Easy Homemade Cannolis

You only need a handful of ingredients to make these Easy Homemade Cannolis! Crisp cannoli shells are filled with a lightly sweetened whipped ricotta with hints of citrus and vanilla. The ends are dipped in chocolate chips, toasted almonds or pistachios.

Cannolis are something I’ve grown to love, especially during the warmer months.

You get the crispy crunchy shell and then the cool, lightly sweetened whipped ricotta follows with it, hints of citrus and bits of chocolate throughout! It’s a dreamy combination. I do however make a quick espresso chocolate sauce to dip the ends in before I fill them with the most ridiculously addictive ricotta filling. With that said, I’ll admit I don’t make my own shells. You know me and my fear of deep frying, so I leave that to the pros aka. Alessi.

They are super simple and the perfect cool treat on a hot summer day.

Here’s what you need to make these easy homemade cannolis:

• ricotta cheese – Use whole milk ricotta. I like ricotta con latte by BelGioioso (not sponsored).
• cannoli shells – Use homemade or store bought.
• semi-sweet chocolate – Lends the perfect chocolate flavor without being overly sweet.
• espresso powder – Enhances the chocolate flavor with a subtle coffee flavor.
• coconut oil – Helps to set the chocolate once cooled.
• powdered sugar – Lends sweetness to the filling.
• orange zest – Adds a pop of bright citrus flavor.
• pure vanilla extract – Enhances the flavor of the filling.
• lemon extract – Adds additional citrus flavor.

for garnish:

• mini chocolate chips
• chopped pistachios
• toasted sliced almonds

Prep The Ricotta:

First, the ricotta. The day before you plan on making cannolis, wrap 2 cups ricotta in a couple layers of cheesecloth. Next, place it into a fine mesh strainer that is set over a larger bowl. Place a small plate on top of the wrapped ricotta and weigh it down with a heavy can or two. Lastly, place the whole thing into your fridge for 18 to 24 hours. This is enough time to drain any liquid from the ricotta.

Make The Chocolate Sauce:

The day of: In a medium bowl, set over a pot with simmering water; melt 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate with the prepared espresso (1 tablespoon + 1/4 cup boiling water) and 3 tablespoon coconut oil until smooth. The simmering water shouldn’t touch the bottom of the bowl.

Then allow this mixture to cool and set up a bit before dipping 8 cannoli shells.

Next, dip the ends of each side of the cannoli shells into the espresso chocolate.

Then place onto a parchment lined baking sheet and pop them into your fridge. This will harden the chocolate, creating a shell.

Make The Ricotta Filling:

Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, whip the strained ricotta, 1 cup sifted powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon orange zest, 1-1/2 teaspoons  pure vanilla extract and 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract until smooth.

Next, fold in 1/4 cup of the mini chocolate chips and then transfer this mixture to a piping bag that is fitted with a piping tip.

Make sure the hole in the tip is large enough to pass a mini chip because otherwise it may get clogged.

Then grab the bag with the filling and pipe it into both ends of each of the cannoli shells.

Lastly, dip the end of each filled cannoli into mini chocolate chips, toasted almonds or chopped pistachios or leave them plain. Then keep chilled until ready to serve.

Let’s get a close up shall we?

These easy homemade cannolis are best if served the same day as made. They can still be enjoyed the next day, however the shells just might lose a little bit of their crunchy texture. However they’re still just as delicious!

Enjoy! And if you give these Easy Homemade Cannolis a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!

This recipe was originally posted on June 21, 2019 and has been updated with clear and concise instructions, new photography and helpful information.