These pistachio cannoli are store-bought shells piped full of a thick pistachio cream made from ricotta, mascarpone, and pistachio paste. The recipe fills 12 cannoli. Hands-on time is about 25 minutes, but plan ahead: the ricotta drains for at least 2 hours (overnight is better) and the filling chills for 1 hour before piping.
Draining matters most. Wet ricotta makes a soft filling that leaks and turns the shells soggy, and no amount of sugar or chilling fixes that later.
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The filling is 1 cup well-drained whole milk ricotta to ¾ cup mascarpone, with ½ cup pistachio cream or paste and ½ cup powdered sugar. More ricotta than mascarpone. On purpose.
Ricotta is the traditional Sicilian cannoli filling. It brings the fresh, milky flavor and that slightly textured bite, but on its own it can be loose and a bit grainy. Mascarpone is richer and smoother, and it gives the filling body so it holds a clean shape at the end of the shell. All mascarpone tastes heavy and can feel like frosting; all ricotta tastes lighter but slumps sooner. Together you get a filling that pipes and still tastes like cannoli.
Beat the drained ricotta, mascarpone, and pistachio cream together only until smooth. Mascarpone is mostly fat. Keep beating it and it turns grainy, then splits. Then add the powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla, ¼ teaspoon almond extract if you like it, and a pinch of salt. Spare mascarpone has a good home in mascarpone frosting or a pistachio tart.
How Long to Drain the Ricotta
Set the ricotta in a fine mesh sieve or a cheesecloth-lined colander over a bowl and leave it in the fridge for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight. Check the bowl. There will be a surprising puddle. If the drained ricotta still looks grainy, press it through the sieve with a spatula. Two minutes, much smoother cream.
Pistachio Cream or Pistachio Paste?
The recipe takes ½ cup of either, but they are not the same thing. Pistachio cream is a sweet spread, already loaded with sugar and oil. Pistachio paste is just ground pistachios, thick and not sweet.
With unsweetened paste, use the full ½ cup powdered sugar. With sweetened pistachio cream, keep the ½ cup of cream and start with half the powdered sugar, then taste and add more a spoonful at a time. That way the pistachio flavor stays strong and the filling does not end up sugary.
Where the Green Color Comes From
Pistachio paste gives the filling flavor but only a soft khaki green, because the white cheeses dilute it. The bright pale green in the photos comes from 2 to 3 drops of green gel food coloring. Add it one drop at a time and mix well after each, since the color deepens a little as it sits. Or skip it.
Chilling and Piping the Filling
Cover the bowl and refrigerate the filling for at least 1 hour. Cold filling is firmer, so it pipes in a neat rope instead of sagging. Still soft? Give it another 30 minutes.
Spoon it into a piping bag fitted with a large round or star tip. Pipe from one end to the middle, then turn the shell and fill from the other end, so there is no hollow pocket in the center. Dip both ends in the ½ cup of finely chopped pistachios while the filling is still cold and tacky, pressing gently so they stick.
Store-Bought Cannoli Shells or Homemade?
This recipe uses 12 store-bought shells, and for a pistachio filling that is my usual choice. Look for light, blistered, golden shells. They shatter when you bite and let the filling be the main event, while thick, pale shells taste of flour.
If you fry your own, rest the dough so it relaxes and rolls out thin. Thin dough blisters in the oil and turns crisp, while thick dough fries up hard and chewy and never gets those bubbles on the surface.
Keeping Pistachio Cannoli Crisp
Shells go soft because water from the filling soaks into them from the inside. That starts the moment they are filled, so fill them close to serving, ideally within the hour, and keep the filling cold until then.
To prepare ahead, keep the filling covered in the fridge and the shells in an airtight container at room temperature, then pipe right before plating. Filled leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days, but the shells lose their crunch by day two. A light dusting of powdered sugar is fine, though I usually leave it off so the green ends show.
For a pistachio dessert table, they sit well next to chocolate pistachio pralines, chocolate pistachio tart slices, or a no-bake pistachio cheesecake.
Cannoli With Mascarpone: Short Answers
Can I make cannoli filling with only mascarpone?
You can, but it will be richer and closer to a frosting. Keep some ricotta for the classic cannoli taste, or use the 1 cup ricotta to ¾ cup mascarpone ratio here.
Can I make the filling the day before?
Yes. Covered, it keeps in the fridge for up to 2 days; stir it briefly before piping and fill the shells only on the day you serve them.
Why is my cannoli filling runny?
Usually the ricotta was not drained long enough, or the mascarpone was overbeaten. Chill the filling another 30 minutes; next time drain the ricotta overnight.
If you are on a pistachio streak, the same flavors go into pistachio cream pie and pistachio chocolate sandwich cookies.
Pistachio Cannoli Recipe
These pistachio cannoli are crisp cannoli shells filled with a smooth ricotta and mascarpone cream flavored with pistachio cream or paste and tinted a soft green. The recipe makes 12 cannoli with about 25 minutes of hands-on time, plus at least 2 hours to drain the ricotta and 1 hour to chill the filling. The cannoli filling with mascarpone and ricotta uses 1 cup ricotta to 3/4 cup mascarpone, so it is thick enough to pipe cleanly but still tastes like classic Sicilian cannoli. Serve them on a dessert table, for Easter or Christmas, or with coffee. The filling keeps 2 days in the fridge; fill the store-bought shells just before serving so they stay crisp.
Ingredients
- FOR THE PISTACHIO FILLING
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta, well-drained
- 3/4 cup mascarpone cheese
- 1/2 cup pistachio cream or unsweetened pistachio paste
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar (adjust to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- 2–3 drops green gel food coloring (adjust as needed)
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup finely chopped pistachios (for garnish)
- FOR THE CANNOLI SHELLS
- 12 store-bought cannoli shells
Instructions
- PREP THE RICOTTA: Place the ricotta in a fine mesh sieve or a cheesecloth-lined colander set over a bowl. Let it drain in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight, to remove excess moisture and prevent a watery filling.
- MAKE THE PISTACHIO FILLING: In a large mixing bowl, combine the drained ricotta, mascarpone, and pistachio cream or paste. Beat with a hand mixer or stand mixer until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract (if using), and a pinch of salt. Mix until fully incorporated. Add green gel food coloring a drop at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition, until the desired color is reached.
- CHILL THE FILLING: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Chilling helps the filling firm up and improves the texture for piping.
- FILL THE CANNOLI: Spoon the chilled filling into a piping bag fitted with a large round or star tip. Pipe the filling into each cannoli shell from both ends, making sure the filling reaches the center. Dip each end of the filled cannoli into the chopped pistachios, gently pressing to adhere.
- SERVE: Arrange the filled cannoli on a serving plate. Dust lightly with powdered sugar if desired, or leave plain to highlight the green filling. Serve immediately for best texture.
Notes
Drain the ricotta for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight; wet ricotta makes a runny filling and soggy shells. If it looks grainy after draining, press it through the sieve. Beat the mascarpone only until smooth, since overbeating makes it grainy. If you use sweetened pistachio cream instead of unsweetened paste, start with half the powdered sugar and add more to taste. The filling keeps covered in the fridge for up to 2 days. Fill the shells as close to serving as possible; filled cannoli soften within hours and keep up to 2 days in the fridge, but lose their crunch.
Nutrition Information
Yield
12Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 527Total Fat 38gSaturated Fat 16gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 19gCholesterol 86mgSodium 237mgCarbohydrates 34gFiber 2gSugar 13gProtein 13g
