Ricotta fritters are like small donut holes, made with a ricotta batter that cooks up into beautiful golden and crisp rounds. They are so airy and fluffy on the inside. Dusted with powdered sugar, they are such a treat.
Ricotta fritters, which we called Ponchiki in my family, are a walk down memory lane for me. My Mom used to make them quite often when I was a little girl. In the Slavic culture, we made them with farmer's cheese, tvorog, but I have learned to also make them with ricotta cheese too. Golden and crunchy on the outside and fluffy and tender on the inside, these Ponchiki are absolutely perfect.
The ricotta cheese is the secret ingredient that makes these homemade donuts the best texture and flavor. You can use either ricotta cheese, farmer's cheese or even cottage cheese for this recipe (I'll explain how to adjust the recipe depending on what you use.) If you make homemade ricotta cheese, this is a great recipe to put it to good use. It's so easy to mix up the batter, all you need is a bowl and a whisk. You also don't need to wait for the dough to rise and it's also really easy to fry them too - no rolling or cutting involved, just drop the batter into the oil.
The whole family will gather round when these Ponchiki, Ricotta Fritters, are on the table, warm and dusted with powdered sugar. They are worth the effort to make from scratch - such a treat!
Ingredients
- ricotta cheese (farmer's cheese or cottage cheese can also be used)
- I have a great recipe for how to make homemade ricotta cheese in your Instant Pot or the stovetop. It's so easy and delicious.
- If you use farmer's cheese, it's usually a lot drier, so use ¼ cup less flour. However, if you want to use cottage cheese, drain it first through a fine mesh sieve to get rid of excess moisture. Use the same amount of flour as when using ricotta cheese.
- eggs
- sugar (granulated or raw sugar)
- vanilla extract
- salt
- all purpose flour
- baking powder
- oil, for frying
- I use avocado oil for frying. It has a high smoke point, so it won't smoke when we're deep frying the donuts at high heat.
- You can use other high smoke point oils, such as vegetable, peanut, grapeseed, canola, etc.
- Do NOT use olive oil or extra virgin oil, since they have a low smoke point and will start smoking at a much lower heat, plus the flavor is much more pronounced.
- powdered sugar, to sprinkle on top of the donuts
How To Make Ricotta Fritters
- Heat up the oil.
- Pour the oil into a heavy bottomed pot/Dutch oven. Heat the oil to 370-375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Meanwhile, make the ricotta batter.
- Mix the ricotta cheese, eggs, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl with a whisk. (You can also use a hand mixer or a stand mixer.)
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt, whisking to combine.
- Add the flour mixture to the batter and mix to combine.
- Fry the Ricotta Fritters in the hot oil.
- Using 2 small teaspoons or a small portion scoop, scoop out the batter and place them carefully into the hot oil. If using two teaspoons, take a small scoop of batter in one spoon and use the other spoon to scrape it off the spoon and into the oil.
- When you add the batter to the oil, the temperature will drop. Adjust the heat of your stove, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 325 and 350 degrees while frying.
- Fry until fritters are deep golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes, flipping fritters halfway through frying.
- Heat up the oil to 370-375 degrees Fahrenheit before adding more batter to the oil. Continue cooking until all the batter is used up.
- Drain the Fritters on a paper towel or paper bag.
Make sure to keep the oil at the correct temperature.
If the oil drops in temperature too much, the Fritters will soak up too much oil and will be greasy. If the temperature is too high, the Fritters will brown too quickly on the outside and won't be cooked through on the inside.
This is one recipe where it's important to use a thermometer. I use an infrared thermometer. The one I have is discontinued, but this one is very similar: Infrared Thermometer * (affiliate link)
Dust the Ricotta Fritters with powdered sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature. They are best served the same day, but can still be enjoyed for 1-2 days after cooking them.
Video of How To Make Ricotta Fritters
Ricotta Fritters (Ponchiki)
Ricotta Fritters are like small donut holes. The batter is made with ricotta cheese and they turn out to be so airy, fluffy and tasty.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 70-75 small fritters 1x
- Category: Sweets
Ingredients
- 2 quarts oil, for frying the donuts (I like avocado best, but you can also use peanut, grapeseed, vegetable, or canola oil)
- 2 cups ricotta cheese (farmer's cheese or cottage cheese can also be used. See note below.)
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- powdered sugar, to sprinkle on top of the donuts
Instructions
- First, start heating up the oil. Pour the oil into a heavy bottomed pot/Dutch oven. Heat the oil to 370-375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- While the oil is heating up, make the ricotta batter. Mix the ricotta cheese, eggs, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl with a whisk until smooth. (You can also use a hand mixer or a stand mixer.)
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt, whisking to combine. Add the flour mixture to the batter and mix to combine.
- Using 2 small teaspoons or a small portion scoop, scoop out the batter and drop it carefully into the hot oil. If using two teaspoons, take a small scoop of batter in one spoon and use the other spoon to scrape it off the spoon and into the oil.
- When you add the batter to the oil, the temperature will drop. Adjust the heat of your stove, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 325 and 350 degrees while frying.
- Fry until fritters are deep golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes, flipping fritters halfway through frying.
- Drain the ricotta fritters on a paper towel lined plate or a paper bag.
- Heat the oil back up to 370-375 degrees Fahrenheit before adding more batter to the oil. Continue cooking until all the batter is used up. You should have about 70-75 small donuts, depending on the size that you make them.
