This authentic Sicilian cannoli recipe makes mini Cannoli desserts, small fried Italian pastry dough shaped as small tubes filled with creamy ricotta. While the classic cannoli are long and brittle, these mini crunchy desserts can be eaten in two-bites mess-free. Their crispy shells are thicker but not as brittle, perfect for serving at a party. Mini-size cannoli are much easier to make at home from scratch, both shells and ricotta filling.

Jump to:
- When mini cannoli are better than large ones
- Ingredients
- Instruction
- Making the ricotta filling
- How to serve the Cannoli
- Cannoli fillings
- Best ricotta for desserts
- How to prevent shells from going soggy
- Tools you need to make Cannoli
- Cannoli variations: sizes and flavors
- FAQ
- 📋 Mini Cannoli Shells With Ricotta Filling
Sicilian Cannoli desserts are round crunchy fried dough shells shaped as tubes filled with ricotta cream, sugar, and vanilla.
They can be coated with chocolate, nuts, or icing powdered sugar, and the cream can be mixed with chocolate chips, orange peel or candied fruit.
Cannoli is plural, while cannolo is singular.
In Sicily, you find them in any sweet bakery, Pasticceria, throughout the year.
Selling the best Cannoli is a pride for a Sicilian Pasticceria; the shells have to be crunchy, and the filling creamy and made with good quality sheep's ricotta.
If a bakery serves mushy Cannoli, it is a bad sign. They don't know how to make them.
When we make Cannoli at home, we prefer to make the mini Cannoli as they are easier to make and serve. The shells are more resistant and will not break as easily as the large ones.
I have found many recipes to make cannoli shells, and I tried several, but this recipe remains my favorite due to its simplicity and natural flavor. The shell dough is made with flour, lard, sugar eggs, and white wine, giving them a mild and delicate flavor.
Some recipes add cinnamon, cocoa, or Marsala wine, but I like a plain shell without too many aromas, as I like ricotta to be the dominant flavor.
Filling them at the last minute, the shells don't get soggy. Natural, simple, and fresh, to let the taste of the excellent ricotta prevails.
Other fried Italian desserts popular during Carnival are Italian fried bow-tie cookies, struffoli, Italian donuts Graffe.
When mini cannoli are better than large ones
There are two different sizes of Cannoli:
- Regular: 4.3 in - 11 cm long
- Mini: 2.5 in - 6.5 cm long
The classic Sicilian Cannoli you find at the bakeries are the regular ones, which are fine if that is all you eat.
However, if you serve them after a lavish dinner, a whole Cannolo is a significant portion for just one person.
Large-size Cannoli are not practical to cut in two as the crunchy shell is very brittle and breaks into small pieces when cut.
That is why at home, we prefer to make mini Cannoli which are easier to serve and handle.
Their sizes are a more suitable portion for an after-dinner dessert. Guests can always go for a second one if they wish!
The shells are more resistant, so these mini shells are much easier to handle than large ones.
Once the shells are fried and you need to remove them from their cannoli molds, the large cannoli are more challenging than the small ones.
With this recipe, you can make either mini or regular cannoli, depending on the size of the mold you buy.
Ingredients
For the mini pastry shells
- Flour: regular pastry flour or all-purpose flour,
- Lard: it is essential to use lard for this recipe. If you cannot find it you can use butter
- Castor sugar
- Salt
- White wine vinegar
- Dry white wine
- Fresh egg
For the filling
- Fresh ricotta cheese: You can use cow milk ricotta; however, in Sicily, we use sheep's ricotta for desserts. Good quality ricotta is a crucial element of this recipe
- Vanilla essence
- Sugar
- Orange blossom water or orange zest
- Dark chocolate chip or chocolate cocoa (optional)
- Candied fruits or orange peels (optional)
Instruction
Making the dough
The ingredients for the cannoli dough are simply flour, sugar, white wine, white vinegar, salt, and lard. You will find the exact measurement in the recipe card below.
