About Cannoli Dip
For as much as I claim to love desserts dips I’ve seriously been neglecting them as of late. I had to check my recipe archives to be sure, but my last dessert dip was posted all the way back at the beginning of March.
So, clearly, this easy cannoli dip was more than called for.
And if you’re like me and haven’t fully come to terms with the fact that we’re almost half way through the month of May (!!) that means it’s been two whole months since I whipped up something sweet and dippable.
Like, seriously.
Time, you need to slow your roll.
Wait, are the cool kids still saying “slow your roll”?
Yes?
Maybe no?
Guess I’ll just have to cross my fingers and hope for the best, cause I’m just not ready to upgrade my slang and use “on fleek” in a sentence.
Anywho, where was I?
Oh, right – DIP!
I have to admit that the recent lack of dessert dips is all due to the “parfait craze” I’ve been on lately. Once the Baileys Cookies and Cream Parfait post took off, it was hard not to make even more parfaits. I gotta give the masses what they want, right?
But, sadly, none of my other parfaits did anywhere near as good as the Baileys one, so aside from one more awesome parfait I have planned (seriously, it’s a doozy!) I’ll probably cool it with the parfaits for a while and go back to my tried and true dip recipes.
Although, at the end of the day, I’m game for any type of no bake dessert. I’m not the best baker (though I do try!) so anytime I don’t have to depend on whatever voodoo magic my oven casts on baked goods is fine by me.
Parfaits and dips are just the easiest route to all the sweet food I crave.
Now, the cool part about this dip is that it surprised me. I wanted to make a dip with the ingredients I had on hand, and it just so happens I always seem to have a lot of cream cheese in my fridge.
So cream cheese is definitely in this dip, and in 99.9% of cases that means you’re still going to taste at least a little bit of the cream cheese no matter how hard you try to dress it up…
But for this cannoli dip, that wasn’t the case, because you can’t taste the cream cheese in this. Like, at all.
And I would never have believed that if I had not made it myself and learned the truth.
So there you have it: a five-ingredient dip that’s easy to throw together and still has all the indulgent flavor of a true cannoli. I can’t wait to make this at our next party!
Do you have to use Cream Cheese?
Since I posted this recipe, many readers have said they wished it didn’t include cream cheese. And I totally understand that – cream cheese can be very overpowering and it’s not a flavor you normally think of with cannoli.
However, in this case, I promise that you can’t taste the cream cheese in this recipe. The only reason why cream cheese is used is to give the app a little thickness and consistency.
Do you have to use Ricotta Cheese?
Other readers have also asked for an alternative to the ricotta cheese, as they love cannolis but dislike ricotta… but I gotta be honest with you here:
Most traditional cannoli recipes are made with ricotta cheese.
You might find some variations, but from what I’ve read, ricotta cheese tends to be a cannoli staple. So if you love cannolis but are unsure about ricotta, invite a few friends over and give this dip a try as it’s written. I promise the taste will be very similar to the cannoli you already love. And if not? Your friends can help you eat what’s left.
How to make sure your cannoli dip is creamy
I’ve made this dip a few times without any issues, but some readers have said that their dip came out watery or grainy.
Thankfully, there are a few easy things you can do to help prevent this from happening to your dip.
- I would highly recommend splurging on a high-quality brand ricotta made with whole milk. I like to use Shamrock brand.
- Make sure the ricotta is very fresh and ideally from a container that’s just been opened. This will help lessen the chance of excess liquid in the ricotta.
- If you do notice that your ricotta has extra liquid or isn’t a firm, you can use cheesecloth to help drain any excess liquid from the ricotta. If you’re unsure how to do this, check out this tutorial on how to strain ricotta cheese.
Using any one (or all!) of these tips will help ensure your dip has a nice creamy consistency.
Notes & tips for this cannoli cream dip
- For this recipe, I highly recommend using a stand mixer or a hand mixer. This isn’t a recipe you can make by hand with a whisk.
