These pumpkin pie stuffed sweet ravioli are made with a lightly sweetened homemade dough filled with a creamy spiced pumpkin filling. Bake or fry the pastry until golden for a unique fall dessert.
Recipe Overview: Pumpkin Pie Stuffed Sweet Ravioli
Sweet pumpkin ravioli are homemade Italian dessert pastries filled with pumpkin, cream cheese, brown sugar and warm spices.
The lightly sweetened egg dough is kneaded until smooth, rested and rolled thin before being filled and cut into individual ravioli.
Bake the ravioli with cinnamon sugar for a golden finish or fry them and dust with powdered sugar while warm.
For another variation, fill the ravioli with sweetened ricotta and mini chocolate chips for a cannoli-inspired treat.
My mother-in-law and sister-in-law used to make sweet stuffed ravioli for Carnevale, and they were always such a special treat. I decided there was no reason to wait until the holiday, so I gave them a fall twist and made pumpkin pie stuffed ravioli with a creamy, sweet filling. They are similar to my baked sweet ravioli, but you can bake or fry these.
Unlike my creamy squash filled ravioli, these are dessert ravioli, not a savory pasta dish. The lightly sweetened pastry and warmly spiced pumpkin filling make them perfect for fall, just like my pumpkin baci di dama with mascarpone filling.
Ingredient Notes
- All-purpose flour: Flour forms the base of the homemade ravioli dough. A small amount is also added to the pumpkin mixture to help thicken the filling.
- Eggs: Bring the eggs to room temperature so they combine more easily with the flour and produce a smooth dough.
- Granulated sugar: A tablespoon lightly sweetens the ravioli dough without making it overly sugary. Additional granulated sugar is combined with cinnamon for the baked ravioli.
- Pumpkin puree: Use ½ cup pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Drain it for 10 to 15 minutes to remove excess moisture before making the filling.
- Cream cheese: The cream cheese makes the pumpkin filling smooth and creamy. Use 2 tablespoons for a firmer filling or 3 tablespoons for a creamier one.
- Brown sugar: Brown sugar sweetens the pumpkin filling and adds a subtle caramel flavor that pairs well with the warm spices.
- Cinnamon and allspice: These spices give the filling its pumpkin pie flavor. Cinnamon is also combined with sugar and sprinkled over the ravioli before baking.
- Salt: A pinch in the dough and a small amount in the filling balance the sweetness and bring out the pumpkin and spice flavors.
- Vegetable oil: Choose a neutral oil suitable for frying, such as vegetable, canola or sunflower oil.
- For finishing: Cinnamon sugar for the baked ravioli or powdered sugar for the fried ravioli.
How to Make Pumpkin Pie Stuffed Sweet Ravioli
Begin with the filling since it needs time to firm up. Drain the pumpkin puree, then mix it with the cream cheese, brown sugar, flour and spices until smooth.
Refrigerate it for about an hour. I wouldn’t rush the chilling time because a thicker filling is much easier to portion and seal inside the dough.
While the filling chills, make the dough. Whisk together the dry ingredients, create a well and mix in the eggs with a fork.
Transfer the mixture to a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough feels smooth and almost silky. Add flour only when needed to prevent sticking, then cover and rest it for 30 minutes. If the dough keeps springing back when rolled, let it rest a little longer.
Divide the dough into manageable portions and keep anything you are not using covered. With a pasta machine, begin on the widest setting and gradually work down to a thinner sheet. If rolling by hand, work in small batches so you can reach an even ⅛-inch thickness without the dough drying out. Lay one sheet of dough on a lightly floured surface and add small mounds of chilled filling, leaving enough room between each one to create a good seal.
Lightly brush the dough around the filling with water and cover with a second sheet. Press around each mound first to push out trapped air, then cut the ravioli into squares and check the edges. They don’t need to look identical. A slightly rustic shape is part of their homemade charm.
For baked ravioli, sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar and bake until golden.
For fried ravioli, keep the oil close to 325°F and cook only a few at a time, turning them so both sides brown evenly.
Drain them on paper towels and add powdered sugar while warm.
recipe tips
- Use flour sparingly. Lightly flour the dough and work surface only as needed. Adding too much flour can make the ravioli dough dry, tough and more difficult to seal. Although I do recommend you flour well the ravioli mold before adding the dough.
- I also recommend once you put the dough in the mold, fill/seal it, then place it in the freezer for about 10 minutes. This helps stiffen up the ravioli so that it is easier to remove from the mold. Mine were a little tricky to get out, so this was a big help, also it helps to use an offset spatula to push them out.
- Avoid overfilling and trapped air. A heaping teaspoon of filling is enough. Press around each mound from the center outward to remove air, then check that the edges are completely sealed.
- Watch the baked ravioli closely. Remove them once the dough is lightly golden. Because the dough is rolled thin, overbaking can make the ravioli too firm.
