16 POPULAR ITALIAN BREAKFAST IDEAS & RECIPES
Most of the time, Italian food is served for lunch or dinner. What about an Italian breakfast? Italian breakfasts tend to be very light and dessert-like compared to other Western countries. Italians often eat bread and jam, cookies, cornetti, which are like croissants, and pastries for breakfast. But the food served depends on where you are.
Usually, milky drinks like coffee, tea, or hot chocolate are served with an Italian-style breakfast. Italians love lattes and cappuccinos just like Americans, but they also drink juice and a barley drink called Orzo.
WHAT’S A USUAL BREAKFAST (COLAZIONE) IN ITALY?
The typical Italian breakfast, called “Colazione,” is lighter and sweeter than what we usually eat in the U.S. It includes a perfect cup of coffee, cappuccino, or cafe latte, along with jam-covered bread, biscotti, or a pastry.
Here are some of the best breakfast foods in Italy. Of course, it’s not a complete list; I had to pick only seventeen dishes that will bring the Mediterranean into your home.
1. RICOTTA PANCAKES
These Ricotta pancakes can only be described as fluffy and moist! You can enhance your pancake game by including some ricotta in your homemade pancake recipe. Add some macerated strawberries on top, then finish them with butter and maple syrup. The components work together to create a sweet flavor without one dominating the other.
2. MARITOZZI
Maritozzi is also known as Roman buns or sweet Italian buns. As their name suggests, they are a type of pastry from Rome. They are usually filled with whipped cream and topped with powdered sugar.
Maritozzi means “almost-husband” in Italian. It got its name from an old story that said men would give them to the women they loved as a marriage proposal. It’s a story that’s just as sweet as the buns.
3. TIRAMISU
You can’t go wrong with a dessert that mixes a delicious pastry with the ideal cup of coffee! A simple dessert called tiramisu will have you coming back for more! Dunk the ladyfingers in the espresso, mix the mascarpone with the cream, sugar, and vanilla, and then stack the mascarpone and ladyfingers. The best feature is that you don’t need to bake this pastry.
4. BISCOTTI
The food that goes best with coffee might seem like an odd choice for breakfast, but Italians don’t usually eat heavy breakfasts. Biscotti, also called Santucci, are hard cookies that go well with a hot drink.
Biscotti are usually made with almonds and served with drinks other than coffee in Italy. They are easy to make and can turn a good party into a great one.
5. ZEPPOLE ITALIAN DONUTS
Zeppole, also called “Italian donuts,” are sweets made of fried dough balls with powdered sugar. You can put custard, ricotta, or another sweet filling in these balls.
Zeppole are pretty much donuts, so they are easy to make. They are done in about an hour and are ready to eat as soon as they come out of the oven.
6. CRESPELLE
Crespelle is Italy’s answer to crepes and pancakes. They tend to be more like crepes than anything else. They are thin, easy to fold, and can be used for sweet and savory foods.
Crespelle is pancakes, so they are easy to make at home. You can also fill them with ricotta, spinach, or chicken to make the experience more attractive.
7. BREAKFAST BRUSCHETTA
This is for people who enjoy toast. There are many recipes for Bruschetta online, but you need toasted bread, garlic, olive oil, and salt.
You can top the toast with ham, bacon, scrambled eggs, and cheese for breakfast. This makes a delicious mixture that will make people want more.
8. POLENTA CEREAL
What would a list of breakfast foods be without cereal? Polenta is made from cornmeal, so it is gluten-free and can be eaten by vegetarians. Not only is it low in calories, but it also comes from Italy.
You can eat polenta cereal, hot or cold, with brown sugar, blueberries, apricots, or other fruits, to make a sweet, tasty dish that won’t make you feel full.
9. BRIOCHE
Brioches are another sweet Italian dough pastry. You can find them in Italian bakeries and cafes, where they are often served with coffee. Brioche can be eaten in many ways but is usually filled with vanilla cream, jam, or almond paste.
10. RUSTICO
Rustico isn’t as popular as many other Italian breakfasts, which might not be surprising since it’s a savory dish. Even though rustic is often thought of as a traditional Italian treat, it was made around 1700.
Two layers of puff pastry and a savory filling make up the treat. Some types of Rustico are filled with spinach or ricotta, while others are filled with mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, and béchamel sauce.
Most of the time, you can get Rustico as a portion of street food, especially in Leece. It can be eaten for breakfast or as a snack in the afternoon, depending on where you are and if you want something savory in the morning.
11. CANNOLI
Words like “crisp and flakey,” “lusciously creamy,” and “deliciously creamy” define this pastry. The filling of cannoli, a pastry in the shape of a tube, is typically a combination of ricotta cheese and mascarpone cheese. However, adding icing sugar, chocolate chips, cinnamon, or even cream cheese can take it to the next level. No matter your choice, you will undoubtedly want more than one.
12. NECCIO
Nuccio, or neck when there is more than one, is similar to a pancake. It can be eaten plain or rolled up and filled with something like ricotta cheese. It can be eaten for breakfast, but it can also be a dessert.
