Quick ricotta and orange zeppole without yeast — an easy, fast dough made with ricotta and just 1 egg, no added fats, to prepare soft little rings to enjoy in a few minutes. Mix, shape the rings and cook them fried or, if you prefer, in the oven or even in the air fryer; it will take about 12 minutes at 356°F, remembering to turn them halfway through cooking, and it’s obviously better to brush them with oil before cooking so they will seem fried but light because they are not fried, just air-cooked. I love making these little rings, or zeppole; they’re perfect to make children happy, but to tell the truth adults love them too. They’re easy to prepare and take almost no time — in 15 minutes they’re already ready, about 16–20 zeppole depending on size, perfect to enjoy after a meal, for breakfast, as a snack, or with a cup of ginger and lemon infusion, or maybe a cup of hot chocolate. They’re a nice alternative to classic fried doughnuts, which require rising. Zeppole are always delicious, and are a classic during Carnival — here you can find all the Carnival dessert recipes.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 16 pieces
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for quick ricotta zeppole
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (approx.)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 7 oz (about 3/4 cup) ricotta (sheep's or cow's)
- zest of 1 organic orange
- 2 tsp baking powder
- seed oil for frying (sunflower or peanut)
- granulated sugar for sprinkling
Tools
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Work surface
- 1 Pan
- 1 Tongs
- 1 Cookie cutter
Steps to prepare quick ricotta zeppole without yeast
Prepare the dough for our quick ricotta zeppole in a large bowl.
Place the egg and the sugar in a bowl and mix quickly with a fork.
Add the ricotta to the egg and sugar and continue to work the mixture.
Add the grated zest of one orange — or if you don’t have one, use lemon zest, or vanilla extract.
Then add the flour and baking powder a little at a time until you obtain a homogeneous, non-sticky dough.
You can continue by hand when the dough becomes firmer. Work better on a work surface; if not necessary, don’t use all the flour — depending on how drained the ricotta is, you may or may not need it all. You can also work all the ingredients together with a stand mixer.
Once you have a nice homogeneous dough ball, divide it into 4 parts. From each part, form ropes about the thickness of a finger.
From each rope shape the zeppole: take the rope from one end and curve it to close it on itself, press with your finger to seal the two ends, trim the excess rope with a cookie cutter or a knife, and continue shaping other zeppole from the same rope. You should get about 16 zeppole.
Fry in plenty of oil in a narrow, hot skillet at about 338–356°F; not hotter, otherwise the outside will burn before the zeppole are cooked through.
Let the zeppole brown on both sides, then drain them on paper towels. While still hot, toss them in granulated sugar and arrange them on a tray. Your quick ricotta zeppole without yeast are ready to enjoy.
I recommend eating them just made — they’re delightful, melt-in-your-mouth and soft. They keep for at most a couple of days in a closed container.
