This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Regular cannoli are special. You need cannoli forms (readily found online or at any large kitchen supply store), and there's no shortcut to rolling out the dough. But they're a labor of love. Gluten free cannoli are even more special.
They're the very sort of pastry you probably thought you'd never have again, now that you're gluten free (kind of like the “Rye” Bread on page 101 of GFOAS Bakes Bread and Taco Bell Chalupas). In my ongoing quest to prove, once and for all, that if they can make it with gluten, we can make it without, may I present … gluten free cannoli that are just like you remember.
They're light and flaky, and they shatter when you bite into them. Just like they're s'posed to.
Traditionally made with Marsala wine, I provide a couple alternatives (including one that is alcohol-free) that work quite well. You will need cannoli forms, though, even if you only buy one set of 4. I have a few sets of 4, and they're all made by Ateco. Unless one of you has a suggestion for something more ordinary to use in their place during frying. Let us know in the comments if you do!
Gluten free cannoli fillings
My favorite cannoli were always the ones with mini chips in the filling. Since I won't be there when you make these, I won't heckle you if you leave out the chips. If I were there, I'd sneak a couple chips into mine, though. They just make the whole cannoli so … delicious and perfect.
Here are some more ideas for your cannoli fillings. Why not go wild and make a tray of cannolis with different fillings? The freedom is in your hands!
- Chocolate: Dark chocolate chips are a classic, but you can mix it up by including some white or milk chocolate chips so long as they're gluten free.
- Citrus: Give your cannolis a fresh, summery boost with grated citrus zest. Lemon zest is an easy crowd pleaser but orange or lime zest would work well too.
- Nuts: Crushed pistachio nuts are the perfect addition to a cannoli, but you can also opt for toasted almond flakes or crushed walnuts too.
- Candied fuit: Candied cherries, orange peel or other fruit adds texture and extra sweetness to your cannoli
I bet you have your own ideas about what makes the perfect filling, so feel free to modify my suggestion however you like.
When to serve your gluten free cannoli
Now you've found the perfect gluten free cannoli recipe, there's no need to wait for a special occasion to make them, dive right in! Cannolis are the ideal dessert for these types of occasions:
- Dinner parties: Let's face it, homemade cannolis are impressive. Plus, assembling them doesn't take too long so you won't leave your guests waiting.
- Birthdays: Ok, you can't stick a candle in it, but cannolis are a birthday dessert treat!
- Summer cookouts: The sun is out till late, you're in the yard surrounded by friends; a cannoli is the perfect light dessert to eat with your hands.
Gluten Free Cannoli
Equipment
- Deep fry thermometer
- Cannoli forms
- Stand mixer or handheld mixer
- Piping bag with star tip
Ingredients
For the cannoli shells
- 2 cups (280 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend, plus more for sprinkling (I used Better Batter; please click thru for full info on appropriate blends)
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum, (omit if your blend already contains it)
- ¼ cup (29 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup (6 fluid ounces) Marsala wine, at room temperature (See Recipe Notes)
- Lukewarm water, by the half-teaspoonful as necessary
For the filling
- 1 ½ cups (336 g) ricotta cheese
- 12 ounces mascarpone cheese
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup (4 fluid ounces) heavy whipping cream
- 3 ounces miniature chocolate chips, (optional)
For finishing
- Cooking oil spray for greasing the cannoli forms
- 1 egg white
- Oil, for frying
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Instructions
Make the cannoli shell dough.
- In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, confectioners’ sugar, cinnamon and salt, and whisk to combine. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the butter and wine, and mix to combine. The dough should come together.
- Knead with your hands, adding lukewarm water by the half-teaspoonful as necessary to bring the dough together. It should be a relatively stiff dough, so add the water very judiciously.
- Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and allow it to sit at room temperature while you make the filling.
Make the filling.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a large bowl with a hand mixer, place the ricotta, mascarpone, sugar, vanilla and salt, and beat on medium speed to combine well.
- Add the heavy whipping cream, and continue to beat at medium-high speed until the mixture becomes fluffy and thickens (about 2 minutes).
- Carefully fold in the optional chocolate chips, cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator to chill.
- Shape the shells and place on the cannoli forms.
- Unwrap the dough and divide it in half. Cover one half lightly with a moist towel to prevent it from drying out. Place the other piece of dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out a bit more than 1/8-inch thick, dusting lightly with flour as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking to the rolling pin.
- Cut out circles from the dough about 4-inches in diameter. Dust the circles lightly with flour to prevent sticking and stack them together. Gather and reroll scraps of dough.
- Repeat with the second half of dough.
- Spray the cannoli forms with cooking oil spray (to help prevent the dough from sticking to the forms).
- As you wrap each round of dough around a greased cannoli form, brush the overlapping edges lightly with the egg white to seal.
- Repeat with as many forms as you have.
Fry the shells.
- Place about 3-inches of frying oil in a medium-size, heavy-bottom pot or fryer. Clip a deep-fry/candy thermometer to the side of the pot or fryer, and place the oil over medium-high heat. Bring the oil temperature to 360°F.
- Place the cannoli shells on the forms, a few at a time, on a spider or in a frying basket in the hot oil, taking care not to crowd the oil.
- Shake the spider or frying basket back and forth gently to ensure that the shells are not sticking to anything as they fry. The shells should bubble up immediately in the hot oil.
- Fry until the shells are very lightly golden brown all over (about 2 to 3 minutes per side).
- As soon as each batch is removed from the fryer, place the shells, still on the form, on a wire rack placed over paper towels to drain (turning each shell, still on the form, to allow any oil inside the form to drip out).
- Once the form is cool enough to handle, carefully slide the shell off the form and place the shell back on the wire rack to cool completely.
