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Home » Breakfast » Easy Ricotta Doughnuts

Easy Ricotta Doughnuts

Created: December 23, 2015 Updated: January 9, 2021 by lyuba 68 Comments

22.4K shares
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Soft and fluffy, scrumptious doughnut holes made with ricotta cheese. These simple doughnuts don’t require any yeast, only take about 30 minutes to make and finger-licking-good!

Doughnut holes with powdered sugar on top stacked on a white plate

RICOTTA DOUGHNUT HOLES

This is one super treat for breakfast. These little ricotta doughnut holes will quickly become a family favorite. They are quite addictive for two reasons:

1. They are SO tasty! The texture is wonderful, they are soft, moist and fluffy inside. They have a mild sweet flavor that goes with coffee, tea or milk. And, you can easily fill them with some jam or custard as soon as you pull them out onto a wire rack. (Just use a long pastry tip to fill the doughnuts.)

2. These doughnuts are unbelievably easy to make. First time I made them, I was really surprised just how fast it was to make these from start to finish. Dough takes about five minutes and cooking will depend on the size of the pan you are using and how many doughnuts can you cook at a time. Each batch takes about 5-7 minutes to cook. All in all, it’s an easy, tasty treat for breakfast.

When my mom first gave me this recipe, I thought that the only way to make easy, no-yeast doughnuts was to use refrigerated biscuit dough. This is much, much better. The original recipe actually calls for farmer’s cheese. If you’re not familiar with farmer’s cheese, it’s kind of a pressed cottage cheese. It’s very firm, grainy and quite tasty. I grew up eating a lot of dishes that use farmer’s cheese, so I’m very familiar with it. As I was planning on making this recipe and sharing it with my readers, I realized that there is probably only a small portion of you who are familiar with farmer’s cheese. So I decided to use ricotta cheese and make the appropriate adjustments for the dough. The doughnuts turned out beautiful!

Doughnut holes with powdered sugar on top stacked on a white plate with a bite out of one

Don’t even think twice! Make these doughnuts as soon as possible. Make them for your family on Christmas morning and it will be the most hassle-free breakfast that everyone will love. After all, you spend most day on Christmas in the kitchen already.

MORE DOUGHNUT RECIPES TO TRY

Baked Apple Pie Doughnuts

Black & White Glazed Doughnuts

Coconut Cake Donuts

Baked Lemon Blueberry Doughnuts from The Recipe Rebel

4 Ingredient Apple Cider Doughnuts from The Food Charlatan

Baked Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Doughnuts from The Gunny Sack

Ricotta Doughnut holes with powdered sugar on top stacked on a white plate

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Easy Ricotta Doughnuts piled on a decorative round white plate with powdered sugar topping the doughnuts as viewed from above

Easy Ricotta Doughnuts

Soft and fluffy, scrumptious doughnut holes made with ricotta cheese.
4.08 from 27 votes
Print SaveSaved! Rate
Course: Breakfast, Brunch
Cuisine: American
Keyword: doughnuts, ricotta
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 12 -14 doughnuts
Author: Lyuba Brooke

Ingredients

  • 10 oz whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3 Tbsp white granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Oil for frying
  • Powder sugar for topping

Instructions

  • Preheat about 5 cups of oil in a medium sauce pot, over medium to medium-high heat. Heat oil to about 315 degrees. (350 will cook doughnuts too fast on the outside and leave them raw on the inside.)
  • Set out a wire rack and cover it with a paper towel or two.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk ricotta, vanilla, sugar and eggs until all incorporated.
  • Add flour baking soda and salt. Mix with a rubber spatula until completely mixed throughout.
  • Lay out a piece of parchment paper and lightly grease it.
  • Grease your hands with some cooking spray as well. Scoop out some dough and make about 1-inch balls. Lay them on the parchment paper while waiting to be fried.
  • Fry doughnut balls in batches of about 6 (as fitting to your sauce pot) for 5-7 minutes, until deep golden brown.
  • Take out the cooked doughnut balls and place them on a paper towel. After they are cooled for a couple of minutes, dust them with powder sugar.