- If making the dip in advance, refrigerate in a covered container overnight, then allow the dip to soften on your counter until it has a firmness you’d like for dipping.
More fun dessert dips
Watch the recipe video
Recipe Details
Cannoli Dip
Ingredients
Instructions
Using a stand mixer (or a hand mixer + large bowl), add in ricotta, cream cheese, and powdered sugar on medium-high speed until smooth, about 3-5 minutes. Add in vanilla extract and whip for another 30 seconds.
Taste test the dip - if you'd like it sweeter, add more powdered sugar, about 2 tablespoons at a time. You can safely add up to another 1/2 cup of powdered sugar (8 tablespoons) without negatively impacting consistency.
- Fold in mini chocolate chips, reserving some to sprinkle on top for decoration if desired.
- Serve dip immediately with broken waffle cones for dipping.
Nutrition
hmm..this is just perfect for my kid’s snack time! Pinned it!
Right? Such a fun dip! Thanks 😀
Can you make this a head of time for a party? If so how many hours?
I made this one day before serving and it was great! Will definitely make this again; easy and perfect!!
How can I substitute ricotta?
Ricotta and I don’t get along very well. Lol
Although I would like to make this for my xmas party
Yumm
Hey Anita! For this particular recipe, for it to really be like a Cannoli, I’m not sure if there’s a good substitute for the ricotta. MAYBE cool whip? But even then, I’m not sure how the consistency and flavor would be. I don’t want to lead you astray with a bad suggestion but I’m honestly not sure how to make a cannoli-like dessert without ricotta. Sorry, wish I was more help on this one!
I’ve seen some use Marscapone. Although some cannoli “purest” only use ricotta.
I don’t know if it will work. But you could try cottage cheese. I’ve heard that some people use it for lasagna. Although I have not and never will try it !!!!
I’d need a really big spoon! Looks fantastic.
Thanks Michelle!
Alot easier than making and stuffing shells!
Oooh I’m impressed that you can’t really taste the cream cheese in this! I love cannoli dips but most do taste heavily cream cheese-y. This sounds and looks SO good!
Right? I was surprised, too! Definitely a nice change 😀
Why do we not live next door to one another? Honestly, it’s a crime. I love this recipe. I’d be dunking and diving into this like crazy.
Right? We’d have the most awesome lunches and desserts and pretty much all the foods would be perfect 😀
This is a pefrect way to serve “cannoli” at a party without having to stuff all those shells! Sounds delicious!
Ha, seriously! I’m all for taking the lazy way out to tasty desserts 😀 Thanks Sabrina!
Need to know if I can make this the day before a gathering with friends at the lake…it sounds delish & super easy!
Hey Tracy! This dip should keep for a few days in the fridge just fine, but you’ll need to bring it back to room temp before serving (so the dip becomes nice and soft again). The only thing I’d recommend is to not mix the chocolate chips in until you’re ready to serve (that way you won’t run the risk of them won’t bleeding too much into the dip or changing the color).
This sounds AMAZING! Would it be okay to set out all school day in a teacher’s lounge or should it be on ice/in the fridge after so long? I’m looking ahead to my lounge snack day, this could be perfect!
Hey Ashley! Given the ricotta in this, you’ll want to leave it out for a maximum of 2 hours. I wish it was longer! Though if everything goes to plan, maybe the dip won’t even last that long 😀
As to concerns about leaving this dip at room temperature, use 2 bowls, one larger one filled with ice, and nestle the bowl with the dip into the ice in the larger bowl….instant tabletop mini-fridge! Just watch that the melting ice doesn’t cause a mess, drain it periodically.
Just made this for a party. So good! I added a tsp of cinnamon because I love that in cannoli. It was really tasty!!
Thanks for writing in Deanna! I’m so glad everyone liked it 😀
I’m not a fan of ricotta cheese. Do you think there would be a good substitute? Or should I just use more cream cheese? Thanks!
