Cannoli Dip

Cannoli Dip is only 5 ingredients and it's a simpler way to enjoy the classic dessert in an easy to make dessert dip. So creamy with ricotta cheese, cream cheese, vanilla extract and powdered sugar for sweetness, and then the dip is dotted with mini chocolate chips throughout.

Serve with an assortment of dippers such as broken waffles cones, strawberries, graham crackers, wafer cookies, mini chocolate chip cookies, Milano cookies, or Nilla wafers. Lots of options!

Cannoli Dip Recipe

If you're looking for an authentic Italian cannoli dip recipe, then you may just want to look away 😉 I am not Italian and I don't know the first thing about what qualifies as an authentic cannoli, but I do know that this cannoli dip is approachable for anyone, easy to make with simple ingredients, and it's really delicious when served with an assortment of dippers. 

Traditionally, cannoli has mascarpone cheese in it (rather than cream cheese) but mascarpone cheese is not something that is easily available or found in most grocery stores. The cream cheese adds thickness, creaminess, and it's an easy ingredient that you probably already have in your fridge. 

We're going for a dip like consistency for this cannoli dip, rather than a thicker cannoli filling. 

Ingredients Needed

• Cream Cheese - Use full-fat cream cheese for this recipe. It's thicker, has a richer flavor, and it's not as watery as the reduced-fat Neufchatel cream cheese. We use cream cheese, rather than mascarpone cheese, because it's easier to blend, more easily found, and less expensive. 
• Ricotta Cheese - The most important thing about this is that it needs to be well drained before adding it into the mixing bowl. We don't want any extra moisture. 
• Powdered Sugar - This sweetens our dip. Cream cheese + ricotta cheese are not sweet ingredients, so the powdered sugar is much needed to bring that sweet taste to this dessert dip. Use more or less, as needed, until it's to your desired taste. 
• Vanilla Extract - Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor. 
• Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

How To Make a Sweet Cannoli Dip (With Ricotta Cheese & Cream Cheese)

Learn how to make this dessert dip with the easy to follow steps below. Be sure and read to the bottom of the page where there is a printable recipe card with all the details & tips, along with a pin it button so you can save this cannoli dip recipe for later. 

• Prep : Drain the ricotta cheese. Make sure it is well drained before adding it into the mixing bowl. Tips for how to drain ricotta are below in the 'recipe tips' section.
• Cannoli Cream Mixture : Add the cream cheese, drained ricotta cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract into a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer, start on low speed and increase as needed, until it is whipped, fluffy, and combined well. About 2 minutes. It's easiest to do this with a stand mixer. No hands needed and the mixer gets the mixture whipped & fluffy. 
• Chocolate : Stir in the mini chocolate chips. 
• Chill : Cover the dip and let it chill in the fridge for 1 hour before serving. Serve chilled. 

Cannoli Dip FAQ's

• Serving Suggestions for a dessert Cannoli Dip

  • It's best to serve the cannoli dip inside a serving bowl and then lay an assortment of dippers around it. Here are some dipping ideas that are so delicious! Pick a few or use them all!
    • Milano Cookies
    • Nilla Wafers (I like the mini sized ones)
    • Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies (Chips Ahoy)
    • Wafer Cookies
    • Stroopwafles 
    • Broken Waffle Cones
    • Strawberries
    • Graham Cracker Sticks or Squares (Chocolate or Honey)

• How To Store Leftovers

  • Store leftover dip, inside an airtight container, in the fridge for up to 4 days. 
  • Stir the dip well to combine it together before serving. 

• Substitution Ideas

  • Mascarpone Cheese : Use 8 ounces of mascarpone cheese instead of cream cheese. It's more expensive than cream cheese but it is similar in flavor and it's more traditional for cannolis. So if you want the dip to be more authentic, use mascarpone cheese instead. 
  • Milk Chocolate Chips : I prefer using the semi-sweet mini chocolate chips but if wanted, feel free to use milk chocolate chips. They are larger pieces, which I find hard to eat in a creamy dip like this one, but they can be used just fine if that's what you prefer. 
  • Pistachios + Orange Zest : Finely chopped shelled pistachios and/or orange zest are always great add-ins to this cannoli dip for a little something extra if wanted. 

• How Do I Drain Ricotta Cheese?

  • Spread the cheese over 2-3 layers of paper towels and then press another paper towel (double layered) on top of the cheese to soak up any excess liquid from the ricotta. Let the ricotta rest for 10 minutes before adding it into the bowl of other ingredients. 

• Texture and Flavor of Cannoli Dip

  • The texture of cannoli dip is smooth and creamy with chunks of mini chocolate chips throughout. 
  • This dip is similar to the flavor of traditional cannoli filling. It's mild in flavor, sweet and tangy, mixed with a hint of vanilla and sweetness from the mini chocolate chips. 

Recipe Tips

Here are a few of my helpful tips so that you can have success recreating this recipe in your own kitchen ♥

• Full Fat Dairy Products : It's important to use full fat, regular cream cheese and not the ⅓ reduced-fat Neufchatel cream cheese. It has more water in it which makes the dip not as thick & rich, and it does not have that rich flavor we're looking for like regular fat cream cheese does. Use whole milk ricotta cheese, instead of reduced-fat, for the same reasons listed above.
• Assortment of Dipping Options : As with any dessert dip, it gets better and better with the more options of dippers that you have available. Pick several of the dipping ideas and make a cute serving platter with the dip inside a bowl in the center, and then the dipper around it.
• Fridge Time : This cannoli dip is best served chilled from the fridge. The dip needs at least 1-2 hours of fridge time before serving. I actually prefer to let it sit in the fridge for longer (like 6 hours or more) so I will leave out the chocolate chips and then chill the dip covered in the fridge. Stir in the chocolate chips right before serving.  

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