# Arancine Sicilian fried rice balls with meat ragù. Palermo, Sicilia. Starters (Antipasti). > Sicily's fried rice balls in their round Palermo form: saffron rice with butter and caciocavallo wrapped around a ragù of beef and peas, coated in breadcrumbs and listed among Italy's traditional food products as arancini di riso. - Level of proof: Documented tradition (Tradizione documentata). A regional tradition documented in cookbooks and local practice, with no single official text. - Sources checked: 2026-11-02 - Published: 2026-11-02 - Page: https://nonnario.com/recipes/arancine/ ## In short - Round, the size of a tennis ball: saffron rice bound with butter, grated caciocavallo and egg, around a heart of meat ragù. - The ragù: minced beef cooked with onion, carrot, celery, white wine, tomato and peas until thick, with cubes of fresh caciocavallo. - The rice is boiled al dente, drained, dressed while hot and left to cool completely before shaping. - Coated in beaten egg and breadcrumbs, then fried in plenty of olive oil until golden. - Arancina in Palermo and the west, arancino in Catania and the east: both names are correct where they are used. Also called: arancina, arancino, arancini, arancini di riso, arancine di riso, arancina al ragù, arancina a carne, Sicilian rice balls. ## Where it comes from Arancine are balls of saffron rice wrapped around a filling, coated in breadcrumbs and fried, and they are made all over Sicily. They are often said to go back to the Arabs, who ruled the island from the ninth to the eleventh century and are supposed to have rolled saffron rice in the palm of the hand; that is tradition, not record. No written trace of the dish has been found before the second half of the nineteenth century, and the first Sicilian dictionary to record arancinu, in 1857, describes it as a sweet rice dish shaped like an orange. It probably turned savoury soon after, though when the meat and the tomato came in is hard to say. The name divides the island. In Palermo and the west it is the arancina, round like the orange (arancia) it is named after; in Catania and the east it is the arancino, smaller and often pointed, a shape some link to Etna, though around Ragusa and Siracusa the feminine is heard too. The masculine follows the Sicilian aranciu, the orange, and the feminine follows standard Italian. Italian dictionaries record arancino, and so does Italy's national list of traditional food products, as arancini di riso; the feminine is in print by 1894, in Federico De Roberto's novel I Viceré. Both names are correct, each where it is used. There is no official recipe: the regional sheet behind the national list describes the dish only in outline. We compared six sources and publish the most widely recognised version, the Palermo arancina with meat ragù: Arborio rice boiled al dente and dressed hot with butter, grated caciocavallo, egg and saffron, then wrapped around a thick ragù of beef, peas and tomato with cubes of fresh caciocavallo, coated in egg and breadcrumbs and fried in plenty of olive oil. Some cooks make the rice as a risotto in broth, or cook it in just enough water to be absorbed, and some flour the arancine before the egg. Two things here are ours: the cooked rice and ragù go into the fridge within 2 hours and come out only to be shaped and fried at once, and because a cold ball this size is still cool at the heart when its crust is golden, the fried arancine finish in a hot oven until the centre reaches 75 °C. - Defined by: Sicilian tradition - Reference: Compared across 6 sources, listed below; this page publishes the most widely recognised version. ## Sources - [Accademia Italiana della Cucina: arancine di riso, a Sicilian recipe from its online recipe collection (Italian)](https://www.accademiaitalianadellacucina.it/it/ricette/ricetta/arancine-di-riso) - [Regione Siciliana, Department of Tourism (Visit Sicily portal): arancine, with the ragù and the butter versions (Italian)](https://www.visitsicily.info/ricetta/arancine/) - [Regione Siciliana, Department of Agriculture: the 2021 sheets of Sicily's traditional agri-food products, ‘Arancini di riso’ (archived copy, Italian)](http://web.archive.org/web/20240611222158/https://pti.regione.sicilia.it/portal/pls/portal/docs/153114604.PDF) - [Ministry of Agriculture (MASAF): the 25th revision of the national list of traditional agri-food products, 2025, with ‘Arancini di riso’ for Sicily (Italian)](https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/22781) - [Accademia della Crusca: ‘Si dice arancino o arancina?’, an answer from its language advice service, 2016 (Italian)](https://accademiadellacrusca.it/it/consulenza/si-dice-arancino-o--arancina/1043) - [USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service: Leftovers and Food Safety, on cooling, keeping and reheating cooked food (archived copy)](https://web.archive.org/web/20250529160018/https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/leftovers-and-food-safety) ## Ingredients For 12 servings, in metric units. ### For the rice - 750 g Arborio rice - 80 g butter - 100 g caciocavallo, grated - 2 sachets of powdered saffron (our guide: an Italian sachet usually holds about 0.1–0.15 g, so about 0.25 g in all; or a large pinch of threads, soaked in the hot water) - 1 egg - 1 egg yolk (keep the white, covered in the fridge, for the coating) - salt (for the cooking water; our guide: about 10 g per litre) ### For the ragù - 300 g minced beef - 150 g shelled peas - 1 onion, finely chopped - 1 carrot, finely chopped - 1 celery stalk, finely chopped - 200 ml tomato passata (a plain tomato sauce; the amount is ours) - 1 tbsp tomato paste - 50 ml dry white wine (a splash; the amount is ours) - 3 tbsp olive oil (for the soffritto; the amount is ours) - salt and black pepper (to taste) - 100 g fresh caciocavallo or primo sale, in cubes (about 1 cm; stirred into the cold ragù) ### To coat and fry - 2 eggs (beaten with the spare white) - 250 g fine breadcrumbs (about; the amount is ours) - 3 l olive oil, for frying (enough to cover the arancine, about 8 cm deep in a pot about 22 cm across and no more than half full; the amount is ours) ## Equipment - Large pot for the rice, holding at least 8 l, and a colander - Large tray or baking sheet, for spreading the rice to cool - Heavy pan about 24 cm across for the ragù, a wooden spoon and a shallow container - Kitchen scale and a small cup - Two shallow dishes, for the egg and the breadcrumbs, and a tray for the coated arancine - Deep, heavy pot about 22 cm across and at least 16 cm deep, a frying thermometer, a slotted spoon and a lid within reach - Oven, a wire rack set over a baking tray, kitchen paper and a thin probe thermometer ## Method Hands-on 2 h 5 min, cooking 1 h 32 min, resting at least 2 h 50 min. About 6 hours of work and waiting in all, best spread over two days. The day before (or at least 3 hours ahead): the rice, about 40 minutes to bring the water to the boil, cook and dress it and 30 to cool before the fridge, and the ragù, about 1 hour 15 minutes to cook and 30 minutes to cool before the fridge. On the day: about 1 hour to shape and coat the 12 arancine, then about 1 hour to fry them three at a time and finish them in the oven. From the moment the rice and the ragù leave the fridge, every arancina must be in the oil within 2 hours, so start heating the oil while you coat. ### The rice (the day before, or at least 3 hours ahead) 1. **Bring the water to the boil** (Cooking 20–25 min; heat: high). Bring about 6 l of water to the boil in the large pot and salt it. Check: A full, rolling boil. Tip: Our guide: about 10 g of salt per litre. The rice is drained, so it takes up only part of this salt. 2. **Get the dressing ready** (Hands-on 10 min). While the water heats, cut the 80 g of butter into pieces, grate the 100 g of caciocavallo and beat the egg with the yolk in a small bowl. Keep the spare white, covered, in the fridge for the coating. 3. **Boil the rice al dente** (Cooking 12–14 min; heat: high, then medium-high to keep a lively boil). Pour the 750 g of Arborio into the boiling water, stir, and once the water is boiling again cook it uncovered at a lively boil, stirring now and then, until al dente. Check: Taste a few grains at 12 minutes: soft outside, with a small firm core. Arborio needs 16–18 minutes to be fully soft; stop well before. Tip: Our guide: just before draining, take about two tablespoons of the cooking water into the small cup and dissolve the saffron in it, so it colours the rice evenly. 4. **Drain and dress the rice while hot** (Hands-on 3 min). Drain the rice well and tip it back into the empty pot, off the heat. Stir in the butter until it melts, then the grated caciocavallo and the saffron, and last the beaten egg and yolk, stirring quickly so that they coat every grain and bind the rice. Check: The rice is evenly yellow and glossy, with no streaks of egg, and the grains cling together. Tip: Work fast: the egg must meet hot rice to bind it. 5. **Spread the rice to cool** (Rest 30 min). Spread the rice on the large tray in an even layer no deeper than about 3 cm and leave it until it is barely warm. Check: Barely warm when you press the back of your hand to it. Tip: Our guide, for safety: the rice must be in the fridge within 2 hours of draining. A thin layer cools quickly. 