Hey Megan! Do you typically like Cannolis? Most standard recipes have ricotta cheese in them, but it’s sweetened to the point where you don’t really notice it (which is the same case with this dip). But if ricotta is totally off the table, I have a few other dessert dips you might be interested in here: https://homemadehooplah.com/?s=dip
I made this last week for a big party used mascopone cheese best ingred,,, and it came out HORRIBLE people tasted it and than it sat, it wasn’t that creamy it really was terrible,,,,,, and I had eaten it before at a party and it was great I’m so upset, over this.. and embarrassed also
THIS SOUNDS YUMMY! IS IS POSSIBLE TO USE IT AS A CANNOLI FILLING IN THE CANNOLI SHELLS?
Hey Annette! I haven’t tried this, but I think it should work 🙂 I don’t see why not!
i think the taste and consistency are off on this. i was disappointed in the outcome.
why didn’t it taste right, I just made some and why it doesn’t look thicker than it does I put it in the fridge because its for tomorrow for a party I had it twice and it was thicker help
Hey Dolly! Sorry to hear it didn’t turn out right 🙁 There aren’t any “liquid” ingredients in this dip, so I’m at a bit of a loss as to why the dip wasn’t firmer or the taste was off. There was another reader who said they used cheesecloth to strain/drain any excess moisture out of the ricotta. I’m not sure if this might depend on the brand of ricotta or not? I didn’t have to drain the ricotta when I made this, but I used a fresh container of a pretty mainstream brand.
I made this dip last night for a pot luck, I used whole milk ricotta and Philly Cream Cheese and it came out runny, would not even stay on the conolli chips I bought, I was quite embarrassed to even take it.
Made this for my 4th of July party and everyone LOVED it and also wanted the recipe!!! So, so easy to make and didn’t even take the 10 minutes it says. I love cannoli and this was absolutely delicious!!!!!!
Can I make it the night before?
Hey Nicole! This dip is a little tricky to chill because of the cream cheese. It might become too solid overnight in the fridge and lose consistency once it thaws again. I haven’t tried it myself so I can’t recommend doing it 🙁 Sorry!
Is there something you can replace ricotta with?
Hey Isadora! Ricotta cheese is actually the very heart of a cannoli recipe, which is what this dip is based on. Sadly I don’t know of a good replacement for ricotta in this case 🙁
I made this a few days ago and it was FANTASTIC. It was so easy to make and everyone loved it. It does keep in the fridge for a few days (I made it just as a fun snack and this makes a big batch, so we saved a lot of it to eat over a couple of days). It was delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for writing in Kelsey! I’m SO glad everyone liked it 😀 And great to know that it stores well in the fridge – that’s a big perk!
Absolutely amazing!I wanted to make something simple for dessert for my bff who was visiting but didn’t want to spend hours at it. This fit the bill perfectly! I’m a total sweet freak so added a bunch more powdered sugar. Lol but thank you so much will definitely be making again!
Awesome to hear Anna! I’m so glad it turned out so well 😀
The dip is fantastic, and I’d love to look at your other recipes, but there are SO many pop-ups that I just can’t!
Sorry about the popups, Karen! I’ll work on fixing that.
Just made this tonight. Tastes great but came out very watery. Not sure why did everything correct. Kind of dissapointed
Sorry that happened, Nicole! I’m trying to think how that might have happened but I’m coming up blank. Did you use any fat-free or low-fat ingredients by chance? They don’t always whip up as well as the full-fat version.
I always strain my ricotta cheese in paper towels to remove excess water.
Mine came out watery, too. I even added another block of cream cheeses and much more powdered sugar. Maybe it’s the ricotta I purchased?
Sitting around the coffee table eating this with my friends right now! They can’t get enough of it! Thanks for providing a sweet recipe that has led to this sweet, sweet time with my friends.
Made this tonight. We actually left the sugar cones whole and put the filling in them like it was ice cream. Wow.
