This is an elevated twist on a classic Italian snack. Truffle arancini start with a truffle infused porcini risotto, then they’re rolled into a ball, stuffed with a small piece of mozzarella, breaded and fried. The result is a crispy appetizer of truffled rice and melted cheese that stretches gloriously away from your first bite.
Arancini are a dream finger food for having people over. There are so many stopping points to make these ahead of time, there can be very little active cooking involved when guests arrive. You can make just the porcini risotto ahead of time, or you can go as far as deep frying the arancini hours in advance and reheating them when needed. And anywhere in between.
The recipe is infinitely scalable as well. You can double or triple it, if needed, or even halve it. But I wouldn’t suggest the latter, because why spend so much time and effort for 6 arancini that you’ll polish off before the oil cools?
Finally, if you aren’t a huge fan of truffle oil, you can omit it entirely. The dried porcini mushrooms lend so much flavor to the risotto, it’s delicious as is. On the flip side, if you happen to have fresh truffles laying around, I highly recommend shaving them over the top of these freshly fried arancini. Truffle oil doesn’t come close to replicating the fragrance of real, fresh black truffles. You won't regret it.
make-ahead options for these truffle arancini:
Truffle arancini are a wonderfully flexible appetizer, which makes them the perfect party food. Here are 4 different stopping points.
- Porcini risotto can be made and refrigerated up to 2 days ahead of time.
- Risotto balls can be rolled and refrigerated the day before, or frozen for up to 2 months.
- This is my preferred stopping point. Frozen risotto balls are the easiest to bread. Just add a few extra minutes to the frying time to make sure the center gets hot and the cheese melts.
- Breaded risotto balls can be refrigerated the day before, or frozen for up to 2 months.
- Sometimes the breading can fall off and the arancini will need to be re-rolled in fresh breadcrumbs before deep frying.
- If you’re working with frozen arancini, add a few extra minutes to the fry time.
- Fry arancini up to 4 hours ahead of time. Reheat in the oven for 15- 20 minutes at 350°F, or until heated through and crispy.
what to serve with truffle arancini
Serve these porcini arancini with your favorite marinara sauce. The bright acidity will offset the richness of the fried risotto balls. The tomato sauce also balances the earthiness of the truffles and porcini mushrooms, and it gives the entire snack a zap of freshness.
Here are a few of my favorite marinara recipes to get you started!
- My recipe for the best homemade pizza sauce works as a delicious marinara dipping sauce
- Marcella Hazan's Tomato Sauce with Butter
- New York Times's Classic Marinara Sauce
- Ina Garten's Marinara Sauce
try these risotto recipes!
risotto zafferano (saffron risotto) recipe by Splash of Taste!
Watch our holiday party appetizer web story here!
porcini truffle arancini
This is a deliciously crispy appetizer of fried porcini risotto and melted mozzarella. Truffle arancini are a mouthwatering finger food for parties.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 13 2-inch balls
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Fried
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 4 cups low sodium chicken stock
- 1 oz dried porcini mushrooms
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 large shallot, minced
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ¼ cups arborio rice
- ½ dry white wine
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- 1 tbsp black truffle oil, plus more to taste
- 2 oz low moisture mozzarella, cut into ½” cubes (for about 13 cubes)
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup dry bread crumbs
- vegetable oil, for frying (I prefer refined coconut oil)
- marinara sauce, for dipping
Instructions
- Heat chicken stock, 1 cup water, and dried porcini mushrooms in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer mushrooms to a cutting board and finely chop. Adjust heat to keep broth hot but not simmering.
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Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add shallots, season with salt and pepper, and cook for about 3 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add rice and stir to coat in butter. Cook, stirring often, until edges of rice grains are translucent, 3- 5 minutes.
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Stir in mushrooms and wine, season with salt and black pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly, until liquid is fully absorbed.
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Add a ladleful of hot broth and stir until the liquid is fully absorbed. Repeat adding broth in 1 cup increments, stirring frequently and simmering gently, until rice is al dente (you may not need all of the broth) and liquid is mostly absorbed, about 25 minutes. Stir in parmesan, truffle oil and season with salt and black pepper.
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Spread out risotto in an even layer on a baking sheet and let cool. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes until cold and firm. If making risotto ahead of time, it’s fine to store it in a covered bowl.
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Line another baking sheet with parchment paper. Take ¼ cup of cooled risotto and shape into a ball. Insert a piece of mozzarella into the center, squeeze rice closed around it, and roll until smooth (to prevent sticking, it helps to lightly wet your hands every few balls). Place on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining rice and mozzarella. Freeze balls for at least 10 minutes.
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Place flour, eggs and breadcrumbs in 3 separate bowls. Season them all with salt and pepper and stir to combine. To bread arancini, coat one ball in flour and tap off excess. Coat in eggs, letting excess drip off, then roll in breadcrumbs and press gently to adhere. Transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet and repeat breading remaining arancini. Refrigerate while you heat up oil. Arancini can be refrigerated overnight (covered loosely, save breadcrumbs to re-coat before frying) or frozen at this point.
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Heat 1-inch of oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat to 350°F.
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Fry a few arancini at time, rolling around occasionally to brown evenly, until golden and crispy, 5- 7 minutes. Drain on a paper towel lined plate, sprinkle with salt. Let oil return to 350°F before repeating with remaining arancini. Serve while hot.
Notes
Fried arancini will keep, refrigerated, for up to 3 days. Reheat for in the oven at 350°F for 15- 20 minutes, or until heated through.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 arancini ball
- Calories: 177
- Sugar: 0.7g
- Sodium: 639 mg
- Fat: 13g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9.1 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2g
- Carbohydrates: 8.8g
- Fiber: 0.3g
- Protein: 4.3g
- Cholesterol: 24mg
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