- Maintain the oil temperature. Fry in small batches and keep the oil close to 325°F. Oil that is too cool can make the ravioli greasy, while overly hot oil may brown the dough too quickly.
- Choose your preferred size. I made the ravioli in two sizes, approximately 6 x 9 cm (2½ x 3½ inches) and 8 x 10 cm (3 x 4 inches). The shape and size don’t need to be perfect, but larger ravioli may need slightly more filling.
Variations
- Ricotta and chocolate chip: Use the optional ricotta filling instead of the pumpkin filling. Its sweet ricotta and chocolate chip flavor is similar to my homemade baked cannoli.
- Pumpkin pie spice: Replace the cinnamon and allspice with approximately ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice.
- Different finishes: Sprinkle the baked ravioli with cinnamon sugar or dust the fried ravioli with powdered sugar. A light drizzle of caramel sauce would also pair nicely with the pumpkin filling.
pumpkin pie stuffed sweet ravioli fAQs
Sweet ravioli are Italian dessert pastries made with thin dough and a sweet filling. They are often prepared for Carnevale with ricotta, chocolate, jam or other regional fillings. This version gives them a seasonal autumn twist with a creamy pumpkin filling.
Sweet ravioli are Italian dessert pastries made with thin dough and a sweet filling. They are often prepared for Carnevale with ricotta, chocolate, jam or other regional fillings. This version gives them a seasonal autumn twist with a creamy pumpkin filling.
Yes, although homemade puree is often wetter than canned. Drain it well until thick, then measure the ½ cup needed for the filling.
Prepare the dough and pumpkin filling separately and refrigerate them overnight. Let the dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling, then assemble and cook the ravioli. I would not refrigerate the assembled ravioli overnight because the filling can soften the dough.
Both are really delicious and they were gone in minutes. Best to eat them warm. Enjoy!
FOR THE DOUGH
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
PUMPKIN FILLING
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon all spice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2-3 tablespoons cream cheese
- 2½ tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon flour
RICOTTA FILLING
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons mini chocolate chips semi sweetl
EXTRAS
- vegetable oil (depending on the size of the pot)
- 1-2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
FOR THE PUMPKIN FILLING
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Drain pumpkin puree for 10-15 minutes (to remove some excess liquid)
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In a medium bowl combine with a fork until well blended, puree, cinnamon, all spice, salt, cream cheese, brown sugar and flour, refrigerate for approximately 1 hour to thicken.
FOR THE DOUGH
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While the filling is in the refrigerator, prepare the dough. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, salt and sugar, make a well in the centre and add the eggs, mix together with a fork, then move to a lightly floured flat surface and knead (add a little flour when needed to the surface, (if it is too sticky) until dough is smooth, almost silky and well combined. Cover and let rest 30 minutes.
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If you don’t have a pasta machine, I recommend rolling the pasta out in small batches,(keep unused dough covered with a tea towel so it doesn’t dry out) because it has to be quite thin, (⅛inch or ⅓ cm) always keep the dough lightly floured or it will stick. If using a machine, take a batch of dough (the size of an apple) flatten and lightly flour, and place through the machine (using the largest setting), fold the ends into the middle and feed through the machine again (remember to always lightly flour the dough),change the setting to smaller and feed through the lightly floured dough again, continue until you reach the correct thickness, should happen around the 5th or 6th feed, and don’t forget to always lightly flour the dough, (change the setting to smaller). Pasta strip should be long enough to cover itself, cut in half.
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Lie out one half (on a lightly floured surface), remove filling from fridge, place a heaping teaspoon of filling on top dough leaving approximately ½ inch spacing between, brush edges and space between filling with water, cover with other half of dough strip, pressing down to seal, cut into ravioli squares, (you could use a ravioli pastry cutter, pizza cutter or a knife) with fingers dipped in water make sure ravioli are well sealed.
BAKED RAVIOLI
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Pre-heat oven to 350F/180C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Place the ravioli on the prepared baking sheet, sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar and bake for approximately 15-20 minutes or until golden.
FRIED RAVIOLI
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In a medium pot , fill half way with vegetable oil, heat oil until it reaches 325° then add ravioli a few at a time, fry until they turn golden (turning ravioli to cook), drain on a paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle with powdered sugar while still warm. Best served warm. Enjoy!
I also recommend once you put the dough in the mold, fill/seal it, then place it in the freezer for about 10 minutes. This helps stiffen up the ravioli so that it is easier to remove from the mold. Mine were a little tricky to get out, so this was a big help, also it helps to use an offset spatula to push them out.
I made two sizes 2¼ x 3½ inches / 6 x 9 cm and 4 x 3¼ inches / 10 x 8 cm rounds.
Storage: These sweet pumpkin ravioli are best served warm the day they are made. Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2–3 days. Reheat them in the oven or air fryer until warmed through to help restore their crisp texture.
Calories: 129kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 68mg | Potassium: 75mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1321IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1mg | Phosphorus: 62mg
Updated from November 11, 2015.
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