Frittelle di Riso di San Giuseppe (Rice Fritters for St Joseph’s Day)
Frittelle di riso di San Giuseppe or traditional Italian rice fritters, are a type of fried donut. Recipes vary from region to region within Italy. These are studded with currants and flavored with citrus.
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 di San Giuseppe.
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. 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 St Joseph’s day, 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!
Frittelle di San Giuseppe
Traditional Italian Rice Fritters/Doughnuts for St. Joseph’s Day
adapted from Ricette della Nonna
Ingredients
- Arborio rice
- milk
- sugar
- grated lemon rind
- grated orange rind
- currants
- rum
- eggs
- flour
- oil for frying
- sugar for coating doughnuts
Prepare the Rice the Night Before (or at least 6 hours before)
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.
Prepare the Frittelle di Riso Dough
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:
Fry the Frittelle di Riso
Once evenly mixed, heat the oil until hot and drop teaspoonfuls of frittelle di riso dough into the oil.
Fry until golden brown, then drain on a paper towel lined plate.
Allow the frittelle di riso di San Giuseppe to cool for about 10 minutes, then lightly coat in sugar.
Serving frittelle di riso 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!
Traditional Italian Rice Fritters/Doughnuts for St. Joseph's Day (Frittelle di Riso di San Giuseppe)
Ingredients
- ½ cup Arborio rice
- 17 oz milk
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 rind of a lemon (grated)
- 1 rind of an orange (grated)
- ¼ cup currants
- 2 Tbsp rum
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 egg whites
- ½ cup flour (substitute a gluten free grain if desired)
- light olive oil (organic, as needed for frying)
- ½ cup sugar (as needed- 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.
Notes
- Omit the currants if you don't like them.
Nutrition
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.
An Italian-American friend of mine who grew up in Memphis mentioned to me today that she loved the “St. Joseph’s Balls” that her mother and grandmother had made when she was a child. (Seriously! she said she was too young to get the double entendre.)
Googling around, I found your blog and this recipe … but my friend said these are not the “Balls” she remembers, as she said her mother did not deep fry.
Do you happen to know of any other cookie/confection that might have been called “St. Joseph’s Balls”?
Haha! I’ve actually never heard of them at all. I suppose it would depend on what part of Italy the recipe came from, and honestly, if it’s an Italian-American recipe that’s been changed from the original, sometimes they have absolutely nothing in common with the Italian version.
I did a quick google (I’m sure you did, too) and found nothing. However, I’m going to take a stab and say that this may be what she’s talking about and maybe her mother and grandmother made them more “ball-shaped”? https://christinascucina.com/2016/03/zeppole-di-san-giuseppe-st-josephs-day-traditional-italian-pastries.html Let me know, Mike! Good luck!
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!