Baked pumpkin arancini (risotto balls)

October 11, 2015 by Caroline's Cooking

These baked pumpkin arancini are so flavorful and comforting with a gooey cheese center. A great appetizer or snack perfect for a festive party, game day and more.

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plate of pumpkin arancini with mini pumpkin behind

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October is well and truly in flow which means, here in the US at least, pumpkin season is as well. For many, that seems to more mean 'pumpkin spice' everything and anything. Even if pumpkin itself is used, it's often for sweet goods (not that they are bad, of course, like pumpkin empanadas and healthy pumpkin scones).

However pumpkin can also be enjoyed in many savory dishes as well, like these delicious baked pumpkin arancini.

plate of pumpkin arancini with one bitten into on side and pumpkin behind

What are arancini?

Arancini are Sicilian balls of risotto usually filled with mozzarella and coated with crisp breadcrumbs. Traditionally they are deep fried - it's a street food so not so surprising - but here they are baked to be that bit healthier (and I think easier as well).

Rather than a plain risotto, I have made a pumpkin version which is smooth and delicious. It's worth making a decent sized batch and enjoying it one day as a regular risotto then making the rest into arancini the next day.

adding a cube of mozzarella to pumpkin risotto

Arancini are often enjoyed with marinara sauce as an appetizer/snack, and these would be great as part of a game day, Halloween or other festive spread.

If you press little stems of sage, thyme or rosemary in the top (as in photos), you can make them look more like mini-pumpkins to be even more in the spirit!

They're perfect to use up any leftovers from a previous meal, and also make a tasty snack. We've had them as part of lunch and everyone has happily enjoyed them. After all, there's lots of cheese and comfort factor. And as a bonus, they sneak in a bit of vegetables with the pumpkin in there.

rolling arancini in flour with dishes of egg, breadcrumbs and mozzarella cubes to side

Tips to make arancini less work!

While it might seem like these take quite a while to prepare, as I say, if you make enough to have it both as a regular risotto and some leftover for the arancini, it doesn't seem bad and you get two meals for the same work. You can also split the work up into chunks since it's best to make the risotto a few hours or a day ahead in any event.

Then, you can chill the risotto balls after the initial filling and just do the breading before you bake them. I don't recommend adding the breading before as they will likely get soggy, so the breadcrumbs will either clump together or not crisp as well.

I have also kept some of the filled arancini in the fridge for a couple days to bread and bake another time and they were just as good then. Just keep them covered and ideally slightly separated to avoid sticking.

These pumpkin arancini are pretty filling between the risotto itself and with the gooey mozzarella inside but they are still all too tempting to come back for more. They have that comfort factor and make for a delicious appetizer or snack. Then make them fun, too, when you dress them up to look more pumpkin-like. Either way, they're perfect for parties and more.

plate of baked pumpkin arancini with small pumpkin behind

Try these other cheesy finger foods:

Pesto goat cheese filo parcels
Caprese eggplant roll ups
Scallop chorizo stacks
Plus get more appetizer recipes in the archives.

pumpkin arancini with one bitten into to side

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5 from 2 votes