Crispy and Soft Authentic Pettole (Italian Fritters)

Pettole are Italian fritters made of a yeast-based dough. Generally, they are round donuts that are fried in oil until crispy and golden brown. Often, they are served as a dessert but they can also be served as an appetizer or as a replacement for bread. Pettole can be served as they are or they can have sweet or savory additions such as raisins, anchovies, pine nuts, or chocolate.

To make the pettole, flour and yeast are mixed with water and salt until a smooth batter forms. Then, spoonfuls of the batter get dropped into hot oil to fry until golden brown. These are best served immediately while they are crispy and hot.

What are Pettole?

Pettole are golden round donuts that are an important part of Italian cuisine. While many donut recipes include a dense dough that is easy to shape, pettole includes a loose batter that can be spooned into hot oil. As a result, pettole aren’t perfectly round and have a more rustic shape.

Pettole originated in Puglia in Italy, and are often made around Christmas Time. Pettole is often made in a savory fashion in Puglia, including chopped anchovies or salted cod. Meanwhile, if served as a dessert, they will often be brushed with honey, dusted with sugar, or dipped in a syrup made with wine.

Whether you would like to have pettole as an appetizer, snack, or dessert, their golden color, crisp texture, and fluffy interior will make them irresistible.

Pro Tips

• Use a whisk to ensure that your batter doesn’t have any lumps. Alternatively, you could use a hand mixer to ensure that the batter becomes smooth and lump-free.
• The best temperature for frying the pettole is around 375 F (190 C). This ensures that the pettole cooks through evenly while becoming golden brown.
• Clip a thermometer on the side of the pot so you can see what the temperature of the oil is.
• Fry the pettole in batches to ensure that the oil temperature doesn’t drop too much and that the pettole don’t stick together.
• For a sweeter pettole, feel free to add raisins or other dried fruit into the batter before frying the pettole. For more savory pettole, you can add anchovies or salted cod to the batter.
• Never fill the pot up completely with oil. Having extra space in the pot will ensure that the oil doesn’t bubble over when batter is added to it.
• Set a baking rack over a baking sheet so that you can set the pettole on it when you remove them from the oil. This will allow excess oil to drip off the the pettole before you serve them.

What to Serve with Pettole?

Pettole can easily be served on their own for a snack, but you can also serve them as a dessert or as part of a main meal. If you serve them as a dessert, feel free to add dried fruit into the batter before frying them, or dusting them with powdered sugar.

What Temperature Should You Fry Donuts at?

Donuts, like these pettole, are best fried in oil that is 375 F (190 C). You can clip a heat proof thermometer on the side of the pot so you know what temperature the oil is at.

How Can I Make Sweet Pettole?

If you would like to make sweet pettole, simply dust the finished pettole with powdered sugar once they have been fried. Alternatively, you could brush them with honey or serve them with melted chocolate for dipping. If you are a lover of cinnamon sugar, you could sprinkle the pettole with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar as well.

How Can I Make Savory Pettole?

If you plan to serve your pettole as a savory snack or as an appetizer, you can add chopped olives, anchovies, salt cod, or sun-dried tomatoes into the batter.

More Fritters You Can Try Your Hand At!

Sweet Bottle Fritters

Spoon Fritters

Cloud Fritters

3-Ingredient Zeppoline

How to Store Pettole

Pettole is best served as soon as it is made so you can get the benefit of their crisp exterior. They don’t store very well because they lose their crispness. However, if you would like to store them, you can place them in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

How to Make Pettole

In a bowl, stir the flour with the yeast.

Add the water and salt, and whisk until there are no lumps.

Cover and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

Heat oil in a pot on the stove. Add spoonfuls of the batter into the hot oil and fry until golden brown on both sides.

Serve immediately.