Easy Cannoli Recipe

4.71 from 17 votes

August 26, 2018

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With this Easy Cannoli Recipe, you too can make amazing and creamy, unforgettable Italian restaurant quality Cannolis at home! Enjoy!

Holy Cannoli, where do I even begin? I’ve been testing Cannoli recipes for the past two weeks and I think I’ve cracked the code! I never really loved Cannoli until I moved to New York City and had a proper Cannoli. Man are they good! I was dying to make a homemade version that was just as good if not better than those available to me here in the city and by golly, we’ve done it! Read on, friends.

The Cannoli

Moving to New York City certainly has its perks, but the sheer volume of cannoli you can find just brings joy to my heart. There are plenty of amazing ones in the city, and plenty of gross ones too that just need to stop being made. The two best ones I’ve had (both in Brooklyn; Dellarocco’s & Juliana’s Pizza) include a slightly lemony, super creamy, super smooth, cold cold cold filling with a crispy, buttery shell.

The worst ones I’ve had are grainy, runny, not sweet enough, too sweet, or just stale tasting. The worst possible way to waste calories, in my humble opinion.

So after explaining that, let me say that this recipe couldn’t be easier! (But seriously…)

Main Ingredients Needed

Here’s everything you’ll need to make the best cannolis ever!

Store-Bought Cannoli Shells – this makes the recipe 10000000x easier. These are the ones I used and they were great!
Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese – a creamy, soft, and slightly sweetened cheese traditionally used in cannolis.
Powdered Sugar – to sweeten.
Lemon Zest – or lemon extract. This adds to the fresh taste.
Vanilla – for flavor.
Heavy Cream – for the creamy cannoli filling!
Garnishes – these could include mini chocolate chips, pistachios, and/or powdered sugar.

How to Make Cannolis

Make the cannoli filling. Wring out excess liquid in ricotta cheese, add to blender with powdered sugar, lemon zest, vanilla, and heavy cream, blend, scrape down sides, blend, scrape down sides, etc.. until smooth filling is achieved.
Fill the cannoli shells. Scoop into a pastry bag, snip the end off and fill each cannoli as your little heart desires.
Top with mini chocolate chips and powdered sugar. Optional step but this makes the cannolis extra special!

Pro Tips for making this Easy Cannoli Recipe

Use Cheesecloth

Different brands of ricotta cheese mean different amounts of moisture so every.single.time I made these, I would get different outcomes. That is no way to create a recipe. Instead of just sticking with one brand and recommending that across the board, I decided to just use cheesecloth with every brand and wring out as much moisture as humanly possible. I wanted a thick and creamy filling that would hold its shape after being piped and hours beyond that. Taking out as much moisture using the cheesecloth is the main thing I did to ensure a stable filling. Got mine here.

Use a Blender

I also used a blender to get that unmistakably smooth filling. Not that traditional or authentic, but I don’t care. I create recipes based on my likes and dislikes. I dislike grainy fillings, therefore, I use the blender to get rid of that texture. Another difference between those different brands of ricotta cheese I saw across the board was the graininess. Some had more, some had less. Enter my Vitamix. If you don’t have a blender, try a food processor.

Whip in Heavy Cream

Another controversial, inauthentic ingredient I use is heavy cream. Not a ton of it, but enough to give it a lighter, creamier, airy texture. Again, I like things the way I like them and this was the best ingredient to add to get a cannoli filling I LOVED, just like I found in the restaurants.

Buy Cannoli Shells

I ended up ordering pre-made cannoli shells from Amazon and they were surprisingly good. Obviously not as good as homemade, but I’ll be darned if I’m going to buy a bunch of forms just for this one recipe, struggle to find room in my tiny kitchen to store them, and end up giving them away. I know myself. That totally would have happened. Also, I hate frying things, unless it’s my pumpkin donuts in October. You are welcome to make the shells from scratch or just get them from Amazon. To each her own.

Use Disposable Pastry Bags

I love these disposable pastry bags and use them in lots of applications. They make filling the cannoli shells 1000 times easier.

How to Store

Store in airtight containers in the fridge for up to two days. They are edible after two days, but not as good as fresh.

Want more Cannoli in your life?

A Pumpkin Filled Cannoli Recipe
Crockpot Hot Chocolate to accompany a Cannoli of your choice
Cannoli Pancakes from Delish
Cannoli Milkshake from Snappy Gourmet

If you have any questions or comments concerning this recipe, feel free to leave it in the comments section below and I can answer it there.

Happy eating! Printable recipe below, cannoli lovers.

4.71 from 17 votes