The most iconic of Sicilian desserts, Sicilian Cannoli! My favorite are filled with a lightly sweetened ricotta cream filling. Follow my step by step instructions to make the best cannoli shells with this authentic recipe directly from Sicily. There’s nothing like homemade!
Please note that this post was updated on December 21, 2021. The recipe remains the same, however the photographs and instructions have been updated to better serve you.
If you’re searching for an authentic Sicilian cannoli recipe, look no further! This recipe is directly from Sicily, just like my mother’s family has always made in the town of Naso, Sicily.
Cannoli are an iconic dessert loved all over the world and without a doubt Sicily’s most famous export (next to arancini, of course!). Cannoli were, and still are, served for all special occasions and holidays when my mom was growing up in Sicily.
Why is this the best cannoli recipe, you may ask? Just take a look at the bubbles on these shells! This is what you are looking for in the perfect cannoli shells and I’m sharing step by step instructions with lots of tips so you can make the best homemade cannoli every time.
What do I need to make this recipe?
To make cannoli shells, cannoli forms or molds are required to wrap the dough around for frying. My mother brought back these bamboo molds from Sicily years ago and they are nicely weathered, shiny and slick from years of use. Priceless!
Alternatives to bamboo molds for making cannoli:
If you don’t have bamboo molds, here are some alternatives:
- You can purchase stainless steel cannoli molds here.
- Some readers have shared that they sanded and cut old broom handles into pieces and then boiled them to sterilize them. Not something I have tried before!
- Shape strips of aluminum foil into rolls.
Ingredient list:
For the shells:
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- An egg: plus an egg white for sealing the dough
- Milk
- Red wine: may be replaced with Marsala
- Vegetable oil: both in the dough and for deep frying the shells. Sunflower or canola oil may be used instead
For the ricotta filling:
- Whole milk ricotta: strained if it is too watery
- Powdered sugar: dissolves much better than granulated sugar in the ricotta
- Ground cinnamon: for a touch of flavor
- Dark chocolate chips: for garnishing (optional)
- Chopped pistachios: for garnishing (optional)
- Powdered sugar: for dusting prior to serving
The following are step by step instructions with images to guide you through this recipe. Please scroll to the end of this post for the detailed printable recipe card.
Step by Step Instructions:
Prepare the ricotta cream filling:
- If using a brand of ricotta that has a lot of moisture, place the ricotta in a fine mesh sieve lined with cheese cloth over a bowl. Refrigerate and let drain for at least 2 hours.
- Place the strained ricotta in a bowl, add powdered sugar, cinnamon and whisk until smooth.
- Please note that ricotta is known for it’s grainy texture and therefore it is normal that the mixture will not be smooth as mascarpone cheese, for example, or whipped cream.
- I prefer my ricotta filling not too sweet. Taste the filling and add additional sugar, if necessary, according to taste.
- Refrigerate while you prepare the cannoli shells.
Prepare the dough:
- Stir together flour and sugar in a large bowl.
- Make a well in the center and pour in the milk; vegetable oil; red wine and egg.
- Use a fork to beat the wet ingredients and slowly begin to incorporate the dry ingredients to form a dough.
- Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth, about 5 minutes.
Shape the cannoli shells:
- This dough does not require a resting period and can be rolled immediately.
- Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Work with one piece of dough at a time and keep the remaining pieces covered to prevent from drying out.
- Use a pasta roller or a rolling pin to roll out the dough as thin as possible, until second to last setting if using a pasta roller.
- Sprinkle the dough with flour, as needed, to prevent from sticking.
- Cut 4-inch dough circles with a cookie cutter. Alternately, use anything you have on hand with a similar sized opening such as this cup my mom uses!
Reroll scraps of dough and continue until all the dough is used up.
- Wrap the circles around the cannoli molds and use a beaten egg white to seal the ends.
Reroll scraps of dough and continue until all the dough is used up.
Fry the cannoli shells:
- Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil (canola or sunflower oil work well) in a large heavy bottomed pot, or deep fryer if you have one. To verify if the oil is hot enough, try out my mother’s technique: place the handle of a wooden spoon in the center of the pot. If the oil immediately begins to bubble vigorously around the handle, it is hot enough!
- Carefully place 3 or 4 shells at a time, without overcrowding the pot, in the hot oil.
- The challenge in frying the shells is that they sometimes roll over when you try to flip them to brown the opposite side. We often found ourselves keeping one side down with a fork or thongs.