6. **Chill the rice** (Rest 1 h; 4 °C). Cover the tray and put it in the fridge until the rice is cold and firm, at least 1 hour, or until the next day. Check: Cold right through and firm enough to hold the mark of a finger. Tip: Cold rice holds its shape around the filling; warm rice slumps and splits. Our guide: the 3 days a cooked dish keeps in the fridge count from cooking the rice, and the fried arancine must be eaten within the same 3 days. ### The ragù 7. **Chop the vegetables** (Hands-on 10 min). Chop the onion, carrot and celery very finely, together. Check: Small, even pieces, so that they melt into the ragù. 8. **Soften the soffritto** (Hands-on 8–10 min; heat: medium-low). Heat the olive oil in the heavy pan over medium-low heat, add the chopped vegetables and cook them gently, stirring often. Check: Soft and translucent, just turning pale gold, not browned. Tip: Our guide: about 3 tablespoons of oil. 9. **Brown the beef gently** (Hands-on 8–10 min; heat: medium). Turn the heat to medium, add the 300 g of minced beef and let it colour gently, breaking it up with the wooden spoon so that the pieces stay separate. Check: No pink left, the meat in small, separate crumbs. 10. **Deglaze with the wine** (Hands-on 2–3 min; heat: medium). Pour in the white wine and let it bubble until it has evaporated. Check: The sharp smell of wine has gone. Tip: Our guide: about 50 ml, a splash. 11. **Add the peas, the tomato and the seasoning** (Hands-on 3 min). Dissolve the tomato paste in about 100 ml of hot water. Add the 150 g of peas, the 200 ml of passata and the dissolved paste to the pan, season with salt and pepper and stir. Check: Everything evenly mixed and just starting to simmer. 12. **Simmer until thick** (Cooking 40–50 min; heat: moderate, a steady simmer). Cook over a moderate heat, uncovered, stirring now and then. If it catches before the peas are tender, add a little hot water. The ragù must end up thick. Check: The peas are tender and a spoon drawn across the pan leaves a clear track with no liquid running into it. Tip: Our guide: 40–50 minutes. A runny ragù soaks into the rice and splits the arancine in the oil. Tip: Taste and adjust the salt and pepper at the end. 13. **Cool the ragù** (Rest 20–30 min). Spread the ragù in the shallow container and leave it until it is barely warm. Check: Barely warm to the touch. Tip: Our guide, for safety: in the fridge within 2 hours of the end of cooking. 14. **Chill the ragù** (Rest 1 h; 4 °C). Cover it and put it in the fridge until cold, at least 1 hour, or until the next day. Check: Cold and firm. Tip: Our guide: the 3 days count from cooking the ragù, and the fried arancine must be eaten within the same 3 days. ### Shaping and coating Do this in one go, straight from the fridge: from the moment the rice and the ragù come out, every arancina should be in the oil within 2 hours (our guide, for safety). Have the dishes and the tray ready before you start. 15. **Set up the coating** (Hands-on 5 min). In one shallow dish beat the eggs with the spare white; put the breadcrumbs in the other. Set a bowl of cold water beside you, for your hands. 16. **Add the cheese to the ragù** (Hands-on 5 min). Stir the 100 g of fresh caciocavallo cubes into the cold ragù. Check: The cubes are spread evenly and still whole. Tip: Our guide: cubes of about 1 cm. They go in only once the ragù is cold, so they do not melt into it. 17. **Share out the rice and the filling** (Hands-on 10 min). Weigh the cold rice and divide it into 12 equal portions; divide the ragù the same way. Check: Our guide: roughly 160 g–170 g of rice and 55 g–65 g of filling for each arancina. Tip: Weighing is our addition: it makes the arancine the same size, so they fry in the same time. 18. **Shape the arancine** (Hands-on 25 min). Wet your hands. Take a generous spoonful of a portion of rice, about two-thirds of it, in one hand and press it flat, making a hollow in the middle. Put the portion of ragù in the hollow, cover it with the rest of the rice and press and turn it between your palms into a firm, round ball the size of a tennis ball, about 7 cm across. Set it on the tray and make the rest the same way. Check: Each ball is smooth and compact, with no cracks and no filling showing, and keeps its round shape when set down. Tip: Wet your hands again whenever the rice starts to stick. Tip: If a crack opens, press a pinch of rice over it. 19. **Coat in egg and breadcrumbs** (Hands-on 15 min). Roll each arancina in the beaten egg, let the excess drip off, then roll it in the breadcrumbs, pressing lightly so the crumbs cling all over. Put it back on the tray. Check: An even coat of crumbs with no bare patches. Tip: This version is not floured before the