Zeppole or frittelle are traditional Italian Christmas Eve doughnuts which are made from a sticky, flavored version of bread dough. However, there’s nothing plain about them once they’re ready: they’re incredibly delicious and light!
Every year, my mother makes these zeppole or frittelle (a type of Italian doughnut), for Christmas Eve and we stuff ourselves silly because we just can’t help it–they’re so good!
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
What are Zeppoles?
First of all, the word “zeppole” is already plural, so everyone asking “what are zeppoles?” on Google, are double pluralizing the word–now you know. 😊 Zeppole are a form of Italian doughnuts. There are at minimum, two main types of zeppole:
- One type of zeppole are made from a flavored, wet bread dough, made with yeast, which is the recipe I’m sharing with you here.
- The other type of zeppole are made with choux pastry (these are more often associated with St. Joseph’s day).
For this recipe, just type “zeppole” into the search bar at the upper right hand side of my page (under my logo) and you’ll be taken there.
An Italian Christmas Eve Tradition
Just like cioffe or frappe, which I posted earlier this year, these doughnuts are called by many different names, depending on the region of Italy where they are made. I wouldn’t even know how to write the name that my family calls them (because it’s in dialect), but the fancier way to pronounce the dialect version is “torciniegli.”
I don’t believe anyone can eat just one frittella. Truly, I don’t think it’s ever happened. I start eating them as I’m standing at the stove, frying them; are you getting the picture here?
You may also enjoy these Italian ricotta doughnuts.
These babies are awesome! But there’s one thing we always ask ourselves when we’re in the midst of our frittelle frenzy, “Why do we only make these once a year on Christmas Eve?” Of course, it’s tradition to make them then, but what I can’t believe is that we don’t make them more often!
If you’re interested in more, here are some authentic Italian Christmas Eve dishes
Maybe it’s the same reason we don’t make turkey with stuffing, and pumpkin pie in April: because it’s tradition to make these dishes at a specific time of year. Or maybe not, because I’m putting a note on my calendar for March 15th (as good a day as any) to make zeppole again–yep, I’m gonna be a rebel!
Interested in a British Christmas tradition? Read all about Christmas Pudding.
Here’s another reason we kick ourselves: they’re so easy to make! You’ll get your hands a bit sticky with dough, but there’s no rolling and cutting like traditional yeast doughnuts! Give them a try, and maybe you will also be putting March 15th down on your calendar, as “Frittelle Making Day”, too.
How do you Make Zeppole From Scratch?
Zeppole, or frittelle, are made from a very wet bread dough, and then deep fried. Follow the recipe below for simple step by step directions.
Can Zeppole be Frozen?
In short, yes you can freeze them. However, I would advise against it. The texture will not be the same as when they were fresh, and they will be sticky. In essence, they simply don’t freeze well.
Zeppole or Frittelle: Traditional Italian
Christmas Eve Doughnuts
Recipe from my Nonna Chiarina
FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
Special equipment: deep fryer (or wok or pot), tongs and if desired, a candy thermometer.
Make the Zeppole/Frittelle Dough
Put the yeast in the water and set aside for 5 minutes.
Place the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl and mix together. After the yeast is ready, pour the water and yeast mixture into the bowl along with the juice and peel, and mix by hand until a very sticky dough forms (if using rum-soaked raisins, add them at this time).
Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until at least doubled.
It will look like the photo below when it is ready.
Next, place the oil into a deep pan (I used a wok) and heat to a medium high temperature.
Test the oil by dropping a tiny piece of dough into it: if it doesn’t begin to fry right away, the oil is too cold; if the dough browns too quickly, lower the heat as the oil is too hot.
When the oil temperature is correct (you can use a candy thermometer to check for 350F), take a piece of dough (it will be very sticky) and pull into a doughnut shape with a hole in the center, as shown.
