Taralli or Tarallini Pugliesi are a delicious little snack from Puglia. Crunchy and crispy made with white wine, flour and olive oil. Add your favourite herbs and spices and serve them with drinks for an Italian aperitivo!
Taralli are the PERFECT snack to serve alongside your aperol spritz (or cocktail of choice). They're small, crunchy and totally addictive, yup...you need some self-control around these things.
Traditionally from Puglia, you'll find them in different shapes and sizes, technically these are tarallini (small taralli) and can be flavoured with fennel seeds, chilli flakes or herbs.
They're really easy to make and keep for weeks so you can store them in jars and serve them for when the clock strike aperitivo time, enjoy!
Ingredients - what you need
See the photo below that shows you all the ingredients you need plus some important tips!
- Flour - I use Italian 00 (double zero) flour but you can use all-purpose flour instead (plain flour UK). If measuring in cups and using AP flour you may need to add a little more wine if it seems too dry.
- White wine - use a dry white wine such as Verdeca (Puglian), Soave or Pinot Grigio.
- Olive oil - extra virgin olive oil will give you the best flavour!
- Salt - it's important to season the Taralli with salt, don't skip it or they'll lack in flavour.
- Fennel seeds - this is an optional addition and my personal favourite. If you want you can add in pepperoncino (red pepper flakes/chilli flakes), rosemary, oregano, parmesan, just choose your favourites!
Put the flour, salt and fennel seeds in a large mixing bowl and mix until combined (photo 1).
Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the white wine and olive oil. Using a fork start incorporating the flour into the liquid until a rough dough forms (photos 2 & 3).
Knead the dough for around 10 minutes then wrap in plastic wrap (cling film UK). (photo 4).
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Pinch a small amount of dough (about 1 tsp) and roll it into a small rope about ½ cm thick (⅕ inch) and 3 inches long (photo 5 & 6).
Form a small bagel shape by folding one end over the other and lightly press the ends to join them. Repeat with the rest of the dough until you have formed all of the Taralli (photos 7 & 8).
Preheat the oven to 375F (190C) and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
In batches, boil them in salted water until they float to the surface (about 20-30 seconds), remove them with a slotted spoon and place them on a clean dish towel to drain (photos 9 & 10).
Once you’ve boiled all of the taralli lay them on a lined baking tray and bake them for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and crispy (photos 11 & 12). Let cool then serve.
Recipe tips and FAQs
- Flavour variations to try - Fennel seeds, red pepper flakes (chilli flakes), rosemary, oregano, black pepper, Parmigiano Reggiano. Use as much or as little as you like.
- Don't use too much flour - when rolling the Taralli try to use as little flour as possible. The dough should be tacky but not stick to your hands.
- Use salt - salt is an important ingredient for flavouring the Taralli so don't skip it!
Yes, you can use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment to make and knead the dough.
White wine is traditionally used so for authenticity and flavour I recommend using it. If you're avoiding alcohol you can use cold water instead.
The Taralli will keep well in an air tight container for 3-4 weeks.
More Italian appetizers to try
- Fried Sausage Stuffed Olives - Delicious And Crispy
- Grissini - Italian Breadsticks
- Fried Sage Leaves with Anchovies
- Italian Farinata Chickpea Flatbread (La Cecina Toscana)
- Baked Ricotta with Thyme and Parmesan
If you’ve tried these Taralli Pugliesi or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW US on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST or sign up to our NEWSLETTER to see more of our delicious food
📖 Full Recipe
Taralli Pugliesi
Ingredients
- 2 cups Italian 00 flour (290g) can also use all-purpose flour
- â…” cup dry white wine (140ml) cold
- â…“ cup olive oil (60ml)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes plus extra for boiling
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Put the flour, salt and fennel seeds in a large mixing bowl and mix until combined.
- Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the white wine and olive oil. Using a fork start incorporating the flour into the liquid until a rough dough forms.
- Knead the dough for around 10 minutes then wrap in plastic wrap (cling film UK).
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Pinch a small amount of dough (about 1 tsp) and roll it into a small rope about ½ cm thick (⅕ inch) and 3 inches long.
- Form a small bagel shape by folding one end over the other and lightly press the ends to join them. Repeat with the rest of the dough until you have formed all of the Taralli.
- Preheat the oven to 375F (190C) and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- In batches, boil them in salted water until they float to the surface (about 20-30 seconds), remove them with a slotted spoon and place them on a clean dish towel to drain.
- Once you’ve boiled all of the taralli lay them on a lined baking tray and bake them for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
- Let cool then serve.
Notes
- Flavour variations to try - Fennel seeds, red pepper flakes (chilli flakes), rosemary, oregano, black pepper, Parmigiano Reggiano. Use as much or as little as you like.
- Don't use too much flour - when rolling the Taralli try to use as little flour as possible. The dough should be tacky but not stick to your hands.
- Use salt - salt is an important ingredient for flavouring the Taralli so don't skip it!
- Storage - the taralli will keep well in an airtight container for 3-4 weeks.
Nutrition
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Whitney
Hello!
Your recipe looks great. Just wondering if you could brush a little butter on these at the end/close to the end of baking? Or would that make them soggy?
Emily
Hi Whitney, I've never tried brushing them with butter but I don't think it would make them soggy if it's near the end 🙂
Angela
Hi Emily, I am making the tarallini right now! They all stuck to the clean tea towel. I had to peel them off, which is fine, but I’m wondering if that happens to you as well. I have searched a million of these tarallini recipes online, and everyone says to put the boiled tarallini on a tea towel to drain and dry off, but nobody mentions them sticking! I followed the recipe exactly, and weighed out my ingredients. Every other aspect of the recipe has gone well. Please advise!
Emily
Hi Angela, they do become quite tacky after boiling and can stick to the towel so don't worry it's normal 🙂
GCSinKTM
Emily, thank you for the recipe. Readers, If you are avoiding wine, as mentioned, feel free to follow the recipe EXACTLY as given. There is no alcohol left in a boiled and baked taralli. None. This is not always true when you add alcohol to a sauce. It may not boil out completely. But there is no alcohol left in a baked cracker.
Matt
Made a double batch of these, divided the dough in half, made half of it with fennel seeds as written. In the other half I mixed in 25 g of shredded parmesan. The parmesan ones took longer to bake, and once done tasted more toasty than parmesan-y. Next time I will increase the cheese to 40 g, and cut the olive oil to ¼ cup.
Thanks for the recipe!
Sue
I’m just making this for the second time. I love this recipe…….and YES it’s truly addicting. Thank you so much for sharing.
Emily
Thank you so much, so happy you’re enjoying them! 🙂