Why is mine coming out so lumpy??? I’ve been mixing for what seems like forever
Are you using a mixer or just a spoon? I used my hand mixer n it worked great
How much does this make? Just wondering if I should double the batch?
Can I use Mascarpone cheese , instead of cream cheese ??
this is Dolly I made it and used the Mascarpone cheese, there’s always a better taste to it but I just put it in the fridge and its a a thin,,,,,, it better be better by tomorrow morning for a group/???????? will it be by then
I am so disappointed with this recipe! I read through the reviews and was SO EXCITED to try it and take it to a party today! The ricotta made the dip grainy, it was pretty thin and it absolutely still totally tastes like cream cheese ? I knew it was too good to be true!
One important step that’s left out in this recipe is to put the ricotta cheese in cheese cloth and squeeze out all the water before mixing it into the dip. It makes a HUGE difference in the consistency.
I don’t think that part was left out. She stated that while she has never had to strain the liquid out, others have. Then she she gave directions on how to do it.
Mine came out great! Should make sure you use full fat everything or weird things can happen ? If you did than not sure why it wld not have worked ?
I too attempted this recipe twice!:(. I followed to the t and still each time wattery and thin consistency. I feel it must be hand mixed and not done with mixer . This was a very costly disaster ! Never again!
This turned out really well! I made it as a dessert for a tailgate and added food coloring for team spirit. So easy! I didn’t have any issues with consistency and only added more one (very rounded) tablespoon of powdered sugar. I did not strain/drain the ricotta.
Thanks for the feedback, Jessica! I’m so glad everyone liked it 😀 Love the idea of adding color for spirit, too!
Delicious, problem is I can’t stop eating it and there is no need for cone dippers just grab a spoon lol ?Yum
LOL, I know exactly what you mean, Kat! I had the same problem 😀
Hello – Made this and it turned out great – do you think it would freeze well?
Hey Wendy! I’m glad the recipe was a success 😀 As for freezing, I don’t think I can recommend it for this one – the ingredients might separate.
Made this last night for a Christmas party. Wow! So good. Even better the next day. Served it also with cannoli chips.
Thanks for writing in, Edie! I’m so happy to hear it turned out so well 😀
So I want to make this but I need to do it ahead of time. The comment says serve immediately. Had anyone pre-made and how has that worked out??
This was delicious and so easy to make! I am not a fan of cream cheese AT ALL, but you can’t taste it in the dip. It keeps well in the fridge also, for those who have asked. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Thanks for writing in, Mary! I’m so glad you liked it 😀
Mine turned out watery too but I’m pretty sure it’s cuz I used 1/3 fat cream cheese and skim Ricotta. However, because of this I DID chill it for awhile and that made it the perfect consistency! So for those of you who are having the watery problems try that 🙂
Hey Philippa! This recipe does do well with “full fat” ingredients, but I’m so glad to hear that the consistency improved after being chilled 😀 Good to know!
I made this dip this past weekend and it was a huge hit. I loved how easy it was. But the cones were hard to crack the cones into large pieces.
Hey Sarah! I’m so glad the dip turned out well 😀 And as for the cones, I’ve had problems with certain brands of cones; for example, the store-brand cones I bought the second time I made this were harder to crack than the name-brand ones I bought the first time. However, the 5th time I made it, I had to buy more store-brand ones I got from a different store (I think Safeway?) and they were easy to crack like the name-brand. I’ll have to work on putting a list together of brands that are easier to work with.
I have made this recipe many times and it always turns out great. It is vital to use a good grade of ricotta. The only change I make is I top the dip with chopped pistachios. Guests and children love it.
I love the idea of adding pistachios! 😀 Thanks for writing in, Tony!
Turned out great. I see on Pinterest some people complain about the consistency being too runny. That can be caused by cheap brands of ricotta or using part skim versions. Spend the extra buck and purchase a good ricotta, full fat Whole milk is important. About an hour before I made it, just to be safe I wrapped the cup of ricotta in a paper towel and put it in a bowl in the fridge. This will take out some more moisture. Also be sure the cream cheese is room temperature. For those that asked, we had leftovers and they were just as great the next day. You will want to leave it out for about 15 minutes the next day so it will soften since the cream cheese will make it get kind of hard.
