Cannoli Dip (Best Recipe)

Cannoli dip is the perfect no-bake dessert to bring to any party! It comes together in minutes and only takes five ingredients.

The combination of ricotta cheese, cream cheese, chocolate chips, sugar, and vanilla can’t be topped!

Homemade cannoli dip captures the creaminess of cannoli without the effort of having to fill the shells.

It’s so delicious, and it’s almost too pretty to eat! Once you try it, you won’t be able to get enough. 

Fire up your mixing bowl and get ready to enter dessert heaven!

Cannoli Dip 

This isn’t your ordinary party dip. It’s intensely creamy with a gentle kiss of sweetness from mini chocolate chips.

I mean, the best part of cannoli is the filling, right? So why not make a big bowl of cannoli filling with tasty dipping options? 

What I love most about this recipe is its low risk and high reward (just as I like my recipes). 

It only takes a few minutes and five ingredients to create a dessert that’ll be the buzz of the party. 

I threw this dip together for a last-minute potluck, and everyone flipped for it.

While cannoli shells are great dippers, finding other things to dip is half the fun. But more on that a little later. 

For now, let’s take a quick look at how to whip together this delicious party dip. 

Ingredients 

There’s no need to head to the Italian market to whip up this amazing dip! You likely have most of these ingredients in your kitchen right now. 

• Ricotta cheese. Whole milk ricotta or part-skim delivers the best results in this recipe. Ricotta is ultra-creamy and a little nutty, which adds a unique depth of flavor to the dip. 

• Cream cheese. Save the low-fat cream cheese for another day. Full-fat cream cheese makes this dip rich and indulgent with a sweet and salty profile. 

• Confectioners’ sugar. Adding powdered sugar dials up the sweetness and helps to make this dip nice and thick. 

• Vanilla extract. Vanilla extract enhances the flavors in this recipe and adds subtle warming notes. Since there are so few ingredients, opt for a high-quality vanilla extract. 

• Miniature semisweet chocolate chips. Mini chocolate chips add a burst of chocolatey goodness and crunch. Mini chips work best because they ensure each bite is equal parts chocolate and cannoli cream. 

How to Make Cannoli Dip

Blink and you’ll miss it! Making traditional cannoli requires time, patience, and a deep-frier. But for this cannoli dip, all you need is a mixing bowl and a hand mixer.  

Check out how quickly this dip comes together. 

1. Whip the cheese. Add the ricotta and cream cheese to a large mixing bowl and beat them with a hand mixer until smooth. 

2. Add sweet components. Slowly add the powdered sugar and vanilla, and continue to beat until it’s incorporated. 

3. Get chocolatey. Slowly fold in the mini chocolate chips until they’re evenly distributed. 

4. Chill. Cover the mixing bowl and place it in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Tips for Success 

Sure, this dip is quick and easy. But there are a few places where things can go wrong. Here are a few tips to ensure your cannoli dip is picture-perfect. 

• Use the right ricotta cheese. Fresh, whole-milk ricotta has the least amount of liquid. If you use anything else, your cannoli dip will become cannoli soup. If you opt for a different type of ricotta, drain it first.

• Allow your cream cheese to come to room temperature. Blending room-temperature cream cheese ensures your dip will be silky smooth. If you don’t, the mixture will be lumpy. Cutting cream cheese into cubes helps speed up the softening process. 

• Bring on the power! A wooden spoon just won’t cut it for this recipe. For whipped cannoli goodness, you need a hand mixer (or a stand mixer). It helps whip the ricotta into fluffy goodness. 

• Make it the day of the party. Cannoli dip doesn’t need time to marinate. For best results, make it the day of the party. If you make it too far in advance, water from the ricotta will collect at the bottom of the bowl. 

Cannoli Dip Dippers 

Now for the fun part: cannoli dippers! While cannoli shells are a great place to start, there are so many amazing options. 

Here are just a few delicious dipping suggestions to make your cannoli dip the life of the party. 

• Fresh fruit, like strawberries or melon
• Biscoff cookies
• Broken waffle cones
• Pretzels
• Graham crackers
• Nilla Wafers
• Chocolate chip cookies (try homemade!)
• Pirouette cookies

I could go on forever. And if you don’t have any dippers, you can eat it by the spoonful!

How to Store

Here are the basic guidelines for making cannoli dip in advance and how to store leftovers. 

However, it’s unlikely this tasty dip will live to see the light of another day!

• To Make Ahead: You can make this dip about 24 hours in advance. I suggest folding the chocolate chips right before serving. If you don’t, they’ll start to bleed into the creamy dip. 

• How to Store: You can keep sealed cannoli dip in the fridge for up to 3 days. A little water may collect in the bottom, but it’s nothing a good stir can’t fix. 
  
  Sadly, you can’t freeze cannoli dip. Since ricotta has such a high moisture content, the texture of the cheese becomes grainy once frozen.

Cannoli Dip (Best Recipe)

Servings

10

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Calories

295

kcal

This cannoli dip is a guaranteed party hit! It has all the sweet, creamy flavors of a cannoli in dippable form. Bring the chips and enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 cups ricotta cheese

• 1 (8-ounce) package of cream cheese, room temperature

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

• Add the ricotta and cream cheese to a large mixing bowl. Blend them on a high speed until they’re whipped and fluffy.
• Then, slowly add the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla extract and continue to beat until well combined.
• Gently fold in the miniature chocolate chips until they’re evenly distributed.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to cool in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes. Dig in!

Notes

• For best results, use whole-fat ricotta. If your ricotta seems too liquidy, drain the excess water using a cheesecloth. 
• Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature before adding to the ricotta cheese. 
• When making ahead of time, save the miniature chocolate chips until right before serving.

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