Zeppole
My zeppole are crispy on the outside but so light and fluffy on the inside. You can make them in just under 20 minutes too. Can you guess what secret ingredient makes them so irresistible?
My Italian Grandma's Zeppole Recipe
I love making doughnuts at home so I can stay in my pajamas! I've previously shared Copycat Krispy Kremes and Cronuts. These easy Italian Zeppole (singular: zeppola) are my new favorite If these don't make you want to wake up in the morning, I don't know what will! Can you guess the secret ingredient that makes these light and fluffy? It's the ricotta cheese! Yes, that's right, our favorite lasagna ingredient gives these an airy melt-in-your-mouth texture.
These are wonderful for holiday brunches or just as a special morning treat with a cinnamon coffee, ham and cheese breakfast quesadilla, or a tea latte.They are also traditionally eaten on Carnival (Mardi Gras) and March 19: Saint Joseph's feast day. I grew up eating these for Christmas and St. Joseph's Day. I love them with powdered sugar. Cinnamon sugar or a drizzle of chocolate sauce would also be yummy.
Ingredient Notes and Shopping Tips
- Eggs: Set your eggs out on the counter for 10-20 minutes to allow them to come to room temperature. This will help them incorporate smoothly into the batter.
- All-Purpose Flour: Measure your flour by spooning it into your measuring cup and leveling it off with a knife. Do not dip your cup into the flour, or you'll use too much, leading to a dry, dense doughnut.
- Baking Powder: Replace your baking powdered every 6-12 months as it does lose its potency over time.
- Ricotta Cheese: This makes them so light and fluffy. Be sure to use full-fat ricotta.
- There is no substitute for this. Do not use cottage cheese or mascarpone instead.
- Oil: Choose a neutral oil with a high smoke point, such as peanut, canola, or vegetable oil. Avoid olive oil which has a low smoke point.
Unsure If Your Baking Powder Is Still Good?
Try pouring boiling water over 1 teaspoon of baking powder. If it bubbles, it's still fresh and okay to use for baking.
How To Make Zeppole
- Beat eggs and stir in dry ingredients.
- Sit in vanilla and fold in ricotta.
- Fry until golden brown.
- Dust with powdered sugar.
Leftovers
These are best enjoyed fresh out of the fryer the day they are made.
FAQs
No, this recipe is designed to be deep-fried.
No, wet batters like this do not hold up well in the air fryer.
My Nonna's Tips
- Do Not Overmix: This can lead to a tough doughnut.
- Use a Deep Fry Thermometer: Aim to keep the oil at around 375 degrees. If it it's too hot the donuts will burn on the outside but be raw on the inside. If its too cold they can absorb too much oil and become greasy.
- Use a Cookie Scoop: This gives you a uniform size that will all cook at the same time.
- Add To Oil Carefully: Add them into the pot away from you to avoid any oil splashes. I've learned the hard way, those hurt!
- Keep Warm: Keep warm in a 200 degree oven while you fry the reamaining batches.
- Dust With Sugar While Still Warm: This will help it stick.
Shake Shake Shake
You can also place the hot doughnuts and powdered sugar into a paper bag and shake them until well coated.
More Breakfast Treats I Love
📖 Recipe
Zeppole
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Ingredients
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
- 2 ¼ Teaspoons Baking Powder
- Pinch Salt To Taste
- ¼ Cup White Sugar
- 1 Cup Ricotta Cheese
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- Vegetable Oil For Frying
- Confectioners Sugar or Cinnamon Sugar If Desired
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy,
- Stir in flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla, and sugar until just combined. Do not overmix!
- Fold in ricotta.
- In a large skillet, heat ~2 inches of oil to 375 degrees F. ,inches high.
- Spray a small cookie scoop with non sticky spray. Carefully drop batter scoop by scoop into the hot oil a few at a time.
- Cook for ~3-4 minutes turning frequently.
- Drain on paper towels, and immediately dust with powdered sugar if desired
Notes
-
- Eggs: Set your eggs out on the counter for 10-20 minutes to allow them to come to room temperature.
- All-Purpose Flour: Measure your flour by spooning it into your measuring cup and leveling it off with a knife. Do not dip your cup into the flour, or you'll use too much, leading to a dry, dense doughnut.
