These Vegan Cannolis will knock your socks off with how delicious they are! Crunchy fried shells filled with a creamy and sweet filling.
We are plowing our way through the holiday season! One of the things I love about this season is all of the fun desserts and the joy that surrounds everyone. When I spent my first Christmas with Michael, I became aware of so many new traditions and treats for the holidays. I shared my Vegan Anise Pizzelle recipe last week and those are always a staple. However, another staple in his family during Christmas are cannoli's! Can you believe that I waited 23 years before I ever tried a cannoli? I can't either! Thankfully, I am now a full cannoli believer.
These Vegan Cannolis are amazingly crispy and crunchy on the outside and then are filled with a delicious vegan almond ricotta on the inside. Each bite is like going straight to heaven! You don't want to miss out!
Jump to:
Ingredients
The ingredients in this recipe are easy to find at any grocery store.
Ingredient Notes
Crisco- Did you know that Crisco is vegan? If you didn't, you know now! Italians love oil and Crisco pairs right along with the vegan butter. If you don't want to use Crisco, just use the same amount of vegan butter.
Nutritional Yeast- We are making our own vegan ricotta for this recipe. While it might sound odd that we are adding nutritional yeast to a sweet recipe, don't worry. The nutritional yeast will give the vegan ricotta just a touch of the cheesy flavor that it is known for.
Plant Milk- The plant milk will work alongside the almond flour to create the vegan ricotta. My favorite plant milk is this flax milk, however, feel free to use any plant milk that you want. Just make sure it is plain and unsweetened.
Dry White Wine-I used Sauvignon Blanc but feel free to use whatever dry white wine you prefer!
Instructions
Prepping the Dough
Make the flax eggs and set them aside. Add the flour, sugar, and salt to a large bowl.
Add the cubed butter and the Crisco to the flour mixture and work together until the butter and the Crisco are fully incorporated into the dough. You will want the dough to have the butter spread throughout like small pebbles.
Make a well in the dough and add the flax eggs, white wine vinegar, and white wine, and knead the dough until fully combined about 5-7 minutes.
Add the dough back to the bowl and cover with a wet cloth and let rest overnight.
Preparing the Dough
Take the dough that has rested overnight and cut it into 4 quarters. Cut each quarter into 4 more quarters. You should have a total of 16 quarters of dough.
Using a pasta maker, add one quarter of the dough through the pasta maker starting with the largest setting. Run the dough through the pasta maker two more times lowering the setting each time. The dough will be thin enough that you should almost be able to see through it but not quite.
On your work surface cut the dough into 2 ½ inch pieces and wrap each piece around a cannoli tube.
Repeat until you have rolled all the dough out. You might not have enough cannoli tubes and that is okay, just lay the dough on a flat surface until you are ready to cut and roll it.
Frying the Cannolis
Fill the deep fryer to the max line with vegetable oil and heat to 375 degrees. Add the cannolis, two at a time to the deep fryer and fry for 3 minutes or until golden brown. Once fried, lay them on a towel-lined baking sheet.
Making the Ricotta
Add all of the almond ricotta ingredients into a bowl and mix until combined.
Filling the shells
After all the cannolis are fried and you are ready to serve, add the almond ricotta to a piping bag or a gallon size ziplock bag that you trim the end off of and pipe the ricotta mixture into the cannolis.
Dip each side of the cannolis in dairy-free mini chocolate chips.
Substitutions
- Sugar-Free - Feel free to make these cannolis sugar-free by using your favorite sugar-free substitute in the cannoli dough recipe. Use your favorite sugar-free substitute in the ricotta filling as well.
- Gluten-Free - Make these cannolis gluten-free by using gluten-free flour in place of all-purpose flour.
Variations
- Vegan Cannoli Dip - Turn these cannolis into a fun appetizer by making cannoli dip! Instead of filling the cannolis, break the shells up and use them as a vessel to dip into the filling!
- Cream - Switch it up and make the vegan cannoli cream by using a mixture of vegan cream cheese and powdered sugar.
- Baked - If you want to skip frying the cannolis, you can bake the cannoli shells at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Check out this other delicious recipe here!
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. See below for the equipment that you will need to make this recipe.
- Glass Mixing Bowl
- Pasta Maker
- Cannoli Forms
- Deep Fryer
- Cookie Sheets
FAQ's
Yes, you can totally make this without a pasta maker. I only use the pasta maker because that is the way that I learned from Michael's grandma. If you don't have a pasta maker, feel free to use a rolling pin. To make with a rolling pin, turn the dough onto a well floured surface and, using as much flour as needed to prevent sticking, roll until approximately 1/16 inch thick. Brush excess flour from the dough. Carefully fold the dough in half, then dust with more flour and continue rolling to 1/16 inch. Slice into 2 ½ inch rounds and roll around the cannoli tubes.
Yes, you can make this without a deep fryer. All you need to do is add 4 inches of oil to a large dutch oven and using a thermometer bring the temperature to 375 degrees. Fry the cannolis for three minutes before transferring to a towel lined baking sheet.
If your almond ricotta comes out too thin, you can thicken it up by adding more almond flour in 1 tablespoon increments. On the flip side, if it is too thick, you can thin it by adding plant milk in 1 tablespoon increments.
Storage
The best way to store the cannolis is to store the shells separately from the filling and then fill the shells directly before serving. If you store them filled then the filling will seep into the shell and turn the cannoli into a soggy mess.
