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    Home > Recipes > Gluten Free

    Vegan Risotto Balls

    Published: Apr 24, 2014 · Modified: Feb 16, 2023 by Iosune · This post may contain affiliate links · 31 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    Vegan risotto balls

    These Vegan Risotto Balls are the perfect appetizer for any occasion. They are really easy to make and you can use other rice recipes you like.

    They are 100% vegan and gluten-free. They are also perfect for lactose-intolerant people because we've used extra virgin olive oil, almond milk and nutritional yeast instead of cheese and butter.

    Vegan risotto balls

    I love vegan food, you can make delicious dishes and you'll find no difference. You won't believe these vegan risotto balls are dairy-free!

    Vegan risotto balls

    In the photo below you can see our vegan risotto. It's a healthier version of traditional risotto and it's very simple, but you can add other vegetables, herbs or spices if you want.

    Vegan risotto balls

    To coat in batter our vegan risotto balls, we've used almond milk, rice flour and nutritional yeast instead. You can also use other kinds of milk and flour, or you can use breadcrumbs or brewer's yeast, but they're not gluten-free.

    Nutritional yeast is one of our favorite ingredients, and we use it in many recipes like this Vegan Pasta Alfredo or this Vegan Pesto Bruschetta.

    Vegan risotto balls

    If the oil isn't hot enough, your balls will be greasy and oily, so be careful! If you want a lighter and healthier version, you can cook your balls in the oven.

    We don't fry very often, but once in a while we make some recipe like these balls. When we fried, we always use extra virgin olive oil and we never use a fryer or reuse oil. We also put our balls on a plate with paper towel to remove excess oil.

    These Vegan Risotto Balls are cheap, quick, easy, crunchy on the outside and so soft and creamy in the inside. They are so delicious and you're gonna love them!

    Vegan risotto balls

    Vegan risotto balls

    Vegan Risotto Balls

    These Vegan Risotto Balls are the perfect appetizer for any occasion. They are 100% vegan and gluten-free.
    5 from 1 vote
    PRINT PIN RATE
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: Italian
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes
    Total Time: 45 minutes
    Servings: 20
    Author: Iosune


    Ingredients 

    US Customary - Metric
    • Extra virgin olive oil
    • 2 cloves of garlic
    • ½ onion
    • ½ cup white wine
    • 1 cup rice, 200 grams
    • ½ cup almond milk, + 6 tablespoons (to coat in batter the balls)
    • 2 cups vegetable broth or water
    • 6 tablespoons rice flour
    • 8 tablespoons nutritional yeast, 2 tablespoon to make the risotto and 6 tablespoon to coat in batter the balls
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    Instructions

    • In a non-stick frying pan, heat the olive oil on medium high heat. Add chopped garlic and onion and cook until golden brown.
    • Add the rice and saute for about 2 minutes.
    • Pour the white wine and cook until it's fully absorbed.
    • Add a ladle of hot vegetable broth (or hot water) to the rice and stir until the broth is fully absorbed. When the rice appears almost dry, add another ladle of broth and repeat the process. You need to stir constantly, especially while the liquid gets absorbed, to prevent scorching. Continue adding broth for about 18 minutes or until the grains are tender but still firm to the bite, and the last time add almond milk instead of vegetable broth. Stir until the milk is absorbed.
    • Stir in two tablespoons of nutritional yeast and salt to taste (it's optional, we don't add salt).
    • Let stand covered for 5 minutes.
    • Wet your hands with water so the rice doesn’t stick to your fingers. When the risotto is cold you can make balls. Dip each ball in the milk, then in the flour, then in the milk again, and finally in the nutritional yeast.
    • Once the oil is hot, add 2 or 3 balls to the pot and fry them until golden brown.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1risotto ball | Calories: 86kcal | Carbohydrates: 13.2g | Protein: 4.1g | Fat: 1.7g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 11.8mg | Fiber: 1.8g | Sugar: 0.8g

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    5.5K shares

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Mike says

      May 09, 2020 at 3:58 pm

      Do you cook the rice first?

      Reply
      • Mike says

        May 09, 2020 at 4:01 pm

        Nevermind. If I read the recipe completely before asking I would have known the answer.

        Reply
        • Iosune Robles says

          May 13, 2020 at 5:38 pm

          Don't worry Mike 🙂 Have a nice day!

    2. Lydia says

      February 16, 2019 at 8:11 pm

      I made these today with some leftover leek and pea risotto, and they came out great! They barely took any time and were a great addition to a big salad 🙂

      Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        February 18, 2019 at 10:22 am

        Hi Lydia! Sounds great 🙂 SO glad you liked them!

