Savory Mushroom Arancini
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These Mushroom Arancini are the perfect mix of crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. You need to try them!
I’ve loved risotto from the first time I ordered a simple white wine risotto in Italy and was immediately hooked. It’s hearty, creamy, flavourful, and satisfying. It checks many of the same boxes as a delicious pasta dish and is perfect when paired with mushrooms which is why I’ve chosen to pair them in this dish.
Arancini (or Arancine singular) are amazing stuffed rice balls that originated in the south of Italy in Sicily. I was tried Arancini for the first time when a friend ordered it as an appetizer at an Italian restaurant. I had no idea that so much delicious flavour could be packed into what is, at its core, a ball of fried rice. For years I ordered arancini at restaurants, but until a year ago it didn’t occur to me to try and make it myself. When I finally did, I realized they are not only delicious, but relatively simple to make as well!
These amazing Mushroom Arancini are soft on the inside and crispy on the outside . The savoury woody mushrooms are complimented by the bright thyme, creamy rice, sharp parmesan, and tangy lemon in the risotto. This savoury smooth filling contrasts perfectly with the crispy golden breaded outside of these delicious morsels.
The Arancini are amazing on their own, but are also delicious when served alongside my homemade marinara sauce . They are perfect as a meal or served as an appetizer or finger food at a party. I promise that once you try this recipe it will change the way you think about rice! Best of all, if you prepare your risotto in the Instant Pot, this delicious dish can be on your table in 45 minutes!
TOTAL TIME
- Preparation Time – 5 minutes
- Cooking Time – 40 minutes
- Total Time – 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS FOR MUSHROOM ARANCINI
All the ingredients for this dish are easy to source from any local grocer.
Saffron Risotto
- 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 1 Large onion
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 1/2 cups Arborio Rice
- 1 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 pinch Saffron
- 1 ounce Dried Mixed Mushrooms, diced
- 1/4 cup White Wine
- 4 cups Chicken Broth, preferably homemade
- 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan
Mushroom Filling
- 3 cups Crimini Mushrooms
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1/2 Shallot
- 1 tsp Fresh Thyme
- 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup Grated Parmesan
- Black Pepper, to taste
Arancini
- 2 Eggs
- 1 cup Breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
WHAT IS ARBORIO RICE?
Arborio rice is a short grain Italian rice that is often used to make risotto. It has a very high starch content and absorbs less cooking liquid which results in a sticky, creamy risotto.
WHAT IS SAFFRON?
Saffron is a lovely spice that is harvested from the stamen of the Saffron Crocus flower. It is harvested by hand in the fall when the it blooms. It’s earthy flavour adds an amazing depth to this dish. More information about this beautiful spice can be found here.
CAN I USE OLD WINE IN MY LEMON SAFFRON RISOTTO?
I often hear people say that they have an open bottle that’s starting to sour, so they’ll just use it for cooking. I don’t understand this. White wine imparts a lot of brightness to this dish, so why would you use wine that is going off? You wouldn’t! Although this risotto only uses a quarter cup of wine, the flavour is still integral to the dish. That said, you certainly don’t need to buy an expensive bottle specifically for this meal. Use something you enjoy the taste of, because that is the flavour that will be imparted to your dish.
DO I NEED TO REHYDRATE MY DRIED MUSHROOMS BEFORE ADDING THEM TO THE RISOTTO?
Definitely not. They will rehydrate while the risotto is cooking.
CAN I MAKE THIS VEGETARIAN?
If you’d like to make these arancini vegetarian, simply cook the risotto with vegetable stock instead of chicken. They will be slightly different, but very tasty.
SHOULD I RINSE MY ARBORIO RICE BEFORE COOKING?
Unlike regular rice, you should never ever rinse your rice before cooking risotto! Rinsing rice reduces its starch content and prevents it from sticking. Risotto rice needs to maintain it’s sticky consistency as it’s key to creating a a creamy dish.
WHAT ARE DRIED MUSHROOMS?
Dried mushrooms are simply mushrooms that have been dehydrated. As they dry, the mushrooms flavour becomes more concentrated and intensifies.
HOW SHOULD I SERVE MY ARANCINI?
I like to eat them on their own, or serve them with a simple marinara sauce as either an appetizer or a main. If you’d like to serve them as part of a larger meal they would work beautifully with a simple salad or bright minestrone soup. I would suggest that any side be fresh and bright to offset the fried arancini balls. I also think they would be wonderful served as finger food at a party with or without marinara on the side.
INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS
CAN I USE A DIFFERENT KIND OF RICE IN MY RISOTTO?
Carnaroli works beautifully in place of the Arborio rice. It is also a short grained Italian rice with a high starch content that doesn’t absorb too much liquid and keeps it’s shape well in the risotto.
CAN I USE FRESH MUSHROOMS INSTEAD OF DRIED IN THE RISOTTO?
When mushrooms are dried, the flavour becomes more intense which means that a small amount of these beauties will add a ton of flavour to your already delicious risotto.
CAN I USE A DIFFERENT KIND OF CHEESE IN THE RISOTTO?
This recipe works best with a salty, hard cheese. Both Pecorino and Grana Padano work as substitutes for Parmesan.
CAN I USE PREPACKAGED LEMON JUICE INSTEAD OF FRESH LEMON?
Prepackaged lemon juice can be used in some meals without any ill effect but this is not one of those meals. Lemon juice is the one of the stars of the risotto in these delicious arancini, so you absolutely need to use freshly squeezed lemon in this pasta.
