Cannoli Ice Cream

The well-loved flavors and textures of cannoli are even better when turned into a creamy, sweet Cannoli ice cream packed with chocolate chips, pistachios, and pieces of crispy pastry.

To keep things simple, this is a Philadelphia-style ice cream recipe, which means that there’s no cooking involved, and your ice cream will be ready sooner than if you had made a custard base.

This cannoli ice cream recipe is egg-free and can easily be made gluten-free.

This amazing Cannoli Ice Cream recipe combines your favorite frozen treat with all of the traditional things you’d expect from an Italian cannoli.

We’re starting with an ice cream base made with heavy cream, milk, ricotta cheese, and mascarpone cheese.

I love cannoli with miniature chocolate chips, so those are definitely included here. My second favorite cannoli is dipped in chopped pistachios, so those are tossed in too!

Crushed cannoli shells are also stirred into this ricotta cheese ice cream, and if you can’t find those, try crushed waffle cone pieces instead.

Remember Ben and Jerry’s Holy Cannoli flavor? They only made it for about a year in the late 90s, and it was so tasty! Now they have a full-time flavor called just “Cannoli”. This recipe isn’t quite the same, but I think it’s even better!

You should also try our Mascarpone Ice Cream and Neapolitan Ice Cream recipes!

Why You’re Going to Love this Cannoli Ice Cream Recipe

Italian Cheeses – You might think that it’s odd to include cheese in an ice cream recipe, but Italians know how to turn soft cheeses like ricotta and mascarpone into the most decadent desserts.

Made in a Blender or Food Processor – I love a good reason to use my food processor, and this ice cream recipe certainly is a good reason! The machine does a wonderful job of blending up the ricotta and mascarpone into a creamy ice cream base.

Easy Ice Cream Instructions: We’ll show you how to make cannoli ice cream in your ice cream maker, step by step. No ice cream maker? There are instructions here for making no-churn cannoli ice cream too.

Ingredients in Homemade Cannoli Ice Cream

Heavy Cream – Heavy cream is what makes our ice cream base rich and creamy!

Whole Milk – Making ice cream with both heavy cream and whole milk is what gives us the best creamy texture.

Whole Milk Ricotta – Ricotta is the main ingredient in cannoli filling, so we will of course include it in this cannoli ice cream recipe! Be sure to use whole milk ricotta. Lower fat options won’t work as well.

Mascarpone Cheese – This rich, slightly sweet, soft cheese is delicious in ice cream. Look for it in the deli or specialty cheese section of your grocery store.

Granulated Sugar – For sweetness and amazing ice cream texture, plain, white, granulated sugar is a perfect choice.

Vanilla Extract – Vanilla is a must for almost all of our ice cream recipes, but it is especially important in this one. It elevates the simple flavors of milk, sugar, cream, and ricotta cheese.

Salt – Just a bit of salt balances the sweetness

Mini Chocolate Chips – Only the best cannoli have chocolate chips on the ends!

Cannoli Shells or Waffle Cones – If you can find pre-made cannoli shells at the store, use them! Otherwise, chop up waffle cones to add cannoli texture to the ice cream.

Pistachios -Chop the pistachios so that the pieces are smaller than a pea.

You’ll also need a food processor or blender, a mixing bowl, your ice cream maker, and a shallow container or loaf pan.

How to Make The Best Cannoli Ice Cream from Scratch

Start the day before by making sure that the bowl for your ice cream maker has at least 24 hours to freeze solid.

1. In a blender or food processor, Add the heavy cream, whole milk, whole milk ricotta, mascarpone cheese, granulated sugar, vanilla, and salt. Blend until smooth.
2. Pour the mixture into a bowl, cover, and place in the refrigerator to chill for about an hour.
3. Pour the ice cream base mixture into the bowl of an ice cream maker. Churn the ice cream mixture in the bowl of your ice cream machine according to your manufacturer’s instructions (mine took about 25 minutes), until it is thick and the consistency of soft-serve ice cream.
4. In the last two minutes of the churn, add the mini chocolate chips, chopped pistachios, and roughly chopped cannoli shells.
5. Spoon into a loaf pan or other freezer-safe container. Cover and freeze for 3-4 hours, until firm.
6. Let sit at room temperature briefly before scooping.

These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes. For the complete list of ingredients and instructions for making cannoli ice cream, please see the recipe below.

How to Store Cannoli Ice Cream

Store this homemade Cannoli Ice Cream in the freezer in an airtight container with a piece of parchment paper or wax paper pressed on top for up to one month.

Tips for Making This Cannoli Ice Cream Recipe

Use quality ingredients – When making homemade ice cream, you’ll want to make sure you are using high-quality ingredients for the best outcome.

Chill out – If possible, always start with chilled ingredients. This is important for homemade no-churn ice cream recipes and ice cream maker recipes. You want your ice cream base to be super cold when you add it to the machine, so please don’t skip the chilling step here.

Don’t skimp on the fat – High-fat milk and cream are essential when making homemade ice cream. Opting for a low-fat option often leads to icy ice creams and inconsistency in the texture.

Don’t go crazy with the add-ins – If you’re adding in additional ingredients, pick one or two and make sure they are chopped into pieces no larger than a blueberry or pea.

Don’t skimp on the sugar – Sugar not only adds sweetness to homemade ice creams, it also helps with the texture. Sugar is essential for the creamy texture of ice cream.

To make this ice cream recipe gluten free – look for gluten free ice cream cones.

Where Can I Buy Cannoli Shells?

Two of my local grocery stores sell un-filled cannoli shells in the bakery. They also have cannoli “chips” that they sell to use with cannoli dip.

You may find cannoli shells for sale at an Italian bakery or Italian grocery store too.

If you don’t live in a place where this Italian specialty is common, you might not find cannoli shells in stores. Instead, crush up a few waffle cones; they will give your ice cream a very similar texture.

No Churn Cannoli Ice Cream Directions

You can easily make cannoli ice cream without an ice cream machine!

Start by chilling a shallow container or a loaf pan in the freezer while you mix the ice cream ingredients.

Pour the ice cream mixture into the prepared pan and freeze for 3-4 hours. Stir the ice cream every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours to help add air. This will help create a creamy, smooth texture.

Add the mix-ins toward the end of that second hour, so that they won’t all sink to the bottom.

Alternatively, you can sprinkle the chocolate chips, pistachios, and cannoli pieces on top of the ice cream rather than mixing them in.

Check out our collection of ice cream with nuts, for more ice cream flavor ideas.

Want to try another Italian Frozen Treat that doesn’t require an ice cream maker? Make a delicious homemade semifreddo or simply add ice cream to your coffee and enjoy an affogato.

Cannoli Ice Cream Add-Ins

This cannoli ice cream already has all of the most common cannoli mix-ins included, so you don’t really need to add anything.

Sometimes more is better when it comes to ice cream add-ins, but it’s important not to overwhelm the ice cream with too many of them.

For a bit more authentic cannoli flavor, try adding a teaspoon or two of cinnamon!

More Homemade Ice Cream Recipes To Make at Home

If you like this ice cream recipe that doesn’t include eggs, you should try these other Philadelphia Style Ice Cream Recipes:

• Cinnamon Ice Cream
• Red Velvet Ice Cream
• Chunky Monkey Ice Cream
• Funfetti Ice Cream
• Cookie Dough Ice Cream

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