Video

Notes

Recipe from Lyuba @ willcookforsmiles.com All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to share this recipe, please simply link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.
Tried this recipe?Mention @willcookforsmiles and tag #willcookforsmiles

holding donut hole with powdered sugar on top

 

Ricotta Top view photo of Doughnut holes with powdered sugar on top stacked on a white plate

Ricotta photo collage of Doughnut holes with powdered sugar on top stacked on a white plate

LYUBA

ABOUT LYUBA

I’m Lyuba Brooke, mother of 2, the cook, recipe developer, photographer, and author behind willcookforsmiles.com. I share many classic and original recipes, cooking tips, and tutorials. My passion is sharing delicious meals for everyone to try. Read more...

22.4K shares

Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert Tagged With: donuts, doughnuts

All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.

Comments

  1. Amy says

    December 23, 2015 at 10:05 am

    I love your recipes. My Grandmother used to make these doughnuts when I was little. Haven’t seen them since then. Thanks for the memories.

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      December 30, 2015 at 9:30 pm

      That’s awesome!!
      I hope you’ll try them too 🙂
      Thank you!

      Reply
  2. Joshua Hampton says

    December 23, 2015 at 10:37 am

    What a treat these doughnut holes are. I do love a soft and fluffy doughnut, especially for breakfast.

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      December 30, 2015 at 9:30 pm

      It’s always a pleasure!
      Thank you, Joshua!

      Reply
  3. Liz says

    December 23, 2015 at 10:21 pm

    Yum to all the doughnuts. Thank you. Merry Christmas.

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      December 30, 2015 at 9:31 pm

      Thank you, Liz!
      Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

      Reply
  4. Jeff says

    December 26, 2015 at 2:19 pm

    Holy cow these look amazing. Thank you Lyuba (and thanks to your Mom for the recipe)!

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      December 30, 2015 at 9:31 pm

      Of course!It’s my pleasure to share.
      Thank you, Jeff!

      Reply
  5. Cass says

    September 18, 2016 at 4:15 pm

    They look wonderful, how long do they keep for and how do uou store them? I would love to make these in advance for a party!

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      September 19, 2016 at 7:15 pm

      Hey Cass!
      I actually have not tried storing them. We’ve eaten them within a day every time I’ve made these doughnuts. They do get stale as they sit, just like with any fresh-made doughnuts. I wouldn’t recommend making them much ahead of time, they are best fresh. If you just want to make them a few hours ahead, then it’s best to store them in an air-tight container once they are completely cooled. But again, they are best fresh. I hope you enjoy them! Thank you 🙂

      Reply
  6. Rosemary says

    February 10, 2017 at 12:17 am

    This looks similar to what is known here in Germany, as quarkbällchen! Thanks for the recipe anyway.😀

    Reply
    • Lyuba says

      February 12, 2017 at 1:06 am

      Thank you, Rosemary! I love cultural foods 🙂

      Reply
  7. rose says

    June 28, 2017 at 1:01 am

    Love the receipe and will give it a go. Could you please let me know if you use plain flour or self raising.

    Kind Regards

    Rosetta.

    Reply
  8. Melanie says

    June 30, 2017 at 3:25 pm

    These are not very sweet (a good thing!), nice flavor. You add the sweetness from whatever you put on top. I’d recommend cinnamon/sugar instead of the powdered sugar. Does take awhile to fry.

    Reply
  9. Bonnie says

    July 24, 2017 at 9:34 am

    These look amazing and I look forward to making them. I have one question, how do you measure 10 ounces as ricotta cheese as it comes in 8 or 10 ounce containers? Thank you

    Reply
  10. Maria says

    July 26, 2017 at 8:10 pm

    Can you put jam inside a ricotta donuts?

    Reply
    • Lyuba says

      August 18, 2017 at 10:35 pm

      Hi, Maria! I’m sorry the late response, but yes you can put jam in them. Just use a pastry filling tip (long and thin) and be careful not to overfilL! Sounds amazing. Good luck!

      Reply
  11. Karen @ The Food Charlatan says

    August 2, 2017 at 1:32 am

    Wow, these look so good and SO easy. Why don’t I make donut holes more often? So much easier than a shaped donut. I love the ricotta and now I’m really curious about Farmer’s cheese! Where can you find it?

    Reply
    • Lyuba says

      August 18, 2017 at 10:13 pm

      Thank you, Karen! That’s the goal! Check your local grocery stores. Whole Foods and Publix should carry it. Enjoy!

