I believe that using pure canned pumpkin, like in almost every other pumpkin dish, will produce the greatest results because it has a more concentrated flavor than freshly roasted pumpkin. My old friend Jennifer Perillo’s recipe served as the basis for these delicate, mildly sweet Italian doughnuts. These are typically coated in cinnamon sugar when still a little warm.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 15 mins |
| Total Time: | 35 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
| Yield: | 24 to 30 zeppole |
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 8 ounces fresh ricotta cheese, well drained
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Canola oil, for frying
Instructions
- Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a bowl.
- Whisk ricotta, 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree, sugar, eggs, and vanilla together in a separate mixing bowl until smooth. Pour mixture into dry ingredients. Mix together until mixture becomes a loose batter.
- Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Use one spoon to scoop out a heaping tablespoon of dough and a second spoon to carefully push dough into hot oil. Fry in batches for about 1 minute. If zeppole don’t turn over by themselves after 1 minute, gently turn each with a strainer to brown on the other side, about 1 more minute. Remove with a strainer and drain on cooling rack.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 272 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 27 g |
| Cholesterol | 55 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 7 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Sodium | 327 mg |
| Sugars | 7 g |
| Fat | 15 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Absolutely delicious! Recipe was easy. The only change I made was the sauce. I used prepared caramel sea salt. Great dessert after a lasagne meal!
Easy and delicious
Great treat for kids! Tastes good cold too. We rolled them in cinnamon sugar and added a little more sugar and cinnamon to the batter the second time around. A cookie scooper makes the perfect way to drop the balls of dough into the oil.
I made this because I had some ricotta to use up. I thought they were excellent! I loved the light texture. Even my non-pumpkin liking husband said they were really good. He said he couldn’t really taste pumpkin. I will definitely make these again.
very good!
Delicious and simple. I think it could use more spice than I used following the recipe. My daughter suggested Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Pie spice. Also, I used grated nutmeg, but its hard to measure, so I only estimated the amount, but will use more next time. I actually liked them better after they reached room temperature. The only reason I’m not eating them all, is because I want to see if they can be made ahead, so I’m saving some for tomorrow.
My family loved it!
I liked these. They were like a softer and fluffier version of donut holes. My 1 year old son loved them, warm or cold the next day. I followed the recipe, except I used some mashed lightly sweetened butternut squash I had in the fridge. It sort of tastes like fresh pumpkin anyway. I also just used store bought nutmeg and didn’t use fresh grated. I made a 1/2 a recipe, to try them, and got 16 pieces using a cookie scoop. I suggest using one for ease. Then, I just fried them in my deep fryer. They took about 3 minutes total.
Luv this flavour
Don’t drop them too big, takes too long to cook. They are very good, much better with the sugar and cinnamon. Also good spread withcream cheese frosting
The stars are for Chef John’s entertaining, hilarious video on making these. The delivery was fantastic! Thanks for the laughs
Fun to make and amazing to eat! I used fresh pumpkin and they were amazing. Rather than roll in sugar and cinnamon I simply sprinkled with confectioners sugar. So good and the pumpkin flavor was “so fall”!
These are amazing right out of the fryer. Serve them with caramel sauce, and pass the milk and coffee for a great dessert! I doubled the sugar in the batter and added a few extra dashes of cinnamon and nutmeg to boost the flavor. I used a small cookie scoop to portion them into the hot oil. (I found that with spoons, they’re much bigger, and they don’t get cooked in the middle before the outsides brown.) And I rolled them in cinnamon sugar while warm. Mmm!
My family loves them!
Poor Chef John must have had a bad experience with fresh pumpkin. It certainly depends on the pumpkin. Jack-o-lantern types don’t have great flavor, and even store-bought sugar pie pumpkins aren’t as good as some other varieties. Home-grown and locally grown pumpkins that have been allowed to ripen on the vine are the best! I made these with pureed, oven-roasted pumpkin from a Cinderella blue I got from a local farm, and they came out fantastic (as did the pie I made with it). The oil temperature has to be just right – too low and they take forever, too hot and the outsides burn while the insides are still dough. I did mine in a pan on the stove on slightly over medium heat (after some trial and error) and they came out perfect! Crispy outsides, light and silky insides. Next time I might increase the spices just a tad, but the pumpkin flavor was just right. We rolled them all in cinnamon sugar, cause we love it, and the whole family just gobbled them up! Can’t wait to make them again! Also, as a note, I combined everything except the flour and baking powder the night before and kept it in the fridge, and the next morning, followed directions as written. It really saved a lot of time.
These were amazing! Similar to donut holes, but with a moist center.
These were so good, I ended up making them three times over the holidays! The first time I didn’t leave them in the oil for the allotted time, taking them out when the outsides looked done. Big mistake. They were not done in the center. Second and third batches I followed the instructions and they turned out great. They are crispy on the outside and velvety on the inside. I rolled mine in cinnamon sugar which compliments the subtle pumpkin flavor beautifully! I will definitely make these again and again!
I made this twice. The first time, I followed the recipe exactly as told. I ate them with and without rolling them in cinnamon and sugar (I prefer them with). It was just okay for me. I normally enjoy pumpkin flavored desserts, but I didn’t like it so much this time. The pumpkin flavor was a bit too overbearing with each bite. However, I loved everything else about it. I thought it was light and fluffy. I also enjoyed that they weren’t too sweet. Because I liked everything else about the recipe except for the pumpkin, I used sweet potatoes the second time around. They were heavenly! So, if the pumpkin doesn’t workout for you, give sweet potatoes a try. I want to add that the batter is a little thick, so it is important that the temperature of the oil is just right and that the portions for each ball is kept at about a tablespoon or smaller. Otherwise, they will be gooey in the middle, and/or burned on the outside… Not that that happened to me… I’m just saying, you know, just in case.
Absolutely delicious and so easy. Everyone loved them and will definitely make again. Thank you for a great recipe.