Making fresh, homemade cannoli cream is easier than you think. You’ll be filling cannoli in no time with my How to Make Cannoli Cream tutorial and this cannoli recipe!
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Buckle up, folks because today I’m showing you how to make cannoli cream! Cannoli is my all-time favorite dessert, and they are very popular during the Easter season (especially if you love back east). This cannoli cream recipe is the newest installment in my #SpringEats blog series.
I love a good cannoli, but sadly they’re hard to find here in Southern California. Over the years this Connecticut girl has learned how make Cannoli out of necessity. My recipe for cannoli cream is every bit as good as what you can get back east.
Cannoli ingredients.
Cook’s Note for How to Make Cannoli Cream:
- This recipe calls for strained ricotta. See my post from earlier this week on how to strain ricotta cheese.
- To fill the Cannoli shells with the Cannoli cream I use a piping bag and a coupler. That’s it. I don’t use an icing tip, because the mini chocolate chips tend to clog it.
Let’s take a minute to discuss Cannoli shells:
My 2 cents: buy them!
To make homemade Cannoli shells you’ll need to buy Cannoli forms, make the dough, chill it, roll it out, wrap the dough around the forms, and then fry them. That’s too many steps, and currently, my life doesn’t afford made-from-scratch luxuries like this.
I go for the next best thing, I buy my Cannoli shells. There’s no shame in it, a lot of bakeries and even restaurant do the same thing. My all-time favorite cannoli shells are from World Market. You get a set of 20 mini shells for $2.99! Well worth it in my opinion!
If you don’t have a World Market nearby, then Amazon to the rescue! These are my favorite Cannoli shells from Amazon.
How to make Cannoli Cream
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 1 15- ounce container whole milk ricotta cheese, strained
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Place the cream into a small bowl and set aside.
- In the same mixing bowl, add the ricotta cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Mix on medium speed until well combined, about 1 minute. Fold in the whipped cream and chocolate chips.
- Chill the cream for at least 2 hours before filling the cannoli shells.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
More Cannoli Recipes!
Check out other #SpringEats Recipes:
Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies with Toasted Coconut
Bakery Style Carrot Cake Cheesecake Cake
Toasted Coconut Macadamia Nut Bars
Strawberries & Cream Cheese Blintzes
Karen Fox says
Hi Jillian,
Here’s another idea for serving cannoli cream. At the party store buy short clear plastic glasses and tiny silver plastic spoons. Place the cream in the bottom of each glass, filling each 1/3 or more This would probably work fine using a wine glass too.. Dip the tip of the shells in melted chocolate and place one in each glass along with a spoon. It makes a nice presentation and seems a lot easier than having to pipe the cream into the shells.
I haven’t yet tried your recipe for the cannoli cream but do look forward to it. Thank you.
Jillian says
Karen, this is a fabulous idea. I could picture it, it would look so pretty!
Sharon says
Jillian
We are making 300 cannoli for a church event but do not have refrigeration available for the filled cannoli. How long is it safe for them to sit out at room temperature?
Jillian says
Hi Sharon, I would say that they can sit out for no longer than 2 hours.
If you need them to sit for longer than that, do this: fill a rimmed baking sheet with ice, then lay another baking sheet right on top. Serve the cannoli from the top baking sheet. The ice underneath will keep them nice and cool.
Also, just a tip: Try to fill the cannoli as close to serving time as possible, that way they shells won’t become soggy.
Good luck! 🙂
Teresa Rispoli-Hixson says
Hi Jillian, I am loving all these yummy recipes everyone has been sharing. My hubby is really loving it because I cook things all the time. I am soooooo looking forward to making the cannoli cream. I do have a question, and I hope it’s not a silly one. Is the whipping cream heavy or just whipping cream? I like to do exactly a story the recipe calls for the first time….then I may get adventurous, but I never wanna mess up a cannoli!!
Jillian says
Hi Tessa, you can use either heave or whipping cream. Enjoy! 🙂
Louise Durrenberg says
Have you ever used mascarpone cheese in the recipe instead of ricotta??
Jillian says
I have, I just prefer my cannoli with strained ricotta instead.
Aida says
Hey! How do you strain the riccota?
And would Galbani ricotta work? Thank you!! Looking forward to make this
Jillian says
Hi Aida, I have a post on how to strain ricotta cheese here: https://foodfolksandfun.net/2015/03/how-to-strain-ricotta-cheese/
Whole milk Galbani ricotta will work well.
Sondra branscum says
Wondering if these Cannoli cream has anything that kid maybe allergic too. We bought one today and she had allergies, that showed up, she is allergic to citrus and eggs. Thanks for your help in advance.
Jillian says
Hi Sondra, some cannoli creams have citrus zest in them, usually orange zest. And I believe the cannoli shells have egg in them.
Michelle M Semrad says
I agree about the citrus addition. Authentic usually require minced citron or candied lemon peel, not always easy to find, or convenient to make. I like abit of lemon zest or I will thoroughly mince a dollop of orange marmalade and add it in, slightly cutting down on powdered sugar so its not too sweet. Also I dust the ends with ground pistachios.
Amy Baldwin says
I use wonton wrappers fried around a cannoli form for my shells! They make great shells and not as much work as making the dough completely from scratch!
Jillian says
I love this hack! I’m going to try it the next time I make cannoli!
Adrianne says
Yum!! Got to love a recipe with cream in it. These look fabulous, cheers!
Jillian says
Thank you, cannoli is my favorite!
2pots2cook says
Dear Jillian, I am so happy to find you ! Printing, sharing, telling, pinning…… Will be back ! Thank you !
Jillian says
You’re the sweetest, thank you! 🙂
Paula says
Dear Jillian, As someone who has made cannoli shells and had to make only a few at a time, I am going to try sugar cones for the shells??? I am a Cannoli-aholic! I learned to make the cream spot on to your recipe and was taught that the whipping cream addition makes all the difference in the world! Thanks!
Jillian says
Paula, I am SO glad you love this recipe! How did using sugar cones for the cannoli shell work out for you?
gene oliva says
No disrespect but I can’t imagine how this recipe makes anything but cannoli soup. Beating ricotta breaks the curd. I have made cannoli cream many times but must mix the ricotta very gently. Has anyone followed this recipe and been successful?
Commerical bakeries use a special ricotta that is not normally available to the public. It is extremely dry hence a thick cream.
Jillian says
I’ve made it many times and never get cannoli soup. In this recipe, it calls for strained ricotta which takes away the excess moisture and makes for drier ricotta.
Gary VanNostrand says
Jillian, I used homemade ricotta that I let drain for 4 hrs. So nice dry texture. The combo of that with your other ingredients was perfect consistency and great NYC cannoli taste!!
Lisa says
Found this recipe when I was searching cannoli, it is basically the same one I have been using for a while now, but I don’t use the whipping cream. What does it add? I completely agree with you that Ricotta is best, but I think Polly-O works better than Galbani. BTW, I have used sugar cones many times and they work fine, not as delicious as homemade cannoli shells but a heck of a lot easier than frying anything.
It just takes more cream to fill than a mini cannoli shell. I have also used Splenda for diabetic folks, doesn’t taste as good, but the diabetics I know appreciate bring able to indulge with everyone else.
Jillian says
Hi Lisa!
To answer your question, I like the addition of whipped cream for its flavor and for the texture that it adds to the cannoli cream.
I’m glad that this recipe works well with Splenda!