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.
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What you’ll need
Ice Cream Machine
$100 At Amazon
Scale
$26 At Amazon
Fine Mesh Strainer With Arms
$17 At Amazon
Medium Saucepan
$50 $39 At Amazon
French Wire Whisk
$18 At Amazon
Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls, Set of 6
$39 $36 At Amazon
Recipe information
Total Time
1 hour (plus 4 hours for chilling and 2 hours for freezing)
Yield
Makes 1 quart
Ingredients
¾
¼
2½
2¼
1
2
1¼
2
¼
¼
Preparation
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.
Leave a Review
Reviews (10)
Back to TopTruly delicious. Reduced the salt per the reviews but one of my all-time favorite ice creams. Tasted exactly like a ricotta cannoli and I appreciated it didn’t have any of the “cream cheese” flavor that Ben and Jerry’s cannoli ice cream has. The orange chocolate notes and pieces of sugar cone really worked and bonus points for serving it in a sugar cone for even more of that cannoli vibe!
Meri448
Philadelphia
2/14/2024
I couldn't find raw pistachios so I used roasted and salted ones and didn't think this was salty at all but do think it has too much zest. I am going to leave it out next time. As for the salt, I used Diamond Crystal kosher salt which is less salty than Morton, and wonder if some used latter but didn't reduce amount as stated in recipe??
Stephanie
WI
8/21/2023
Very salty, even with cutting salt in half. Tasted a spoonful and don’t think I will be eating the rest. Yuck.
Vicki
Springfield IL
8/9/2023
Texture was great, but a waste of some expensive ingredients because it was way too salty. Going to retry with no salt
Allison Cincinnati
Cincinnati Ohio
8/8/2023
DO NOT MAKE!!! Horribly salty. Reduce to 1/2 teaspoon. So sad to have wasted all those great ingredients and gone through the trouble of making a custard. BA should change the recipe immediately. Is Shilpa reading this and not responding?
RandyPie
Minneapolis
8/3/2023
Reduced salt to 1/4 tsp and added 1 tsp orange blossom water. The flavor and texture was incredible!
Anonymous
8/2/2023
I loved this ice cream and it's unique flavors and diverse textures. Note: before beginning, I thought the amount of salt seemed like too much for my taste, so I decreased it by at least 1/2t. There was still a bit too much salt, but the juxtaposition of the salt and ricotta base was actually nice and a little addictive :-) Next time I make it, I'll start with just 1t of salt and add to taste, keeping in mind that once frozen it won't taste so salty. I also subbed chopped, fresh cherries for pistachios since my husband doesn't care for nuts. Delicious!
Cindy
Boulder
7/26/2023