Fry the Zeppole/Frittelle
Next, drop the doughnut into the hot oil and continue to make more. It is necessary to have another person frying the doughnuts while one person is shaping them. It is just too difficult (and dangerous) to do both things at once, since the dough is very sticky.
The zeppole will rise and cook quickly, so turn them as soon as they begin to brown on one side. Once they are cooked, remove them from the oil and place on paper-towel lined plate for a minute or two.
Serve the Zeppole/Frittelle
Finally, dip the zeppole into the sugar and cover completely. Place on a serving plate, if they make it that far! You can eat them without sugar if you prefer, but remember, the dough isn’t very sweet.
I highly suggest serving these immediately!
Zeppole or frittelle are truly best when eaten the same day they are made. I served them piled on a glass cake plate.
Don’t miss another recipe or travel post; sign up for my free subscription.
Frittelle: Traditional Italian Christmas Eve Doughnuts
Light and puffy fried doughnuts made from bread dough, rolled in sugar. Totally delicious and addictive. A traditional Italian Christmas Eve treat!
Ingredients
- 2 c (250 g) flour, all-purpose/plain
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 3/4 tsp (3.5 g) dried yeast
- 8 oz (236 ml) water, lukewarm
- 1 Tbsp orange or lemon juice
- 1 tsp orange or lemon peel
- 1/2 c (35 g) raisins soaked in rum (optional)
- 1/4 c (57 g) sugar
Instructions
- Put the yeast in the water and set aside for 5 minutes.
- Place the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl; mix together and after the yeast is ready, pour the water and yeast mixture into the bowl along with the juice and peel, and mix by hand until a very sticky dough forms (if using rum-soaked raisins, add them at this time). Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until at least doubled.
- Place the oil into a deep pan (I used a wok) and heat to a medium high temperature.
- Test the oil by dropping a tiny piece of dough into it: if it doesn't begin to fry right away, the oil is too cold; if the dough browns too quickly, lower the heat as the oil is too hot.
- When the oil temperature is correct, take a piece of dough (it will be very sticky) and pull into a doughnut shape with a hole in the center.
- Drop into the hot oil and continue to make more. It is helpful to have another person frying the doughnuts while one person is shaping them, as it just too difficult to do both things at once, since the dough is so sticky.
- The frittelle will rise and cook quickly, so turn them as soon as they begin to brown on one side. Once they are cooked, remove them from the oil and place on paper-towel lined plate for a minute or two.
- Dip the frittelle into the sugar and cover completely. Place on a serving plate. Best eaten the same day.
Notes
- You can make these savory, too. Just omit the sugar.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 2Amount Per Serving: Calories: 119Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 50mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 1gSugar: 8gProtein: 2g
Nutrition information is only estimated.
LA Living…
a winter sunrise from my back door.
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.
zeppole
God bless you for keeping it real! My mother’s family was from Sicily. She made a fried dough with a mild anise flavor but no fruit that was rolled in plain granulated sugar. I’m guessing on the spelling- spinghi, pronounced like speengee. I have no recipe for it. Is that familiar to you?
Hi Kathleen, I think this recipe has many different versions across Italy (as well as different names). I haven’t heard of spinghi, but Sicilian is soooo very different in their language than Italian, so I’m not surprised. :) Thanks for the comment!
so true! I’d been looking for this zeppole recipe for such a long time. Every Christmas Eve morning my mom and I would make these together and I don’t have a written recipe..I do it now from memory. My mom made this dough exactly as you describe (I know that you and she are from the same area of Italy which explains it). The only difference is that she would use tangerine juice rather than orange juice and she would use an assortment of liqueurs to put in the dough..not just rum. She would also add pignoli to the dough which I love because it gives the zeppole a nice texture when you bite into it!
Ooh, we’ll have to give the pine nuts a try next time! Thanks so much for the note and I hope you find some recipes you’d like to try. :) CC
I already have and I have to say what a pleasure it is to come across such familiar ones too! I haven’t searched all the recipes but I’d be curious to know if you have one for stuffed artichokes? All the recipes that I’ve seen are totally different from the way my mom used to make them and I’m thinking that her recipe was truly regional and that I won’t find it elsewhere. I know that artichokes scare a lot of people..lol!!
