Cannoli (Shells and Filling) Authentic Sicilian Recipe!

Learn how to make authentic Sicilian Cannoli from scratch! These homemade cannoli have incredibly light, crispy pastry shells with the signature bubbled surface and two delicious fillings: a smooth traditional ricotta filling and a rich chocolate pasticceria cream. I'll show you how to make the shells with the perfect finish and decorate them just like the famous cannoli in Palermo.

All About Cannoli

Cannoli are an incredible Sicilian Italian dessert made with a tube of crisp pastry shell filled with a delicious creamy filling. This recipe is an authentic Sicilian recipe that came from a Sicilian food tour run by Sicilian foodie Carm Ruggieri. And if you love cannoli but haven't tried a homemade one, you're in for a real treat! By the way Cannolo is a singular while Cannoli is plural!

I'm going to show you how to make the cannoli shells from scratch and two types of filling: a traditional ricotta filling and a chocolate pasticceria cream filling. I'll also show you how to decorate them just like they did at I Segreti del Chiostro in Palermo, where I ate the biggest and best cannoli of my life.

If you love Sicilian recipes, try my Sicilian sweet and sour chicken, caponata, pistachio gelato or cipollina Catanese onion pastries.

Why This Is The Ultimate Cannoli Recipe!

I have made so many batches of cannoli to test this recipe and it's a combination of the Sicilian recipe I was given and my own tips.
This homemade cannoli shell is INCREDIBLE. It's so light that it puts those pre-made shells to shame. For shells to have a long shelf life they need to be thicker and harder so that they can last. These are thin and delicate and an absolute pleasure to eat. When I gave some to my neighbour Nicky who is super honest and critical she said that these were so much better to eat than regular cannoli. It's that contrast between the crisp, thin shell and the creamy centre that makes them so good.
I'll show you how to achieve the signature bubbled surface consistently every single time.
The filling recipe for ricotta is super smooth and creamy thanks to one easy to find ingredient.
I'll also share a chocolate pasticceria filling (which I actually prefer, it's SO good!).
I'll explain which cannoli tubes work best for cannoli and why. Ihave made cannoli using wooden rods but stainless steel ones are better and don't stick to the cannoli shell.
Can't get those mini chocolate chips? Don't worry I've got you!
Cannoli is a labour of love but you can do this over two days to spread the tasks. Make the dough, strain the ricotta and make the chocolate cream the day before.
If making cannoli shells is too much, just try making the filling!

Watch How To Make Cannoli

Video: Cannoli Recipe

Ingredients For Cannoli

Tipo 00 flour - An ultra fine flour. Can sub with plain or all purpose flour.

Sugar - Caster or superfine sugar so that it melts into the dough. Icing or powdered sugar for the ricotta filling.

Salt - Fine or kosher salt.

Lard - Usually found in the butter/dairy section, sometimes in the meat section. Lard makes the flakiest pastry like egg custard tart pastry or sfogliatelle!

Wine - Use a dry white wine or marsala wine.

White vinegar - Can sub with white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.

Ingredients For Fillings

Ricotta - Whole or full cream ricotta for a creamy mouthfeel.

Mascarpone - A soft and sweet Italian cream cheese. To add a creamy mouthfeel to the ricotta and to add stability to chocolate pastry cream. Keep in fridge until needed.

Lemon zest, ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg - Flavourings for the ricotta. Optional but these add a really nice flavour to the ricotta.

Milk - Whole or full cream milk. Alt milks can also be used like coconut or almond.

Vanilla - Vanilla extract, essence or paste.

Eggs - Use large eggs, at room temperature.

Cornflour/fine cornstarch - To help thicken the custard cream.

Cocoa powder - To give the chocolate pastry cream a stronger flavour.

Chocolate chips - Dark chocolate chips give the chocolate pastry cream a stronger, more chocolatey flavour than milk chocolate chips. Make sure to use chips or finely chop chocolate so that it dissolves in the custard mixture easily.

Butter - Salted butter, to give the pastry cream shine.

Pistachios - Finely crushed to decorate.

