Homemade Cannoli Recipe

Learn how to make this Sicilian-style homemade Cannoli Recipe, which is stuffed with sweet ricotta cheese and chocolate chips. I never liked these as a kid, but once I started making them myself, I fell in love.

We are a dessert family and if you’re anything like us then you should definitely check out how to make my Zeppole’s and Italian Cheesecake recipes!

Cannoli

Cannoli are fried cylinder shells of dough with a biscuit-like texture stuffed with sweetened whipped ricotta cheese. The stuffing batter commonly has citron or chocolate chips added to it. They are an excellent snack, dessert, or sweet treat served with coffee for breakfast.

Cannoli was founded and created in Sicily, not Italy. Its incredible history goes back to 800-1100 a.d., during the Arabic rule of the island. The king had quite a few concubines who would make him amazing foods and desserts. One of those desserts was a cylinder-shaped pastry filled with ricotta, almonds, and honey.

Another tale takes place on the opposite end of the spectrum in a convent that made a similar cylinder-shaped pastry stuffed with ricotta, sugar, and chocolate. 

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Flour – I used Italian 00 flour for this recipe. However, you can substitute it with bread flour. If all-purpose flour is all you have, remove the amount of wine by 2 teaspoons.
• Eggs – Large eggs that are chilled or at room temperature work well.
• Marsala—This recipe uses dry marsala, but Madeira will also work. If you do not drink it, substitute white grape juice.
• Salt – I always use coarse salt in my cooking and baking.
• Vinegar — White wine vinegar is the most classic, but regular distilled white vinegar works.
• Sugar – You will need granulated sugar for the shells and filling and powdered sugar for garnish.
• Cheese – Sheep’s milk ricotta is the classic cheese to use. However, whole cow’s milk can also be used.
• Chocolate — I like mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you can also use regular-sized chips. They can also be milk, bitter, or dark chocolate.
• Fat – It is traditional to use lard. However, softened unsalted butter can be used.
• Cocoa Powder – Any good cocoa powder will do. Do not use a pre-made hot chocolate mix.

How to Make Cannoli

Sift the flour, sugar, salt, and cocoa powder in a large bowl.

Add in the lard, egg, white wine vinegar, and marsala wine, and knead the dough for 10-14 minutes.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour to rest.

Remove the dough, place it on a clean floured surface, and roll it out until it is about a ¼” thick.

Using a 1 ½ circle cutter, cut as many dough rounds as possible in the dough, about 20-25.

Roll out each individual dough round until it’s about 5”- 6” in diameter.  Repeat until all the rounds are rolled out.

Form each dough round around a metal cylinder cannoli mold and rub a little bit of whisked egg to help form the two ends together.

Fry in the cannoli cylinders in oil at 350° for 1 to 2 minutes or until browned.

Remove the cooked cannoli shells from the oil, drain on a rack, and then carefully remove them from the metal cylinders once they are cooled.

Add the sheep’s milk ricotta to a chinois or a strainer with cheesecloth and drain off as much liquid as possible in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Add the ricotta to a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and whip at low speed while slowly pouring in the sugar until it is smooth.

Finish by folding in some mini semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Transfer the filling to a piping bag with no tip and generously pipe the filling into the cooled cannoli shells.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: While best served and eaten within a few hours of making them, you can make these up to 1 day ahead.  Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

How to Store: Place covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. They will also freeze well-covered for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day or until softened.

chef notes + tips

• You can re-roll out the dough to make even more cannoli shells.
• Do not form the dough around the cannoli metal molds to hang over the edges; otherwise, it will cook over and ruin when trying to release it from the metal mold.
• You should get fried air pockets in the cannoli shells when frying them.
• Some Sicilian filling variations include thickened cream with milk and cornstarch, which is not authentic.
• Northern Italy uses whole milk ricotta most often, while Southern Italy and Sicily use sheep’s milk ricotta.
• When kneading the dough, think of pasta. It’s the exact same technique and takes the same amount of time.
• Some filling will be left, which is perfect for dipping Graham crackers in.

