Cannoli Dip Recipe (aka Cannoli Filling or Cannoli Cream)

Cannoli Dip Recipe (aka Cannoli Filling or Cannoli Cream)

Made with traditional ricotta cheese and a couple flavorings, cannoli dip is the perfect crowd-pleasing 10-minute dessert. It’s also known as cannoli cream, and you can use it to fill cannoli shells.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian, Sicilian

Keyword Cannoli Cream, Cannoli Cream Recipe, Cannoli Dip, Cannoli Dip and Chips, Cannoli Dip Recipe, Cannoli Filling, Cannoli Filling Recipe, How to Make Cannoli Cream, How to Make Cannoli Filling

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 0

Time for the Ricotta to Strain 12

Servings servings

Calories 302kcal

Author Faith Gorsky

Ingredients

Cannoli Cream:

30 ounces ricotta cheese strained overnight
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
5 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon fresh orange zest
3/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate (optional)
1/2 tablespoon powdered sugar for garnish

Dipper Ideas to Use This as Cannoli Dip:

Waffle ice cream cones broken into chip-sized pieces
Cannoli shells broken into pieces
Pizzelle cookies
Mini crunchy chocolate chip cookies
Vanilla wafers
Shortbread
Graham crackers
Fresh fruit such as strawberries

To Use This as Cannoli Filling:

25 to 30 regular-sized cannoli shells
Mini chocolate chips or chopped nuts (for dipping the ends in)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

The Night Before:

Strain the ricotta. Place a strainer inside a bowl, and line the strainer with cheesecloth or coffee filters so that they hang over the outside of the strainer.
Scoop the ricotta into the lined strainer and fold the cheesecloth or coffee filters over the top of the yogurt. Cover with plastic wrap and put a plate on top. Put something heavy on top of the plate to help press the liquid out of the ricotta.
Let the ricotta sit like this in the fridge for at least 12 hours, or up to 24 hours.

To Make the Cannoli Cream:

Add all ingredients (except the chocolate chips) to a large bowl and use a handheld electric mixer to beat until well-combined, smooth, and creamy. If the cannoli filling is too thick, add a splash more cream; if it’s too runny, add a little more powdered sugar.
If you’re using this as dip, stir in all but 1 tablespoon of the chocolate chips, reserving them for the top. If you’re using this as filling for cannoli shells, stir in all the chocolate chips.
If Using Cannoli Cream as Dip: Transfer the cannoli cream to a serving bowl, sprinkle on the reserved chocolate chips, and sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon powdered sugar on top. Serve with the dippers of your choice.
If Using Cannoli Cream as Filling for Cannoli Shells: Transfer the cannoli cream to a piping bag and pipe it into cannoli shells. If desired, dip the ends in mini chocolate chips or chopped nuts, and sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon powdered sugar on top.

Notes

Straining the Ricotta: If you plan on using this as cannoli filling (instead of dip), I recommend straining the ricotta to remove the excess whey, which can cause the cannoli cream to be watery. However, if you will be serving this as dip, straining the ricotta is optional (but recommended for best flavor and texture).
Variations on the Flavor: Here we flavor the cannoli cream with vanilla, orange, and chocolate. If you prefer, you can omit the orange zest and add 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. You can also garnish with chopped pistachios or almonds if you like.
Storage: Store cannoli cream in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Once you make filled cannoli, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, but note that they’re best on the first day they’re made (while the pastry shells are fresh and crisp).
Recipe Yield and Serving Size: This recipe makes about 4 cups of cannoli cream. If you’re serving it as dip, each serving is about 1/4 cup for a total of 16 servings. If you’re using this to fill cannoli shells, you will get about 25 to 30 regular-sized cannoli.
Nutrition Information: The nutritional information for this recipe was calculated for the cannoli cream only, not including the dippers or cannoli shells.

Nutrition