- If they were not adequately sealed with the egg white, some shells may unwrap themselves from the molds while frying. You can use those to make deconstructed cannoli by simply layering two or three with ricotta filling in between!
- The shells are ready when they are golden brown and bubbly.
- Use 2 paper towels to carefully separate the molds from the shell. Be careful, they will be extremely hot! You may want to purchase an additional set of cannoli molds to have enough on hand.
- Rewrap the remaining dough circles around the molds and continue frying.
Fill the cannoli shells:
- Only fill the cannoli shells with the ricotta cream once they are completely cooled.
- Fill a pastry bag, fitted with a star or round tip attachment, with the ricotta cream.
- Alternately, use a freezer bag with the tip cut off.
- Pipe the cream at both ends of each cannoli shell making sure that the cream reaches the center of the shell.
- Top the ends with chopped pistachios and chocolate chips (optional).
- Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
- Fill up to 2 hours before serving.
- Refrigerate filled cannoli.
Frequently Asked Questions
Substitutions and Variations:
- Fill with pastry cream or biancomangiare (Sicilian milk pudding) instead of ricotta.
- Make your own homemade ricotta for the filling.
- Dip each end of the cannoli shells in melted dark chocolate.
- Add candied orange peel to the filling.
Why did my shells not bubble during frying?
- Roll the dough thin for best results.
- This may occur if your oil is not hot enough. To test if it’s hot enough, try out my mom’s easy technique: place the handle of a wooden spoon right in the center of your pot with oil. If it immediately begins to bubble vigorously around the handle it is ready for frying.
How to fix shells that are no longer crisp?
- If you follow this recipe exactly as is, you should have perfect crisp cannoli shells. However, if after storing them you feel they have not kept their crisp texture simply warm them in a 300 degrees F preheated oven for 5 minutes. Let cool completely before filling with cream.
Storage:
- Cannoli shells keep well up to 2 weeks stored in an air tight container lined with paper towels to absorb any moisture in a cool dry space.
Can the ricotta cream be prepared in advance?
- The ricotta cream can be kept refrigerated up to 3 days prior to filling the cannoli.
How long ahead of serving can the cannoli shells be filled?
- To prevent the cannoli shells from becoming soggy, fill the shells up to 2 hours before serving them.
If you try out this recipe for the best Sicilian cannoli, please let me know how much you enjoyed them by rating them in the recipe card below!
To all my readers, family and friends, Buon Natale!
Check out more delicious ricotta filled sweets:
Cartocci Siciliani with Ricotta Filling
Sicilian Cassatelle with Ricotta
Fig Jam, Ricotta and Pistachio Crostata
Pizzelle Cannoli with Ricotta Filling
Tried this recipe?Mention @mangiabedda or tag #mangiabedda!
Servings: 24 cannoli
Calories: 173kcal
Ingredients
For the shells:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
- ¼ cup red wine any red wine that's good for drinking is fine, may be replaced with Marsala
- 3 tbsp. milk
- 1 egg white for sealing the edges
- vegetable oil for frying, can be replaced with sunflower or canola oil
For the ricotta filling:
- 4 cups whole milk ricotta
- ¾ cup powdered sugar or more if you prefer a sweeter filling
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- dark chocolate chips (optional)
- chopped pistachios (optional)
- powdered sugar for dusting on top
Instructions
For the ricotta filling
- If using a brand of ricotta that has a lot of moisture, place the ricotta in a fine mesh sieve lined with cheese cloth over a bowl. Refrigerate and let drain for at least 2 hours.
- Place the strained ricotta in a bowl, add powdered sugar, cinnamon and whisk until smooth.
- Please note that ricotta is known for it's grainy texture and therefore it is normal that the mixture will not be smooth as mascarpone cheese, for example, or whipped cream.
- Taste the filling and add additional sugar, if necessary, according to taste. Refrigerate while you prepare the cannoli shells.
Prepare the dough for the shells
- Place flour and sugar in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the egg, oil, red wine and milk.
- Use a fork to beat the wet ingredients and gradually incorporate the flour in order to form a dough.
- Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth, about 5 minutes.
To shape the cannoli shells
- This dough does not require a resting period and can be rolled immediately.
- Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Work with one piece of dough at a time and keep the remaining pieces covered to prevent from drying out.
- Use a pasta roller or a rolling pin to roll out the dough as thin as possible, until second to last setting if using a pasta roller. Sprinkle the dough with flour, as needed, to prevent from sticking.