More Dessert Recipes

• Clafoutis
• Blackberry Cobbler
• Rice Pudding
• Chocolate Mousse
• Churros

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Homemade Cannoli Recipe

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5 from 20 votes

Learn how to make this Sicilian-style homemade Cannoli Recipe stuffed with sweet ricotta cheese and chocolate chips.

Servings: 25

Prep Time: 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 50 minutes minutes

Equipment

• Cannoli Tubes

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

For the Filling:

• 800 g sheep’s milk ricotta or 3 cups
• 300 g sugar or 1 ½ cups
• 250 g mini semi-sweet chocolate chips or ½ cup

For the Shells:

• 250 g 00 flour or 1 ½ cups
• 20 g sugar or 1 ½ tablespoon
• 3 g salt 3 or 1/2 teaspoon
• 2 g cocoa powder or 1 teaspoon
• 25 g lard or 1 tablespoon
• 45 g eggs or 1 egg, whisked + 1 more separate
• 50 g marsala wine or ¼ cup
• 8 g white wine vinegar or 1 teaspoon

Instructions

• Filling: Add the ricotta cheese to a chinois or a strainer lined with cheesecloth and place it over a bowl and in the refrigerator to drain excess liquid for at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Remove the ricotta and place it in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and whip on low speed while slowly adding in the sugar.
• Mix until the cheese is smooth and then fold in the chocolate chips until they are completely mixed in. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Shells: Sift together the flour, sugar, salt, and cocoa powder into a large bowl.
• Add in the lard, egg, wine, and vinegar and mix by hand until combined, about 2 minutes.
• Transfer to a clean surface dusted with flour and knead the dough for 10-15 minutes.
• Wrap the dough in plastic and let it rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Remove the dough and place on a clean surface dusted with flour and roll it out until it is about a ¼” to 1/3” thick.
• Using a 1 ½” diameter circle round cutter, cut as many rounds as possible out of the dough as possible, which will make about 20-25.
• Roll each round out until they are about 5” to 6” in diameter, be sure to dust with flour wherhe needed to avoid any sticking.
• Whisk 1 egg together in a bowl and set aside.
• Wrap each rolled out dough round around a metal cannoli cylinder and rub a little whisked egg onto the end of the cannoli dough and wrap the other end over top and gently press to secure. Repeat until all of the cannoli shells are prepped.
• Fry in oil at 350° for 1 to 2 minutes or until browned. Set aside to drain on paper towels or a rack on a sheet tray.
• Once they are cool, remove the shells from the metal cannoli cylinders.
• To Stuff: Take the filling out of the refrigerator and add it to a piping back with no tip.
• Once the filling is in there use scissors to cut off the end of the piping bag, which is about a ½” up from the tip of the bag.
• Generously stuff each cannoli shell using the filling in the piping bag. You will have to pipe in one side then turn it to pipe in the other side.
• Generously sprinkle on powdered sugar and serve!

Notes

Make-Ahead: While best served and eaten within a few hours of making them, you can make these up to 1 day ahead.  Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

How to Store: Place covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. They will also freeze well-covered for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day or until softened.

You can re-roll out the dough to make even more cannoli shells.

Do not form the dough around the cannoli metal molds to hang over the edges; otherwise, it will cook over and ruin when trying to release it from the metal mold.

You should get fried air pockets in the cannoli shells when frying them.

Some Sicilian filling variations include thickened cream with milk and cornstarch, which is not authentic.

Northern Italy uses whole milk ricotta most often, while Southern Italy and Sicily use sheep’s milk ricotta.

When kneading the dough, think of pasta. It’s the exact same technique and takes the same amount of time.

Some filling will be left, which is perfect for dipping Graham crackers in.

Nutrition

Calories: 215kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 5gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 77mgPotassium: 105mgFiber: 1gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 157IUCalcium: 75mgIron: 1mg

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian, Sicilian

Author: Chef Billy Parisi