Tasty Vegan Rice Balls

These Italian rice balls take leftover risotto to new heights with their crispy shell and gooey vegan cheese and pesto filling. They bring fancy restaurant vibes right to your home kitchen while staying 100% plant-based. You'll swear they're the real deal!

I whipped these up for a mixed group where some folks couldn't eat certain foods. Everyone kept coming back for more, totally shocked when I told them there wasn't any dairy. Now they're my go-to when I want to impress people at get-togethers.

What You'll Need

• Arborio rice: Gives you that perfect creamy-but-firm texture in your rice balls. Go for Italian brands if you can find them
• Nutritional yeast: Brings that cheesy flavor without actual cheese. Get the fortified kind for extra goodness
• White wine: Adds depth and helps scrape up the tasty bits from the pan. Don't worry, the alcohol cooks away
• Lemon zest: Adds a fresh zing that cuts through the richness perfectly
• Fresh basil: Gives bright color and that amazing smell we all love. Use the stems too - don't waste them!
• Pine nuts: Add a rich, nutty touch to your pesto. Toast them first to wake up their flavor
• Extra virgin olive oil: Forms the smooth base for your pesto. The better quality, the tastier your dish
• Silken tofu: Works as the smooth base for your fake cheese. Don't use the firm stuff here
• Tapioca starch: This is your secret weapon for cheese that actually stretches. Cornstarch just won't cut it
• Coconut oil: Helps your vegan cheese get that perfect texture. Get the kind without coconut smell if possible
• Gram flour and white flour: Team up to make the perfect sticky mix for your breadcrumbs to stick to
• Breadcrumbs: Create that amazing crunchy outside. Fresh ones work great, but panko makes them extra crunchy
• Vegetable oil: Gets your rice balls golden brown without burning them

How To Make Them

Get Your Broth Ready:

Mix hot water with vegan stock powder to make your tasty broth. Keep it warm on the stove. The heat really matters here - it helps the rice release its starch, making everything nice and creamy.

Start With Flavor Builders:

Cook your chopped onion in olive oil until it looks clear, around 2 minutes, then throw in garlic and cook 2 minutes more. This sets up all the flavor for your dish. Just watch the garlic doesn't turn brown or it'll taste bitter.

Prep Your Rice:

Toss your arborio rice into the pan and stir for about a minute to warm it up. This step opens the rice up to soak in more flavor. Pour in your wine and stir until it almost disappears, which pulls up all the tasty bits stuck to the pan.

Make Your Risotto:

Add hot broth one spoonful at a time, stirring until it soaks in before adding more. This takes some time but it's worth it. Keep at it for 10-15 minutes until you've used all your broth.

Finish And Chill Your Rice:

When your rice is cooked but still has a tiny bit of bite, take it off the heat and mix in lemon zest and nutritional yeast. Spread it out on a tray and stick it in the fridge for at least an hour. This cooling step helps everything hold together when you shape it later.

Whip Up Fresh Pesto:

Mix basil, toasted pine nuts, salt, nutritional yeast, olive oil, lemon juice, and water in a blender until it's mixed but still a bit chunky. You don't want it totally smooth. Pop it in the fridge until you need it.

Create Your Vegan Cheese:

Blend tofu, oat milk, garlic powder, salt, coconut oil, nutritional yeast, tapioca starch, and apple cider vinegar until smooth. Heat it in a pan, stirring non-stop until it suddenly gets thick and stretchy. Keep a close eye on it - the change happens fast!

Mix Your Filling:

Combine your cooled rice with the vegan cheese, mixing well so it's spread evenly. This gives you the base that'll have that awesome stretchy pull when you bite into it.

Form Your Rice Balls:

Put plastic wrap on your hand, spread some rice mix in a circle, make a dent in the middle for pesto, then close it up with more rice. The plastic wrap trick keeps everything from sticking to your fingers.

Get Them Ready To Fry:

Roll each ball in your flour-milk mix first, then in breadcrumbs until fully covered. This double layer makes them super crunchy when fried. Be gentle so they keep their shape.

Fry Until Perfect:

Heat oil to 170°C and cook your rice balls until they're golden, about 2 minutes per side. Try to keep the temperature steady. Put them on paper towels when done to soak up extra oil.

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The vegan cheese part of this recipe is seriously mind-blowing. The first time I watched it change from watery to stretchy in the pan, I couldn't believe my eyes. My friends have asked for just the cheese recipe to use on their vegan pizzas and sandwiches. It's all about mixing silken tofu for smoothness with tapioca starch for that real cheese stretch.

Prep Ahead Tips

You can make the risotto up to three days before and keep it in the fridge. Actually, day-old risotto works better for these balls since it's firmer. The pesto and vegan cheese can also be made a day early to save time when putting everything together. You can even shape the balls and keep them in the fridge for up to 24 hours before frying. Just let them warm up a bit before they hit the hot oil so they cook evenly.

Swap These Ingredients

Can't find arborio rice? Try carnaroli or vialone nano rice instead. If you need to avoid nuts, use sunflower seeds instead of pine nuts in your pesto. No nutritional yeast? Just add a bit more salt and a small spoonful of miso paste. And if you don't want to use coconut oil in the cheese, try refined avocado oil, though your cheese might not set up quite as well.

How To Serve Them

Enjoy these rice balls as a starter with some warm marinara sauce for dipping. For a full meal, pair them with a simple salad dressed with lemon and olive oil. They're perfect party food since you can get them ready ahead of time and just fry them right before people show up. Want a healthier version? Bake them at 200°C for 20-25 minutes, though they won't get quite as crispy as fried ones.

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You've got to try these rice balls if you love crunchy, indulgent appetizers with a plant-based twist. They'll bring a taste of Italy straight to your table!

Frequently Asked Questions

→ Can I make these vegan rice balls ahead of time?

You bet! Make the rice mixture a day early and pop it in the fridge overnight. You can also shape and coat the balls up to 24 hours before cooking if you keep them covered in the fridge. But for the best crunch, fry them right before you plan to eat.

→ Can I bake these instead of frying?

You can definitely bake them! Heat your oven to 400°F (200°C), give the coated balls a light spray of oil, and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Don't forget to flip them halfway so they get evenly crispy all around.

→ Can I use store-bought vegan cheese?

Sure thing! Grab about 1 cup of vegan cheese shreds from the store instead of making your own. Just mix them into the rice while it's still a bit warm so the cheese gets slightly melty.

→ What oil works best for frying?

Any oil that doesn't have a strong taste and can handle high heat will do the trick. Sunflower, canola, or plain vegetable oil are all good choices. Just try to keep the temperature steady at around 170°C/340°F so everything cooks evenly.

→ How do I know when they're done cooking?

They should turn a nice golden brown on the outside after about 2 minutes on each side. Since everything inside is already cooked, you're mostly warming it all up and making the outside nice and crunchy.

→ Can I freeze these vegan rice balls?

Absolutely! Freeze them before cooking right after you've coated them. Put them on a baking sheet until they're hard, then move them to a container. When you want to eat them, just fry them straight from frozen, adding an extra minute or two to the cooking time.