Over mixing/whisking causes cannoli dips to become runny. I was taught to always fold ingredients when making a dip. Tip I learned from my mother, maybe it will help those who are getting watery results ????
I grew up with my mom making this! I think she omitted the cream cheese completely though. We ate it on sugar cones like ice cream! Thanks for bringing back some good memories, I’ll have to go make some now!
This recipe sucks. The ricotta cheese made the texture grainy and not smooth. I kept adding powdered sugar, hoping it would make it taste sweeter and I almost doubled the amount needed and still doesn’t taste sweet enough.
I made this today, and the consistency was all off. It tastes great, but had the consistency of cake batter, not cannoli cream.
My son was craving canolies after I’d spent $30.+ for two canolies and a piece of tiramisu at a real EYE tal yun restaurant in our tiny little town. SO, I found this recipe, he was in heaven while I was bordering on a diabetic coma!! This is extremely rich~cream cheese and powdered sugar~DUH but it is really yummy!! BTW, what is the correct spelling of multiple canoli?
That’s actually a great question Judy (and I had to research a bit to find the answer 😀 ) Technically, Cannoli is actually for multiple desserts while cannolo is just a single dessert, but in English we tend to use cannoli for single and cannolis for more than one.
sounds good. I was thinking. could this recipe be put in a cannoli rum cake? also how do you get the ricotta to be smoothe and not grainy???
My friends and I love this recipe! Make it frequently with vegan cream cheese and vegan ricotta, served with granny smith slices and strawberries.. YUM!
This sounds and looks so good! When I tried to post on facebook the picture wouldn’t load. Just wanted to let you know. But I can’t wait to try this.
Hi we just made this it is AHHHMAZING! How long would you say itss good for though as we made way too much haha
This is a great recipe and always a hit when I make it……..plus it takes only 5 minutes to make! A real winner!
Super easy to make, and it was a big hit at my party. I followed the recipe – only added 1 cup of powered sugar!
This is a very quick and delicious desert. My husband and 3 of my four children love it, which really surprised me. I will say that you definitely have to use the right cream cheese and Ricotta. The first time I made it I used Philadelphia cream cheese and Galbani Whole milk Ricotta and it turned out perfect. The next time I used a cheaper Ricotta and cream cheese and it came out runny and gritty. So we went back to the store and got the ingredients we used the first time and it came out perfect. I’m so glad we found this recipe!
Thanks for writing in, Lindsey! I’m so glad everyone liked it 😀 And good to know about the ingredients. I know some other readers have had some difficulty with consistency so hopefully your insight will help 😀
This is really tasty! I’ve taken it to a couple of parties and everyone loved it. I found that the waffle bowls break up better than the cones.
Thank you for this recipe it was excellent!! I did not change anything from your ingredients and this was superb. I made it on a Sunday and we were still finishing it up on Thursday and it was still fabulous as day one! I’m a “cannoli snob” and only purchase them from our Italian bakeries that have been around for generations and I will tell you this dip tastes just as good and we are picky! Mine didn’t get watery at all and bought my ricotta the same day I made it so it was super fresh. And would only use whole milk ricotta with this recipe as the part and low ricotta would in my opinion cause a watery result. And we loved the waffles cones with it! Thank you again for a fab recipe!
Used mascarpone instead of cream cheese because that’s what I had (the ricotta and mascarpone were left over from two recipes, they are not my normal house hold cheeses lol). I’m honestly not sure what a canolli tastes like as I’m not sure I’ve ever had one but what I made was delicious. I followed everything else to a T.
I made this dip for a Christmas party and it was gone in no time flat! It was delicious and everyone loved it!
Had this at a party with cinnamon sugar pita chips for dippers instead of waffle cones. It was to die for!