The Best Fried Ravioli (+ Marinara Dip!)

overhead shot of deep fried ravioli on small white plate surrounding a pot of marinara dip

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5 from 2 votes

The Best Fried Ravioli (+ Marinara Dip!)

Here I'll show you how to make ultra crispy fried ravioli, alongside a simple and delicious marinara dip!

Prep Time20

Cook Time15

Total Time35

Course: Appetizer, Finger Food

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings:

Author: Chris Collins

Cost: £2.50 / $3

Equipment

Medium Sized Pot & Wooden Spoon (for marinara dip)
3 Large Shallow Dishes (for dredging ravioli)
Cast Iron Skillet or Pan suitable for frying & Slotted Spoon (for deep frying ravioli)
Kitchen Thermometer (for measuring oil heat - optional)
Wire Rack & Paper Towels or Tray (for resting fried ravioli)
Sharp Knife & Chopping Board

Ingredients

Marinara Dip

1x 14oz/400g can of Chopped Tomatoes
1/2 small Onion, finely diced
1 clove of Garlic, finely diced
1 tbsp EACH: Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 tsp EACH: Dried Basil, Dried Oregano, Sugar
Salt, Pepper & Chilli Flakes, to taste (chilli flakes optional)

Fried Ravioli

9oz / 250g refrigerated Ravioli (see notes)
1 cup / 60g Panko Breadcrumbs (see notes)
1/4 cup / 35g Flour
2 Eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp EACH: Garlic Powder, Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
2 tbsp Parmesan, to serve (dusty variety works best)
1 tbsp finely diced Fresh Parsley, to serve
2-3 cups / 500-750ml Vegetable Oil, for frying (or enough to comfortably cover the ravioli)

Instructions

Marinara Dip: In a medium-sized pot over medium heat, fry onion until soft and golden in 1 tbsp olive oil. Add in garlic and fry for another minute or so, then pour in chopped tomatoes. Fill the can up around 1/4-1/3 of the way up with water, swill out the can and pour that in too. Stir in balsamic vinegar, basil, oregano, chilli flakes (optional) and sugar with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Simmer for 10-15mins, or until the sauce has thickened and is no longer watery.
Coat Ravioli: Line up 3 large shallow dishes - the first with flour, the second with beaten eggs, and the third with Panko breadcrumbs and garlic powder, salt & black pepper. Dip each ravioli into the flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, ensuring you carefully but thoroughly coat at each stage (try to avoid cracking the ravioli). Place to one side, then use a small sharp knife to stab the centre of each ravioli. This will ensure they don't bubble up and burst in the pan.
Fry Ravioli: Heat up enough oil to comfortably cover the ravioli (2-3") to 180C/350F. To test, add a pinch of breadcrumbs. If they rapidly sizzle, you're good to go. Fry the ravioli in batches of 6 or so for 2-3mins, or until deep golden and visibly crispy, turning halfway. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a wire rack with paper towels or a tray underneath to catch the oil. Repeat with remaining ravioli.
Serve Ravioli: Tip fried ravioli into a large bowl and sprinkle over parmesan and parsley. Gently toss to coat the ravioli, then serve up with marinara dip and enjoy!

Video

Notes

a) Ravioli - Try and use a nice/'fancy' filling. Here I've used Basil & Pine Nut ravioli, which works amazingly. You can use frozen ravioli, you'll just have to thaw it first. 9oz/250g is around 20 pieces of ravioli.

b) Seasoning - A lot of recipes use Italian seasoning or Italian breadcrumbs, however, I like to just season the breadcrumbs with a simple mix of garlic powder, salt and pepper. I find the extra seasoning in the crumb can sometimes get distracting; you want the flavour focus of the ravioli filling. Having said that you can add extra seasoning to the crumb if you wish, especially if you have a ravioli with something like a plain cheese filling.

c) Breadcrumbs - Panko breadcrumbs are essential for this recipe. They're fairly big and airy, meaning they crisp up really nicely. You'll find them in the Asian section of most stores.

d) Marinara Dip - You can make this ahead of time and tightly store it in the fridge until needed (serve warmed up or cold). If you have a favourite marinara sauce, you can certainly just use that instead of making your own. For more tips on the dip check out my Marinara Dipping Sauce.

e) Prep Ahead - I find these have the best texture when they're prepped and fried straight away, but you could crumb them, then rest them in the fridge for a few hours before frying.

f) Make Ahead - I don't recommend fully making these ahead of time, but certainly don't waste any leftovers. Just allow them to completely cool then tightly store in the fridge. Reheat in the air fryer or oven until hot and crispy again.

g) Calories - Whole recipe divided by 4 assuming 1 tsp oil soaked up per ravioli. Slight overestimate as not all the flour, egg and breadcrumbs are used.

Nutrition