Yes! It’s my mum’s recipe, so I bet it might be similar to your mother’s. Let me know! https://www.christinascucina.com/lidias-mushroom-and-black-olive-stuffed/
Kathleen, my Sicilian grandmother made those too. We also called them something similar: phonetically “sfeengee.” She made anchovy-flavored ones.
I’ve heard of sfingi! My dad would love the ones with anchovies! :)
Anyone ever freeze the doughnuts after fried? I need to take them to another state and want them to be good not hard and crumbles by the time I get there.
Don’t do it, Linda. They’ll be yucky for sure. You may be able to freeze the dough? I’m not sure, but can tell you not to freeze them after frying.
Thanks for that recipe Christina. It’s completely different from my mom’s. I’ve never seen a recipe that my mom (and I) use for artichokes…have no idea where she got it. Basically after cleaning the artichokes she would sautee garlic in olive oil, add beaten eggs, add chopped mint and lots of parmesan cheese. When cooled she would fill the centre of the artichokes with this mixture after dusting the artichoke with olive oil and salt and pepper. She would also add a piece of sausage to the middle as well (*except for mine because I don’t eat pork). She would then braise the artichokes in lots of olive oil, garlic, cheese and water and when cooked she would remove them and cook minestra in the same pot so that they would get all the flavours of the artichokes and then she would return the artichokes to the pot before ready to serve. Mint and artichokes is a marriage made in heaven I think!!
Oh wow, that is very different! I’ve never had mint and artichokes together before. I bet you can’t wait for artichoke season! :)
Absolutely..though sometimes I get impatient and buy artichokes even when they aren’t in season..not as good but better than nothing. I only use mint with artichokes and with minestra…not the same without them!
This is the dough my mother used as I now do. I don’t use citrus zest or raisins. I wrap the sticky dough around 2 or 3 slices of thinly sliced apple and then drop in hot oil. After draining on paper I roll them in granulated sugar. My children and grandchildren love these as part of our Christmas Eve dinner.
Like apple fritters! We should try that, I love that idea! Thanks, Concetta! (You should check out my post about my cousin Concetta’s muffin recipe!) :)
[…] Frittelle from Christina’s Cucina Slow Cooker Peanut Butter Clusters from Cooking With Carlee Butterscotch Peanut Butter Marshmallow Squares from My Kitchen Love Struffoli di Mamma: Cicerchiata from She Loves Biscotti Danish Dream Cake from Adore Foods […]
My mom would make what we call scrapelle every Christmas Eve. We did not put suguar or lemon in dough. We would make them long and sprinkle sugar when they are still hot. I would usually eat about 3 or 4 while we were making them. I have not made them since my mom passed away 3 yrs ago. I would go over and help my mom with my daughter as I got older. The problem is the dough was already done so I helped her to fry it. I do not have the exact recipe. I would like to make them this Christmas Eve .
That’s lovely memories you have Mary and I love that you’re going to make them on Christmas Eve this year. Enjoy and thanks for your note. CC
We also make scrupelli, we are from Abruzzo. We put fresh rosemary leaves in the mixing water just for flavour. Like a weak tea. My mother had taught me.
Wow, that’s a neat idea! Thanks for the note, Betty!
I wonder if Betty or other readers know of Ginettes? My Grandmother from the Abruzzi region made these which are fried donut shaped cookies with a glazed icing sugar coating. I’ve been looking for the recipe. She also made pizzelles and cioffe or bow-ties but I’d love the recipe for ginettes. Thanks!
Our Italian family used to put anchovies in some of the donuts……..tradition………..
I’ve heard of this, but they’re savory, so not gross. :)
My Nonna also added anchovies to some of the zeppole! So yummy! I don’t recall any other flavorings–either plain or the anchovy version. So yummy! I’m 1st generation- my dad Abbruzzese and my mom Calabrese.