egg; some cooks flour the arancine first. ### Frying and finishing 20. **Heat the oil and the oven** (Hands-on 15 min; 170 °C; heat: medium-high, then adjust to hold the temperature). Pour the olive oil into the deep pot to about 8 cm deep, no more than half full, and heat it to 170 °C, checking with the thermometer. At the same time heat the oven to 180 °C, with the wire rack set over the baking tray inside. Check: The thermometer reads 170 °C and the oven is hot. Tip: Our guide: the temperature, the depth and the oven are ours. Tip: Never leave hot oil unattended. Keep the pot no more than half full and a lid within reach, lower the arancine in with the slotted spoon, never put water on burning oil, turn the heat off if it smokes, and let the oil cool completely before moving the pot. 21. **Fry three at a time** (Hands-on 5–6 min; 165–175 °C). Lower three arancine gently into the oil and fry them, turning them carefully, until evenly golden all over. Keep the oil between 165 °C and 175 °C, and let it come back to 170 °C before the next batch. Check: Evenly golden and crisp all over; they darken a little more in the oven. Tip: Our guide: 5–6 minutes a batch, four batches. Tip: Too many at once drop the oil temperature: the crust soaks up oil and turns greasy. 22. **Drain and finish in the oven** (Cooking 20–30 min; 180 °C). Lift each batch out with the slotted spoon, drain it on kitchen paper for a minute, then set it on the rack in the oven. Give each batch 20–30 minutes there, so that the heat reaches the centre. Once a batch is ready, serve it at once, or move it to a second rack and keep it in the oven. Keep the oven at 180 °C until the probe in the last batch reads 75 °C; only then turn it down to about 90 °C to keep any ready ones hot. Check: Push the probe into the centre of one arancina from each batch: it must read at least 75 °C. If not, give the batch 5 minutes more and test again. Tip: Our guide, for safety: a ball of cold rice this size is still cool at the heart when its crust is golden; the rack keeps the crust crisp. Tip: Our guide: arancine kept waiting must stay hot, at least 60 °C at the centre; serve them within the hour. 23. **Serve hot** (Hands-on 1 min). Serve the arancine hot. Tip: Our guide: put leftovers in the fridge, covered, within 2 hours, and eat them within 3 days of cooking the rice and the ragù (not of frying), reheated once in the oven until the centre reaches 75 °C and eaten at once. ## Good to know - When: Saint Lucy's day, celebrated by eating arancine, panelle and cuccìa. ([source](https://accademiadellacrusca.it/it/consulenza/si-dice-arancino-o--arancina/1043)) - Keeping: The rice can be made about 12 hours before the arancine are shaped. ([source](https://www.visitsicily.info/ricetta/arancine/)) - Variant: Arancina al burro: The other classic filling: cooked ham, soft cheese in cubes and a very thick béchamel seasoned with nutmeg, made the same way and shaped a little longer than the ragù arancina. For 20–22 arancine, 300 g of ham, 400 g of cheese and 500 g of béchamel. ([source](https://www.visitsicily.info/ricetta/arancine/)) - Variant: The eastern arancino: In parts of eastern Sicily they are called arancini and are smaller than in the west, usually shaped like a pine cone; sizes and shapes vary from place to place, and with the filling. ([source](https://www.accademiaitalianadellacucina.it/it/ricette/ricetta/arancine-di-riso)) - Variant: With ham and cheese, or cheese and spinach: The commonest other fillings, in place of the ragù. ([source](https://www.accademiaitalianadellacucina.it/it/ricette/ricetta/arancine-di-riso)) ## Common mistakes - Shaping warm or soft rice: it does not hold round. Let it cool completely, then chill it. - A runny ragù: it soaks into the rice and the arancina splits in the oil. Cook it until thick. - Frying too many at once: the oil cools and the crust turns greasy. - Trusting a golden crust: a large, cold arancina can still be cold inside. Check the centre with a probe. - Leaving the cooked rice or ragù out for hours to cool: both go into the fridge within 2 hours. ## Cooking it outside Italy - If you cannot find caciocavallo, use primo sale for the cubes, as the recipe allows; one regional description uses Parmigiano in place of grated caciocavallo. - Passata is sold in the US as strained tomatoes; fresh peas may be called garden or English peas. --- From Nonnario, the documented recipes of Italy: https://nonnario.com/recipes/arancine/. Cite the recipe's page and the month its sources were checked; for the official text itself, cite the document listed under its sources. Licence: CC BY-NC 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).