Arancini Balls with Cheese Bacon and Broccoli Recipe

By: Becky HardinPosted: 12/22/17Updated: 11/16/23

This post may include affiliate links that earn us a small commission from your purchases at no extra cost to you.

TheseArancini Balls with Cheese Bacon and Broccoliare so much easier than you might think. This Arancini Recipe is one of our favorite comfort food appetizers! These cheesy fried rice balls (Arancini Balls) are the ultimate starter to any meal at home. So addicting and delicious!

Table of Contents

Easy Arancini Balls Recipe

Have you guys ever had arancini balls? Do you know what arancini is?! Don’t feel bad…I didn’t either. I recently had arincini balls at a restaurant and had to google it when I saw it on the menu!

Basically all you need to know about arancini balls is that they are deep fried, creamy, cheesy rice…that you can dip in marinara sauce and dream about forever. Okay, that may not be the technical definition of arancini, but that’s all that matters! I’m OBSESSED and cannot wait for you to try this amazing arancini recipe so you know what I’m talking about.

These Arancini Balls with Cheese, Bacon, and Broccoli will be your new favorite appetizer!

What is Arancini?

Okay, before you try this Arancini Recipe, let’s get the real answer. What is Arancini?

Arancini Balls are a tradtional Italian dish that has become even more popular in modern Italian cuisine. Arancini are rice balls filled with cheese, meat, tomato sauce, or any number of ingredients. Then the rice balls are covered in bread crumbs and deep fried to create a crispy, warm, delicious little appetizer perfect for dipping.

To spice things up a bit, I put cheese, bacon, and broccoli in this arancini recipe. And of course I added an extra cube of cheddar in the middle for melty amazingness (always need more cheese!). I’m pretty proud of this one. These cheesy broccoli arancini balls are just so addicting. You can make them big and serve as a main course or keep them bite sized for a fun and unique appetizer. Sure to please kids and adults alike!

How do you make Italian Rice Balls (Arincini Balls)?

This arincini recipe is so easy to make!

Create a rice mixture with broccoli, cheese, and bacon & let chill
Form 2-inch rice balls with the mixture
Dip each ball in the flour, then egg, then coat in bread crumbs
Cook the arancini balls in a large stockpot or dutch oven at 350 degrees

It’s a pretty straight-forward process and fun to make too! See the recipe card for full instructions.

To keep things EXTRA simple (just how I like), I used frozen broccoli in cheese sauce to stuff the arancini balls. Perfect! It creates that creamy texture with literally zero work for you. I know I know, standing ovation.

What do you serve with arancini balls?

WHERE DO I BEGIN? These little cheesy rice balls are so good, I’d eat them with just about anything. They make a really great appetizer to serve at a party or before your meal.

Arincini Balls also make a good side dish for other Italian dishes. Cook them up next time you make one of these:

Mozzarella Stuffed Italian Meatballs
Easy Stromboli Recipe
Instant Pot Chicken Bruschetta
Chicken Parmesan Pasta Recipe

These arancini balls make a great starter for holiday meals, a great appetizer for tailgating, and a great main course when unique is what you’re after. And let’s just pretend they’re healthy because of the broccoli. MMMM K? I know you’re on my level.

See the recipe card below for full details on how to make Arancini Balls. Enjoy!

If you like these Cheesy Bacon & Broccoli Arancini Balls, try these other deliciously fried foods:

Fried Mashed Potato Bites
Fried Brownie Bites
Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Oven Fried Chicken

Recipe

Bacon Broccoli Cheese Arancini

4.67 from 6 votes

Author: Becky Hardin

Prep: 15 minutes minutes

Cook: 15 minutes minutes

Total: 30 minutes minutes

Serves6

Print Rate

Save Shop our store

TheseArancini Balls with Cheese Bacon and Broccoliare so much easier than you might think. This Arancini Recipe is one of our favorite comfort food appetizers! These cheesy fried rice balls (Arancini Balls) are the ultimate starter to any meal at home. So addicting and delicious!

Email This Recipe

Enter your email and we’ll send the recipe directly to you!

By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from The Cookie Rookie.

Ingredients

▢ 3 cups cooked white rice
▢ 1/4 cup cooked bacon crumbles
▢ 10 ounce package frozen broccoli in cheese sauce cooked in the microwave according to package instructions
▢ 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese cut into 1/2 inch cubes
▢ salt and pepper to taste
▢ 2 cups white flour
▢ 3 eggs
▢ 2 cups bread crumbs
▢ canola oil for frying
▢ marinara sauce for dipping

Instructions

In a large bowl stir together the rice, bacon, and broccoli/cheese. Leave the cubed cheese separate. Place in the fridge to chill enough to be able to handle.
Place flour, eggs, and bread crumbs into three separate small bowls.
Once rice mixture is chilled, take a small amount and add a cube of cheese to the middle. Keeping the cheese in the middle, top with more rice to create a ball, approximately 2 inches in size. Press together firmly to make sure it holds its shape. Dip into the flour and coat completely. Next coat in egg, using a fork to allow the excess to shake off, then dredge in the bread crumbs, coating completely. lay on a plate and repeat with the rest of the rice. For me I was able to make about 12 balls. You can make whatever size you'd like.
Heat 3 inches of canola oil in a large stockpot or dutch oven to 350F. Once hot, cook the rice balls in batches until fully browned, approximately 1-2 minutes each.
Serve with marinara sauce for dipping.
Enjoy!

Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!

Nutrition Information

Calories: 542kcal (27%) Carbohydrates: 83g (28%) Protein: 21g (42%) Fat: 12g (18%) Saturated Fat: 5g (31%) Cholesterol: 106mg (35%) Sodium: 510mg (22%) Potassium: 364mg (10%) Fiber: 4g (17%) Sugar: 3g (3%) Vitamin A: 600IU (12%) Vitamin C: 42.2mg (51%) Calcium: 251mg (25%) Iron: 4.7mg (26%)