Cannoli cream parfaits are a cool and creamy twist on a classic Italian dessert that requires less effort than traditional cannoli and is way more fun to eat!
We love serving these parfaits at dinner parties or making one giant parfait (similar to a trifle) to serve family style on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Either way, it’s familiar cannoli filling taste will be sure to win you and everyone who tries it over!
What Is A Cannoli?
You’ve ordered it a dozen times. You recognize it from a mile away. Traditional Italian cannoli are unmistakably delicious and well known for their ricotta cheese filling, lightened with whipped cream and sugar, then seasoned with warm spices.
Sometimes they’re flavored with orange or pistachio, but there’s almost always chocolate involved (chocolate chips or chocolate dipped cannoli shells). While classic cannolis are best enjoyed fresh, a parfait made from cannoli cream can absolutely be made ahead!
This cannoli cream recipe is served in individual parfaits. Make the cannoli filling ahead of time, then crush some cannoli shells and top with chocolate when ready to serve! It’s light, creamy, sweet, and has the most amazing texture from chocolate and cannoli shells!
Our Favorite Ways to Use Cannoli Cream Filling
Our favorite way to serve the creamy cannoli filling is in parfaits. We serve them in these cute little tulip jars. Here are some other fun ways to serve the cream:
- Cannoli dip – instead of assembling in parfaits, pour cannoli cream into a large serving bowl, then serve with store-bought cannoli chips.
- Cannoli cheesecake – pour the filling into a prepared pie crust, then refrigerate for 2 hours until set. Slice, serve, enjoy!
- Serve with fresh fruit – so easy!
But perhaps the most obvious choice is to make traditional homemade cannoli!
What is Cannoli Filling Anyway?
The creamy, luscious ricotta cheese filling that is piped into fresh cannoli shells is what we’re after here.
Here’s what you’ll need to make this cannoli cream recipe at home.
Cannoli Cream Ingredients
- Ricotta cheese (store-bought is totally fine, but homemade ricotta takes these parfaits over the top!)
- Confectioner’s sugar
- Ground cinnamon
- Heavy cream
- Chocolate shavings or mini chocolate chips
- Cannoli shells or chips, crushed
Using chopped chocolate gives the parfaits a lot of contrasting texture — some thicker chunks, some thinner — but if you’d rather use chocolate chips, we recommend mini chocolate chips, just like you’d fine in a traditional Italian cannoli.
These are the tulip jars we use for serving!
How To Make Cannoli Cream
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk ricotta until smooth. Add sifted powdered sugar, ground cinnamon, and allspice, then whisk until combined and set aside.
- Whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
- Add whipped cream to ricotta and fold until just mixed. Gently stir in ⅓ cup of chocolate shavings.
This cannoli filling is all kinds of delicious. We are occasionally caught eating it with a spoon! Now we assemble the parfaits.
How To Make Cannoli Cream Parfaits
- Layer the base of your small jars (or one larger container) with an equal mix of crushed cannoli shells or chips and shaved chocolate, reserving some as garnish.
- Fill jars almost to the top with cannoli cream. Garnish with more crushed cannoli chips or cannoli shells and chopped chocolate. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
All you need is 15 minutes to make and assemble homemade cannoli parfaits. No excuses, because you definitely need these in your life!
Tips For The Best Cannoli Cream
- Use whole milk ricotta, which is thick and creamy. If you’ve got time, nothing beats homemade ricotta cheese! Instructions included on how to strain ricotta (this works with store-bought or homemade!) to get thicker, creamier cheese.
- To make ahead: cannoli cream can be made up to 3 days in advance. Assemble parfaits the day they are being served.
- To use cannoli cream in traditional cannolis: purchase cannoli shells or make your own with cannoli formers, then pipe filling into shells just before serving. Dip each end of cannoli in mini chocolate chips or crushed pistachios for crunch!
- Some cannoli filling recipes are flavored with orange. To do this, add 1 tsp orange zest to filling when folding other ingredients together.
Cannoli parfaits are the dessert of our dreams!
Everything we love about Italian cannoli — that unmistakable creamy texture, the familiar flavor of cannoli shells, and the chocolatey crunch from shaved chocolate or chips! — without the hassle of actually making the shells or piping the filling.
With a dessert recipe this simple, it’s no wonder we make these on repeat all year long!
If you make these Cannoli Cream Parfaits, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!
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More Dessert Recipes To Try!
- Italian rainbow cookies (with video!)
- Copycat Magnolia Bakery banana pudding
- Homemade rugelach cookies
- Easy chocolate babka parfaits
- Bakery style black and white cookies
Cannoli Cream Parfaits Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups ricotta
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar sifted
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp allspice
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup chocolate shavings or mini chocolate chips, plus more for garnish
- ⅔ cup cannoli shells or chips crushed
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk 2 cups ricotta until smooth. Add 1 cup sifted sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, and ¼ tsp allspice, then whisk until combined. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip ½ cup heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
- Add whipped cream to ricotta and gently fold until just mixed. Carefully stir in ⅓ cup of chocolate shavings or mini chocolate chips.
- Layer the base of your small jars (or one larger container) with an equal mix of crushed cannoli shells or chips and shaved chocolate, reserving some as garnish. Fill jars almost to the top with cannoli cream. Garnish with more crushed cannoli chips and chocolate. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- We recommend using whole milk ricotta, which is thick and creamy. If you’ve got an hour to spare, nothing beats homemade ricotta cheese! Instructions included on how to strain ricotta (this works with store-bought or homemade!) to get thicker, creamier cheese.
- To make ahead: cannoli cream can be made up to 3 days in advance. Assemble parfaits the day they are being served.
- To use cannoli cream in traditional cannolis: purchase cannoli shells or make your own, then pipe filling into shells just before serving. Dip each end of cannoli in mini chocolate chips or crushed pistachios for crunch!
- Some cannoli filling recipes are flavored with orange. To do this, add 1 tsp orange zest to filling when folding other ingredients together.
his family loves cannolis but this recipe takes the cake! So good!!
It’s got all those amazing flavors with a fraction of the work. Can’t beat it! xo, Ari