Mini dark chocolate chips - These can be hard to find. See my tip below for making your own.

Glace fruit- Glace cherries are found all year round in the dried fruit section but glace orange rind strips are usually found from now until Christmas time at Italian delis.

Cannoli Recipe

Adapted from Sicilian Food Tours by Lorraine Elliott

Recipe Overview

Preparation time: 60 minutes plus 30 minutes resting time

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Serves: 16 (depending on how big you make them)

Start this the day before by straining ricotta

Ingredients Needed

For Cannoli Shells

170g/6oz Tipo 00 flour
20g/0.7oz caster or superfine sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
20g/0.7oz lard
80-90ml/2.8-3oz of dry white wine or marsala wine
1 teaspoon white vinegar
Oil for frying
Egg to seal

Ricotta Filling

375g/13oz ricotta
150g/5oz mascarpone
60g/2oz icing or powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Chocolate Pastry Cream

1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
60g/2oz caster or superfine sugar
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1.5 tablespoons cornflour/fine cornstarch
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
Pinch salt
90g/3oz dark chocolate chips
1 tablespoon butter
100g/3.5oz mascarpone

To Decorate

Crushed pistachios
Mini dark chocolate chips
Glace orange rind strips
Glace cherries, halved

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1 DAY BEFORE: RICOTTA - First strain the ricotta (375g/13oz). Place ricotta in a nut bag or on top of a clean Chux or double layer of paper towels on a sieve above a bowl (bottom of sieve not touching base of bowl). Weigh down the ricotta with a plate or bowl and strain in the fridge overnight or for 6 hours. I also recommend doing the chocolate cream in step 4 the day before too just to give it time to cool.

Step 2 CANNOLI DOUGH - Whisk the flour (170g/6oz), sugar (20g/0.7oz) and salt (1/2 teaspoon) together in a bowl. Melt and rub the lard (20g/0.7oz) into the flour with your fingers until there are no lumps. Add the vinegar (1 teaspoon) and then the wine (80-90ml/2.8-3oz) - don't add all of the wine, hold back a couple of teaspoons and only add them if the dough is dry. Transfer to a floured work bench and knead for 10 minutes until elastic and smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or overnight). During this time you can prepare the filling.

Step 3 RICOTTA FILLING - Beat the mascarpone (150g/5oz) until smooth and then beat in the strained ricotta, sieved icing sugar (60g/2oz), lemon zest (1/2 teaspoon), cinnamon (1/4 teaspoon) and nutmeg (1/4 teaspoon) until smooth. Set aside in the fridge.

Step 4 CHOCOLATE CREAM - Place milk (1 cup) and vanilla (1 teaspoon) in a small saucepan and heat over medium to high heat and bring to a boil. While it is heating, whisk the sugar (60g/2oz), eggs (2 eggs), yolk (1 egg yolk), cornflour (1.5 tablespoons), cocoa powder (1 tablespoon) and salt (a pinch) in another bowl until smooth. As soon as milk starts to boil, pour half of it into the egg mixture in a thin stream whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Then add the tempered egg mixture back to the hot milk in saucepan. Heat this over low medium heat while whisking vigorously until it starts to thicken (around 2-5 minutes depending on heat). Thermomix directions: add milk, vanilla, sugar, eggs, egg yolk. cornflour, cocoa powder and salt in TM bowl and set to 7 minutes, 90C/ Speed #3.5.

Stir in chocolate chips (90g/3oz) and whisk until completely melted. Remove from heat and add butter (1 tablespoon). Cover with cling film and chill completely. Then whisk in the mascarpone (100g/3.5oz). Your chocolate cream should be able to hold its shape now.

Step 5 ROLL - Flour a tray to hold your cannoli and have your cannoli tubes and a 10cm/4inch round cutter ready. I recommend rolling these out using a pasta machine but it can also be done using a rolling pin provided you roll it thin enough. Divide the dough into 3 portions and take one piece and cover the rest. Flour it lightly and shape it into a small square. Pass it through the thickest setting on pasta machine (7 for my machine) and then lower the thickness to 5 and then 3 and then 2. If the pastry is too long to easily handle, cut it in half so that it is easier to manage. 1 is the thinnest on my machine so we take it to 2 or 1/16 of an inch or 1.5mm. You should be able to see a little through it (see pic).