- Roll all the pieces of dough and cover them with a kitchen towel in order to prevent the sheets from drying out.
- Cut 4-inch dough circles with a cookie cutter. Alternately, use anything you have on hand with a similar sized opening.
- Reroll scraps of dough and continue until all the dough is used up. Wrap the circles around the cannoli molds and use a beaten egg white to seal the ends.
Fry the cannoli shells
- Fill a deep heavy bottomed pot (or use a deep fryer if you have one) with about 2 inches of oil.
- When the oil is hot, fry 3 or 4 cannoli shells at a time until golden and bubbly. You may have to hold them down to ensure that all sides are evenly fried. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate or tray.
- Use 2 paper towels to carefully separate the cannoli molds from the shell (be careful, they will be extremely hot!) and continue frying the remaining rounds of dough.
Fill the cannoli shells
- Fill the cannoli shells with the ricotta cream once they are completely cooled.
- Fill a pastry bag, fitted with a star or round tip attachment, with the ricotta cream. Alternately, use a freezer bag with the tip cut off.
- Pipe the cream at both ends of each cannoli shell making sure that the cream reaches the center of the shell.
- Top the ends with chopped pistachios and chocolate chips (optional). Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
- Fill up to 2 hours before serving. Refrigerate filled cannoli.
Notes
Substitutions and Variations:
- Fill with pastry cream or biancomangiare (Sicilian milk pudding) instead of ricotta.
- Make your own homemade ricotta for the filling.
- Add candied orange peel to the filling.
Why did my shells not bubble during frying?
-Be sure to roll the dough thin for best results. -This may occur if your oil is not hot enough. To test if it’s hot enough, try out my mom’s easy technique: place the handle of a wooden spoon right in the center of your pot with oil. If it immediately begins to bubble vigorously around the handle it is ready for frying.How to fix shells that are no longer crisp?
If you follow this recipe exactly as is, you should have perfect crisp cannoli shells. However, if after storing them you feel they have not kept their crisp texture simply warm them in a 300 degrees F preheated oven for 5 minutes. Let cool completely before filling with cream.How to store cannoli shells:
Cannoli shells keep well up to 2 weeks stored in an air tight container lined with paper towels to absorb any moisture in a cool dry space.Can the ricotta cream be prepared in advance?
The ricotta cream can be kept refrigerated up to 3 days prior to filling the cannoli.How long ahead of serving can the cannoli shells be filled?
To prevent the cannoli shells from becoming soggy, fill the shells up to 2 hours before serving them. Please note that the nutritional information provided is approximate and may vary according to exact ingredients used and portion size.Nutrition
Calories: 173kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 41mg | Potassium: 65mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 197IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 1mg
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
I only have white wine. Can I use this for shells?
Hi Barbara it will definitely do, your shells will simply be lighter in colour than mine that’s all. Enjoy and Merry Christmas to you!
Of Italian descent myself, I couldn’t resist making an authentic recepie. I only used the filling portion but the ratios were great. May try the full list next time. Well done
Hello Dayton, so glad to hear you enjoyed the filling. If you do try the shells please let me know how they turn out. I do love my mom’s recipe!
Hi Nadia, can you please tell me why my pastry came chewy.
Hello Josette I’m sorry to hear your shells did not turn out crisp. A couple of reasons for this may that perhaps your dough was not rolled thin enough or that the oil when frying was not hot enough. I hope this helps and if you have any further questions please do not hesitate to reach out to me!
How much Ricotta Filling do you make to fill 100 Mini Cannolis??
Thank you!
Hello Monique, I have never made these cannoli as minis however if I were to guess, each cannoli shell can probably make 2 mini cannoli. Therefore I would double the amount of ricotta I have in this recipe to fill 100 mini cannoli. I hope this helps, enjoy!
Nadia, your flavors and style….. words?!!!!!!! troppo delizioso. My very attentive husband came in and out of our grand room while I started from scratch and plated your finished recipe in full site. In less than an hour, so fast and easy, he suspected nothing till you should have seen his eyes!! We ate easily more than $25 worth of cannoli better and fresher than the grocery deli case. If your cannoli isn’t filled in front of you, walk away.
Hi Care’n, mille grazie to you! I’m thrilled to hear you enjoyed my mom’s wonderful cannoli recipe. I agree there’s nothing like fresh and homemade!
So much better than any bakery bought cannoli. Mine came out perfect and not really that difficult.
