Struffoli

02/03/2026

With the arrival of February, you can start to feel the playful, carefree atmosphere of Carnival in the air… and also the sizzling aroma of all the traditional fried treats of the season. Yes, because during Carnival, from northern to southern Italy, the whole country joyfully turns to frying irresistible sweets: diets and scales are happily set aside as tables fill with chiacchiere, castagnole, cicerchiata, frappe, migliaccio, Sicilian cassatelle, fried ravioli, sweet tortelli, and many more. There isn’t a single region in Italy that doesn’t have at least one traditional dessert to celebrate Carnival.

For the occasion, we’re sharing a recipe from our Cesarina Elena from Cascina for making delicious Struffoli.
Struffoli are small fried dough balls coated in honey, a must-have on holiday tables in the Campania region, both at Christmas and during Carnival. They’re delicious, colorful, and surprisingly easy to make, which makes them a perfect opportunity to get the kids involved and have fun all together!

“The smell of struffoli tells me Christmas is near. I can still see myself as a little girl, standing next to my grandmother, helping her make them… and sneaking a few when no one was looking!”

Struffoli

From Campania, delicious golden fried dough balls—crispy on the outside and soft and fragrant on the inside

Preparation time2h

Servings6

€

CostLow

Ingredients

250 g all-purpose flour
2 eggs
20 g butter
45 g sugar
25 g anise liqueur
A pinch of baking soda
A pinch of salt
Peanut oil for frying (about half a liter)
For the glaze:
150 g wildflower honey
10 g water
25 g sugar
Grated orange and lemon zest
For decoration:
Silver and colorful sprinkles

Method

Mix the flour, eggs, softened butter, sugar, anise liqueur, baking soda, and salt until you get a smooth, even dough.
Let the dough rest for 30 minutes wrapped in plastic wrap.
Then form small balls about one centimeter in diameter.
Heat half a liter of peanut oil in a deep pan and fry the struffoli in small batches until golden.
Drain the struffoli well on paper towels.
In a saucepan, heat the honey, sugar, water, orange zest, and lemon zest. Turn off the heat when the mixture becomes a syrup, then pour it over the fried struffoli.
Serve the struffoli on a serving plate and decorate with the sprinkles.

Elena

Cesarine’s Carnival recipes

Discover how to bring joy and sweetness to your Carnival with recipes from our Cesarine: sweet and savory dishes dedicated to the most playful time of the year, perfect to enjoy between handfuls of confetti!

See Carnival Recipes