These Ricotta Donuts are soft, puffy and delicious! The easy batter is made with ricotta cheese and orange zest and can be mixed up in minutes. They don’t require yeast, take only about three minutes to fry and are coated with a sweet lemon-orange glaze!
These bite-sized Ricotta Donuts might just be the most perfect donuts! They are soft and fluffy, taste like traditional donuts, and are so quick and easy to make!
I know ricotta cheese in donuts sounds a little different, but it’s so good! It gets added to the batter before the donuts are fried. You can’t exactly taste the ricotta, but it helps give the donuts their rich flavor and tender texture! These fluffy doughnuts are my version of Italian Zeppole!
If you are looking for another delicious recipe, this Cranberry Almond Ricotta Cake is a must make. These Lemon Ricotta Muffins are also made with ricotta cheese and make a delicious treat for breakfast or dessert.
THESE RICOTTA DONUTS ARE:
- Soft and Fluffy: They are such a treat to bite into!
- Very Lightly Crispy: The exterior gets very lightly crispy when freshly fried.
- Perfectly fried: They don’t taste heavily fried, but are just lightly fried and delicious.
- Flavorful: Orange zest and vanilla extract give them sweet, fresh flavor.
- Quick: They are made with baking powder, not yeast. This means they don’t require kneading or time to rise!
- Easy: Just mix the dough, fry, glaze and enjoy!
OTHER DONUT RECIPES TO TRY
These Sour Cream Donuts are also delicious! Like ricotta donuts, they use baking powder instead of yeast and are fried. I’d say they are somewhere between baked donuts (more cakey but easy) and yeasted donuts (yeasty but a little more effort).
For some super simple yeast free donuts that you can bake in the oven, check out these Chocolate Frosted Chocolate Cake Donuts. For a lemony, fruity donut, definitely try these Lemon Blueberry Donuts. Another yummy recipe are these Baked Banana Donuts.
WHAT’S IN THESE DONUTS?
- Flour
- Baking Powder
- Salt (just a pinch)
- Granulated Sugar
- 3 Eggs
- Orange Zest: Any type of orange will work here. I used zest from a Cara Cara orange because that was what I had. Regular naval oranges work fine as do clementines and tangerines!
- Vanilla Extract
- Ricotta Cheese: Make sure to use full fat.
WHAT DO I NEED TO MAKE THESE DONUTS?
- A CANDY THERMOMETER: Hook it to the side of your pot. To get an accurate oil temperature, make sure it’s not touching the bottom of your pot.
- A DUTCH OVEN OR DEEP, HEAVY BOTTOMED POT: For frying.
- A ONE-TABLESPOON COOKIE SCOOP: This ensures that all your donuts are the same size. They look nicer and they’ll have the same frying time. I literally scoop it out of the bowl and drop the donuts in the oil. If you don’t have a cookie scoop, a tablespoon works okay too!
- A SPIDER STRAINER: Since we’re dealing with hot oil, you’ll want to be careful flipping them over and removing them. I like to have both a spider strainer for this. If you don’t have a spider strainer, a spatula will be a little messier but it will work. The strainer will also let you gently shake off excess oil when removing donuts from the pan.
- A Cooling Rack Over a Baking Sheet: You’ll put the donuts here after they’re glazed.
HOW TO MAKE THE DOUGHNUT BATTER
- Combine the dry ingredients.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs, sugar and orange zest for 1 minute. Add the vanilla extract followed by the ricotta and mix til well combined. Use a spatula to fold in the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Heat oil to 360 Fahrenheit. Use a one tablespoon cookie scooper to carefully drop the batter into the hot oil.
HOW LONG DO RICOTTA DOUGHNUTS NEED TO BE FRIED?
These donuts fry up quickly! Mine get golden brown in about 3 minutes! You want to make sure they get golden brown to ensure that they have cooked through.
That said, it could take 2-3 minutes depending on the temperature of your oil. I like to have my oil at 360 Fahrenheit. For more information about how to fry donuts, check out this informative article called 5 Mistakes to Avoid When Frying Doughnuts by Kitchn.
ABOUT THE ORANGE GLAZE TOPPING
These donuts are delicious as is! That said, a glaze, dust or dip is also an awesome idea! I coated my donuts with a simple orange glaze. It adds additional sweetness and citrus flavor.
WHAT’S IN THE ORANGE GLAZE
- Powdered sugar
- Orange Juice
- Lemon Zest
- Vanilla extract
OTHER TOPPING IDEAS FOR RICOTTA DONUTS
TOSS DONUTS IN:
- POWDERED SUGAR
- GRANULATED SUGAR
DIP DONUTS IN:
- JAM: Use your favorite homemade or store bought jam. To make it more dunkable, place some in a bowl and microwave it for two ten-second bursts, stirring in between.
- NUTELLA: They’re also so good dipped in or drizzled with a little Nutella.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT RICOTTA DONUTS
I would not recommend frying these donuts in olive oil. It’s best to use a neutral flavored oil with a high smoke point.
I recommend using vegetable oil. Canola oil also works.
Ricotta donuts are best eaten right after they’re fried and glazed.
There’s nothing not to love about these Ricotta Donuts. They’re soft, perfectly fried, and incredibly delicious! Best enjoyed the same day, for breakfast, an afternoon treat or dessert!
Print
Ricotta Donuts
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 minutes
- Total Time: 28 minutes
- Yield: About 24 donuts
- Category: Donuts
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: American, Italian
Description
These Ricotta Donuts are soft, puffy and delicious! The easy batter is made with ricotta cheese and orange zest and can be mixed up in minutes. They don’t require yeast, take only about three minutes to fry and are coated with a sweet lemon-orange glaze!
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 1/2 teaspoons orange zest
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
FOR THE ORANGE GLAZE*
- 2 2/3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons orange juice
- zest of 2 lemons
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Gather what you need for frying. Line a plate or baking tray with paper towels. Take out a spider strainer and/or tongs. Fill a large pot with a heavy bottom with about 2 inches of oil.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs, sugar and orange zest for 1 minute. Add the vanilla extract followed by the ricotta and mix til well combined. Use a spatula to fold in the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Heat oil to 360 F. Use a one tablespoon cookie scoop to drop the batter into the oil. Fry 5-7 balls at a time. Fry til donuts are puffed and golden brown (this will take about 2-3 minutes). The donuts might flip over by themselves. If they don’t, just gently flip them after about a minute and a half so that they cook evenly.
- Remove donuts from oil with a spider strainer and drain on paper towels. Allow to cool then dust donuts with powdered sugar or granulated sugar. Alternatively, coat them with the orange glaze! Enjoy. (Donuts are best served the same day they’re made).
FOR THE ORANGE GLAZE
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- In a medium sized bowl, sift the powdered sugar. Add the lemon zest, orange juice, and vanilla extract and use a whisk or fork to combine. Dunk donuts in the glaze to coat. Place on a wire rack on a baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain off excess icing and allow icing to set. For a thicker layer of icing, coat each donut a second time.
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Notes
- For an alternative to the orange glaze, toss the donuts in powdered sugar or granulated sugar.
Keywords: ricotta, donuts, doughnuts, italian donuts, fried donuts
Texture and taste of these little beauties must be divine!
★★★★★
You are exactly right! They definitely are divine 🙂 Thank you!