- Mix all the ingredients in a food processor or blender until you have a smooth dough
- Wrap the dough into a plastic wrap and let it rest for 10 minutes
- Cut the dough into 20 equal parts
- Make 20 balls
Three easy ways to make the rounds for the shells
To make the rounds for the shells, I used three different methods:
- The classic way is using a rolling pin and cutting the round with a cookie cutter
- I also used the pasta machine. This method makes a nice thin layer, so the shells come out very thin. Cut the round with a cookie cutter and keep rolling the remains in the pasta rolls. As the thickness will be much thinner, you will have more than 20 shells, and you may need to double the dose of ricotta cream from this recipe.
- I decided to buy a dough press and never looked back to the other two methods. So much easier. You can see how I make them in the video below with step-by-step instructions. With this dough press, you can also make homemade wraps and tortillas. An excellent timesaver!
Using the dough press
- Open the press and lay a sheet of parchment paper over the disk
- Dust with plenty of flour
- Place a ball of dough in the center, make sure it is well-floured
- Cover with another sheet of parchment paper
- Close the top disk
- Press
- Open the press and remove the round from the parchment paper
- The circles will be 2.5 in - 6.5 cm in diameter
Wrapping the shells around the tube
- Coat all the tubes in vegetable oil, the same one you use for frying
- Place the little tube in the middle of the circle (2.5 in - 6.5 cm of diameter)
- Fold one side
- Prepare the egg wash by whipping an egg yolk
- Brush with the eggwash the edge of the dough over the tube
- Fold the other side and seal the two ends
Frying and removing the tube
- Once the first ten shells are ready, prepare the fryer
- Place the shells inside the fryer filled with hot oil
- Fry until they turn golden brown
- Drain the excess oil
- Place them on paper towels to absorb the rest of the oil
- Holding the tubes with kitchen paper, remove the tubes from the shells. The tube will be very hot
- Make the second batch of shells
Storing the shells
If you missed it earlier in the article, the Cannoli must be filled just before you serve them; otherwise, the shell will become soggy.
Once the shells are ready and at room temperature, they will be stored in an airtight container for a few days until you are ready to fill them with the ricotta cream.
If you wish, dip the shells in chocolate and let them solidify to form a coat inside and outside the shell.
Making the ricotta filling
- Before you make the ricotta cream, make sure the ricotta is well-drained from the water
- Mix with a blender the ricotta, the sugar, and the flavoring (vanilla, orange blossom water, or zest from an orange or lemon)
- Best if you place the filling into a large bowl and let it rest in the fridge for a few hours
Hint: since the cannoli needs to be filled just before serving, you can prepare both the cream and the shells the day before
How to serve the Cannoli
To finish the cannoli just before serving them:
- Place the ricotta cream into a piping pastry bag
- Push the cream at the front of the pipe, so there are no air pockets
- Pipe the cream inside the shells from each side
- You can decorate each side of the cannoli with chocolate chips or grated toasted pistachios
- Dust them with icing sugar
Cannoli fillings
The Cannoli filling is made with ricotta, an ingredient often used in desserts, especially in the South of Italy.
The ricotta is mixed with sugar and flavored with vanilla and some form of citrus flavor, either orange or lemon zest, or orange blossom water.
Unfortunately, they often add candied orange peels or squash, which I do not enjoy. Especially the processed ones!
That is why I instead make Cannoli at home, so I can choose what to add to the filling and how to decorate them.
While I prefer plain ricotta cream decorated with toasted pistachios, I add chocolate chips for my sons.
Pistachios are prevalent in many Sicilian desserts as some of the best pistachios grow in the fertile soil of the Etna Vulcano, called Bronte.
Best ricotta for desserts
Ricotta is a cheese made by re-cooking (ri-cotta in Italian) the whey serum left over after the milk has been curdled to make cheese.
Therefore ricotta is a cheese with low-fat content. Usually made from cow's milk, it can also be made from sheep or goat's milk.