        Reply
    3. Kimber says

      May 16, 2018 at 2:02 am

      If I want to bake them instead how long would I cook them and what temp?? Thanks

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        May 16, 2018 at 8:49 am

        Hi Kimber! I would bake them at 400ºF or 200ºC until golden brown 🙂

        Reply
    4. Iosune says

      March 30, 2018 at 4:11 am

      Hi Natalie! I've never frozen and reheated it myself, but I think it should work. You're so welcome 😉

      Reply
    5. Natalie Thomas says

      March 30, 2018 at 3:30 am

      Can you tell me if I can freeze these and then reheat? I would like to cook ahead for an event. Thanks a million 🙂

      Reply
    6. Renee DeLeon says

      March 04, 2018 at 5:25 pm

      This sounds so delicious that I have to pin it to my Veeg Pinterest board for vegan snacks! I'm a new vegan recipe blogger, and all that I am getting to learn about various ingredients and flavors is such a pleasure! Life is too short to eat the same old take out all of the time - let's cook up something beautiful!

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        March 25, 2018 at 4:58 am

        Hi Renee! Thanks a lot 🙂 So glad you like it

        Reply
    7. Rashmi says

      October 04, 2017 at 7:31 am

      Hello
      Is it possible to use something instead of almond milk??
      Thanks

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        October 05, 2017 at 12:11 pm

        Hi Rashmi! Any plant milk will do 🙂

        Reply
    8. Amber says

      June 13, 2017 at 3:45 pm

      Hi there, you mentioned brewer's yeast... is this a substitute for nutritional yeast? I'm in Chile and nutritional yeast is really expensive and half the time they don't have it in stock. But I've found I can order a large quantity of brewers yeast online.... just wanted to check first
      Thanks in advance!

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        June 19, 2017 at 11:02 am

        Hi Amber! Yes, I also use brewers yeast here in Spain, it's called "levadura nutricional desamargada" in Spanish. It's less bitter than regular brewers yeast. Have a nice day!

        Reply
    9. Vicki says

      June 06, 2017 at 8:53 am

      What could i use instead of wine? I'd like to try the oven version for my 6yo. Yum.

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        June 10, 2017 at 12:34 pm

        Hi Vicki! Add some water or broth 🙂

        Reply
    10. Pixie says

      March 20, 2017 at 9:14 am

      Have you ever fried them then eaten cold? For a picnic the next day?

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        March 24, 2017 at 4:46 pm

        Hi Pixie! Yes, they taste amazing 😀

        Reply
    11. Fran says

      February 24, 2017 at 2:42 pm

      Looking forward to making these for my daughter! She became vegan last June and ever since I have been struggling to make her food!!! She's over the pasta thing and won't eat pb&j at school anymore so I'm excited for some new recipes! Thank you!

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        February 28, 2017 at 1:01 pm

        Hi Fran! I hope your daughter enjoy our recipes 🙂 Have a nice day!

        Reply
        • Fran says

          February 28, 2017 at 1:15 pm

          I made them and she LOVED them!!! "Bangin'" were here exact words ? I think next time I'll put a piece of her vegan cheese inside too!!
          Thanks again!

        • Iosune says

          March 07, 2017 at 6:28 pm

          Hi Fran! I'm so happy to read that 😀

    12. Stephanie Taylor says

      November 04, 2016 at 5:29 pm

      Do you think I could use just plain gluten free flour instead of rice flour?

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        November 08, 2016 at 5:08 pm

        Hi Stephanie! I think it could work 🙂

        Reply
      • Missy says

        May 29, 2020 at 7:09 am

        Could you suggest a non gluten free flour alternative? Something that I might have on hand already? (Like A.P. Flour). Thank you so much! Made your jambalaya tonight and my family of 5 loved it!

        Reply
        • Iosune Robles says

          May 29, 2020 at 3:27 pm

          Hi! Feel free to use any type of flour 🙂 I suggest you wheat flour! Have a nice day!

    13. Sandra says

      July 25, 2016 at 12:33 am

      Can I make rather than fry the rice balls?

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        August 02, 2016 at 10:53 am

        Hi Sandra! Bake them at 355ºF or 180ºC until golden brown 🙂

        Reply
    14. Jamie says

      June 16, 2014 at 1:02 am

      These look amazing! I'm going to make them this week and report back to how they turned out. So excited I found your blog!

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        June 18, 2014 at 9:14 pm

        Hi Jamie! Thanks a lot! I hope you like the risotto balls 🙂

        Reply

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