Struffoli Recipe (Italian Honey Balls)

This authentic Struffoli Recipe makes the classic Italian honey balls you’ll find on holiday tables all over southern Italy. The tiny fried dough pearls are coated in a bright, citrus-scented honey syrup and finished with festive sprinkles for a beautiful, glossy holiday dessert centerpiece.

With the step-by-step photos and detailed technique tips, you’ll have everything you need to make the BEST struffoli at home—light, crisp, and perfectly coated every time. For another festive favorite, don’t miss my Italian pignoli cookies.

Quick Look at This Recipe

• Prep Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes (includes chill time)
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Servings: About 8 people
• Dietary Info: Vegetarian; contains eggs and flour; dairy-free if using dairy-free sprinkles.
• Method: Mix the dough, rest, roll into tiny balls, fry until golden, and toss in warm citrus-honey syrup.
• Technique: Keep the dough soft and lightly handled, fry at a steady 350–360°F, and coat while the struffoli are still warm for even glazing.
• Flavor & Texture: Lightly sweet with bright citrus notes; crisp on the outside, tender inside, and finished with a glossy honey coating and festive crunch.

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What are Struffoli?

Struffoli are tiny, golden fried dough balls coated in warm honey with festive sprinkles. A beloved Neapolitan Christmas dessert, they’re traditionally shaped into a wreath or mound and served as a sweet centerpiece during the holidays. The dough is lightly scented with citrus and often a touch of anise, giving each bite that classic Italian bakery aroma.

This treat has deep roots in southern Italy, especially Naples. The small round pearls of dough are meant to symbolize abundance and good fortune for the new year, just like Italian lentils. You’ll often find struffoli on the same holiday tables as other Italian Christmas desserts like torrone and Italian panettone, making them an essential part of the season.

Simple Ingredients

Struffoli Dough Ingredients

• Flour: 00 flour (preferred) gives struffoli their signature light, tender bite. Its extra-fine grind and lower protein content help the dough stay soft inside while still crisping beautifully when fried. If you don’t have 00 flour, all-purpose flour works well, but your struffoli will just be slightly firmer, which some people even prefer. Use 00 flour to make homemade pasta and Neopolitan pizza dough, other classic Italian recipes.
• Liquor: A splash of liquor adds subtle aroma and depth while helping keep the dough tender. Orange liqueur or limoncello enhances the citrus already in the recipe; rum, brandy, or grappa bring a warmer, more traditional flavor. You can substitute with white wine or even omit the alcohol entirely, and just replace it with an equal amount of milk or juice.
• Orange Zest: Zest infuses the dough and honey with bright, fragrant citrus flavor—the hallmark of great struffoli. Orange zest is classic, but lemon zest works just as well and gives a slightly sharper note. Avoid bottled extracts here; fresh zest makes a noticeable difference. For more orange-flavored desserts, try this orange olive oil cake.
• Frying Oil: Choose a neutral oil with a high smoke point to keep the struffoli light and crisp. Sunflower, vegetable, canola, and peanut oil all work well. Avoid olive oil for frying as it burns too quickly and gives the struffoli a heavier, less delicate flavor.

Stovetop Honey Syrup & Decorations

• Honey: Honey forms the glossy syrup that coats the struffoli, so quality matters. Wildflower honey gives a richer, more floral flavor, while acacia honey is lighter and stays beautifully fluid, making it ideal for an even, smooth coating. Any mild honey works, but avoid dark varieties like buckwheat, which can overpower the citrus.
• Juice: Fresh citrus juice brightens the honey syrup and balances its sweetness. Orange juice is traditional and pairs beautifully with the zest in the dough, while lemon juice adds a tangier note. Always use freshly squeezed as bottled juice tastes flat and changes the final flavor.
• Sprinkles: Rainbow nonpareils add color, crunch, and that festive look struffoli are known for. The tiny, round shape sticks well to the warm honey glaze. You can use any color mix you like, but avoid large jimmies, which tend to bleed or slide off the syrup. If you want something a bit different, you can use other toppings like chocolate drizzle, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, candied maraschino cherries, and candied orange or other candied fruit. Love sprinkles? Try my anginetti cookies recipe!

See the recipe card for quantities.