- Baking Powder: Replace your baking powdered every 6-12 months as it does lose its potency over time.
- Ricotta Cheese: This makes them so light and fluffy. Be sure to use full-fat ricotta. Do NOT sure cottage cheese or mascarpone.
- Oil: Choose a neutral oil with a high smoke point, such as peanut, canola, or vegetable oil. Avoid olive oil which has a low smoke point.
- Do Not Overmix: This can lead to a tough doughnut.
- Use a Deep Fry Thermometer: Aim to keep the oil at around 375 degrees. If it it's too hot the donuts will burn on the outside but be raw on the inside. If its too cold they can absorb too much oil and become greasy.
- Use a Cookie Scoop: This gives you a uniform size that will all cook at the same time.
- Add To Oil Carefully: Add them into the pot away from you to avoid any oil splashes. I've learned the hard way, those hurt!
- Keep Warm: Keep warm in a 200 degree oven while you fry the reamaining batches.
- Dust With Sugar While Still Warm: This will help it stick. You can also place the hot doughnuts and powdered sugar into a paper bag and shake them until well coated.
Nutrition
Going to give these a try for breakfast tomorrow! My kids will never turn down a donut, and these look like little bites of heaven! Yum!
I was looking for a new baking recipe to try, and I'm so glad I found yours! Tasty, light, and fluffy! Thanks for the tip about reusing the oil.
Thank you for the wonderful recipe, your Zeppole are great! I was born and raised in Italy, I guess I left before being able to master the art of making Zeppole. All the recipes I found before, even in Italian cooking books, never came out as soft or good.
I wanted also to make a correction to your Zeppole trivia:
I don’t know about eating Zeppole on St. Joseph’s feast day because usually it falls during lent, (maybe they do in some regions), but usually, all over Italy they are eaten during Carnevale which last several weeks before it’s culmination on Fat Tuesday.
The plural of the word is Zeppole, while the singular is Zeppola not vice versa. ????
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and expertise with us Lucia!
can the ricotta cheese be left out
Hi Anna,
I wouldn't as it really gives the donuts their light and fluffy texture.
Hi do u know how I can make the zeppole in bulk? Thank u. Nancy
Hi Nancy,
You can certainly make them in bulk by doubling or tripling the recipe.
Yes, ricotta cheese has been used for a long long time
Mine were raw in middle great recipe though what went wrong?
Hi Josephine,
Sorry to hear that. Was your oil the right temp? Did you try to cook too many at once? It may have needed a few more minutes cooking.
A delicious recipe for weekend breakfasts.
Would the Ricotta need to be whipped or unwhipped to be best for this recipe?
Hi TC,
I used regular unwhipped ricotta.
I haven't tried these yet but being Italian, I'm anxious to try them. I've looked for a Zeppole recipe for several years when I came across this one. Yea!! and Thank You!!
Hi Linda,
Let me know what you think 😀
Can they be made ahead of time?
Yes I think so Fran, but they'll be freshest the first day or 2 after making.
The recipe for your easy Zeppoe have the ingredients but no instructions on how to mix the dough
Hi Yvonne,
I'm seeing the ingredients, can you please check again?
I had some ricotta cheese left in the fridge and was browsing pinterest to see how i can use it up and am so happy i found this recipe. I have probably made it about 10 times now in the past 2 weeks. My husband is absolutely in love with them. Everytime i make them i double the recipe and make one batch with cinnamon sugar and the other batch with glaze (powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream, and milk). I am about to make them again but am wanting to add fresh blueberries to the batter this time around. Thanks so much for this amazing recipe!
So glad you and your husband are enjoying these Valentina! The glazed version sounds amazing!!
I'm so glad you posted this! I made these years ago but lost the recipe and these are perfect! We usually dip them in chocolate ganache, but this time we dipped them in a homemade maple glaze. With just powdered sugar, or dipped in something yummy, these little guys are killer!
So glad you enjoyed them Lauren! The chocolate sauce and maple glaze sound amazing, I'll try that next time!
Hi, these zeppoles look beautiful! Can I substitute the ricotta with any other type of cheese? Its a pretty expensive ingredient in this part of the woods. 20min from start to finish? I'm sold!
Thanks so much Siew!
I probably wouldn't substitute anything but ricotta here as its a high fat cheese that makes these so light and fluffy!