In Rome’s pizzerias and street stalls, they sit ready in the glass counter: elongated, golden rice croquettes that Romans eat straight from the paper bag as they walk. Supplì are made from rice cooked in tomato sauce, cooled completely, and shaped around a stick of mozzarella before getting a double coating of egg and breadcrumbs.
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The best moment comes when you break open a hot supplì and the cheese pulls into long strings like an old-fashioned telephone cord. That’s why Romans also call them supplì al telefono. With their elongated shape and red tomato rice, they’re clearly different from the round Sicilian arancini, and in the air fryer they get a crunchy crust with far less oil than in the deep fryer.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of Contents
Why I love supplì in the air fryer
Supplì is food that brings people together around the table. They can be shaped well ahead of time, they’re eaten with your fingers, and the combination of creamy tomato rice, crunchy crust, and melted cheese goes down well with children and adults alike. If you have leftover tomato risotto from the day before, you’re already halfway there, since cold rice is exactly what you need. The dish is also completely vegetarian if you swap the parmesan for a vegetarian hard cheese, since real parmesan is made with animal rennet.
What the air fryer does better than the deep fryer
Traditionally, supplì are deep-fried, which means a pot full of hot oil on the stove, a watchful eye on the temperature, and cooking smells lingering in the kitchen afterwards. In the air fryer, the hot air circulates around each croquette, so the coating turns golden on all sides with just a thin layer of rapeseed oil. The double coating is the secret: the first layer of egg and breadcrumbs seals the surface, and the second layer gives the thick, crunchy shell that keeps the cheese in as it melts.
My kitchen test with supplì
I’ve tested the recipe in both my Cosori Dual Blaze and my Philips XXL, and the sweet spot is 200 °C for 12 minutes with a careful turn after 6 minutes. Then the crust is golden and crunchy all the way round, and the mozzarella in the middle is melted enough to pull into strings. Before the air fryer comes into play, the tomato rice needs to simmer for about 22 minutes on the stove and then cool completely. In total, the dish takes 124 minutes, but 60 of those are pure chilling time, while the rice takes care of itself in the fridge.
The most important lesson from my tests was to keep the mozzarella sticks small, so there’s enough rice to seal tightly around the cheese all the way round. That way the filling stays in, and every single bite gets its own string of cheese. The recipe makes about 12 supplì, and three pieces per person works well as a snack or starter.
Choose firm block pizza mozzarella over fresh mozzarella in brine. It contains less water, stays put inside the rice during baking, and gives the longest strings of cheese when you break open a supplì.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
The typical mistakes and how to avoid them
The most common mistake is shaping supplì from rice that’s still warm. Warm rice is soft and sticky, and the croquettes crack in the basket, so always give the rice its full chilling time, or use rice from the day before. The second mistake is cheese leaking out during baking. This happens when the rice isn’t fully sealed around the mozzarella, or when the cheese is too wet. So press the rice tightly together around the stick, and pat fresh mozzarella thoroughly dry if you’re using it. The third mistake is pale, dry patches on the crust, which happen when the supplì are packed too closely together or don’t have enough oil. The solution is to brush all sides lightly with oil, place them in a single layer with a little space between them, and turn them carefully halfway through.
How to serve supplì
Supplì taste best while they’re hot and the cheese still pulls into strings. Here are my suggestions for how to serve them:
- With a small bowl of warm tomato sauce for dipping
- As aperitivo, together with olives and grilled vegetables
- As a starter with a fresh rocket salad tossed with lemon and olive oil
- On an Italian antipasti board with bruschetta and fresh tomatoes
Storage and reheating
Supplì are best the same day, but leftovers keep for 1-2 days in the fridge, covered. Reheat them in the air fryer at 180 °C for 7-9 minutes, until the crust is crisp again and they’re heated through. If you want to get ahead, you can freeze them breaded, before baking, for up to 2 months, and bake them straight from frozen at 190 °C for 16-18 minutes. The microwave can heat them too, but the crust turns soft, so the air fryer is clearly the better choice.
Supplì is a small piece of Rome that you can easily make at home, and the air fryer gives you the crunchy crust without a pot full of oil. Give the rice time in the fridge, shape them without rushing, and enjoy the moment when the first string of cheese stretches across the plate.
FAQ
Supplì come from Rome and are elongated rice croquettes made with tomato rice, with mozzarella in the middle. Arancini come from Sicily, are round or cone-shaped, and are often made with saffron rice and different fillings.
Yes, that’s actually the best approach. Rice from the day before is completely cold and firm, so it’s easy to work with and holds its shape in the air fryer. Keep it covered in the fridge, and mix in the egg just before you shape your supplì.
Yes. Freeze them breaded, before baking, for up to 2 months. Bake them straight from frozen at 190 °C for 16-18 minutes, so the cheese has time to melt completely in the middle.
Recipe
Supplì in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
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Airfryer size
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Pot
- 1 Baking sheet
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Grater
- 3 Bowl
- 1 Brush
Shopping list
Ingredients
Filling
- 150 g mozzarella (Firm block pizza mozzarella)
Coating
- 3 pcs eggs
- 150 g dried breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil (For spraying or brushing)
How to make it
Tomato rice
- Sauté 1 pcs onion in 2 tbsp olive oil in a wide pot over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until the onion is glossy without taking on colour.
- Add 300 g risotto rice and stir for 1 minute, until the grains are glossy and coated in oil.
- Cook the rice for 17-18 minutes: first pour 400 ml tomato passata into the pot, then add 600 ml vegetable stock a little at a time, stirring regularly, until the rice is tender with a slight bite and the mixture is thick and creamy with no excess liquid.
- Cool the rice: spread it out in a thin layer on a baking sheet and let it steam off for 10 minutes. Then cover it and put it in the fridge for at least 50 minutes, until it’s completely cold and firm.
- Mix the cold rice thoroughly with 1 pcs egg, lightly beaten, so the mixture binds together.
Shaping and coating
- Cut 150 g mozzarella into 12 sticks, about 3 cm long and 1 cm thick.
- Shape 12 elongated supplì: divide the rice into 12 equal portions, and press one portion flat in a damp palm. Place a mozzarella stick in the middle, seal the rice tightly around the cheese, and roll it into an elongated croquette about 8 cm long, so the cheese is completely covered. Keep dampening your hands with cold water as you go, so the rice doesn’t stick.
- Whisk 3 pcs eggs together in a bowl, and pour 150 g dried breadcrumbs into another bowl.
- Dip each supplì in egg, then coat it in breadcrumbs. Repeat with egg and breadcrumbs once more, so they get a double coating that holds the cheese in and gives a crunchy crust.
Cooking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 200 °C fan.
- Brush the supplì lightly with 2 tbsp rapeseed oil on all sides, or use an oil spray bottle.
- Place the supplì in the basket in a single layer with a little space between them, so the hot air can circulate. Bake them in two batches if there isn’t room for all of them at once.
- Bake them at 200 °C for 12 minutes, turning them carefully after 6 minutes, so they turn golden and crunchy all the way round.
- Check the centre by breaking a supplì open: the cheese should be melted and pull into long strings. If it’s not fully melted, give them 2 more minutes at 200 °C.
Serving
- Serve the supplì warm after resting for 2 minutes, while the cheese still pulls into strings like a telephone cord when they’re broken open.
Our notes for the recipe
The rice needs to be completely cold and firm before you shape it, or the supplì will fall apart in the air fryer. Rice from the day before is ideal. Seal the rice completely around the cheese so it doesn’t leak out during baking, and give all sides a light coat of oil so the double coating turns golden and crunchy. Supplì al telefono:
The name comes from the long strings of cheese that look like a telephone cord when a supplì is broken open. Firm block pizza mozzarella contains less water than fresh mozzarella in brine and pulls the longest strings. If you use fresh mozzarella, drain it well and pat it dry. Supplì or arancini:
Supplì are Rome’s elongated rice croquettes made with tomato rice. Sicilian arancini are round or cone-shaped and are often made with saffron rice. Variation:
Stir 150 g browned minced beef into the tomato rice for a classic Roman supplì with ragù, or tuck a small cube of ham in alongside the mozzarella. Vegetarian:
Real parmesan is made with animal rennet. Use a vegetarian hard cheese if the dish needs to be fully vegetarian. To serve:
Serve supplì as a snack, with aperitivo or as a starter with a little extra tomato sauce for dipping. The recipe makes about 12 pieces, or 3 pieces per serving. Portion size:
If your air fryer is smaller, you can make the dish in two batches.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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