You can store the cannoli shells in an airtight container on the counter for up to one week.
Store the filling in the refrigerator for up to one week.
When it comes to freezing, you can freeze the cannoli dough before you fry it for up to three months.
Top tips
- Feel free to use a stand mixer to mix the dough. I prefer mixing it the old-fashioned way with clean hands but a stand mixer will also do the trick!
- Do not fill all the cannolis at once. The dough will get soggy if you don't eat them pretty soon after filling them. Only fill as many as you are planning on serving.
- This recipe makes a large number of cannolis which is perfect for a party or big event, however, feel free to cut this recipe into halves or thirds to make a smaller portion.
The Best Vegan Cannolis
Ingredients
- 6 cups All-Purpose Flour
- ½ cup Vegan Butter
- 2 tablespoons Cane Sugar
- 2 tablespoons Crisco
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 3 Flax Eggs
- ¼ cup White Wine Vinegar
- 1 ½ cups Dry White Wine
- 2 cups Almond Flour
- 1 teaspoon Nutritional Yeast
- 1 Lemon juiced
- 2 cups Powdered Sugar
- ½ cup Plant Milk
Instructions
Prepping the Dough
- Make the flax eggs and set them aside. Add the flour, sugar, and salt to a large bowl.
- Add the cubed butter and the Crisco to the flour mixture and work together until the butter and the Crisco are fully incorporated into the dough. You will want the dough to have the butter spread throughout like small pebbles.
- Make a well in the dough and add the flax eggs, white wine vinegar, and white wine, and knead the dough until fully combined about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the dough back to the bowl and cover with a wet cloth and let rest overnight.
Preparing the Dough
- Take the dough that has rested overnight and cut it into 4 quarters. Cut each quarter into 4 more quarters. You should have a total of 16 quarters of dough.
- Using a pasta maker, add one quarter of the dough through the pasta maker starting with the largest setting. Run the dough through the pasta maker two more times lowering the setting each time. The dough will be thin enough that you should almost be able to see through it but not quite.
- On your work surface cut the dough into 2 ½ inch pieces and wrap each piece around a cannoli tube.
- Repeat until you have rolled all the dough out. You might not have enough cannoli tubes and that is okay, just lay the dough on a flat surface until you are ready to cut and roll it.
Frying the Cannolis
- Fill the deep fryer to the max line with vegetable oil and heat to 375 degrees. Add the cannolis, two at a time to the deep fryer and fry for 3 minutes or until golden brown. Once fried, lay them on a towel-lined baking sheet.
Making the Ricotta
- Add all of the almond ricotta ingredients into a bowl and mix until combined.
Filling the shells
- After all the cannolis are fried and you are ready to serve, add the almond ricotta to a piping bag or a gallon size ziplock bag that you trim the end off of and pipe the ricotta mixture into the cannolis.
- Dip each side of the cannolis in dairy-free mini chocolate chips.
Notes
- The best way to store the cannolis is to store the shells separately from the filling and then fill the shells directly before serving. If you store them filled then the filling will seep into the shell and turn the cannoli into a soggy mess.
- You can store the cannoli shells in an airtight container on the counter for up to one week.
- Store the filling in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- When it comes to freezing, you can freeze the cannoli dough before you fry it for up to three months.
Nutrition
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Alexandra says
These cannoli are just divine! The almond ricotta filling is so good. I will be making these on repeat over the festive season.
Natalie says
This is such a delicious dessert perfect for Holidays. I'm adding this to my baking list. Thanks!
Audrey says
These were amazing, perfect for the holidays.
Daniela says
Absolutely perfect! Made them for some friends and they loved them. Thank you for this amazing recipe
Lucy says
I've never thought about making my own cannolis before. These are such a fun delicious treat, thank you for sharing the recipe! The lemon and almond flavours compliment each other perfectly.
Amanda Scarlati says
OMG sooo good! Just like gram makes, but vegan - amazed how well these turned out!
Jacqui says
These vegan Cannoli are perfect! Who says you have to miss out on anything when going plant based?! It’s a great and easy to follow recipe - thanks for sharing.
Sabrina says
Wow, I never thought I’d get to eat cannoli again! A vegan dream, thank you!!!
Holly says
I LOVED cannolis before going vegan but hadn't had them since. These cannolis came out amazing! I'm excited to wow my in-laws with them at Christmas! 🙂
Addie says
I can’t believe they are Vegan! Wow!!
Amy Liu Dong says
That one looks really good and tasty.
I am so excited to make this at home.
Amy Roskelley says
These cannolis are great! Can't wait to share them with my family.
Bernice says
Thank you so much for this great vegan recipe! My vegan daughter is coming home for Christmas and I know she'll just love them.
Laura says
Thanks for the vegan version!
Anaiah says
I love cannolis! Making it was a first for me but soo fun to make. It's nice to find a vegan recipe that's this delicious.
Pam Greer says
Our favorite dessert!
Emily says
These will be on my Christmas table for sure!
Brianna says
Absolutely love these cannoli, I can't believe their vegan!
Alice says
The cannoli turned out outstanding — difficult to say they're vegan. Great recipe!
Tatiana says
I actually made these cannolis with the help of my kids. We had fun
Lilly says
This cannoli recipe is the best! Thank you for sharing!
Nart says
These are so good! My nephews and I love them so much!
Dennis Littley says
I had no idea you could make vegan cannoli's, I can't wait to make these for my vegan friends!