This Cannoli Ice Cream has the best flavors of a classic cannoli as a refreshing frozen treat! Just blend up a handful of ingredients, pour into an ice cream maker, and 20 minutes later you have cannoli perfection. This easy ice cream recipe is low carb, keto, gluten-free, grain-free, sugar-free, and Trim Healthy Mama friendly.
In my early teen years, my best friend and I would about half a mile from her house to a little strip mall that had a bakery. We would buy a cannoli, get snacks and drinks from the convenience store across the street, and then walk a mile back past her house to the Barnegat Bay. We would sit near the shore and enjoy our snacks and savor our cannoli.
I love cannoli cream. I could eat all the cream from all the cannolis and be content. Forget the shells. The cream is the important part. The flavor of ricotta with a hint of cinnamon and a touch of vanilla is scrumptious. With summer coming I'm on an ice cream kick and what better way to enjoy cannoli cream than frozen into a cannoli ice cream!
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How To Make Cannoli Ice Cream
Let me start off by saying that this is one of my favorite ice cream recipes because it’s so delicious and creamy. It’s simple to make and will keep you and your hungry family happy to indulge. Let’s get started!
First Step: Put the heavy cream, ricotta cheese, almond milk, sweetener, vanilla, cinnamon, egg yolks, and glycerin in a blender. Mix together until it’s smooth. This may take a few minutes to make the ricotta smooth enough.
Second Step: Put the cannoli ice cream mixture into your ice cream machine and freeze it according to the manufacturer’s directions.
Third Step: Add the chocolate chips when it’s almost done in the ice cream machine or add them on top. Enjoy!
That’s all there is to it! Can you believe how simple it is to make ice cream at home? Now you can have it anytime you want.
Can You Eat Ice Cream On A Keto Diet?
You aren’t able to eat traditional ice cream when you are on a keto diet, but that’s where this cannoli ice cream shines. It’s keto and perfect for giving you something sweet that’s not loaded with sugar and carbs. I am all for that, and it tastes just as good as I remember eating growing up. So if you eat a low carb diet, this is one ice cream recipe you can have with no worries.
Do I Have To Have An Ice Cream Maker To Make This Cannoli Ice Cream Recipe?
Using an ice cream maker saves you lots of time, and you can be enjoying your amazing treat much sooner. It’s not required to use an ice cream maker, but now that I have one, I wouldn’t have it any other way. The flavor and texture with my ice cream machine are incredible, so that’s why it’s my preferred method.
If you don’t want to invest in an ice cream machine, you could blend all the ingredients and put them in a freezer-safe container. Then freeze the container, and every 30 minutes to an hour, you’ll need to stir it. Once it seems to be starting to freeze well, you can spread out your stirring to every hour to an hour and a half. After it’s all the way frozen, it will be ready to eat.
Or you can just pour the ice cream base into an ice pop mold and make cannoli pops!
What’s The Best Way To Store Homemade Ice Cream?
Keeping the ice cream in an airtight freezer-safe container or containers is a must. You can keep it stored in single-serving sized containers or one big one. Either way, homemade ice cream (or any ice cream for that matter) does much better when you store it towards to back of the freezer. If you keep it in the door, it will go bad much sooner because when the door opens, it will defrost a little bit. This will cause ice crystals to form like crazy.
The amount of time it’s going to last is going to vary a fair amount. But typically, it will keep for at least a couple of weeks, if not longer.
Optional Cannoli Ice Cream Toppings
Usually, when we eat a bowl of cannoli ice cream, we will just sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top and start devouring it. However, there are times when some of the family members want something a little extra. Consider some of these ideas next time you are wanting something different.
- Cinnamon - Sprinkle a dash or two of cinnamon on top before serving. It gives it some great color and tastes good too.
- Chocolate sauce - It’s so easy to whip up a batch of this warm and delicious hot fudge sauce. It will make you want to lick the bowl clean too.
