La Vigilia di Natale zeppole (Christmas Eve doughnuts)
- Ursula Ferrigno
Save recipe
Serves 16 - 20
Easy
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 30 mins
plus 2 hrs proving
0 reviews
loading...
Pile these Italian-style doughnuts up and drizzle with honey. Zeppole are traditionally served at celebrations such as Christmas Eve
Vegetarian
Ad
Skip to ingredients
Alternatives
Complete the dish
Loading...
Showing items 1 to 3 of 3
Easy mulled wine
A star rating of 3.7 out of 5.3 ratings
Classic eggnog
A star rating of 4.8 out of 5.10 ratings
Christmas biscuits
A star rating of 4.3 out of 5.55 ratings
Christmas Eve in the Ferrigno household was always filled with joy – we sat down at least 16 family members to the feast of seven fishes, fresh from the sea below our home on the Amalfi coast. After, we’d eagerly await zeppole. Nonna was in charge, and a large amount of zeppole would be fried and piled into a mountain, drizzled with honey and spice. As kids, we’d dive in, licking our lips as honey would run down our chins. Ursula Ferrigno
Ingredients
Nutrition
Units:
MetricUS
-
300g ‘00’ flour
-
2 tsp golden caster sugar
-
1 tsp fast-action dried yeast
-
1 lemon
zested
-
1 orange
zested
-
1 tbsp limoncello
-
500ml vegetable oil
-
2 tbsp caster sugar
-
1 tbsp mixed spice
-
4 tbsp honey
Keep the screen awake with cook mode on the Good Food app.
Nutrition: Per serving (20)
- kcal149
- fat8g
- saturates1g
- carbs18g
- sugars6g
- fibre1g
- protein2g
- salt0.08g
Ad
Method
-
step 1
Mix the flour, golden caster sugar, yeast and ¼ tsp salt together in a medium bowl. Stir in the citrus zests and make a well in the middle. Pour in 250ml warm water and the limoncello. Mix using a fork until just combined. Cover and set aside in a warm place to rise for 2 hrs.
-
step 2
Heat the oil to 175C in a deep, wide saucepan over medium heat. Line a plate with kitchen paper. Form 30g of the dough into a rough ball. Repeat with a few more pieces of dough, then carefully drop into the hot oil and fry, gently flipping over once, for 2 mins on each side until golden. Remove to the lined plate using a slotted spoon. Repeat until all the dough has been used.
-
step 3
Stack the zeppole into a pyramid shape on a large serving plate. Combine the caster sugar and mixed spice in a small bowl. Drizzle the honey over the zeppole, then dust with the spiced sugar. Dive in, scooping extra honey from the base of the pyramid.
Recipe from Good Food magazine, December 2025
Ad
Comments, questions and tips
Rate this recipe
What is your star rating out of 5?1 star out of 52 stars out of 53 stars out of 54 stars out of 55 stars out of 5
Choose the type of message you'd like to post
Choose the type of message you'd like to post
CommentQuestionTip
Overall rating
0 reviews
Ad
Ad
Get 3 months of Good Food All Access
Get 3 months of Good Food All Access for just £6. Find triple-tested recipes that take the stress out of deciding what to cook, spend less time planning, and more time enjoying the season.
Loading...
Ad
Loading...
Loading...