- Dust the Ricotta Fritters with powdered sugar.
- Serve warm or at room temperature. They are best served the same day, but can still be enjoyed for 1-2 days after cooking them.
Notes
Ricotta Cheese Substitutions:
Instead of the ricotta cheese, you can also use farmer's cheese or cottage cheese.
- If you use farmer's cheese, it's usually a lot drier, so use ¼ cup less flour.
- However, if you want to use cottage cheese, drain it first through a fine mesh sieve to get rid of excess moisture. Use the same amount of flour as when using ricotta cheese.
This recipe for Ricotta Fritters was originally published on April 7, 2014. I have updated the photos, clarified the instructions and added a short video to make it even better.
Hi Olga. Thank you for this recipe. Im so excited to try it:). Do you know how to get the right temp on stove? All I know is my stove does not show how hot it gets degree wise. Is that high temp , medium or in between if you had to guess?
Hello Lena. The only way to get an accurate measurement is to use a thermometer, either a candy thermometer or I use my husband's infrared laser thermometer. Candy thermometers are very inexpensive and I use thermometers in the kitchen all the time. Without a thermometer, it's very hard to see if the oil is hot enough or not too hot, as you already said yourself. The temperature will be influenced by the stove you are using, the size of the pot, the type of pot you are using, how many donuts you add to the oil, etc.
Hi, can you tell me in grams how much the tvorog is? I always make mistakes with the measurements.
I don't know for sure, but I think it's about 500 grams? I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful.
Well, that is where I went wrong. 😀
I didn't use enough tvorog.
Thanks Olga
I'm so sorry to hear that, Natacha. It's such a bummer when a recipe doesn't turn out right. I hope it will work out right next time.
Awesome recipe. I must try it sometime. Thanks for sharing
Thank you:).
I found that 350 was a tad too hot :-/ wonder why mine were different. Worked great on 340. My thermometer said to use 360 for doughnuts. Glad I didn't!
Just made them using your recipe. They are absolutely Delicious!
Thank you for the recipe Olga!
Thank you so much for taking the time to write, Nelya. I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed the Ponchiki.
lovely:)
These look delightful! Thanks for sharing beautiful photos and easy to read instructions! We will be sharing your Russian donut recipe with our Russian interest friends 🙂
I'm glad this recipe caught your interest:). Thank you so much for sharing my recipe.
I just found your delicious recipe.
I am to bring some russian themed goodies to a party, but will have to travel some to get there. Will these little darlings hold up for a day or do they get stale?
They won't taste as great as fresh, but they should still be in great shape for another day:). You can absolutely make them the day before. I hope you have fun at your party. It sounds like a lot of fun. I'd love to hear how it goes.
I am teaching Story Hour at my local library for kids ages 3-12 years old and am doing a theme of Around the World. We are going to be learning about Russia next week and I thought they might like to try these. However, I've never fried before. I have a cupcake iron (sort of like a waffle iron!) that I can make these types of desserts in. Do you think I can use that instead of frying?
I have never done them another way, so I can't really offer any suggestions. Sorry.
I have never done them another way, so I can't really offer any suggestions. Sorry.
Just made these ponchiki and I am so glad I did.
They are so good I can't stop eating them.
Thank you so much for sharing amazing recipes with us:)
That's awesome, Diana! They are addictive little things, aren't they?
Hi Olga! Do u have a recipe for ponchiki with milk instead of cheese? I want to make these with poppy seeds..
No, I don't have that recipe. Sorry, Innessa.
Olga thank you for this recipe. We live in America for 22 years and i could not find this recipe anywhere. Back home in Moldova we used to call them GOGOSHI. Everything turned out just like you described it above. Great taste and very tender dough.
Molodets, Spasibo bolishoe
Don't you just love when you find a recipe that brings back great memories? I'm thrilled that the Ponchiki were just how you remembered them. I've never heard about Gogoshi; thanks for sharing.
can i use quickmelt cheese instead of farmer's cheese since farmer's cheese is not available here?
I'm not sure what quick melt cheese is, but you can substitute it with cottage cheese or ricotta cheese, as long as you wring out any moisture, Michelle.
I want to make these for my grandchildren . . . . I think they will love making them. I live in a very small community so will have to get ingredients the next time I "go to town!" Please clarify what you mean by farmer's cheese . . . . is there a particular brand that I need to look for? I have "Farmer's Cheese" in my frig but it is pretty hard, and I am wondering if that will work; do I need to soften it or at least bring it to room temp?
Thank you for your time! I am looking forward to trying these at our next family gathering!
Hi Norma,
If you click on the link in the ingredient list to farmer's cheese, you will see exactly what kind of farmer's cheese I am talking about. I have the recipe for homemade farmer's cheese too. I buy the "Friendship" brand of farmer's cheese at the store and it's the perfect texture. If your farmer's cheese is really hard, you can pulse it in the food processor to make it softer and break it apart. Softening farmer's cheese won't make much of a difference, since it's a different texture than cream cheese or butter.
they look addicting!
They sure are, Dina:).
hey Olga! It looks soo delicious. I only have cottage cheese at home. Do you think that will work?
I haven't made it with cottage cheese, so I can't say for sure. Make sure to drain it well first and I would probably pulse it in food processor first, to get the lumps out before making the batter with it. It should work out fine if you do that, Elen.