What to expect
Our vegan cannoli will not disappoint. We promise. This recipe has been perfected over time to recreate the flavor and texture of authentic Sicilian cannoli. We make the filling with our homemade soy ricotta, which is very easy to make with 3 ingredients. The ricotta flavor is neutral and mild, perfect to be used as a filling for cannoli. The cannoli shells are also very simple and turn out crunchy and bubbly, and practically exactly like original cannoli shells. If you decide to make this recipe, you are in for a real treat.
Tips
Drain the ricotta well: drain the ricotta for about 30 minutes with a weight on top so that the ricotta is drier and the cannoli shell doesn’t get soggy. I use a bowl filled with water to add weight.Fold the dough: a tip to make a light, crisp and bubbly dough, is to fold it several times while rolling it. Do that 5 to 10 times and you will get a vegan cannoli shell that is as delicious, light, and crisp as the nonvegan one.Roll it thin: roll the dough for the cannoli shell 1 millimeter thin if you can. You can do so with the help of a pasta machine, or simply with a rolling pin. Doing so will produce a cannoli shell that will fry faster, will be lighter, and absorb less oil.Seal them well: admittedly my first cannoli shell was a disaster. It opened up completely while frying. To avoid that mistake, seal the edge of the cannoli with a bit of water, then lightly squeeze the dough around the cannoli tube with your whole hand.Fill just before serving: if it stays too long in the shell, the filling will make the cannoli soggy. So fill them up at the last minute, just before eating them.
Questions
Storage
Cannoli that have been already filled with the ricotta filling don’t store well, as the filling makes the shell moist and they will become soggy. So if you have filled cannoli leftovers, store them for a max of 3 hours in the refrigerator. The best way to store cannoli is to keep the shells and the filling separate. Store the shells for up to 4 days in a dry corner of your kitchen, covered with a cloth. Do not store them in the refrigerator as they’ll get soggy. Store the vegan cannoli filling in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The filling might turn slightly off-white with time, but don’t worry, it’ll taste fine. Then, on a worktop, knead the dough ball for about 5 minutes. You should have a smooth dough ball, with a soft consistency, but not sticky. If it’s too wet and sticky, add some flour to the worktop and keep kneading until it doesn’t stick to your hands.Now you can let it rest in a bowl, covered with a plate, for 30 minutes. TIP: when resting, the gluten in the dough relaxes, making it easier for you to roll, and lighter to eat. After 30 minutes of resting, you can start rolling the dough with a rolling pin. Dust the worktop and the rolling pin with flour to prevent the dough from sticking. While rolling, fold the dough on itself 5 to 10 times before flattening it completely. This will make the cannoli shell lighter and full of little bubbles. You should aim for a thin dough, of about 1 to 2 millimeters. Now cut the dough into squares or circles, of the length of the cannoli tubes and wrap the cut dough around the cannoli tubes. Then wet the edges with some water before sealing the cannoli dough. Make sure the cannoli are well sealed, or they’ll open up while frying.
Fry the cannoli shells
Before you start frying, remember that hot oil and water should never come into contact. So please be careful. Now, add the frying oil to a pot. Don’t fill the pot with oil completely, only half. The pot should be small, but big enough to comfortably fit one cannoli plus the frying oil.Bring the oil to temperature. It should reach 180°C (360°F). The best way to check if the oil has reached temperature is with a thermometer. If you don’t have one, dip the tip of a wooden spoon in the oil. When it starts to bubble, the oil is ready. If the oil smokes, it means it is too hot, and it’s burning. That’s not healthy.TIP: make sure the temperature of the oil stays at around 180°C (360°F). If it’s too low, the shells will absorb oil. If it’s too high, the shells will burn. Now you can fry the cannoli, one by one. It takes about 1 minute for each cannolo. Turn them around while frying so that they cook evenly.TIP: if you see that the cannoli break away from the forms while frying, then give the next ones a squeeze with your hands to tighten them up around the forms, before dipping them in the frying oil. When the cannoli turn light brown, take them out of the oil, let drip the excess oil, and place them on a cooling rack on some kitchen paper. They’ll darken when cooling. When cooled, gently remove the forms and get ready to fill up the cannoli shells. Only fill up the shells once they are completely cooled.
Make the cannoli filling
In a bowl, add the vegan ricotta, sugar, vegan dark chocolate drops, and a tiny bit of orange zest. Use a spatula to gently mix. Do not over-mix. Put the ricotta cream into a pastry piping bag and start filling the cannoli one by one. Fill each cannolo from both sides, starting from the middle and moving outwards, while filling. Dip one end of the cannoli into some crushed pistachios, and top the other end with candied orange peel or half a candied cherry. Arrange on a serving platter, sprinkle with powder sugar and enjoy.TIP: Use the leftover dough to make some cannoli nachos. Flatten it, then cut it into triangles, fry it, and serve it with a side of cannoli filling dip. See our variations section.
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Do you have a favorite sweet that we haven’t made yet? Let us know in the comments below, we’d love to hear!
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