Cannoli (2024)

You might be intimidated by the idea of making cannolis at home, but you shouldn’t be! This cannoli recipe proves anyone can make the iconic Italian treat.

What Is a Cannoli?

A cannoli is a tube-shaped Italian dessert that consists of fried pastry dough stuffed with a sweet, creamy cheese filling.

Learn more: What Is a Cannoli and What Does It Taste Like?

How to Make Cannolis

You'll find a detailed ingredient list and step-by-step instructions in the recipe below, but let's go over the basics:

What’s In a Cannoli?

These are the ingredients you’ll need for this classic cannoli recipe:

For the shells: all-purpose flour, white sugar, ground cinnamon, shortening, Marsala wine, water, distilled white vinegar, one whole egg, one egg yolk, one egg white, and a quart of oil for frying
For the filling: ricotta cheese, confectioners’ sugar, chopped semisweet chocolate (optional), and lemon zest

How Do You Make Cannolis?

Here’s a brief overview of what you can expect when you make these homemade cannolis:

Make the cannoli dough. Cover with storage wrap and chill for at least an hour.
Divide the dough into three balls and flatten each one.
Roll each ball through the pasta machine until it has reached the thinnest setting.
Use a cutter to cut the dough into circles. Dust with flour and roll around cannoli tubes.
Seal with egg white and fry the tubes in hot oil. Remove the tubes.
Make the filling and pipe it into the cooled shells. Dust with sugar to serve.

Cook’s Note

Having a few people on cannoli duty helps keep the process moving along, with one person rolling and cutting, one person dusting and placing onto metal tubes, and one person frying the shells and removing the tubes. If you have 8 tubes on hand, the process will go well.
Orange zest, lime zest, or chopped candied citron can be used in place of the lemon zest in the filling. Other variations include using small chocolate chips, maraschino cherries, or dipping the ends of cannoli in chopped pistachios.

Test Kitchen Tips

“If you’re feeling the need to channel your inner Italian grandmother or if you’re just looking for the perfect cannoli recipe, this is the one to try,” according to culinary producer Nicole McLaughlin (a.k.a. NicoleMcMom). Here are a few of her best cannoli tips:

No pasta maker? No problem! While it’ll be harder to reach the right thinness, Nicole says you can use a plain rolling pin to roll out the dough.
The key to a great filling, according to Nicole, is to get whole milk ricotta. Don’t get the skim stuff, she warns.
Store-bought ricotta tends to be a bit thinner than homemade ricotta, so Nicole likes to drain it before incorporating it into the rest of the filling ingredients.

Do Cannolis Need to Be Refrigerated?

Yes, cannolis need to be refrigerated. Don’t leave them at room temperature for more than two to three hours at a time. Store them in an airtight container lined with paper towels in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Can You Freeze Cannolis?

You can freeze cannolis for up to three months. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator.

Allrecipes Community Tips and Praise

“Thanks for this recipe, it reminds me of my grandfather's recipe,” says touchofspice. “Delish! It also brought back many wonderful childhood memories!”

“They were so delicious that I even surprised myself,” according to Itza Mee. “The recipe was easy to follow and I will definitely be making them again.”

“The shells are very easy and flavorful,” raves MariaC. “You do need to roll out the dough very thin. I don't have a pasta maker, but I do use my tortilla press and it works great at achieving a thin disk.

Editorial contributions by Corey Williams