If you love cannoli, then you will love this Cannoli Ice Cream recipe! It’s the perfect dessert for any cannoli lover to enjoy year-round. 

This recipe serves 12 and costs $13.38. That’s only $1.12 per serving! 

An overhead picture of 2 ice cream cones filled with cannoli ice cream.

Homemade Cannoli Ice Cream Recipe

Cannoli Ice Cream. Yes, I so went there. Today I’m taking the classic Sicilian pastry and turning it into ice cream!

I had never thought of making cannoli ice cream until last summer. I was in the grocery store, leisurely scanning the ice cream aisle when I came across a popular national brand selling it, and I was ecstatic.

Actually beyond ecstatic because I was 6 months pregnant and I had a hankering for an awesome dessert. I bought 3 pints. 

I got home and immediately dug in. After just one spoonful I was totally and completely bummed. 

3 pints of ice cream in the trash. The next day I set out to develop my own recipe for Cannoli Ice Cream.

I’ve found that there is a cult following when it comes to cannoli, folks are passionate about this dessert, as am I. When I started recipe development I knew I needed to nail this recipe before posting. 

After a year of recipe development, I’ve done it. My recipe for Cannoli Ice Cream does cannoli justice. 

The cannoli shell pieces, along with the chocolate chips and pistachios in a frozen, creamy texture, is the perfect combination to satisfy your cannoli cravings in the summertime. Or any day of the year if you are as obsessed with cannoli as I am!

A coop of cannoli ice cream in an ice cream scoop.

If you love Cannoli as I do, then you need to try this Cannoli Dip with Chocolate Covered Cannoli Chips, Cannoli Cupcakes, and Cannoli Sugar Cookie Cups

What is Cannoli Ice Cream?

It is a classic Sicilian pastry turned into a frozen treat. The ice cream contains cannoli shell pieces, chocolate chips, pistachios, mascarpone cheese, ricotta, cinnamon, whole milk, sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla bean paste.  

How to Make Cannoli Ice Cream:

STEPS  ONE AND TWO: First, add ricotta, mascarpone, and sugar until to a bowl. Then, mix on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. 

The ricotta cheese and sugar being beat with a handheld mixer.

STEPS THREE AND FOUR: Next, add the heavy cream, milk, vanilla bean paste, and cinnamon. Mix on low speed until combined.

Beat in the whipping cream and cinnamon.

STEPS FIVE AND SIX: Then, fold in the cannoli shell pieces, chocolate chips, and pistachios. After that, cover the mixture and chill for one hour. 

Fold in the chocolate chips, cannoli shell pieces, and pistachios. Transfer to ice cream maker and churn.

STEPS SEVEN AND EIGHT: Remove the mixture from the fridge and freeze it in your ice cream maker as per the manufacturer’s instructions. Scoop ice cream into containers and freeze for about three hours. Then, scoop and serve!

A coop of ice cream on the counter with canopies all around it.

How much will this Cannoli Ice Cream recipe cost to make:

RECIPE COST: $13.38

PER SERVING COST: $1.12

NOTE: The recipe prices are calculated by using grocery store websites. The actual cost of the recipe will vary depending on what ingredients you already have. 

  • 15 ounces container whole milk ricotta – $2.77
  • 1 cup granulated sugar – $0.23
  • 1 1/4 cup heavy cream – $1.21
  • 1/2 cup whole milk – $0.06
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste – $0.25
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon – $0.10
  • 1/2 cup broken cannoli shell pieces – $1.80
  • 4 ounces mascarpone cheese – $2.99
  • 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips – $0.99
  • 1/2 cup unsalted roasted pistachios roughly chopped – $2.98

Cook’s Note:

It is crucial that you use whole milk ricotta in this recipe; the texture and taste depend upon it.

I highly recommend using vanilla bean paste. Suppose you haven’t used it before it’s made up of vanilla extract, and the vanilla bean seeds all mixed to make a paste. In a pinch, you could use vanilla extract.

Instead of using broken cannoli shells, I use broken waffle cones, mainly due to the lack of cannoli shells in my local grocery store. If you can find them, or if you’re feeling overly ambitious and want to make your own, go for it!

I am in love with these paper ice cream containers. I always have a bunch on hand for storing homemade ice cream. They’re also great for transporting soups or salads for picnics.