Step 6 SHAPE - Cut out 10cm/4inch circles and allow to rest for 5 minutes. The dough may spring back slightly (that's the gluten in the dough) so you will roll it out again just to form a perfect 10cm/4inch circle. Wrap each circle of dough around a cannoli rod and seal with egg on the inside and then on the outside pressing down so that the seal is tight and won't come apart when frying. Repeat with the rest of the dough placing them apart on the floured tray.

Step 7 FRY - Heat 2 inches of oil in a deep fryer or cast iron pot to 180C/350F and fry 2 cannoli at a time for 1.5-2 minutes or until golden and blistered. Drain on paper towels and repeat with rest of the molds. Cool completely and then remove the metal rods.

Step 8 FILL - Place each filling in a piping bag and fill generously from one end starting in the middle and then the other end. Spoon crushed pistachio on one end and chocolate chips on another. Then add half a glace cherry or a strip of candied orange zest on top of the pistachio and chocolate. Serve straight away for maximum pleasure guaranteed!

Tips For Making Cannoli

1 - If this is your first time making cannoli, start with these small cannoli as they are much easier to handle than making bigger cannoli like at I Segreti del Chiostro. Those cloistered nuns have been making cannoli since the 14th century! ;)

2 - It's imperative to strain the whey out of the ricotta before using it so start this the day prior. Straining results in a less grainy, creamier filling that is less wet and won't make your cannoli shells soft.

3 - I use metal cannoli tubes that are slightly flexible so that you can easily slide the cannoli shell off them. You can squeeze them easily so that the tube can slide out. I bought this set of 20 cannoli tubes.

4 - The way to get those signature bubbles on the outside of the cannoli is via two important things. First, moisture in the dough turns into steam when frying and secondly rolling them very thin (the most important thing). If your dough is not rolled thin enough it will not produce a bubbly pastry, no matter how good your dough is.

5 - This cannoli dough is super light and tender thanks to the lard. Plus vinegar weakens the gluten strands making the pastry less tough.

6 - Make sure to seal the cannoli well with egg. I brush it on the inside but also on the outside and then press it down because there's nothing more annoying that the cannolo opening up when frying.

7 - Fry 2 cannoli at a time so that the oil doesn't drop in temperature. You need the oil to stay at a consistent 180C/350F to get the crisp texture and bubbles.

8 - Cannoli are best served when freshly filled. They will last for around 30 minutes filled until they start to soften up.

9 - Fried cannoli shells stay crisp for 1 day. After this time they will start to turn soft.

10 - The recipe below is designed to fill half of the cannoli with ricotta, half with chocolate pastry cream. If you want just one flavour, double the filling recipe.

11 - Cannoli are great to serve at parties. You can fill them to order too according to what people want in them!

Personal Note

I usually like to take it easy on the weekend but things get so busy especially towards the end of the year that I spent the Saturday afternoon on Halloween making these cannoli. I was exhausted by the end of it and I had to quickly rush to get ready. Mr NQN and I were having dinner with The Wizard and Witchy Woman and then going to a prison themed bar for Halloween.

This year Halloween was on a Saturday so there was a lot going on but we thought that the prison bar would be fun. We didn't quite know what would be happening there but it got great reviews.

After dinner we joined the queue outside the venue and entered. We donned orange prison themed jump suits and were served cocktails from our own little cells. It was something in between an escape room, a theatre show and a bar. The two hours flew by as we enjoyed cocktails (or mocktails for me) and plead our case for early parole with the warden and watched the actors interact with all of the fellow prisoner guests!

So tell me Dear Reader, what did you do for Halloween this year? And have you ever made cannoli?

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Cannoli (Shells and Filling) Authentic Sicilian Recipe! was written by Lorraine Elliott and published on Monday, November 9, 2026 in Cheese Recipes, Chocolate, Custards, Desserts, Italian, Pastries and Delicious Recipes.