Traditional neccio is made with chestnut flour, which doesn’t contain gluten. Chestnut flour doesn’t rise as much as other kinds of flour, which is why the neccio is flat.
13. SFOGLIATELLA
The word for sfogliatella or sfogliatelle, another Italian pastry, is “thin leaf.” It was given this name because the thin, flaky layers look slightly like a pile of leaves.
Traditionally, sfogliatella is made with ricotta and semolina, but you can change it if you want to try something new.
14. ITALIAN BAKED EGGS & SAUSAGE
Do you want something warm and cozy when it’s cold outside? Try getting tomato sauce, smoked sausage, and eggs if you want to feel happy and packed all the time. Put the sauce and sausage in a pan and cook them together. Add some Italian seasoning and poached eggs, and you have a great breakfast or brunch.
15. COFFEE & LATTE
This drink has been around since the 15th century, and now people worldwide drink and enjoy it. Before they become roasted coffee, we all drink them daily, and coffee seeds go through several steps. A latte is a coffee drink made with espresso and steamed milk. In Italy, caffè latte is almost always made at home and only for breakfast. This is why we have a whole breakfast chain of food and drinks.
16. CAPPUCCINO
If you get the proper cappuccino on the right day, something about them makes you feel better. Cappuccinos have been around since the 1700s and are always made with steamed milk foam. Then, add cinnamon or sugar to the top to give it a little kick.
PrintRicotta Pancake (16 POPULAR ITALIAN BREAKFAST FOODS & RECIPES)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 Minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
Discover how to prepare delicious ricotta pancakes at home. These light and fluffy pancakes are incredibly simple to make and have authentic flavor. No need for an electric mixer. Just 30 minutes to complete. In just 30 minutes, you can have flawless handmade ricotta pancakes.
Ingredients
- 210 grams (1 and 1/2 cups) plain flour or all purpose flour, sifted
- 50 grams (1/4 cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 2 large eggs
- 180 ml (3/4 cup) full fat or whole milk
- 190 grams (3/4 cup) full fat ricotta*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Butter, for frying
- Blueberries, for serving
- Maple syrup, for serving
Instructions
- Flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt should all be combined in a sizable mixing dish. To mix, whisk only briefly.
- Add the milk, ricotta, eggs, and vanilla to a separate mixing bowl. To emulsify the wet components and break up the egg yolks, whisk for 30 seconds.
- Mixing with a whisk after adding the wet ingredients to the dry ones Thick and silky batter is ideal.
- Turn on low to medium heat in a medium frying pan. Add a spoonful of butter and spread it all over the frying pan’s base. In the center of the pan, pour about 3 teaspoons of pancake batter.
- Stir-fry pancakes till golden. Turn over and cook the opposite side until gently browned. Repeat the process with the remaining pancake mixture, putting butter on the pan between each pancake. Warm blueberries and maple syrup should be added.
Notes
- Ricotta: Rather than a brick of fresh ricotta cheese, I advise using a creamy store-bought variety for this recipe. I used Perfect Italiano Ricotta when I tested this recipe. The picture below shows the texture.
- COOKING NOTE: To ensure that the inside is completely cooked through, these pancakes must be cooked at a lower heat than conventional pancakes due to the moisture in the ricotta. Because every stove is different, make a test pancake first to make sure the inside is completely cooked when the outside is golden. If not, lower the heat and cook each pancake for an extended period of time.
- Category: breakfast
- Method: Pan Fry
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 7-8
- Calories: 375 kcal
- Sugar: 11g
- Sodium: 341mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 58g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 10g
- Cholesterol: 105mg
Keywords: pancakes
FAQs
What is a traditional Italian breakfast?
The main breakfast dishes in Italian homes include bread with butter and jam, biscuits, and cereal. Traditional breakfast beverages include coffee, tea, and cocoa milk for youngsters.
Do Italians eat eggs for breakfast?
Italians may have cereal, biscuits, fruit, and drink instead of bacon and eggs at home. When escaping, they usually start their days at a neighborhood pub with an espresso and a serving of starch and sugar. pasticcini (pastries)
Why don’t Italians chill their eggs?
European specialists on food safety used a different strategy: They prohibited egg producers from washing eggs, left the cuticle intact, forbade chilling (which can result in mildew growth and bacterial contamination should cause the eggs to sweat when they return to room temperatures), and began a program for immunizing chickens.
What keeps Italians so trim?
Fresh vegetables, olive oil, pasta, and seafood are all abundant in their Mediterranean diet. They exercise regularly by riding bikes and walking everywhere, watch their portions, avoid packaged foods, and limit their consumption of high-fat, sugary, and calorie-dense foods and beverages.
What does a woman from Italy eat each day?
Three meals a day are part of the average Italian diet. Pasta, cheese, produce, olive oil, meats, and wine are among the staples of Italian cuisine. Fresh ingredients are essential to Italians. They cook dishes using items that are in season.
What is a typical Florence breakfast?
A classic Italian breakfast consists of a pastry, most commonly a cornetto (Italian for croissant), consumed while standing at a bar and sipping a cappuccino.