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Recipes
August 2023

Cannoli Ice Cream

By Shilpa Uskokovic

3.8

(10)

Ice Cream cone in hand with a blue background
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Judy Kim, prop styling by Gözde Eker

This recipe captures all the qualities of a great cannoli in an equally enjoyable frozen format. The egg-free custard allows the fresh-milk ricotta flavor to shine through without the bother of separating or tempering egg yolks. The crushed sugar cones soften to a delightful chew once mixed into the ice cream. Serve the ice cream scooped into fresh cones to mimic the sensation of biting into a crisp cannoli shell.

What you’ll need

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    1 hour (plus 4 hours for chilling and 2 hours for freezing)

  • Yield

    Makes 1 quart

Ingredients

Zest of 1 large lemon

¾

cup (150 g) sugar

¼

cup (80 g) honey

2½

tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1½ tsp. Morton kosher salt

2¼

cups half-and-half, divided

1

Tbsp. cornstarch

2

oz. cream cheese

1¼

cups whole-milk ricotta

2

sugar cones, coarsely crushed, plus more for serving

¼

cup (40 g) coarsely chopped orange-flavored chocolate (such as Lindt)

¼

cup (30 g) raw pistachios, preferably Iranian or Sicilian, coarsely chopped

Need to make a substitution?

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat zest of 1 large lemon, ¾ cup (150 g) sugar, ¼ cup (80 g) honey, 2½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and 2 cups half-and-half in a medium saucepan over medium, whisking occasionally, just until sugar is dissolved and mixture is steaming, about 5 minutes.

    Step 2

    Meanwhile, whisk 1 Tbsp. cornstarch and remaining ¼ cup half-and-half in a medium bowl until smooth.

    Step 3

    Add cornstarch mixture to saucepan; reserve bowl. Cook, whisking constantly, until custard is thickened and large bubbles break on surface, 6–9 minutes; remove from heat.

    Step 4

    Place 2 oz. cream cheese and 1¼ cups whole-milk ricotta in reserved bowl. Pour about one quarter of hot custard over; whisk vigorously until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour in remaining custard and whisk to combine. Let cool, whisking occasionally, about 20 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl. Cover ice cream base and chill until thick, at least 4 hours.

    Step 5

    Transfer ice cream base to ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer’s directions until the consistency of soft-serve. Add 2 sugar cones, coarsely crushed, ¼ cup (40 g) coarsely chopped orange-flavored chocolate, and ¼ cup (30 g) raw pistachios, coarsely chopped, and run machine for a few minutes to evenly distribute. Scrape ice cream into an airtight container and press plastic wrap directly onto surface. Cover and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours.

    Step 6

    Scoop ice cream into cones.

    Do ahead: Ice cream base can be made 4 days ahead; keep chilled. Ice cream can be made up to 3 days ahead for best texture; keep frozen.

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