Hello Dona, I totally agree with you! I enjoyed a few over the holidays and feel the same way. Thanks for sharing!
I just made these tonight. They turned out beautifully and super yummy. Thanks for the recipe. I will be making these again,when I get a craving for a cannoli.
Hello Jodie, I’m thrilled to hear that you enjoyed my mom’s cannoli recipe. Thanks for sharing with me! There’s definitely nothing like homemade!
Delicious! Such a crowd pleaser. Just wondering if there’s any way to make the filling a little thicker to stop it from spilling out the sides?
Hello Mika, it sounds like the ricotta you are using is a bit watery and requires straining before you make the filling. Try straining it in a fine meshed sieve or cheese cloth over a bowl for a couple of hours for a thicker consistency. Hope this helps!
How long can they be filled before they start to get soggy? I am making these for my brother to take to work with him (probably the next day)
Hi Megan, ideally they should be filled the day that they will be served. But a day ahead should be fine. Hope he enjoys them!
This may be a dumb question but if you are pregnant, can you make the shells without the wine and still get good results.
Hello Brittany, you most definitely can omit it although I am not certain what the texture of the shells will be like. The alcohol contributes to their flaky, bubbly texture.
I have made too many recipes for cannoli shells, never happy with any of them! THIS IS THE BEST!
I used my mixer for the initial mix before giving it a quick knead by hand. I used our Pasta Linda to get very thin sheets of dough. The flavor of these is wonderful and they get all those little bubbles from the wine.
I didn’t make the filling because this time, someone gave us some from their restaurant they had to close because of the pandemic. Usually I make my own ricotta. It so much better than Polly-O
Grazie mille to you and your mother for sharing this recipe! IT IS THE BEST!!!!
My paternal grandmother is from Augusta and Messina.
Hello Sr. Mary Catharine, thank you very much for your beautiful and kind words. I communicated this message to my mom and she was touched to hear how much you enjoyed her cannoli recipe. I agree, if you get a chance it is ideal to make your own ricotta, it is the best. Grazie once again and wishing you well!
I am going to try this recipe for the first time and want to know which red wine is best to used? Please tell me which kind (Cabernet, Pinot Grigio, etc.) and the name of the wine. Thank you!! Can’t wait to try this recipe out!!
Hello Veronica, to be honest with you I don’t have a specific go-to wine for this recipe. I have usually used the homemade wine that my husband made with my father. My tip for cooking with wine is to use a wine that you would enjoy drinking. The recipe does not call for a huge amount of wine so you can use whatever type of red wine you have on hand, no need to purchase any expensive type. Hope this helps and let me know if you give the recipe a try. Thanks!
Hola, cómo estas?
Quería saber si me podrías decir en gramos cuánto es un cucharada y una taza. Quedo atenta a tu respuesta. Muchas gracias.
Hola Andre, if you take a look at my ingredient list in the cannoli recipe you’ll find the words “US Customary-Metric”. Click on metric to find the amounts in grams. For some reason it does not convert the tablespoons to grams. 1 tbsp of vegetable oil is about 13.6 grams, 1 tbsp of sugar is 12 grams and 3 tbsp is about 45 grams. Hope this helps! Gracias!
This is one of the best recipes with a simple and easy process!! My first attempt and will not be my last! We loved them! I added Mascarpone in the filling and chocolate dipped ends !! Thanks for sharing your amazing recipe!
Hi there, thanks again for your kind words and your amazing photos. I am in awe of the creative tubes you made with foil, great idea!
Sounds like the activity of my family. We do this about 2 weeks before Christmas before the hustle of the holiday sets in. We fill them the night of the Eve with my old fashioned Mirro Cookie press.
One thing that made it fasters was adding the Atlas Motor attachment 😉 Its welcome and made making 100 plus canollis even easier!
Hello Joe, I always mean to purchase that motor attachment and yet I still haven’t done so. Oh well, it allows me to do a little extra exercise! Thanks for your comment and happy holidays to you!
Great recipe! Timing the frying and watching the temperature was the key, I found, 2 minutes at 180 C (350 F) gave
a golden crispy result. The cannoli turned out fantastic and the family loved them. Aldi ricotta made a lovely filling with grated dark chocolate and pistacchio. Tubes not readily available in the UK but got some good sized ones from Amazon,
Hello Anne, I’m so glad you got the perfect crispy shell and that your family enjoyed them! Thankfully the tubes are readily available on Amazon. There’s nothing like homemade cannoli shells!