In the South of Italy, sheep's milk ricotta is often used to make desserts in substitution of butter or cream.
Delicious ricotta desserts are Cannoli Siciliani, but also Sfogliatella Napoletana, and the traditional Easter Pie Pastiera Napoletana
Cow milk ricotta is the most common ricotta you find in supermarkets; it is lighter and perfect for making desserts as it has a milder flavor.
However, the classic Sicilian desserts are made with sheep's milk ricotta, which is not as easy to find outside Italy.
Goat's ricotta is much stronger in flavor and has a higher fat content. It is not a good choice for desserts.
How to prevent shells from going soggy
The Cannoli should be filled at the last minute, just before serving them, so the shell does not have time to absorb the humidity from the filling.
Mushy Cannoli means they have been sitting on the counter for too long.
If a Cannolo is nice and crunchy, you know it has been freshly made.
Some bakeries cover the inside of the cannoli shells with chocolate to create a protective layer that will prevent the shells from getting soggy.
This is an option, but I prefer the authentic plain Cannoli without chocolate coating.
Tools you need to make Cannoli
The cannoli shells are wrapped around a tube and deep-fried, then the ricotta filling is piped inside the shell.
To make them, you need specific tools, and here is the list:
- You can either make the dough by hand or use an electric mixer. You can use the mixer also to make the ricotta cream.
- To shape the rounds for the shells, you can either use a regular rolling pin, a pasta maker roll, a cookie-cutter of 2.5 in - 6.5 cm in diameter, or a dough press as I do in the video below.
- Cannoli tube molds 2.5 in - 6.5 cm or 4.3 in - 11 cm: I like those as they are easy to remove once the cannoli shells are done. They are non-stick and have a flexible round shape, so they shrink or expand with the fluctuation of the temperature. You can buy the bigger size if you want to make larger cannoli. You can also use them to make different types of pastries.
- Pastry brush to seal the shells with egg wash
- Deep fryer or a regular pan for frying the shells
- Piping bag to fill in the shells with the ricotta cream
Cannoli variations: sizes and flavors
This is the recipe for the authentic Cannoli, but you can find many more variations.
Cannoli can be large, covered with chocolate, filled with chocolate, pistachio, or hazelnut cream, flavored with candied squash, fruits, or orange peels.
Try out other variations, let your imagination go and see which one you like best.
This simple one is my favorite!
FAQ
Cannoli is a traditional Sicilian dessert. As many Sicilians moved north looking for jobs, Sicilian pastries became very popular everywhere in Italy. Many Sicilian pastry shops opened around the country selling Sicilian pastries like Cannoli, Cassate, Marzipan and many more. Cannoli may be called Italian, but they are originally from Sicily.
Traditionally the cannoli filling is made with cow's milk ricotta as it has a milder flavor than sheep or goat's milk ricotta. It is mixed with sugar and flavored with orange blossom water, vanilla extract, or lemon zest. the filling is usually mixed with candied fruits and chocolate chips
If you are making this authentic Cannoli recipe with ricotta filling, leave your comment below I would like to hear from you. You can find more delicious ideas if you FOLLOW ME on Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram or sign up to my newsletter.
