryer ones, we have a Vegetarian Newsletter as well as a Vegetarian Recipes facebook group. This newsletter and FB group offers up recipes that on the stove, in the oven, on the grill, in the instant pot and more!

Other Resources:

• Air Fryer Calculator (convert oven recipes to air fryer)
• Common Air Fryer Mistakes
• Air Fryer Cooking Times Cheat Sheet
• Can You Put Foil in the Air Fryer
• How to Clean Your Air Fryer
• Tips for Your Air Fryer
• Cosori Air Fryer Reviews

More Air Fryer Goodies:

• Meat + Veg Newsletter
• Air Fryer Recipes – Facebook Group (large + fast paced – meat/veg)
• Air Fryer Recipes for Seniors  – Facebook Group
• Gluten Free Air Fryer Recipes – Facebook Group
• Air Fryer Eats – Facebook Group (slower paced)

If you are new to air frying and you have some oven recipes that you would like to convert to air fryer recipes, we can help! Our sister site Air Fryer Eats, just launched an Air Fryer Calculator.

To use the air fryer convertor, simply enter your oven temp and time into the calculator and it will give you an estimated time and temp (in F or C) to start with when you use your air fryer! 

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4.95 from 17 votes

Air Fryer Risotto Balls (Air Fryer Arancini Balls)

Game changing air fryer risotto balls to try right now! We love our easy to make air fryer recipes! Use your leftover risotto to make these delicious arancini balls!

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: air fryer risotto balls

Servings: 8 people

Calories: 264kcal

Author: Cindy

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going to sleep.

Equipment

• Air Fryer

Ingredients

Risotto

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup onions diced very small
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1 cup parmesan cheese

Breading

• 1.5 cups Bread Crumbs I used Ian's GF Italian Panko
• 2 eggs beaten

Instructions

• If using leftover risotto, skip to step 6.
• Add olive oil to a deep and large saucepan over medium heat. Heat the oil, then add the onions and saute until soft.
• Add dry rice and saute for 1 minute.
• Next, add 2 cups of veggie broth. Let the broth cook down while you continually stir to avoid any burning. Once the liquid has been cooked down, add 2 more cups. Continue with this process until all your liquid is absorbed and your rice is soft. This process should take about 20 minutes. Stir in parmesan. 
• Pour risotto into a casserole dish or sheet pan. Cool for 1-2 hours in the fridge. (This step is very important. The risotto HAS to be cold to be able to be rolled into balls).
• In a small bowl, place the bread crumbs. In another bowl, place the beaten eggs.
• Remove chilled risotto (rice mixture) from the fridge. Roll into 1 inch rice balls. Dip into eggs then into bread crumbs to coat the entire ball. Do this until you run out of ingredients.
• Place rolled and coated balls back into the fridge for 45 minutes.
• Remove from fridge and place into Air Fryer in small batches. Free at 400 degrees F for a cooking time of 10 minutes. Shake at minute 8. The balls are actually done around minute 6-7 but the browning doesn't happen until minute 8-10 🙂
• Serve with marinara sauce and ENJOY!

Nutrition

Calories: 264kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 835mg | Potassium: 115mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 405IU | Vitamin C: 1.5mg | Calcium: 196mg | Iron: 2.4mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @vegetarianmamma or tag #vegetarianmamma!

All though this website attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, the information should only be considered an estimate. Varying factors such as different product types, different brands, etc. can change nutritional information. It is your responsibility as a consumer to read all labels to make sure the ingredients fit your dietary needs as well as calculate your own nutritional information as a double check.

Thanks for stopping by to check out this air fryer recipe! While you are here, we’d love for you to check out some of our favorite non-air fryer recipes! We have some delicious sauces that you can dip your favorite foods into as well as sweet treats and drinks!

Be sure to check out these recipes! Dirty Chai, Avocado dressing, Mediterranean Sauce, Vegetarian Charcuterie, BBQ Ranch, Vegan Rice Krispie Treats, Vegan Honey Mustard, Vegan Croutons 

Leave me a comment below telling me if you have an air fryer. What recipes have you tried in your air fryer? I'd love to know!

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