Fresh, homemade cannoli cream is easier than you think to make. You’ll be filling cannoli shells in no time with my How to Make Cannoli Cream tutorial! This popular Italian recipe has been shared over 124,000 times on social media! 

Finished recipe with text overlay for Pinterest.

Buckle up, folks, because today I’m showing you how to make cannoli cream! Italian pastries are my favorite, and this is my all-time favorite dessert. They are very popular during the Christmas and Easter seasons (especially if you live back east). 

I can remember the first time that I had a cannoli. It was at a mom and pop Italian restaurant in my hometown of Southington, Connecticut. It was sweet (but not overly sweet), crunchy, and had the most fantastic texture.

I was hooked instantly.

Since I cannot resist these Italian pastries anytime, I see them on a restaurant menu. 

I love a good cannoli, but sadly they’re hard to find outside of the Northeast. Over the years, this Connecticut girl has learned how to make them out of necessity.

My recipe for the cannoli filling is every bit as good as what you can get back east. 

Close up picture of 3 cannolis.

This recipe is by far one of my most popular, and it’s the best cannoli filling I’ve ever had. Don’t believe me? Well, you don’t need to take my word for it, here’s what some of my readers have said about this recipe:

Jenn: These were on my “must make” list, and I’m so glad I found this easy peasy recipe for cannoli cream – thank you!

Ruth V.Jillian, I had success making this cannoli filling several times, and it was delicious.

PaulaI 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

Cook’s Note:

  • This cannoli recipe calls for strained ricotta. See my post from earlier this week on how to strain ricotta cheese.
  • To fill the pastry shells with the filling, I use a pastry bag and a coupler. That’s it. I don’t use an icing tip, because the mini chocolate chips tend to clog it.
  • This recipe will make enough filling to fill 20 small and 12 large cannoli. 

Let’s take a minute to discuss Cannoli shells:

You can either make them from scratch or buy them.

To make homemade shells, you’ll need to buy cannoli forms, make the dough, chill it, roll the dough out, wrap the dough around the forms, and then fry them.

Making a homemade pastry shell takes time, but it is SO worth it! Check out my tutorial for How to Make Cannoli Shells for all of the details. 

A bowl of cannoli cream with empty shells ready to be filled.

If you decide to buy the shells,  there’s no shame in it, a lot of bakeries and even restaurants do the same thing.

My all-time favorite shells are from World Market. You get a set of 20 mini shells for $2.99! Well worth it, in my opinion!

Additionally, if you don’t have a World Market nearby, then Amazon to the rescue! These are my favorite cannoli shells from Amazon. 

What is cannoli cream made of?

The cream recipe calls for just six essential ingredients: 

  1. Whipping cream – this makes the cream light and not too dense. 
  2. Ricotta cheese – this gives the classic cannoli flavor and texture. 
  3. Powdered sugar – just a little bit goes a long way. You cant to taste the ricotta cheese and not sugar! 
  4. Pure vanilla extract – pure and nothing less. When making uncooked recipes, it’s best to use pure vanilla extract. 
  5. Ground cinnamon – just a touch adds a tasty flavor dimension. 
  6. Mini dark chocolate chips – the mini chips are easier to pass through your pastry bag or Ziploc bag. Plus, the mini chocolate chips complement the size of the cannoli well. 

How do you thicken up the filling?

This question is a hard one, and that’s why it’s imperative to make sure you drain the ricotta before you use it in the filling. BUT, if the filling starts to become runny, you can thicken it up with a few ground almonds that you process in a blender or food processor until they are almost like almond powder. 

Cannoli Cream Ingredients

How long does this filling last?

Unfortunately, with fresh ingredients like whipped cream and ricotta cheese, this filling will not last long in the refrigerator. I recommend keeping it in an airtight container in the fridge for no more than two days.

I do not recommend freezing the filling, because ricotta cheese and freshly whipped cream do not freeze and defrost well. 

Where does Cannoli Come From?

These Italian pastries come from the island of Sicily in the city of Palermo. They’re a staple of Sicilian cuisine as well as Italian-American cuisine.

Is it cannoli or cannolis?

In Italian, the singular is cannolo, and the plural is cannoli. English speakers generally use cannoli/s for the singular and the plural. 

If you love these Italian pastries as I do, then check out these other recipes:

Pin this recipe.

Flavor and Recipe Variations:

  • Instead of chocolate chips, you can use chocolate shavings or chopped pistachios. 
  • Also, I’ve had some pastries that had a little bit of grated orange peel added to the filling. 
  • You can sprinkle them with powdered sugar and even add a maraschino cherry to either end, too. 

More delicious recipes you have to try:

More from Food Folks and Fun

Cannolis stacked on top of each other.
4.15 from 162 votes

Cannoli Cream recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
20 people
Fresh, homemade cannoli cream is easier than you think to make. These are perfect for Easter, Christmas, and beyond! 

Equipment

  • fine mesh strainer
  • cheesecloth
  • mixing bowls
  • stand mixer or handheld mixer
  • rubber scraper

Ingredients
 
 

  • ½ cup whipping cream
  • 1 15- ounce container whole milk ricotta cheese, strained
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • cup mini dark 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.
    Beat the whipping cream to stiff peaks .
  • 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.
    Fold the whipped cream and chocolate chips into the ricotta cheese mixture,
  • Chill the cream for at least 2 hours before filling the cannoli shells.
    Stir until combined.