How long should I wait for the dough to rise on average? New to baking! :)
Depends on a lot of factors but probably about 2 hours at least unless it’s really hot.
Oh, my goodness! Raisin Balls! That’s what we called them as kids…my great grandma, Chiara Rotundo, made these and fried dough (“fritte”) every Christmas Eve, along with baccala cooked in tomato sauce served on perciatelli, tons of fried smelt and calamari and fried baccala, too. I can remember my grandma, Adeline, helping her the week before preparing the zeppole–there were bushel baskets of them. I try to explain this to my kids, but they really just don’t get it–there were so many family members there that we ate in shifts! I still prepare the baccala (my dear dad is 87 & just loves it) and my 18 year old son helps with the smelts & the calamari…but I haven’t tried tackling the zeppole yet…now you have given me reason to try this next year! Thank you so much!!!
Hi Laura! Yes, it’s hard to describe those events to anyone who isn’t fortunate enough to have experienced them themselves. So happy to hear you are carrying on with some of the traditional Italian foods! Fantastic! I’m sure it makes your dad happy, too! (Btw, my Nonna’s nickname was “Chiarina”!)
Thanks so much for your lovely note and happy new year! Christina
My Dad and Grandfather, Louis Sr. And Louis Jr.. Martucci, I was named Louann, they loved to bake and Cook. In the late 50’s my Dad had an Italian eatery nicknamed the Wop shop..My Nana, made all the Spaghetti sauce and cousins had a bakery for wonderful bread and rolls.
My Great Grandfather, Peitro was from Naples. My Italian Grandmother’s family came from Calabria, both her parents’ were Molinaros. Both sides had their special holiday recipes. As one of 7 all a year apart, we were always down our Nana’s and Pappy’s, especially to bake. We made these ham pies somewhat like Stromboli’s with a few types of ham, cheeses on Good Fridsy before I went to Stations of the cross. We also made a lemon cookie that was boiled, scored and baked with a lemon glaze. We called fishgoats. My Paooy would use the extra bread dough and braid a handle and make an Easter basket and put eggs raw eggs on too.. As the generations grew, we started making Ham pie on Palm Sunday at my parents’ now my 2 boys’ and their coudibsxwere doing the rolling dough and making their own little ham pies or bread. When my Dad was over 80 and on dialysis, we baked at my sisters’. My twin Grandchilden now 17 and smaller greatgrand children were rolling dough and making their own creations. My father who passed away Jane, 2016 after being on dialysiscfor 11 years died exactly twenty years after his father died. My father was a very Authoritarian, strict, Catholic father thst would follow me in the car and I had to be in at 11:30 when I was engaged at 20 but I was the eldest of four daughters. I have had Terminal Breast Cancer since 2004 and was on disability. I took advantage of the time by taking my Dadxto all his appointments, to dialysis, diner every Tuesday with Paige and Ethan, their 1st Great Grandchildren and My Mom shopping everyweek and my twins were my life. But as my csncer is now in my liver, lungs, bones and I have paralyzed vocal cords and it is hard to breathe or eat. I have no regrets spending all the time with my Nana and Pappy when my boys’ were little and then with my my Mom and Dad when my grandchildren were little. My Dad called me his nurse. I am fighting for my life and this was the 1st year that I didn’t make ham pie at Easter but I managed to make a few cookies for my 88 year old Mom for Christmas. The family traditions are ingrained in us and I hope they carry on. Even though every one thought my okivexskinnedxmitherxwas Italian, she is Slovak and made everything for both heritages, so I was doubly blessed. I just found your website as my sister made these delicious lemon glazed cookies. So many memories. Thanks for your touching and hesrtfilled website. Sincerely, Louann Martucci
[…] Oliebollen with currants or sultanas for New Year’s; jelly or jam in sufganiyot for Hanukah; frittelle during the month of Carnivale in […]