You can find cannoli shells at World Market or on Amazon. 

A hand holding up a cone filled with cannoli ice cream.

Cook’s Tools:

stand mixer OR handheld mixer

mixing bowl

rubber scraper

ice cream machine

ice cream container(s)

If you love Cannoli as I do, then you need to try these:

two ice cream cones with cannoli ice cream on a counter.
4.67 from 9 votes

Cannoli Ice Cream

Recipe Cost $ 13.38
Serving Cost $ 1.12
Prep Time 4 hours 15 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes
12 people
If you love cannoli, then you will love this Cannoli Ice Cream! It's the perfect dessert for Spring and Summer!

Equipment

  • stand mixer or handheld mixer
  • mixing bowl
  • rubber scraper
  • ice cream machine
  • ice cream container

Ingredients
 
 

  • 15 ounces container whole milk ricotta
  • 4 ounces mascarpone cheese
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 ¼ cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
  • teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ cup broken cannoli shell pieces
  • ½ cup mini chocolate chips
  • ½ cup unsalted roasted pistachios roughly chopped

Instructions

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl using a handheld mixer), add the ricotta, mascarpone, and sugar and mix on medium speed until just combined about 1 minute.
  • Add the heavy cream, milk, vanilla bean paste, and cinnamon. Mix on low speed until combined, 1-2 minutes. Fold in the cannoli shell pieces, chocolate chips, and pistachios. Cover the mixture and chill for 1 hour.
  • Remove the cannoli ice cream mixture from the refrigerator and freeze it in your ice cream maker as per the manufacturer's instructions. Scoop ice cream into containers and freeze until solid, about 3 hours.
  • Scoop and serve!

Notes

*This recipe makes 3-4 frozen pints of ice cream. 
*I usually get cannoli shells from Amazon or World Market. 
*If you can't find cannoli shells, then you can use 1/2 cup of broken waffle cone pieces. 

Nutrition

Serving: 0.66cup | Calories: 329kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 55mg | Potassium: 121mg | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 710IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 128mg | Iron: 0.5mg

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More Ice Cream Desserts:

This Cannoli Ice Cream post first appeared on Food Folks and Fun on July 2, 2014. I have since updated the pictures. Some of the originals are below. 

Overhead shot of cannoli ice cream in a bowl.

Cannoli Ice cream with dark chocolate and pistachios

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13 Comments

  1. Jillian,

    I’m one of those cannoli-cult members and this looks incredible!!!

    Angela

  2. Heidy L. McCallum says:

    Cannoli Ice Cream sounds fantastic! Thanks for sharing a wonderful idea.

    1. You’re so welcome. Enjoy!

  3. This ice cream looks fabulous!! Actually, I was thinking of making this for my son’s birthday party in a few weeks. I know everyone will go bonkers for it! lol What I was wondering was, how much ice cream does this make? Just want to make sure I have enough ingredients on hand, so I won’t need to make a second trip to the grocery store if it needs to be doubled. Thanks in advance!!

    1. Hi Marta,

      This recipe makes about 3 1/2 pints of ice cream. If you double it you’ll probably need to churn it in batches in your ice cream machine. Enjoy!

  4. I woke up this morning from a dream of Cannoli IceCream. Thought it was a genius idea and original! Ha ha well I’m happy to see that I don’t have to create a recipe! Thanks very much and I’ll be making this SOON!!

    1. Haha, I often dream about cannoli ice cream, too! 🙂 Enjoy!

  5. I just made this today. The flavor is fantastic. One step I would change though is to NOT fold in the crushed cone or cannoli shells into the mixture or even the frozen ice cream itself. They really get soggy and rubbery which kind of throws off the texture. Will I still enjoy this batch? Of course! Next time I will crush a cone onto the top of a couple scoops almost like a garnish.

  6. Michael Coovert says:

    If I love this ice cream as much as I love cannoli, my diabetes is in serious trouble.

  7. Looks like I need an ice cream machine! This looks very tasty!

  8. Shadi Hasanzadenemati says:

    Can’t wait to try this, I know it’s going to be a hit!

  9. Yum! This ice cream looks out of this world delicious! I can’t wait to make this!

  10. I would recommend throwing in the chips and cannoli shells toward the end of the churn. My ice cream maker kept popping off the lid with all the little chips and chunks of shell.