cannoli

Cannoli recipe with homemade shells and a smooth ricotta filling. Crispy texture, lightly sweet, ready in just over 1 hour. Taste Italy at home.

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Total Time 1 31

Servings: 12 pieces

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Calories: 310

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

Shells

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter cold, diced
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg yolk egg yolk
1 tablespoon white vinegar
0.25 cup sweet white wine or marsala
1 liter vegetable oil for frying

Filling

2 cups ricotta cheese drained overnight
0.75 cup powdered sugar
0.5 cup mini chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
0.5 teaspoon orange zest
2 tablespoons candied orange peel finely chopped, optional

Method

Making the shells

Combine flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl. Mix well.
Add the cold diced butter. Rub using your fingertips until it looks like coarse sand. This step really improves crispness.
Add the egg yolk, vinegar, and sweet wine. Mix until the dough comes together. If it feels dry, add another tablespoon of wine, just enough for a soft dough.
Knead briefly—about 2-3 minutes—until smooth. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
Divide the dough in 2. Roll each piece very thin—aim for 2mm or about as thin as a coin. Cut into 4-inch circles.
Wrap each circle around a metal cannoli tube, sealing the edge with water. Pinch well—it must stick or it will unwrap in the oil.
Heat oil in a deep pot: 180°C (350°F). Fry just 2-3 shells at a time. Turn gently and fry until deep golden, about 2 minutes.
Remove shells with tongs, slide off the metal tube (use a towel—it's hot), and cool on paper towels. Repeat for all dough.

Preparing the ricotta filling

Push ricotta through a sieve for a smoother texture. This makes the filling silkier.
Mix ricotta with powdered sugar, vanilla, orange zest, and candied orange peel (if using). Stir just until smooth, then fold in the mini chocolate chips.
Cover and chill in the fridge until ready to fill the shells. You can do this up to 2 days ahead.

Filling and serving

Right before eating, use a piping bag (or a big zip bag with the corner cut) and fill each shell from both ends so the middle isn't hollow.
Don't fill too early—the shells stay crisp only for a few hours with filling.
Dust with powdered sugar. Serve within a couple of hours for the best crunch.

Notes

I never thought I'd bother making cannoli at home, but once I tried it, the homemade shells put every bakery version to shame — light, shatteringly crisp, never tough.

Getting crisp shells every time

The dough needs serious rolling. Store-bought are thick and doughy; homemade can be, too, unless you push it thin — I aim for almost see-through. I always rest the dough at least 30 minutes so it doesn't shrink up when I roll.

Here’s something I learned after a few flops: seal the dough edges well with water or the cannoli will open up when frying. I press with my fingers for a solid seam, not just a gentle pinch. And don’t over-fry — just deep golden, about 2 minutes. Let the oil reheat between batches or the shells go greasy.

Ricotta tricks

Good cannoli filling is all about dry ricotta. Even "drained" ricotta from the store can be wet — I always wrap it in a clean cloth and leave in a colander overnight. If you skip this, you get runny filling and soggy shells in minutes.

If you want the creamiest texture, push ricotta through a sieve. It seems fussy, but it takes 3 minutes and really does make a difference.

Variations and real-life subs

Don’t have Marsala? A sweet white wine works nearly as well. If you want a nutty filling, chopped toasted pistachios mix in beautifully. I’ve also swapped half the chocolate chips for diced dried cherries — tart and sweet at once. Cream cheese as a ricotta sub sounds tempting, but makes the filling much heavier and tangier than classic.

Storage and filling

Cannoli shells must stay unfilled until close to eating — they’ll hold a crunch for about 2 hours after piping but start to soften fast after that. I store empty shells in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Filling can be made two days ahead.