- Repeat with the remaining rounds of dough, reusing the cooled cannoli forms as necessary.
Finish the cannoli.
- Once the cannoli shells are cool, remove the filling from the refrigerator and unwrap it.
- Transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip and pipe the filling into each cooled shell, piping from both ends toward the center of the shell. Dust lightly with confectioners’ sugar and serve.
Notes
10 tablespoons white grape juice plus 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Head to your local hardware store and buy a 10-foot length of galvanized steel pipe (about $18) and a hacksaw. I made my own sets of cannoli forms for the entire family this way a hundred years ago, and they’re still in use!
A hacksaw, Juli?! Oh boy you’re way more Rosie the Riveter than I am! I so wish I wasn’t terrified of a hacksaw. I wish I were handy. :)
There was a commercial on yesterday for a pancake resturaunt that has a cannoli pancake. I got teary eyed, turned to my husband and said “I’ll never get to havea cannoli again”. I’m from NJ, this is a staple dessert.
You rock! Ive bought 3 of your books because I refuse to go without the food I love (luckily I can make anything given a recipe). Thank you a million times over!
I am a Jersey girl too (although I am in AZ now), Marissa. So I know the joy you feel about this recipe! It made me cry tears of joy!
Aw, Marissa, that’s so sad—but so happy at the same time! I’m so thrilled to hear you say that you refuse to go without what you love. You deserve to eat well! :)
I’m not a big fan of cannoli’s but for some reason, seeing yours makes me want to have one. Still that issue with the fryer though… I swear I’ll really going to break it out and use it for doughnuts this weekend. The kids will be thrilled!
The cleanup is no big deal I promise, Jennifer! Especially when you use that little mini fryer. Just set the fryer, with the oil in it, aside and forget about it. It can sit in there until the next day, even, if you don’t want to think about it for a while. Then, just use a small funnel and a small strainer, and put it right back in the bottle the oil came in. Mark it as “frying oil” and move on! As far as cleaning the fryer, I usually rub a bunch of dish soap inside to break up the oil (no water), and then wash it right in the sink. As long as you don’t submerge it in water, and are as careful as you can be about not getting the electrical opening very wet, it’ll dry and be fine. I promise!
Ok. Tomorrow. biscuit donuts for this house! I’ll get everything out tonight – no turning back! And I’ve been dying for a donut!!
I expect a report, Jennifer! (not really – I don’t want to pressure you but I do want to hear how you make out if you decide to go for it!)
OK – so I got the fryer out and lo and behold I have a removable oil tray/thing – everything comes out for super easy cleaning. I don’t know why I was such a freak about it. SO, I didn’t make the donuts (but plan on it tonight with my quiche squares) but I did make homemade spiral potato chips and curly fries (yes, I have a spiralizer that I had never used either). My family was so happy to have them and then the requests came out – can you make those onion rings again and the 1000 island dressing, and the donuts, and this and that, please??? we’ve created a monster!
Ditto, Mare, on the alcohol-free substitution! Is that sub pretty universally used when white wine or Masala is called for? Looking for a good filler-inner for wine since we are an alcohol-free household…never sure what to use in place.
Hi, Bethany, when you are substituting for wine, you need a liquid, a certain amount of sugar (dry wines are so-called because they have a lower sugar content), and acid. So, it depends upon what you are replacing.
You made me cry tears of joy! You are AMAZING! And thanks for the alcohol free substitutions!
So glad, Mare! :)
Oh, I love cannoli! I agree about the necessity of mini chocolate chips. I have had them with a little orange peel mixed in with the chips, and they are wonderful that way, too.
Oh…I must try that!
Sounds delicious, Michelle!
Looks so dainty and light! I have never seen or heard of Cannoli’s… I know I sound like I live in a cave, without modern day amenities ;/
Bakery’s are not found in our neck of the woods, not unless you travel to Vancouver, which is not in the agenda.
Cannoli tools hummm, that’s another toughie too, the only chef/kitchen store of any value probably Vancouver… :(
This does look so yummy though, online ordering… hubby will kill me! Running out of room in the small outdated kitchen… I’ll order a new kitchen as well! :) hehehe!
HUGS!
I have eaten these in my pre-Celiac lifetime, made by wrapping the dough around a round clothespin (not the square spring-loaded kind, but the standard round clothespin.) They are probably going to be smaller than these, so may have to adjust the baking time.
okay! I could also get a wooden dowel and then cut to size. The gears a turning in my head, light bulb is shinning brightly above my head. Thanks Martha :)
That sounds interesting, Martha. Using anything made of wood, especially a clothespin that is not coated in anything to seal the wood, means that it will absorb quite a bit of oil, though. So you might have to use each clothespin only once!
I was never there when they were made, so I don’t know. Would wrapping the clothes pin in aluminum foil make a difference?
This has made my morning. I’m so excited to try these out! I come from an Italian household, so this will definitely be made in the very near future. :-)
You’ll love ’em, Julia!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!! Have you tried freezing the cannoli shells? Can’t wait to try them. Sounds like a perfect summer activity with my 12 year old! We also just got all the ingredients for your Twizzler’s copycat, so we have all kinds of mother daughter projects to work on.
Hi, Linda! I’m afraid that I don’t recommend freezing anything that has been fried. But I think you could make the dough ahead of time, even shape it into rounds, then wrap it tightly and refrigerate or freeze it, then defrost, blot dry (water will make the oil splatter) and fry. I hope you and your daughter have allll kinds of fun. :)
OMG! I never thought I’d see cannoli ever again!! I have looked up recipes, but they all seemed so impossible until now. Thank you so much!!! I cannot wait to make these!!
These really aren’t hard at all, Melissa. You’ll do great!