Zeppole is an Italian pastry consisting of a deep-fried dough ball of varying sizes. The ULTIMATE treat when it comes to Italian Street Food. Also called Zeppoli by some, this is a perfectly delicious fried dough covered in powdered sugar.
Zeppole is a very common and popular street food that is traditionally consumed during Saint Joseph’s Day which is celebrated on the 19th of March every year. For me and my family, zeppole is a fair food that we eat every year at a couple of our local fairs.
This fried fritter or doughnut is served dusted with loads of confectionary sugar. This is also similar to the fried dough (except for the shape) that is available at the fairs.
We go to a major county fair every year and over the years this has become our family ritual. We look forward to the fair, which usually happens at the end of August. I love the food at the fair.
The main reason I go to the fair is to play games, go on rides, and of course, eat food. We have some lovely Greek joints in the fair and our desert usually is the zeppole.
This year we missed going to this major fair since we were traveling that week. We compensated for the missed games and food by attending our community day parade and yes, they had the zeppole.
This Zeppoli recipe that I made was unbelievably close in taste and texture to the ones I eat out. I found this recipe here . I was surprised to see how easy they were to make.
The texture would definitely make you crave more. The batter was straightforward and took 5 minutes to make. Zeppoli is the first recipe in which I have used mascarpone cheese. This is the recipe that I chose to have a sweet ending to the month-long Alphabet Marathon.
Ingredients to make Zeppole - makes around 2 dozen
- All-purpose flour - 1 cup
- Ricotta cheese - ½ cup
- Mascarpone cheese - ½ cup
- Sugar - 3 tbsp
- Baking Powder - 3 tsp
- Salt - ½ tsp
- Egg - 1 (lightly beaten)
- Coldwater - ¼ cup
- Vanilla extract - 2 tsp
- Vegetable oil - for deep frying
- Powdered sugar - for dusting
Step-by-Step Process
Fill a wide and deep pan with at least 2 inches of oil and heat it on medium flame.
In a saucepan, combine all the ingredients (except the powdered sugar) and cook it on low flame.
- Whisk together until a smooth batter forms. Turn the heat off and keep the batter aside until the oil heats up.
With a spoon, scoop out a spoonful of batter and drop it in hot oil. Do not crowd the oil too much. Fry the zeppole on medium heat until it is golden brown and then gently flip it to the other side. Let it cook on the other side until golden brown.
Drain them on a paper towel layered tray.
- Dust it liberally with powdered sugar and enjoy!!!
- These are best when eaten on the same day.
More Street Foods
- Butter Biscuits | Tea Kadai Style Plain Butter Cookies
- Corn Pineapple Salsa | Salad
- Then Mittai | Potti Kadai Special Thaen Mittai
- Masala Peanuts | Spicy Boiled Peanuts | Beach Style Masala Sundal
Recipe
Equipment
- ▢ Strainer
- ▢ Wide Deep Pan
- ▢ sauce pan
- ▢ Stove
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 cup All-purpose flour
- ▢ ½ cup Ricotta cheese
- ▢ ½ cup Mascarpone cheese
- ▢ 3 tablespoon Sugar
- ▢ 3 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ▢ ½ teaspoon Salt
- ▢ 1 Egg lightly beaten
- ▢ ¼ cup Coldwater
- ▢ 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ▢ Vegetable oil for deep frying
- ▢ ¼ cup Powdered Sugar
Instructions
- Fill a wide and deep pan with at least 2 inches of oil and heat it on medium flame.
- In a sauce pan, combine all the ingredients (except the powdered sugar) and cook it on low flame.
- Whisk together until a smooth batter forms. Turn the heat off and keep the batter aside until the oil heats up.
- With a spoon, scoop out spoonful of batter and drop it in hot oil. Do not crowd the oil too much. Fry the zeppole on medium heat until it is golden brown and then gently flip it to the other side. Let it cook on the other side until golden brown.
- Drain them on paper towel layered tray.
- Dust it liberally with powdered sugar and enjoy!!!
- These are best when eaten the same day.
Nutrition
More Fritters
- Aama Vadai | Paruppu Vadai | Chana Dal Vada
- Plantain Balls | Kaklo | Krakro | Ghanaian Spicy Plantain Fritters
- Zucchini Bajji | Deep Fried Battered Zucchini
- Semiya Pakoda with Leftover Semiya Upma | Vermicelli Fritters
Zeppole – A Popular Italian Street Food
Equipment
- Strainer
- Wide Deep Pan
- sauce pan
- Stove
Ingredients
- 1 cup All-purpose flour
- ½ cup Ricotta cheese
- ½ cup Mascarpone cheese
- 3 tablespoon Sugar
- 3 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 Egg lightly beaten
- ¼ cup Coldwater
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- Vegetable oil for deep frying
- ¼ cup Powdered Sugar
Instructions
- Fill a wide and deep pan with at least 2 inches of oil and heat it on medium flame.
- In a sauce pan, combine all the ingredients (except the powdered sugar) and cook it on low flame.
- Whisk together until a smooth batter forms. Turn the heat off and keep the batter aside until the oil heats up.
- With a spoon, scoop out spoonful of batter and drop it in hot oil. Do not crowd the oil too much. Fry the zeppole on medium heat until it is golden brown and then gently flip it to the other side. Let it cook on the other side until golden brown.
- Drain them on paper towel layered tray.
- Dust it liberally with powdered sugar and enjoy!!!
- These are best when eaten the same day.
