Frittelle di San Giuseppe as traditional Italian Rice Fritters or a type of doughnut, and recipes vary from region to region of Italy.
Tomorrow, March 19th, Italians will celebrate Father’s Day and the Feast of St. Joseph.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Part of that celebration includes the tradition of Frittelle di San Giuseppe or zeppole, which are different kinds of doughnuts and pastries, depending on the region of Italy.
Here is an example of one type of zeppole. Click the photo for the recipe.
This post may contain Amazon affiliate links for your convenience, at no additional cost to you.
I was really interested in the Frittelle di San Giuseppe which are made with rice. I’ve never made them before, but thought the day before St. Joseph’s Day was the perfect time. Essentially, they are like little puffs of deep-fried rice pudding; if you can’t imagine that, here’s a photo:
They are not crisp, but soft and have a delicate texture to them. As with many doughnut type treats, they are finished off with a roll in a bowl of sugar–delicious! If you’d like to make these for tomorrow, make sure to start them tonight, as the rice has to sit overnight (or at least for a few hours or so), rather like arancini.
Happy Father’s Day to all Italian fathers! Buona Festa del Papà!
Traditional Italian Rice Fritters/Doughnuts for St. Joseph’s Day
(Frittelle di San Giuseppe)
adapted from Ricette della Nonna
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (100g) Arborio rice
- 17 oz milk (500 ml)
- 1/3 cup (60g) sugar
- grated rind of one lemon
- grated rind of one orange
- 1/4 cup (50g) currants
- 2 tbsp rum
- 2 eggs, yolks and whites separated
- 1/2 cup (70g) flour (substitute a gluten free grain if desired)
- oil for frying (I used organic canola oil)
- sugar for coating doughnuts
In a small bowl, place the currants and rum together and let soak for a few hours or overnight.
Place the milk, sugar, lemon and orange rinds in a small saucepan over medium heat, then stir until the sugar dissolves.
Add the rice, stir and bring to a boil; lower the heat so it simmers gently, uncovered, for about 30 minutes or until rice is cooked and milk is absorbed.
Cool, then place in fridge for a few hours or overnight.
Beat the egg whites until stiff; set aside.
Remove the rice from the fridge and add the egg yolks, currants and rum, and mix well.
Next, add the flour, and once combined, gently fold in the beaten egg whites.
The mixture will look like this:
Once evenly mixed, heat the oil until hot and drop teaspoonfuls of dough into the oil.
Fry until golden brown, then drain on a paper towel lined plate.
Allow the Frittelle di San Giuseppe to cool for about 10 minutes, then lightly coat in sugar.
Serving frittelle right away is the best plan! Finally, you can eat these delicious treats!
Don’t miss another recipe or travel post; sign up for my free subscription below!
I promise not to sell or share your info, ever.

Traditional Italian Rice Fritters/Doughnuts for St. Joseph's Day (Frittelle di Riso di San Giuseppe)
Tradtional Italian sweet doughnuts made with rice for St Joseph's day.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (100g) Arborio rice
- 17 oz milk (500 ml)
- 1/3 cup (60g) sugar
- grated rind of one lemon
- grated rind of one orange
- 1/4 cup (50g) currants
- 2 tbsp rum
- 2 eggs, yolks and whites separated
- 1/2 cup (70g) flour (substitute a gluten free grain if desired)
- oil for frying (I used organic canola oil)
- sugar for coating doughnuts
Instructions
- In a small bowl, place the currants and rum together and let soak for a few hours or overnight.
- Place the milk, sugar, lemon and orange rinds in a small saucepan over medium heat, then stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Add the rice, stir and bring to a boil; lower the heat so it simmers gently, uncovered, for about 30 minutes or until rice is cooked and milk is absorbed. Cool, then place in fridge for a few hours or overnight.
- Beat the egg whites until stiff; set aside.
- Remove the rice from the fridge and add the egg yolks, currants and rum, and mix well.
- Add the flour, and once combined, gently fold in the beaten egg whites. Once evenly mixed, heat the oil until hot and drop teaspoonfuls of dough into the oil.
- Fry until golden brown, then drain on a paper towel lined plate. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then lightly coat in sugar.
- Serving frittelle immediately for best flavor.
LA Living…hummingbirds forever at my fountain.
Christina’s Cucina is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
[…] exception. March 19th is dedicated to St. Joseph and you may recall that last year, I posted these rice fritters for the […]
I am going to make these for my son’s ( Joseph ) homecoming tomorrow. I have never been a person who fries food. Can you tell me how how many inches deep the oil should be for frying? Thanks in advance.
No problem, Elizabeth. I don’t have a deep-fryer so I either use a small pot (I hate to use a ton of oil) or my wok. The oil really doesn’t need to be more than about 3 inches deep for these fritters. As long as they have enough room to move around and aren’t sitting on the bottom of the pan, you have enough oil. Good luck!
Hi! I’ve never had such small yummies! :) Looks delicious!
Cheers, Mila
Thanks, Mila!!
These are wonderful, I have had them before and they really are delicious. love your recipe.
These fritters look great. I find it really interesting that they are with rice and raisins.
I too never knew fritters could be made with rice!
I teared-up when you said “little puffs of deep-fried rice pudding”.
Hahaha! ;)
Hi Christina,
Wow, these look so wonderful. I have never made these before, but have heard of them. You make this look so easy and so marvelous. I just want to taste one right now. The currants are my favorite and the rum adds a little something to these I am sure. Thanks for sharing your recipe. Always enjoy seeing your photos of LA.Living. Have a blessed St. Joseph’s Day…Dottie :)
Thank you, Dottie! I’m so glad you enjoy my recipes and photos! You are the sweetest! :) CC
As a former doughnut aficionado (eater, not maker), you had me drooling all over myself knowing they were GF until I discovered the eggs in which I am intolerant. Waaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh! So close, yet so far…
Love that hummingbird! It almost made up for my disappointment. :)
Awww shucks, Adair! :(
I’ve never had anything like these, they look wonderful, what a great texture!
Thanks, Sue-they are good!