Taralli Recipe (Crunchy Italian Snack Rings from Puglia)

Taralli are crunchy Italian snacks shaped like little rings, similar to breadsticks but crispier and more crumbly. They’re first boiled, then baked, which gives them their signature golden crust and irresistible crunch.

Originally from Southern Italy, taralli are a traditional snack that’s perfect for any time of day. I often enjoy them as an appetizer with cured meats and cheese, accompanied by a glass of Prosecco.

There are many regional variations across Italy: some are small and round, others larger and slightly elongated. Taralli can be savory or sweet, and often include different flavorings like fennel seeds, black pepper, or even chili flakes.

Among the many types, the most famous are Taralli Pugliesi (from Apulia) and Neapolitan Taralli (made ke fennel seeds, black pepper, or even chili flakes.
with lard, pepper, and almonds).

The Pugliese version (also known as tarallini or tarallucci because of their small size) is the most popular. There's also a larger version called scaldatelli, with a flatter and more elongated shape.

In Apulia, taralli have deep cultural roots, just like the region’s iconic Focaccia Pugliese and Orecchiette pasta.

In this recipe, I’ll show you how to make authentic Taralli Pugliesi at home using just a few simple ingredients: flour, dry white wine, and extra virgin olive oil. The dough is rolled into small ropes, shaped into rings, briefly boiled, and finally baked until golden and crisp.

Give this easy homemade taralli recipe a try, and bring a taste of Southern Italy to your snack table!

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Kitchen Tools and Equipment
• Instructions
• Storage
• Variations
• History
• Recipe Card

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Ingredients

Prep Time: 40 Min | Cook Time: 40 Min | Servings: about 50 Tarallini or about 20 big Taralli

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• 550 g (4 ½ cups) "00" flour
• 200 g (1 cup) dry white wine
• 125 g (½ cup) extra virgin olive oil
• 12 g (2 teaspoons) salt

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Kitchen Tools and Equipment

• First of all, a large bowl is useful for making the first part of the dough.
• Then you certainly cannot do without a work surface for kneading. There are beautiful wooden kneading surfaces or practical non stick silicone mats.
• You need pot to do the first cooking of taralli in boiling water.
• Then a strainer to remove the boiled taralli from the water as soon as they come to the surface.
• Some trays on which to lay the taralli to cool and drain.
• Parchment paper to line the tray and prevent them from sticking to the bottom.
• Finally bake them. Once cooled, the taralli can be stored in glass jars or food bags. This keeps them crisp and crumbly for a long time.
• You can also gift your delicious homemade taralli to your friends in pretty airtight ceramic jars.

Instructions

Make the Dough

Step 1) - First prepare the dough. You can also do it in the mixer if you prefer, but traditionally the dough is made by hand.

In a large bowl place the flour. Then add the salt and extra virgin olive oil.

Mix until you get a grainy consistency.

Step 2) - Now add the dry white wine. Stir a little to allow the liquid to be absorbed. Then knead with your hands.

Step 3) - Transfer the dough to the pastry board. Knead with your hands for about 10 minutes. The dough should be smooth and free of breaks or lumps.

Shape into a loaf. Finally cover the dough with a tea towel to prevent it from drying out.

The Shape

Step 4) - Pull off small pieces of dough. Using your fingers, roll each piece on the pastry board and form a roll of dough about 1 cm (about ½ inch) thick and 13 cm (5 inches) long.

PLEASE NOTE: The size of the rings depends on your taste and how you want to use the taralli. Small taralli are perfect on their own as a snack or with an aperitif. To accompany cured meats and cheeses, or as bread substitutes, you may want to make them larger.

Step 5) - Close the dough roll by joining and overlapping the two ends. Form a ring of dough and set aside. Continue until you run out of dough.

How to Cook Taralli Pugliesi

Step 6) - Boil some water in a fairly large pot. Dip a few taralli at a time into the boiling water. When they are cooked, the taralli come to the surface.

Step 7) - As soon as they rise to the surface, remove them with a skimmer. Place them on a tray covered with a tea towel. This will allow the taralli to absorb excess water and cool.

Step 8) - Preheat the oven to 190°C (370°F). Transfer the taralli to a baking sheet covered with baking paper. Bake for about 40 minutes, until they have a nice golden color. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

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Storage

Let the taralli cool very well. Then store them in plastic food bags or tightly sealed jars.

This will keep the taralli crisp and crumbly for up to 15 days.

Freezing is not recommended.

Variations

It's possible to make many tasty variations of the classic Taralli recipe from Puglia. Just add some spices or herbs to the dough according to taste.

• Spicy Taralli: For example, you can make spicy taralli by adding half a teaspoon of chili pepper, finely chopped olives or sun-dried tomatoes to the dough.
• Fennel Taralli: The most popular and traditional variant, which can be considered a classic along with taralli with oil only, is the one with fennel seeds. In Puglia it's very common to flavor foods with fennel seeds. For example, sausage with fennel is very famous and so are some pasta sauces. Taralli with fennel are no different. The fennel seeds give the taralli a very distinctive anise aroma and scent. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of fennel seeds to the dough.
• Taralli Pugliesi with Pizza Flavor: The recipe for pizza-flavored taralli calls for adding ½ tablespoon of tomato paste, ½ tablespoon of dried oregano and 1 tablespoon of grated pecorino cheese to the dough. These are typical Mediterranean ingredients that characterize these very tasty and flavorful taralli.
• Onion-flavored taralli: Onion-flavored taralli are very appetizing. To add the onion to the dough, proceed as follows: cut a medium-sized onion into very small pieces. Sauté it in a pan with a little oil until it is well cooked and soft. Allow it to cool completely. Only at this point you can add it to the taralli dough.

History

The exact origin of the word taralli is uncertain. Some trace it back to the Latin torrere (to toast), others to the French toral (dryer), or even the Italian tar (to wrap). The most accepted theory links it to the Greek word daratos, meaning a type of bread.

The taralli recipe likely dates back to the 15th century in Apulia, during times of famine. According to legend, a mother invented taralli using only pantry staples: flour, olive oil, white wine, and salt. She shaped the dough into rings and baked them, unknowingly starting a tradition that continues today.

Over time, the recipe evolved: the rings were boiled before baking to enhance their crunch, and flavored with spices like fennel seeds or chopped olives.

Taralli soon spread across Southern Italy, especially to Naples, where a different version developed.

Neapolitan taralli emerged around the 1700s, when bakers reused leftover bread dough, enriching it with lard ('nzogna) and black pepper. By the 1800s, almonds were added, creating the now-classic taralli sugna e pepe.

Unlike the Apulian version, Neapolitan taralli contain yeast, more fat, and are baked directly—without boiling—resulting in a denser, richer snack.

Fun Fact

Taralli have long symbolized warmth and hospitality in Italian culture. Traditionally shared at family dinners after a hard day's work, they brought people together in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere.

Hosts would welcome guests with taralli and a glass of wine - a simple gesture of kindness and conviviality.

This tradition lives on in the Italian saying “finire a tarallucci e vino”, which means resolving a tense situation peacefully and on good terms - just like old times, with snacks and wine at the table.

Recipe Card