      Reply
  12. Judi says

    August 25, 2017 at 9:13 pm

    Has anyone tried making these with Gluten Free flour?

    Reply
    • Lyuba says

      September 17, 2017 at 11:41 am

      Judi, I’ve been meaning to try it out. Unfortunately, I have not had the chance yet. If you do, please let me know how it goes. Stay tuned!

      Reply
    • Lindy says

      December 24, 2019 at 9:06 am

      I make them all the time with gf 1:1 flour either from Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur’s but I find I have to adjust the amount of flour to get the right consistency (not too wet, not too dry). My favorite is finishing them with a pumpkin glaze or match/powdered sugar mix. My family prefers these to any store-bought doughnuts. Great recipe!

      Reply
      • LyubaB says

        December 26, 2019 at 8:57 am

        Thank, Lindy! So happy you were able to adjust the recipe so you can still enjoy it! 🙂

        Reply
  13. Maria says

    October 11, 2017 at 11:09 pm

    Thank you for this recipe! It looks delicious. I will be making the Ricotta Doughnuts!!!!!

    Reply
  14. Josir says

    January 19, 2018 at 3:29 pm

    5 stars
    Try putting a few drops of anise oil and have an Italian castinoli. After sprinkling the powdeer sugar drizzle with honey.

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      January 20, 2018 at 6:38 pm

      Oh I can practically smell it!! Great suggestion 🙂 Thank you!

      Reply
  15. Amy says

    January 27, 2018 at 11:40 am

    Could these be baked at 350 degrees instead of fried?

    Reply
  16. Reign says

    February 25, 2018 at 4:02 pm

    1 star
    These were not nice to eat at all. They were bland in taste and very dry. I followed the recipe exactly and made sure not to do anything different because I wanted to have this donut the way others would have it. What a waste of ricotta.

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      March 1, 2018 at 4:58 pm

      I’m sorry you didn’t like these doughnuts, Reign!
      I make these very often and I haven’t had a problem with dryness but you can always fill them. I’ve filled these ricotta doughnuts with lemon curd and cheesecake mixture before. That will definitely add more flavor and moisture. If you’d like to give them another shot, here are some recipes for filled doughnut holes and you can use the same ricotta doughnut recipe of regular doughnut holes recipe:
      https://www.willcookforsmiles.com/2017/06/bacon-brown-sugar-cream-doughnut-holes.html
      https://www.willcookforsmiles.com/2016/08/lemon-curd-filled-doughnut-holes.html

      Reply
  17. elisabeth valenti-sorbara says

    March 18, 2018 at 11:36 pm

    I have made these twice and if we weren’t trying to watch our “fried” intake i would have them weekly. I buy fresh ricotta weekly as it is a wonderful cheese that is low in fat so when i found this recipe and made them i did not feel so guilty eating them because “they are cheese”.

    They were extremely easy to make, they fry so very easily, keep well on a cake plate and dont go soggy although they dont last long enough to go soggy.
    I will be making them for friends for our annual Good Friday Lunch

    Reply
  18. Donna says

    June 16, 2018 at 10:18 am

    Could I used Whole milk in place of Ricotta cheese?

    Reply
  19. Donna says

    June 16, 2018 at 10:20 am

    Can I use whole milk cottage cheese instead of Ricotta cheese ?

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      July 10, 2018 at 2:13 pm

      Hi Donna,
      I would definitely not substitute cottage cheese for ricotta cheese because it’s a completely different consistency. The result will be quite different 🙂
      You can try farmer’s cheese but I’m not 100% sure of the result.
      Is there a reason you can’t have ricotta cheese?

      Reply
  20. Gillian says

    July 7, 2018 at 7:12 pm

    Is the recipe correct to use baking soda instead of baking powder?

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      July 9, 2018 at 12:05 pm

      Hey Gillian!
      That’s a very old recipe from my mom but that is the way we always made them 🙂 If you want, you can use baking powder and it won’t hurt it, you may need to increase baking powder to 2 tsps.
      I hope you enjoy them!

      Reply
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Well, hey there!

I’m Lyuba Brooke, mother of 2, the cook, recipe developer, photographer, and author behind willcookforsmiles.com. I share many classic and original recipes, cooking tips, and tutorials. My passion is sharing delicious meals for everyone to try. Read More.

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