These homemade lemon and ricotta doughnuts (aka The Best Donuts Ever) are so easy and so incredible, it would be a shame not to share them. So being the kind, considerable person that I am, I’m sharing them.

Ricotta and lemon are an iconic duo in the culinary world. Together, they make up some favorites. So it’s hardly a surprise that these doughnuts are so good. Think of all textures going on here: crispy outside, tender inside, and a general fluffiness. There are many redundant ways to describe them, but we would just reach the same conclusion: these lemon and ricotta doughnuts are amazing and deserve to be made.

This Dough was made for Frying

Frying? Bad! Sugar? Bad! Oil? Bad! Why would I even make these? You, probably.

I hear you and it’s very rare that I make anything fried (even though I would gladly eat fried chicken everyday if I could). But some things are made to be fried. Doughnuts were certainly made to be fried.

Don’t be afraid of frying and hot oil, these are so easy and quick to make, it’s worth the trouble. You won’t need a whole lot of oil and these fry up pretty quickly. Just be careful and watch them turn perfectly puffy and golden brown.

Although optional, I highly recommend dusting with confectioner’s sugar. I mean, you’re already drowning them in oil, there’s no point in skipping the sugar. Go big or go home. Cinnamon sugar is also an excellent alternative.

Cinnamon sugar is 1 teaspoon cinnamon combined with 1/3 cup sugar (you can double or triple this and keep some in your pantry for whenever).

For a more traditional taste, add a pinch of nutmeg to the batter when adding the vanilla.

Ideally, you should use a deep, heavy pot. Light, thin pans heat faster are more suited for quick cooking that requires high heat, such as sauteing. Heavy pans heat more evenly and retain heat longer, being the better option for deep frying.

It’s important not to overcrowd the pot, so you can keep an even oil temperature and the doughnuts have enough room to rise without touching one another.

When making the recipe, I drop the batter by spoonfuls. I use two tablespoons, but you can use an ice cream scoop or 2 teaspoons.

You can make the batter up to one day ahead. Cover and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to fry. The colder batter might increase the frying time, considering it will keep the oil colder.

Substitutions

If you don’t have ricotta or perhaps don’t want to use ricotta for whatever reason, you can use milk instead. In that case, I’d recommend adding it a little at a time. You don’t want the batter to be too runny.

If you don’t have lemon, you can also skip it. I’ve made it that way a lot of times. As a kid, we would ask mom to undercook the doughnuts just slightly because we loved the undercooked middle.

It was like a fried lava cake, if you will. These days I fry my doughnuts until cooked through, but for nostalgic purposes I’ll leave one or two undercooked every once in a while.

Unlike traditional doughnuts that are made with yeast and require proofing, these ones are a little less scientific. If you make this recipe enough you’ll quickly be able to gauge the batter and eyeball some of the ingredients.

Whereas regular doughnuts take over 2 hours to make, these take no more than 30 minutes.

If you’re looking for a recipe that doesn’t involve cheese or lemon, these Buttermilk Donut Holes are the version I make the most often.

This recipe is adapted from the lovely Gale Gand.

Make new traditions

These doughnuts are intertwined with tradition, much like the original recipe from Gand. In my life, they started when I was young. Just like the kids in her story, we too would hover near the stove as my mom lifted the hot doughnuts out of the oil onto a plate lined with paper towel for draining, and then roll them quickly in cinnamon sugar.

Growing up my mom used to make a version of these all the time. For me, these doughnuts are synonymous with a chilly, rainy day. My sister and I used to make them on a lazy afternoon and put on the perfect cozy movie: One Fine Day.

I could go on a whole speech about what makes One Fine Day the perfect rainy movie, but I’ll refrain myself. All I’ll say is this: picture Michelle Pfeiffer and George Cloony, one busy day in New York City that involves kids missing a school trip, chaos at a daycare, careers at steak, and a lot of rain. And a classic enemies to lovers romance.

My advice to you is if you’re looking to spend a cozy Fall afternoon, make these lemon and ricotta doughnuts and watch a 90’s romantic comedy.

Preferably when it’s raining. Just trust me on this.

If you make these homemade lemon and ricotta doughnuts (aka The Best Donuts Ever), please let me know in the comments. I would love to hear your feedback! Also, please let me know your favorite cozy, rainy day movie. I’m always looking for new movies to watch.