How to Make Struffoli

This Struffoli recipe is easy to make. Making the tiny dough balls takes a bit of time, but it is a fun tradition for family or friends to do together. This easy recipe guide makes struffoli achievable for anyone.

1. Pulse the eggs and sugar in a food processor until creamy and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. It’s important to be patient and let the sugar and eggs get to a creamy texture. Add the orange zest, liquor, and vanilla extract and process to mix.

2. Add the flour and baking powder to the mixture and pulse until a few times (not too much). Add the butter pieces to the processor.

3. Pulse again until thoroughly combined. The dough will be sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30-45 minutes.

4. When the dough is chilled, transfer it to a lightly floured surface and cut it into four even sections.

5. Roll each section into a long rope, about the same thickness as your finger. Cut each rope of dough into pieces ½ to 1-inch wide. I prefer mine to be slightly larger than the standard marble size. 

6. Roll each piece into small balls in the palms of your hands. The balls should be the size of a hazelnut or a marble. Place the dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover it with a clean kitchen towel as you roll out all the balls. 

7. Heat your oil to 350°F. Use an instant-read candy thermometer, or you can test the heat of the oil with one dough ball. Add it to the oil; if bubbles form around it and it quickly turns a golden brown color, the oil is ready.

8. Add the dough balls to the hot oil in batches of about 15 balls. Stir a couple of times until they puff and turn golden brown, about 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to help the dough balls move in the oil to get a nice, even golden brown color.

9. Use a slotted spoon to remove the dough balls. Carefully shake the excess oil back into the pan.

10. Transfer the fried dough to a paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Repeat frying with the remaining dough.

11. Add the honey and orange juice to a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir to combine. Cook, continuously stirring with a wooden spoon, until the honey is runny, about 5 minutes.

12. Transfer the fried dough balls to a large mixing bowl. Pour the honey mixture on top of the struffoli. Toss to combine until the struffoli are fully coated with the honey mixture. 

13. Spray a tall cylindrical drinking glass with non-stick cooking spray and set it in the center of a round serving platter, plate, or cake plate. You can even use a springform pan to set and shape the balls.

14.  Use a rubber spatula to mound the glazed struffoli balls to form a wreath around the glass. Allow the struffoli to set for 2-3 hours.

15. Remove the glass from the center of the wreath when you’re ready to serve, and sprinkle the rainbow nonpareils on top. Love these Italian fried dough balls, then try you’ve got to try this zeppole recipe too!

Struffoli Troubleshooting Tips

• Dough Is Too Dry or Cracking: This usually means the flour absorbed more moisture than expected. Add 1–2 teaspoons of milk or juice and knead briefly until the dough becomes smooth and soft. The dough should be pliable, not stiff.
• Dough Is Too Sticky: A slightly tacky dough is normal, but if it’s difficult to roll, sprinkle in 1–2 teaspoons of flour at a time. Too much extra flour will make the fried balls hard, so add it gradually.
• Struffoli Are Hard After Frying: Hard texture comes from over-mixing the dough, rolling the dough too big or frying at too low a temperature. Aim for pea-sized pieces and keep the oil between 340–350°F (170–175°C) for the perfect crisp-tender bite.
• Struffoli Absorb Too Much Oil: Oil that’s not hot enough is the most common cause. If the dough sinks and doesn’t rise quickly, the oil isn’t ready. Heat it a bit more before frying the next batch.
• Honey Syrup Turns Grainy or Too Thick: Honey becomes grainy when overheated. Warm it gently, just until fluid, then remove it from the heat before coating the fried dough. If it thickens too quickly, stir in 1–2 teaspoons of warm water to loosen it.

Italian Honey Balls Recipe FAQs

Serving Suggestions

Struffoli are traditionally served in a circular wreath shape or mounded on a platter. Serve them for dessert during the holidays, following a meal of roasted beef tenderloin or Italian porchetta, paired with sides like creamy polenta and Italian flat green beans.

Serve them with my Sicilian arancini recipe for a fun snack or with an Italian hot chocolate for the ultimate holiday pairing.

More Classic Italian Dessert Recipes

Authentic Tiramisu Recipe

Chiacchiere di Carnevale Recipe (Italian Fried Pastries)

Bomboloni Recipe (Italian Donuts with Cream Filling)

Italian Fig Cookies Recipe (Cucidati)

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