This easy cannoli dip takes Italian cannolis and turns them into a dessert dip that’s great for parties or just a sweet treat! Serve it with cannoli chips or pieces of waffle cones for the ultimate cannoli inspired dessert!
When we used to live in Texas, there was a restaurant there that served little cups of cannoli dip with cannoli chips covered in powdered sugar. My son doesn’t like authentic cannolis, but he absolutely loved that dip.
So we quickly started making our own cannoli dip at home and still do regularly to this day.
This is one of those easy recipes that you’ll make once then make it over and over again because it’s just that delicious.
This sweet dip is great for pretty much any occasion because it uses simple ingredients, nothing seasonal, and could be a good fit for any theme. It’s one of our family favorites, and I’m sure it’ll be one of yours too!
Serve it on a dessert board with lots of dippers for a baby shower. Serve it with broken up waffle cones for Super Bowl as an anti-thesis to the spicy buffalo chicken dip. Or even just for a delicious dessert for your family one night!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Creamy dip – this easy dessert dip is loaded with cream cheese and creamy ricotta cheese, making it super creamy! It’s just like the filling on the inside of a cannoli but easier to eat and share with others!
- Cannolis in dip form – if you love the real thing but don’t want to deal with the hassle of making them, this is one of my favorite things to eat as a substitute! It makes
- Easy – unlike making a homemade cannoli, this creamy cannoli dip is super easy to make! It’s pretty much fool-proof!
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Mini chocolate chips – stick with the miniature chocolate chips in this cannoli dip recipe. They’re much easier to enjoy when you’re taking small bites of the cannoli filling!
- Ricotta cheese – I recommend whole milk ricotta because the texture of the ricotta (in my opinion) is just better in the full fat version. It’s thicker, creamier, and richer, making for a more creamy cannoli dip.
- Lemon zest – if you don’t have these, you can technically make the dip without them, but it won’t be nearly as good. The lemon zest just brightens everything up and really adds to that citrus cannoli flavor. If you don’t have lemons for lemon zest, you could also use orange zest as an alternative.
- Cream cheese – any regular cream cheese will do, no need to get a fancy Italian cream cheese or mascarpone cheese or anything like that. You do want to make sure that it’s at room temperature before trying to mix it into the dip.
- Orange extract – if you absolutely cannot find orange extract, you could use vanilla extract in a pinch, but I don’t recommend it. You really want the orange flavor to come through to give you that nice refreshing citrus taste.
You’ll also need things to dip into this easy dip. I’ve included a section below with what to dip in cannoli dip but just off the top of my head, this would be good with pizzelle cookies, waffle cones, unfilled cannoli shells (break them into cannoli chips), vanilla wafers, and fresh fruit.
How to make cannoli dip
I’ve been on a kick with making dessert dip recipesd and just like with the others, this one is super simple to put together! The main key is to have all of the simple ingredients prepped and ready before you make the dip.
To make this delicious cannoli dip, start by mixing the cream cheese and ricotta cheese together in a mixing bowl until well blended. It’s important that the cream cheese is at room temperature before mixing so they’ll mix together completely for best results.
You can do this using a handheld mixer (the electric mixer is my preferred option), a food processor, or by hand, your preference.
Next, stir in the powdered sugar (aka confectioner’s sugar), orange extract, and lemon zest and mix until ingredients are fully incorporated and smooth.
Then stir in the mini chocolate chips. Give them a really good stir so they are well incorporated into the dip. You want every bite to have some of the chocolate chips!
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Chilling the dip allows the flavors to really mingle together giving you that delicious cannoli inspired flavor.
Serve chilled with any of your favorite dippers for the perfect sweet treat!
What Do You Serve Cannoli With
Serve cannoli dip with any of your favorite sweet and salty dippers. Our personal favorites include:
- Broken up waffle cone pieces (the ones that go with ice cream)
- Cannoli chips
- Cannoli pieces – the crunchy shells are obviously good in this
- Vanilla wafers
- Chocolate chip cookies
- Shortbread cookies
- Fresh fruit (strawberries and sliced apples are both really good)
- Pretzel crisps
- Graham crackers or Teddy Grahams
- Pizzelle or waffle cookies
Expert Tips
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Do not try to freeze this cannoli dip. Freezing the dip ruins the texture.
Drain the ricotta cheese before adding to the cream cheese if it seems like there is excess liquid. If you just add it straight from the container, you’ll end up with a dip that’s more watery than you’d like. If it still seems too liquidy, you can wrap the ricotta cheese in a cheese cloth or use a fine mesh strainer to try to squeeze out any excess into a large bowl.
Mix it up for different seasons. Try replacing the orange extract flavoring with almond extract or peppermint extract for a more holiday flavor. Or you could even do one teaspoon of ground cinnamon for a more fall flavor profile.
Recipe FAQs
Cannoli dip is made of cream cheese, ricotta cheese, orange extract, lemon zest, powdered sugar, and mini chocolate chips.
Cannoli dip should be refrigerated when not being eaten because of the multiple dairy ingredients in the recipe that will spoil if left out.
Traditional cannoli recipes use ricotta cheese, which is why we’ve used that in this cannoli dip. If you’d like a thicker cannoli dip that has more fat content, you can also use mascarpone instead, but it will change the flavor and texture of the dip.
A lot of local grocery stores sell cannoli chips or you can order some on Amazon here.
More Delicious Dip Recipes
If you like dessert dips, you have to try one of these delicious treats next!
- Dunkaroo dip – this homemade version of the popular snack-sized treat is perfect for any celebration!
- Strawberry dip recipe – a strawberry dip that tastes like a combo between strawberry cheesecake and strawberry shortcake!
- Funfetti dip – a simple dip that tastes just like funfetti cake but in dessert dip form!
- Cherry cheesecake dip – a dessert dip that is what you’d imagine cherry pie and cheesecake together to taste like!
- Brownie batter dip – this dip tastes just like brownie batter but it’s safe to eat by the bowl!
- Hot chocolate dip – this dip went absolutely bonkers on TikTok for a reason. It’s simple and delicious!
Easy Cannoli Dip
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese (softened)
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp orange extract
- zest of one lemon
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
- assorted dipping items (waffle cone pieces, fruit, graham crackers, pretzels, etc.)
Instructions
- Mix cream cheese and ricotta cheese together until well blended.8 ounces cream cheese, 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- Stir in powdered sugar, orange extract, and lemon zest and mix until ingredients are fully incorporated and smooth.1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tsp orange extract, zest of one lemon
- Stir in mini chocolate chips until well combined.1 cup mini chocolate chips
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Serve with broken waffle cone pieces, graham crackers, fruit, cookies, pretzels, or any of your favorite dipping treats.assorted dipping items
Deborah says
I am on Keto and all the ingredients except the powdered sugar are ok. Are there any substitutions for powdered sugar?
Britni Vigil says
I’m so sorry but I’ve never tried it with anything other than powdered sugar.