CAN I USE A DIFFERENT KIND OF MUSHROOMS TO MAKE THE FILLING?
Absolutely. Feel free to use any kind of mushrooms you prefer to stuff the arancini.
CAN I SUBSTITUTE A DIFFERENT SPICE FOR SAFFRON?
There are recipes that suggest that Turmeric can be substituted for Saffron. Although Turmeric will colour your rice like Saffron, it will not add the earthy bitterness imparted by this beautiful spice. Don’t use a substitution.
CAN I USE SEASONED BREADCRUMBS?
I always buy plain breadcrumbs because I want to be able to season food to my own liking. I also find the notion of shelf stable cheese (which is normally in seasoned breadcrumbs) unpleasant. I would recommend using unseasoned breadcrumbs.
EQUIPMENT FOR MUSHROOM ARANCINI
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Below is a list of the main equipment/kitchen tools needed to make Mushroom Arancini:
- Instant Pot – I find the Instant Pot to be a wonderful tool for the preparation of risotto. It allows me to walk away while it’s cooking without concern, and it greatly reduces the cooking time while still producing a creamy risotto . I highly recommend purchasing this tool if you like to make risotto.
- Chef’s Knife
- Cutting Board
- Mortar and Pestle
- Cookie scoop (3 tbsp) – I strongly recommend a cookie scoop in order to make equally sized arancini. I love my OXO cookie scoop so much that I own it in three sizes. I use the 3 tbsp large scoop in this recipe.
- Wooden Spoon
- Heavy Bottomed Pan – My most used pan by far is my Le Creuset Braising Pan. It is made of heavy cast iron and coated in ceramic as all Le Creuset cast iron pans are. It’s large and deep which makes it perfect for everything from frying to making sauces. I can’t recommend it enough.
COOKING DIRECTIONS
If you follow a few simple rules your Mushroom Arancini will turn out perfectly the first time!
- Always use real saffron in your risotto and never rinse your rice.
- Sautee the fresh mushrooms until you draw out all their extra liquid.
- Form your arancini with damp hands: this will prevent the rice from sticking to you.
MAKE AHEAD STORAGE
You can make the risotto up to three days in advance for this recipe.
I would strongly recommend eating these arancini fresh if at all possible.
FINISHED DISH
Enjoy these delicious Mushroom Arancini!
OTHER SIMILAR DISHES
Bolognese and Mozzarella Arancini
OTHER DISHES WITH SAFFRON
Black Bean Enchiladas with Saffron Rice
Instant Pot Lemon Saffron Risotto
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a comment and rating below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #cooking.with.carbs.
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Mushroom Arancini
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- Heavy Bottomed Pan
- Wooden spoon
- 3 tbsp cookie scoop
- 1 1/2 tsp cookie scoop
Ingredients
Saffron Risotto
- 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 1 Shallots
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 1/2 cups Arborio Rice
- 1 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 pinch Saffron
- 1 ounce Dried mixed mushrooms
- 1/4 cup White Wine
- 4 cups Chicken Broth
- 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan
Mushroom Filling
- 3 cups Crimini Mushrooms diced
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1/2 Shallot minced
- 1 tsp Fresh Thyme minced
- 2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup Grated Parmesan
- Black Pepper
Arancini
- 2 Eggs
- 1 cup Breadcrumbs unseasoned
- 1/2 cup Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Saffron Risotto
- On the sautee function of your instant pot melt 1 tablespoon of butter and the olive oil.
- Finely chop the onion and add it to the pot.
- Sautee for 5 minutes until the onion has softened and started to brown.
- Finely grate the garlic into the pot and mix, then cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the rice and salt and cook while stirring for 5 minutes.
- Grind the saffron with a mortar and pestle.
- Pour the saffron into the pot, then put the wine in the mortar and pour it into the pot as well.
- Stir and cook for 1 minute until the wine has been absorbed.
- Add the broth and dried mushrooms, stir and close the Instant Pot.
- Cook for 6 minutes on high pressure, then release the pressure manually.
- Turn the Instant Pot to sautee and add the second tablespoon of butter and grated parmesan, cook for 5 minutes.
Mushroom Filling
- Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan on medium heat.
- Fry the mushroom filling ingredients for 15 minutes until the water has evaporated and it starts to brown.
- Set aside the mushrooms to cool.
- Mix in the Parmesan and a few turns of pepper.
Arancini
- Using a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop, form balls of risotto.
- Press an indent into each ball and fill with 1 1/2 teaspoons of filling before closing the ball around the filling.
- Beat the eggs in a bowl, and pour the breadcrumbs into another.
- Roll each arancini in egg then breadcrumbs.
- Fry in oil for 4 minutes, turning once or twice to brown on all sides.
Such perfect appetizers. I love the crunchy outside and soft and savory inside of these party bites. Thanks for such a detailed recipe tutorial.
I can’t wait to make this arancini recipe! Living in Italy, where we love making arancini out of leftover risotto, I am always in the look for new recipes!
Arancini is the best comfort food – brings me back to my childhood making these with my grandmother. Nothing beats that crispy outside with the cheesy center!
I remember the first time I have arancini and felt I had been missing out on this great appetizer. I vowed I would make them myself and never did so now I have your recipe to use. Also love the addition of mushrooms.
What a great way to use rice. This looks super comforting.