Ricotta Donuts
These soft, fluffy Ricotta Donuts are made with fresh orange zest and ricotta cheese. The batter is made without yeast and only takes minutes to mix! They are fried til perfection and coated with a sweet citrus glaze!
Servings: 24 donuts
Calories: 92kcal
Equipment
- 1 Candy thermometer
- 1 Dutch Oven or Deep Heavy Bottomed Pot
- 1 one tablespoon scoop, a small ice cream scoop optional
- 1 Spider strainer optional
Ingredients
Ricotta Donuts
- 1 ⅓ cups all purpose flour
- 2¼ teaspoons baking powder
- pinch salt
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 ½ teaspoons orange zest from one medium orange
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- vegetable or canola oil for frying
Orange Glaze
- 1½ cups powdered sugar sifted
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice from about 1 medium orange
- zest of 1 lemon
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Ricotta Donuts
- Gather what you need for frying. Line a plate or baking tray with paper towels. Take out a spider strainer or slotted spoon. 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 350- 360 degrees 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 slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Allow to cool then dust donuts with the orange glaze.
Orange Glaze
- In a medium sized bowl, stir or whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon zest, orange juice, and vanilla extract. Dunk donuts in the glaze to coat. Set donuts on a wire rack to allow glaze to set.
Notes
Glaze: Instead of the orange glaze, toss the donuts in powdered sugar or granulated sugar.
Equipment: For best results, I recommend hooking a candy thermometer to the side of your pot. I also recommend a Dutch oven or deep heavy bottomed pot for frying, a one-tablespoon scoop, small ice cream scoop or two spoons for scooping out the batter. A spider strainer or slotted spoon is useful for flipping the donuts over and removing them. If you're going to glaze the donuts, set your cooling rack over a parchment paper lined baking sheet for easier clean up if you are going to glaze the donuts.
Oil: Use an oil with a high smoke point. I recommend canola oil, vegetable oil, or peanut oil. Heat oil to about 350- 360 degrees F. Do not let the oil drop below 350 degrees F.
Storage: Donuts are best enjoyed the day they are made.
Nutrition
Serving: 1donut | Calories: 92kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 57mg | Potassium: 27mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 76IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1mg