Video

Notes

This recipe makes about About 2 1/2 cups of cannoli filling. You will need about 2 tablespoons of cannoli filling to fill each small cannoli. 
This will make enough filling to fill 20 small and 12 large cannoli. 
This recipe calls for strained ricotta cheese. Check out my How to Strain Ricotta Cheese tutorial. 

Nutrition

Serving: 2Tablespoons | Calories: 94kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 21mg | Potassium: 50mg | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 190IU | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 0.3mg

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Picture collage for Pinterest.
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This How to Make Cannoli Cream recipe first appeared on Food Folks and Fun on March 12, 2015. I have since updated the photos and added a recipe video. You can see one of the original photos below. 

Freshly made cannoli cream
How to Make Cannoli Cream 2
3 mini cannolis on a white pedestal.
Cannoli filling recipe in a bowl and inside of mini cannoli shells.
Four cannolis on a blue platter.

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Recipe Rating




127 Comments

  1. Yum!! The cannoli cream looks and sounds delicious!

    1. How many cannoli shells can you fill with this recipe? Thanks

      1. It’s enough to make 20-24 minis or 10-12 regular-sized ones.

  2. Joanne/WineladyCooks says:

    Hi Jillian, Thanks for sharing your recipe. My family loves cannoli fillings so I use it in quite a few desserts.

  3. Desiree @The36thAvenue says:

    So yummy! Thank you so much for linking up with us… Featuring you this Friday!

    1. Yay, I am SO excited! Thanks, Desiree!

  4. Helen Kempster says:

    I am going to make these for my niece for her birthday instead of a cake!!!

  5. Heidi Salisbury says:

    Thanks for sharing.

  6. Looks delicious! I want to make this for cupcake frosting!

  7. OldernDirt says:

    I can’t stand that “stuff” you find in the grocery stores they call ricotta. Anyone living in the Joliet, Illinois area can buy the “real” ricotta made by old Italian methods from two suppliers in the area. One is Mancuso Cheese the other is Chilinos (sp). These two cheese makers make the finest ricotta I’ve had since I was a kid and Nonna was the top chef. Mancuso also has a great selection of other Italian cheese, Scamortza, mozzarella, cheese sticks etc. Chilinos has mozzarella.

    If you’re fortunate enough to be in the area make one of these two places THE place to get your ricotta and you’ll see and taste the difference in your lasagnas, cannolis, cakes and whatever else you use ricotta for. I love it just plain out of the container!

    1. Thanks for the tip on where to buy good, fresh ricotta in Illinois! I’ve never had, good, fresh, homemade ricotta…I think I need to find a recipe!

      1. Hi, Jillian! I make your cannoli cream recipe all of the time, and everyone loves it! Today, I’m making it with my own homemade ricotta, using Ina Garten’s recipe. It’s so easy, and so tasty! Totally worth giving a try

        1. Awesome! I bet it tastes even better with homemade ricotta!

    2. Ron Nicholls says:

      I agree…I was tuck and had to buy PACKAGED RICOTTA FROM A SUPER MARKET…AWFUL In Philly go to DiBrunos, Clauido’s or Talluto’s all on 9TH Street. I think Talluto’s is the best of the very good fresh ricotta.

  8. Hi Jillian I really love the recepie thank you so much for share with everyone and I like to tell you one thing the cannoli I bought from canadian store name metro they have every day I love to buy from them

    1. Glad you liked the recipe, and thanks for the tip for Canadian readers. 🙂

  9. Margaret Hill says:

    Hi Jillian. Mags from Taunton in Somerset UK here. I will experiment with your Cannoli recipe and instead I will use clotted cream which is similar in taste to ricotta but much richer and thicker. Absolutely delicious. I will post my findings on here so you will know my thoughts.

    1. Hi Mags! I have heard of clotted cream, but I’ve never used it. I’m anxious to hear how it turned out for you!

  10. I love you !!thanks for the wonderful recipe’s it’s nice when you find a web sight that knows we’re looking for good recipes and won’t make us jump through hoops to get them my family likes it too

    1. Aww, you just made my day! Thanks for stopping by, Shelly!

  11. This looks delicious! Have you ever made it ahead of time? How does it hold up in the fridge?

    1. Hi Jess, I would say you can make the cannoli cream up to 24 hours in advance. Don’t fill the cannoli until right before serving because the shell will soften some.

  12. Thanks for recommending whole milk ricotta! The flavor and texture are best. (I’m from back east, too, and grew up – a long time ago – in an Italian immigrant neighborhood.)

    1. Exactly, whole milk ricotta is a must when making cannoli cream! Enjoy!

  13. Shawn Dove says:

    HI Jillian! Im from Connecticut too and i live in Northern California. I cant find any tasty canolis any where either! Im looking forward to trying this. Thank you!

    1. Yay, a fellow nutmeg-er! I hope you enjoy this recipe!

  14. 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.

    1. Karen, this is a fabulous idea. I could picture it, it would look so pretty!

  15. 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?

    1. 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! 🙂

  16. 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!!

    1. Hi Tessa, you can use either heave or whipping cream. Enjoy! 🙂

  17. Louise Durrenberg says:

    Have you ever used mascarpone cheese in the recipe instead of ricotta??

    1. I have, I just prefer my cannoli with strained ricotta instead.

      1. Hey! How do you strain the riccota?
        And would Galbani ricotta work? Thank you!! Looking forward to make this

  18. 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.

    1. Hi Sondra, some cannoli creams have citrus zest in them, usually orange zest. And I believe the cannoli shells have egg in them.

  19. 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.