July 26, 2020

Ricotta Zeppole with Peach Sauce

Ricotta Zeppole with Peach Sauce are little Italian deep-fried doughnuts, that are quick and simple to make, and delicious to eat. They are popping up on restaurant menus all over the country, and for good reason – everyone loves them! Although they are very easy to make, there are some special tools that you will need to make them.

The Equipment You’ll Need

A sieve- You’ll need this to sift together your dry ingredients, otherwise someone may get a bite of baking powder, which is not pleasant. My kids can detect a minuscule speck of baking powder with barely a nibble of their baked goods, so good sifting is essential to me. If you don’t have a sieve, you could use a sifter, or a whisk. But, the sieve will also come in handy when it’s time to sprinkle the zeppole with powdered sugar.
A deep fry thermometer- This is essential to making this recipe. If the zeppole are cooked at the wrong temperature they will be either raw inside, or just greasy.
A Dutch oven- I prefer this kind of heavy pot for deep frying. It really does the best job of maintaining the perfect temperature.
A Food Scale- I always weigh my flour when I’m baking. It gives me much more consistent results. I also weighed my ricotta cheese, because too much or too little could really throw off the recipe.

The Ingredients Needed for Ricotta Zeppole with Peach Sauce

Fresh Ricotta Cheese- Fresh ricotta cheese has a much purer and better taste than supermarket ricotta. It’s also much thicker, so I highly recommend it for this recipe. You can find it at Italian grocery stores.
Vegetable Oil- I like to deep fry with Crisco vegetable oil. You could also use canola or peanut oil.
The Peaches- Peaches are great, but apricots or nectarines would be equally good in this recipe. In the winter, I would use Granny Smith apples, and just cook them a little longer.

How I Made Them

First, I drained my ricotta cheese for a few minutes.
Then, I made the peach sauce.
Meanwhile, I sifted the dry ingredients together, and heated my oil.
Next, I finished mixing all the ingredients together.
Then, I started to fry my zeppole. I had to take care that my oil was at exactly 350 degrees. Once it was too hot, and my little doughnuts were brown on the outside but raw inside. It all worked out though. I simply dusted the sugar off of them, reheated my oil, and refried them. I worried they’d be too greasy, but they were absolutely delicious.
Finally, I drained all the doughnuts well, and then dusted them with powdered sugar, using my sieve.

My mother-in-law is very fond of serving these zeppole at all hours of the day. She magically appears, bearing a plate of sugary fried dough, when you’d least expect it. This afternoon, I decided to be a Zeppole fairy, too. I whisked, and I fried, and I sugared, and then I had Alexa summon my family to the kitchen. They all loved the zeppole, and I was very pleased with myself, serving my family such a nice, unexpected treat at 4pm! Until I realized, I had just enough time to scrape the now calcified dough off my kitchen, and then it would be time to make dinner.

Ricotta Zeppole with Peach Sauce

Italian doughnuts made with ricotta cheese and dusted with powdered sugar, with a fresh peach dipping sauce.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Servings

Equipment

Dutch oven
deep frying thermometer
Food processor
Sieve for sifting

Ingredients

For the Ricotta Zeppole:

8 ounces fresh ricotta cheese
1 cup flour (120g)
3 tbsp. white sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
⅛ tsp. salt
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup powdered sugar
2 cups vegetable oil

For the Peach Sauce:

2 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 cups peeled and diced peaches

Instructions

Drain the ricotta in a sieve over a bowl.
In a Dutch oven, heat the 2 inches of oil to 350°.
Sift together the flour, baking powder sugar, and salt, into a large mixing bowl.
In a second bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, and ricotta. Then add this to the bowl with the flour, and stir everything until just combined.
When the oil reaches 350° drop dough in using a tablespoon. Fry about 6 zeppole at a time. Cook them until they are a dark golden color. Use a long spoon to turn them over. Drain them on a rack set over a sheet pan. When they're all done dust them with confectioner's sugar, and serve them right away with the Peach Sauce.