- Whipped topping - We love to add just a little bit of homemade whipped cream to the top of our ice cream sometimes. It makes you feel like you are eating it in an ice cream parlor!
- Pistachios - You could really use any kind of nut you like, but pistachios go well with the flavor of the cannoli ice cream.
If you are a fan of this cannoli ice cream, don’t forget to try some of my other keto ice cream recipes too!
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups ricotta cheese
- 1 cup almond milk
- ½ cup Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or see alternatives in recipe notes)
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla
- 1/16 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 egg yolks use pasteurized if you are concerned with consuming raw eggs
- 1 teaspoon glycerin optional, but recommended - this keeps the ice cream soft enough to scoop
- sugar free chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Pour into an ice cream machine. Freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- If using chocolate chips you can add them during the last few minutes in the machine or just sprinkle on top.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally Published April 27, 2016. Revised and Republished April 29, 2020.
Joni says
I just made this and is great! Didn't have vanilla extract so I used coconut extract instead and left out the cinnamon, did add sugar free chocolate chips. I used your sweetener blend, but think I will use a little more next time, just not quite sweet enough for my husband.
Samuel says
This recipe is killer! I've made it twice now and it's such a great treat! My only issue is that in the freezer, the ice cream gets rock hard. I tried doubling the glycerin but it didn't make a difference. Any ideas?
Taryn says
Mine gets pretty hard in the freezer too. The temperature of your freezer can make a difference. If I put it in our deep freezer it's like a rock. In the door of our upright freezer, it's more scoopable. What I do is freeze it in single-serve portions and then just microwave for 15-30 seconds. It's normally perfect after that. You can just let it sit out to temper but I'm not normally that patient.
samuel says
Great idea! Thank you.
Casey says
best ice cream I've tried and I've went thru ALOT!! Winner winner chicken dinner on this one! Soooo good!
Damien says
Really enjoyed this. The texture is a little powdery/grainy, from the ricotta I assume, but it didn't bother me. Perhaps I didn't get it smooth enough. I'm no cook at all but I find keto things easy to make and enjoyable. I bought some glycerin and will use it next time. Thanks
Linda K says
This recipe sounds decadent! I'd love to try it but don't have an ice cream maker. Is there another way to make it without an ice cream maker?
Taryn says
No, sorry. You can freeze the base into ice cream bars though.
Tanya says
Made this last night with a little extra ricotta and extra vanilla and cinnamon extract. This is simply the best ice cream if Ive ever had in my life!!!! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe!!!!I have been missing ice cream so much doing the keto diet for years!!!
Angie says
Can you use whole milk instead of the almond milk?
Taryn says
Yes, but it will increase the carbs.
Lisa says
I just made this today, and let me tell you, this is some delicious ice cream! I discovered that the container I thought was heavy whipping cream was half and half, but decided to go ahead and make it, knowing the carb count will be a little higher per serving, and I am so glad I did. I also didn't measure anything other than the liquids, and used almost a 1/2 cup of ricotta more than required. I definitely used more cinnamon! My teen daughter just told me it tastes like snickerdoodle ice cream and that I NEED to make it again! Thank you for sharing this lovely recipe that is sure to become a staple in my house.
ps I found some adorable single serving ice cream cups with silicone lids on Amazon that I use to divvy up the ice cream so that I'm not tempted to eat more than I should.
Jodie says
Made this several times and it’s AWESOME!
Carole says
Taryn, I'm really sorry I said it was bland. I just had some today and it tasted far far better to me. Perhaps I was just having an off-taste kind of day the day we made this. It really is good.
Taryn says
Thanks Carole. Sometimes things taste better after the flavors have time to meld 😀
Carole says
Flavor was bland. Even with added vanilla.
Taryn says
I'm sorry you found it bland. Have you ever had cannoli cream before? Even the real stuff is basically just ricotta cheese and powdered sugar so the flavor of the ricotta can shine.
Patti says
This looks yummy!!! Could you use marscapone cheese instead of ricotta?
Taryn says
Sure!
Tabitha says
This recipe is FANTASTIC! my child is on a STRICT ketogenic diet. His classroom was having an ice cream social, and I sent him with a cup of this, he loved it, and my hubby and I ate the rest.
It.
Was.
Delicious.
I subbed in 3T coconut oil for the glycerin, but I'm not sure if it helped, our freezer is quite cold, and it was still a brick. 30 seconds in the microwave helped thaw it quickly.
I also used a stevia type sweetener, 3/4 t worked for the plain recipe.
I dont have a churn so I put it in a gallon zip top bag and kneaded it every half hour or so until it was almost set, then transferred it into a bowl.
Did another batch last night and added 2 heaping Tablespoons of cocoa powder, and another 1/4 t sweetener, and it is really good too.
This will be our go to ice cream base. I'm even shopping ice cream makers it's so good! I cant wait to try it with fruit added in.
Mary Flynn says
Hi, this recipe looks amazing! Curious about Barnegat Bay, I'm from NJ & I don't know of any other Barnegat Bay. Are you from NJ as well?
Unfortunately I cannot do heavy cream, any substitution suggestion?
Thanks, keep up the good work! God bless you
Taryn says
Yes! I'm a Jersey girl 🙂 I grew up on a town on the Barnegat Bay and now live more north in Central NJ.
You could use a low carb milk such as Fairlife but the ice cream may be icier. If you could use a little cream, even light cream, that would help.
Mary Flynn says
Thanks for your suggestions 'Jersey girl'! I grew up in a woodsy town by the Barnegat Bay, now I'm about a block away. I have fantasies of affording a house by the beach. Thanks again, enjoy our heat & humidity!
Amber says
I have made two other Cannoli ice cream recipes neither of which would set (ricotta soup). I've been hesitant to try another recipe but everyone's comments seems pretty successful. I have a Cuisinart machine and works fine with other recipes. Anyone had any issues with this not setting?
Taryn says
Did you have to heat the other recipes? I've never had trouble with this setting but I don't mind using raw egg yolks. As long as your bowl is frozen solid and the mixture is cold it should set without a problem.
TonyCostanza says
The only problem that I had was the ricotta cheese had a slight aftertaste. I probably would try a different brand. I used Galbani cheese which was a little grainier to me over some of the others.
TERRY says
VEGETABLE GLYCERIN??
Taryn says
The vegetable glycerin helps the ice cream to stay scoopable in the freezer. If you don’t mind letting the ice cream sit out at room temperature for about half an hour before scooping you can omit the glycerin.
Felicia says
Loved the ice cream...it is rich and wonderful...but I am confused about the carb count. Everytime I imput it in a calculator it comes out with 9g carb and I used the exact ingredients...could you help with the confussion?
Taryn says
Are you subtracting the sugar alcohols in the sweetener? Those do not count in the carb count. I subtract them manually before adding my nutrition table.
Andrea says
I finally bought ricotta cheese to make this! The flavour is awesome, however, the texture is very grainy. I have a vitamix and blended this on high plenty long, so I'm a little confused. Or is this just the nature of the ice cream? It's got the same texture as the ricotta.
Taryn says
It could be the sweetener that is grainy. The ricotta has more texture than a cream based ice cream but shouldn't be grainy after blending.
Andrea says
I used Gentle Sweet. It's not like the grainyness of un-powdered sweetener. It's the exact same as when I take a spoonful of the ricotta. Could it make a difference that it's whole milk ricotta? Or do brands matter?
Taryn says
The brand might matter. I would try blending the ricotta on it's own before adding the other ingredients. With a decent blender it should get smooth.
Ann Marie says
I used light ricotta and it was not grainy at all. Great recipe! The only thing I missed were the pistachios! Thanks for sharing. This is a keeper!
Betsy Stokes says
Maybe you didn't powder the sweetener first?