Giada De Laurentiis' 5-Ingredient Fried Ravioli Is The Crispy, Cheesy Appetizer You'll Want To Make Again And Again

Giada De Laurentiis says it's impossible to not love deep fried-ravioli, and we don't see a world where she could be wrong about that. Ravioli is easy enough to obsess over on its own, but those little pasta pillows are irresistible when they're breaded and deep-fried. They are crunchy on the outside with a melty center — a perfect party appetizer, after-school snack, or finger-food meal. Giada De Laurentiis uses store-bought ravioli, buttermilk, breadcrumbs, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese to make these bite-sized bits of Italian American-inspired street food, and it only takes about 30 minutes.

De Laurentiis' fried ravioli highlights the traditional flavors of Italian American cooking. She like plain cheese ravioli, pre-seasoned Italian breadcrumbs, and warm marinara sauce for dipping. But you can make all kinds of fried ravioli. Fry up store-bought ravioli filled with spinach and ricotta, fresh herbs, sautéed beef and onions, and more. Dip them in ranch or pesto if you don't prefer marinara sauce, or make butternut squash and pumpkin ravioli with a sage brown butter sauce. Skewer each fried ravioli on a lollipop stick and garnish with fresh Parmesan to really make it feel like you're serving street food.

Buttermilk is Giada De Laurentiis' secret to fluffy, crispy breading and a golden crust on her ravioli. She dips each ravioli into buttermilk and then into seasoned breadcrumbs before they go into hot olive oil to fry for three to four minutes. But there are other things you can use for breading and to help the bread stick to the ravioli. Dip the ravioli in eggs, milk, or Italian dressing for a little extra zest before it goes into panko, homemade breadcrumbs, or a blend — like the breadcrumbs, garlic powder, salt, and cornmeal that works so well on air fryer mozzarella sticks (they'll go great with marinara dipping sauce, too).

The best part about De Laurentiis' take on fried ravioli is that it's easy and quick. But you can make your own ravioli from scratch if you want to. Use sourdough discard in your pasta dough for an extra little twist. And while you're at it, whip up some dessert ravioli, too, for a round or two of sweet treats like fried churro ravioli (stuffed with Nutella and cinnamon), and ravioli stuffed with ricotta and chocolate chips (or just chocolate mousse). Don't forget dipping sauces that will complement the sweet flavors and crunchy, fried texture, like melted chocolate, fruit and yogurt dips, and whipped cream.