Chestnut fritters made with just three ingredients, served warm with ricotta, thin slices of pecorino and a drizzle of truffle honey. A delicious autumn snack that’s ready in minutes.
These naturally sweet, rustic fritters are simple to make and pair beautifully with creamy ricotta, salty pecorino and fragrant truffle honey. If you prefer, substitute a floral honey for the truffle variety. Serve them alongside small glasses of red wine for a cozy, festive treat.
I first discovered these chestnut fritters while travelling and volunteering in Tuscany. Our neighbour, a generous Nonna, loved to feed everyone and once served these on a crisp morning—accompanied, amusingly, by little glasses of red wine and grappa. They were unforgettable.
Have you tried chestnut flour? It’s versatile and works well in gnocchi, pasta, cakes and pancakes. It has a slightly chalky texture and a natural sweetness, so when baking with chestnut flour you usually need less added sugar.
There are only three ingredients in the fritters themselves:
- chestnut flour
- water
- salt
That’s it. I experimented with adding baking powder or bicarbonate of soda, but that produced a lighter, pancake-like texture, which isn’t authentic for these fritters. The traditional version—just chestnut flour, water and salt—yields dense, slightly chewy bites with a lovely sweet-savory balance. They work as a special breakfast, an afternoon snack, or even a simple dessert.
How To Make Chestnut Fritters – Step By Step
Combine chestnut flour, a pinch of salt and water until you have a smooth, slightly thick batter.
Heat oil in a large frying pan. Drop a heaped tablespoon of batter onto the hot pan in batches. Fry the fritters on one side for about a minute until browned and crispy, then flip and cook briefly on the other side. Transfer to kitchen paper to drain.
Serve the fritters warm with thin slices of pecorino, a spoonful of ricotta and a drizzle of truffle or floral honey.
Tip: Use only a small amount of oil for frying (around 3 tablespoons) and add more oil between batches if needed so the pan stays evenly greased without becoming deep-fried.
More Easy Snacks To Try;
- Bagna Cauda, anchovy, garlic & butter dip
- Cecina Toscana – Tuscan chickpea flatbread
- Artichoke dip – parmesan, lemon, garlic
- Mozzarella in Carrozza – fried mozzarella sandwiches
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Chestnut Fritters with Pecorino, Ricotta and Truffle Honey
By Emily
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (150g) chestnut flour
- 2/3 + 1/4 cup (220ml) water
- 1 pinch salt
- sunflower oil, for frying
- pecorino cheese, for serving
- ricotta cheese, for serving
- truffle honey, or floral honey, for drizzling
Instructions
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Mix the chestnut flour, salt and water until you have a smooth, slightly thick batter.
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Heat about 3 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan. Drop heaped tablespoons of batter onto the hot pan in batches, adding more oil between batches if needed. Fry the fritters until browned and crispy on one side, flip and cook briefly on the other side. Drain on kitchen paper.
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Serve warm with pecorino slices, a spoonful of ricotta and a drizzle of truffle or floral honey.
Notes
- This recipe was developed using metric measurements; imperial equivalents are approximate.
- Calories per fritter are provided as an estimate.
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I generally use extra virgin olive oil in recipes unless stated otherwise.
- All vegetables are medium-sized unless otherwise noted.
- Recipes are tested using a fan (convection) oven when applicable.
- Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be treated as an approximation.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an approximation.