Zeppole Di San Giuseppe

Jump to Recipe

"March 19th… It's St. Joseph's Day in Rhode Island and that can only mean one thing — it's time to celebrate with zeppole. These cream puff-like pastries come in many sizes and with a variety of fillings from the traditional boiled cream to tiramisu. Everyone has their favorite. I am sharing mine with you!"

🇮🇹 Zeppole di San Giuseppe – A Sweet Rhode Island Tradition for St. Joseph’s Day 💛

If you’re from Rhode Island (or have even visited during March), you probably already know the buzz around Zeppole di San Giuseppe. These heavenly pastries show up just once a year — and they do not disappoint! Light, airy, filled with silky custard or sweetened ricotta, and topped with a syrupy cherry on top 🍒... they're basically the cannoli's festive cousin.

And let me tell you, they’re not just a dessert, they’re a celebration. 🎉

🇮🇹 What Are Zeppole?

Zeppole di San Giuseppe are traditional Italian pastries made in honor of St. Joseph’s Day — celebrated every year on March 19th. St. Joseph is the patron saint of fathers, workers, and, of course, Italy. These pastries are served at Italian bakeries, church celebrations, and home kitchens across Italy and Italian-American communities — and in Rhode Island, you’ll find lines out the bakery doors for these little beauties!

These special pastries are:

• Made from light choux pastry (like cream puffs)

• Fried or baked, depending on tradition (IYKYK 😉)

• Filled with vanilla custard, sweet ricotta, or even cannoli cream

• Finished with a dusting of powdered sugar and a maraschino cherry on top

They’re rich, creamy, delicate, and festive — everything a celebration treat should be! 🎊

🏠 Rhode Island Zeppole Memories

Growing up Italian in Little Rhody, you didn’t need a calendar to know it was almost St. Joseph’s Day — the bakeries did the talking! 😍 Boxes lined the counters, windows were full of whipped cream-topped pastries, and everyone was buzzing about which bakery had “the best” ones that year.

You’d hear:

• “You’ve GOT to get them from LaSalle Bakery!”

• “No no, Crugnale’s has the best filling!”

• “Have you tried the ones from Palmieri’s this year?”

• “I drive all the way to Calvitto’s just for these!”

wasn’t just about the pastry — it was about honoring tradition, celebrating family, and sharing sweetness with those you love. 💛

💬 Let’s Talk Filling…

While traditional Zeppole are filled with vanilla pastry cream, Rhode Island bakeries (in true extra fashion) go all out with flavor options:

• 🍮 Vanilla Custard (classic!)

• 🧁 Whipped Ricotta Cream

• 🍫 Chocolate Pudding or Cannoli Cream

• 🍋 Lemon Curd

• 🍒 Amarena cherry swirl

It’s honestly hard to choose… but no matter the filling, that sweet cherry on top is the signature. Some families even serve them on a tray with little St. Joseph statues, or as the centerpiece for dessert tables.

🧁 Want to Make Zeppole at Home?

If you're feeling bold (or just can’t wait for March to roll around), homemade Zeppole are 100% doable and SO worth it. With just a few steps, you can make bakery-style pastries right from your own kitchen!

Here's a basic overview of what you'll need:

For the dough (pâte à choux):

• Water, butter, flour, eggs, pinch of salt

• Piped into rounds and baked or fried until puffed and golden

For the filling:

• Milk, sugar, egg yolks, cornstarch, vanilla — whisked into creamy custard

• Or sweet ricotta for a cannoli-style twist

Toppings:

• Powdered sugar

• A maraschino or Amarena cherry 🍒

• Optional drizzle of chocolate or cherry syrup

📣 Pro tip: Let them chill before serving! A cold zeppola with a cup of espresso is chef's kiss. 👨‍🍳💋

💖 Why I Love Them

Zeppole aren't just delicious — they’re sentimental. They remind us of:

• Our heritage

• The strong women and men in our families

• The bakeries we’ve visited since childhood

• The way one bite can take you straight back to your Nonna’s kitchen

Every March, I still get excited when I see Zeppole boxes stacked high behind bakery counters. And while I’ll always have a favorite spot (shout out to Calvitto’s in Cranston!), nothing beats the feeling of making them yourself — and sharing them with family and friends. 💝

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 A Tribute to Tradition

In Italian culture, St. Joseph’s Day is also like Father’s Day — so it’s only right that we honor our dads, grandfathers, uncles, and father figures with something as sweet and classic as a Zeppola.

Whether you're making these at home, picking them up from your favorite bakery, or just here for the drool-worthy pics — I hope this post brings a little sweetness to your season. ☀️

If you’ve got Zeppole memories, favorite bakeries, or family traditions — drop them in the chat! I’d love to hear where your Zeppole story started. 💬👇

Zeppole Di San Giuseppe

Servings: 10

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 40 Minutes to 1 Hour

Ingredients:

Choux Pastry

• 2 cups water

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 2 stick butter unsalted

• 2 cups flour

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 8 eggs

• 3 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Custard Filling

• 2 cups milk

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 2 egg yolks

• 1 egg

• 1/4 cup cornstarch

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 2 tablespoon butter

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1 lemon peel optional, but recommended

Garnish

• maraschino cherries sliced in half for topping

• powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions:

Preheat oven at 400 degrees.

Custard

In a heavy saucepan, stir together the milk and 1/4 cup of sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and egg. Stir together the remaining sugar and cornstarch; then stir them into the egg until smooth. When the milk comes to a boil, drizzle it into the bowl in a thin stream while mixing so that you do not cook the eggs. Return the mixture to the saucepan, and slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly so the eggs don’t curdle or scorch on the bottom. Add Lemon Peel if desired.

When the mixture comes to a boil and thickens, remove from the heat and remove lemon peel. Stir in the butter and vanilla, mixing until the butter is completely blended in. Pour into a heat-proof container and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled before using.

Pastry

Place the water, salt, sugar and butter in a 2-quart saucepan and bring to a boil.

Remove the pan from the heat and dump the flour in all at once, whisking it all in.

Return to the burner start stirring with a wooden spoon.

Cook, stirring constantly, until the dough starts to pull easily from the sides of the pan and forms a ball, about 3 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir until tepid, 6 to 8 minutes.

Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring in each one completely before adding the next.

Stir in the vanilla. Cool completely.

Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place the dough into a pastry bag with a 1-inch star tip and pipe 2-inch rings onto the trays, as many as can fit.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then at 375 F for 15-20 minutes until evenly browned. Remove and let cool.

When cool, carefully slice rings in half and fill with custard and place cap of pastry on top.

Top each zeppole with custard (using a piping bag and star tip, optional decoration) and top with cherry. Sprinkle Powdered sugar on top.

This website is the project of an unpaid hobby,  fully maintained and supported by CWT. There are NO paid affiliations, professional photographers, nutritionists or paid product reviews associated. CWT is not a certified artist, dietician or nutritionist. Any nutritional information shared on this site is an estimate counted through measurements and package nutritional information used in each recipe at that given time. If calorie, macro counting and other nutritional values are important to you and your health, CWT recommends running the ingredients through your choice of nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can and will vary depending on national brands used per recipe. Anything created by using CWT's recipes, or tutorials is fully the readers responsibility. CWT is not responsible or will be held liable for the outcome of the readers completed project or recipe(s).

"Fried Option: You can also fry this dough in oil after you pipe them until golden brown and then just fill the middle of the rings with custard and top with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry."