Mini Cannoli Bites

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These Mini Cannoli Bites make the perfect dessert and made with a sweet ricotta filling and pie crust cannoli shells. They taste just like a traditional cannoli except they are bite sized and so much easier to make.

PIN these Mini Cannoli Bites to try later!

If you love cannolis, try my Cannoli Cookies!

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cannoli bites

Looking for a simple bite-sized dessert to make?! These Mini Cannoli Cups are quick, easy and so simple to make. Made with a creamy filling, mini chocolate chips and a buttery pie crust shell. 

We use both ricotta cheese and mascarpone cheese in the filling mixture so each bite is extra decadent and full of creamy textures.

I grew up eating cannolis during the holidays and they are on the dessert menu at my Dad’s restaurant. It’s incredibly hard to beat an Italian cannoli and I’ve never made them from scratch since they are so much work. These bite-sized treats check all the boxes and are the next best thing from a homemade cannoli.

You can  prep these the day before and assemble when ready if you needed these for a party. I love making these on the fancier side so I love using a star piping tip to swirl the filling in the cups, and topping them with more chocolate chips and a generous dust of powdered sugar .

Other Italian desserts to try are my Cannoli Cookies and Italian Ricotta Cookies. 

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key ingredients

• Pie crust: Used to make the cannoli shells. You can use store-bought or make your own from scratch. Store-bought pie crusts is always the quicker route!
• Ricotta cheese: I recommend using whole milk ricotta cheese because of the flavor but you can also use part-skim. For best results, you must strain the ricotta before using it otherwise it will be extremely watery.
• Mascarpone cheese: My favorite ingredients! Mascarpone is like an Italian cream cheese so it will make your filling extra decadent and creamy. 
• Powdered sugar: Adds sweetness. Feel free to add more or less depending on how sweet you want these to be. Always try the mixture before filling the cups.
• Vanilla extract: Enhances the flavors and adds a warm flavor. 
• Mini chocolate chips: I love using miniature sized chips because you get more chocolate in every bite. You can also use chopped chocolate, regular milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or semi-sweet chocolate chips. 

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how to make cannoli bites

Prepare shells: Pre heat oven to 400 degrees F. Unroll the room temperature pie crust onto lightly floured surface or cutting board.  Use a 2 ½ inch round biscuit cutter, round cookie cutter, or a cup and cut out 12 rounds of pie crust. Place rounds in a ungreased mini muffin tin. Use your fingers to press the dough to fit the pan.

Bake pie crust rounds: Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until pie cups are a light golden brown. Once baked, let cool for 15  minutes on a wire rack.

Make cannoli filling: In a medium bowl, mix together the strained ricotta, mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and mini chocolate chips until combined.

Spoon in ricotta filling into pie cups: If you want to make them look extra pretty, scoop filling into a zip-lock bag (large resealable bag) and cut a corner of the bag or add them to a pastry bag or piping bag (I love using the large star tip). Squeeze filling into pie cups and sprinkle mini chocolate chips and dust with powdered sugar.

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RECIPE TIPS & VARIATIONS

Garnishments: There are so many different ways you can garnish these small bites. Like a traditional cannoli, you can add red cherries on top for a pop of color, chopped pistachios, sprinkles, or shaved chocolate.

​Pie crust cups: If you don’t want to use pie crust for the cups, no problem. You can even save time by using premade pastry cups that you can find in the frozen aisle at most grocery stores. 

Sweeter filling: Add more powdered sugar to the cannoli filling.

Extra chocolate: Add more mini chocolate chips to the filling, dip the pie shells into melted chocolate, or add a few tablespoons of cocoa powder to the filling.

Additional flavors: Add in a sprinkle of cinnamon for a warm flavor, swap the vanilla extract for 1 teaspoon of almond extract for a sweeter flavor, and add orange pieces along with orange extract to the filling for a hint of orange flavor.

Low carb desert: Ditch the pie crust and simply make the ricotta filling and enjoy it just as it is. It will be totally satisfying because of all the creamy textures. 

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Can you Make Cannoli Bites in Advance?

Yes you bet! This sweet treat is perfect for making ahead of time because the pie crusts don’t need to be warmed and the mixture is so easy to put together. 

Prepare the pie cups and ricotta filling as you would in the recipe. Make sure you cover the mixing bowl of ricotta mixture with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days in advance.

When ready, use a silicone spatula to transfer the mixture to a pastry bag or plastic bag, or spoon it in. Add garnishments and they’ll be ready to serve.

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leftovers & storage

Once the Cannoli Bites are ready to be stored as leftovers, transfer them to an airtight container or wrap them and place them in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. The crust may start to get soft and the filling could get watery if you leave them any longer.

I do not recommend freezing this dessert as it won’t defrost well.

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This recipe was last updated in April 2024 to include additional photos and information. Originally posted June 21, 2017 By Kathryn Donangelo.