📋 Mini Cannoli Shells With Ricotta Filling
Ingredients (Commissions Earned)
For the shell
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tablespoon lard
- ½ tbsp caster sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 1 fresh eggs for sealing the shells
- vegetable oil for frying
For the ricotta filling
- 17 oz ricotta
- 1 drop vanilla essence
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 drops orange blossom water or orange zest
- 3.5 oz dark chocolate chip
- 2 oz candied fruits optional
Equipment (Commissions Earned)
Instructions
Making the dough for the shells
- Mix all the ingredients together until you have a smooth dough2 cups flour, 2 tablespoon lard, ½ tablespoon caster sugar, 1 pinch salt, 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, ¼ cup dry white wine
- Wrap the dough into cling film and let it rest for 10 minutes
- Cut the dough into 20 equal parts
- Make 20 balls
Making the rounds using the dough press
- Open the press and lay a sheet of parchment paper over the disk and dust with plenty of flour
- Place a ball of dough in the center, make sure it is well-floured, and cover with another sheet of parchment paper
- Close the top disk and press
- Open the press and remove the round from the parchment paper
- The circles will be 2.5 in - 6.5 cm in diameter
Other ways to make the rounds
- Roll the dough flat with a pasta roll
- Or roll the dough with a rolling pin
- Cut the circles with a cookie cutter
Wrapping the shells around the tube
- Coat all the tubes in vegetable oil, the same oil you use for fryingvegetable oil for frying
- Prepare the egg wash by whipping an egg1 fresh eggs
- Place the tube in the middle of the circle (2.5 in - 6.5 cm of diameter)
- Fold one side and brush with the egg wash the edge of the dough over the tube
- Fold the other side and seal the two ends
Frying and removing the tube
- Once the first 10 shells are ready, prepare the fryervegetable oil for frying
- Place the shells inside the fryer filled with hot oil
- Fry until they turn golden brown
- Drain the excess oil
- Place them on a kitchen paper to absorb the rest of the oil
- Holding the tubes with kitchen paper, remove the tubes from the shells. The tube will be very hot
- Make the second batch of shells
Making the ricotta filling
- Before you make the ricotta cream, make sure the ricotta is well drained from the water17 oz ricotta
- Mix with a blender the ricotta, the sugar, and the flavoring (vanilla, orange blossom water, or zest from an orange or lemon)1 drop vanilla essence, ½ cup sugar, 2 drops orange blossom water
- Best if you let the filling rest in the fridge for few hours
How to compose them
- Place the ricotta cream into a piping pastry bag
- Push the cream at the front of the pipe so there are no air pockets
- Pipe the cream inside the shells from each side
- You can decorate each side of the cannoli with chocolate chips or grated toasted pistachios2 oz candied fruits, 3.5 oz dark chocolate chip
- Dust them with icing sugar and serve immediately
Video
Notes
- The Cannoli should be filled at the last minute, just before serving them so the shell does not have time to absorb the humidity from the filling.
- Some bakeries cover the inside of the cannoli shells with chocolate to create a protective layer that will prevent the shells from getting soaking wet.
- The classic Sicilian desserts are made with sheep's milk ricotta, which is not as easy to find outside Italy. You can use cow's milk ricotta
- Once the shells are ready they will keep for few days stored in an air-thigh container until you are ready to fill them with the ricotta cream.
- Before you make the ricotta cream, make sure you ricotta is well drained from the water
- Since the cannoli needs to be filled just before serving, you can make both the cream and the shells the day before
Claudia Lamascolo
The step by step is fantastic bravo to you! I make them all the time but I have to say yours look so much better so I am trying your recipe!
Laura
Thank you, let me know how they compare
Kelli
My husband is Italian and grew up in Connecticut with some of the best Italian bakeries. He's always complained since moving to Colorado that he can't find a good cannoli anywhere. Well thanks to this recipe he can now have the real thing at home! Used orange zest and they turned out perfect!
Laura
Fantastic, I am glad he can now enjoy them
Kara
I grew up just North of Boston. This post reminds me of cannoli I would see piled high in the Italian Bakeries in the North End. After reading this post, I have a new appreciation for the work that goes into them! These look absolutely delicious!
Laura
Thank you, yes they are a lot of work but the final result pay off
Beth Sachs
My kids love cannoli ever since we took them to Rome for the weekend. I'm definitely going to give this recipe a try at home with them.
Laura
Great, I am sure they will love them
Kacie Morgan
I love Italian cannoli but I have never made them myself at home before. They look so impressive and no doubt they'd go down well with the whole family!
Laura
Thank you, I am sure they will
Danielle Wolter
These were so delicious! I used the orange zest as I cound't find orange blossom water and they came out perfect!
Laura
Thank you, orange zest goes very well