Crunchy on the outside, smooth and creamy in the middle—these Gluten-Free Vegan Cannolis make a perfect dessert. They’re free from the top eight allergens and straightforward to prepare at home.

If you enjoy simple gluten-free baking, try my Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe for another easy treat.

Gluten Free Cannolis

With a trip to Europe on the horizon, I’ve been daydreaming about gelato and cannolis. Finding gluten-free versions abroad can be a challenge, so I plan to do some research and also bring a few favorites from home.

One of those favorites is a boxed gluten-free pizza crust mix I like to use for making cannoli shells. The same dough that makes a great pizza crust also rolls into thin, crisp cannoli shells or slightly thicker, chewier shells depending on how thin you roll it.

Vegan Cannolis

I prefer a shell with a crisp exterior and a slightly chewy interior. For these cannolis I used Enjoy Life Foods Pizza Crust mix. The dough handles well and isn’t overly sticky like some gluten-free mixes—if yours feels sticky, add a tablespoon or two of gluten-free flour to correct the texture.

The filling is a dairy-free “cream cheese” style mixture made from dairy-free butter, palm shortening, vegan sour cream (or unsweetened dairy-free yogurt), and powdered sugar. It whips up smooth and keeps well when chilled.

What other pizza crusts can I use?

If Enjoy Life is unavailable, Bob’s Red Mill Pizza Crust Mix is another good option. The dough behaves much like a regular pizza dough and can be rolled very thin; I tested rolling it to less than 1/8 inch.

I used a 4″ biscuit cutter to cut circles and wrapped each circle around a cannoli tube, sealing the edge. If you don’t have cannoli tubes, you can make cannoli cups by pressing dough into a muffin or mini-muffin pan and baking at 350°F for 12–15 minutes. Fill the cups once cooled.

Some shells can stick to the tubes. The tubes I used allow you to squeeze them slightly so the shell pops off; otherwise let shells cool completely before removing the tubes to avoid breaking them.

What can I use for the filling instead of yogurt and sour cream?

If you want a more traditional filling, look for dairy-free ricotta from specialty brands and sweeten it with powdered sugar. Alternately, refrigerating the dairy-free yogurt/sour cream filling for a couple of hours will help it firm up before piping.

My filling was a little runny, what can I do to thicken it?

Runny filling is often due to the brand of dairy-free yogurt used. To thicken, add more powdered sugar and chill, or switch to dairy-free ricotta for a firmer texture.

I used a full box of pizza mix and made about 30 cannolis. You can halve the recipe if you prefer fewer servings.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days, though they rarely last that long.

If you try these cannolis, please come back and share your experience—I’d love to hear how they turned out!

Yield: 30

Gluten-Free Vegan Cannoli’s

Crunchy on the outside, smooth and creamy in the middle. These Gluten-Free Vegan Cannolis are free from the top eight allergens and easy to make at home.

Prep Time
30 minutes

Cook Time
30 minutes

Total Time
1 hour

Ingredients

For the cannoli shells:

• 1 box Enjoy Life Foods Pizza Crust Mix
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 ⅓ cup water

For the filling:

• ½ cup dairy-free butter, room temperature
• ½ cup palm shortening
• ¼ cup vegan sour cream or unsweetened dairy-free yogurt
• 3 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl whisk pizza crust mix, sugar, and cinnamon.
2. Add oil and water and mix until combined. Work the dough with your hands to form a ball.
3. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. While the dough chills, beat dairy-free butter, palm shortening, vegan sour cream (or yogurt), and powdered sugar until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.
5. Knead the dough briefly, divide into two balls, and roll each on parchment to 1/8–1/4 inch thickness.
6. Use a 4″ biscuit cutter to cut circles. Wrap each circle around a cannoli tube and press the edge to seal.
7. Heat vegetable oil in a large pot to 350°F. Fry 2–3 cannoli-wrapped tubes at a time for 3–4 minutes, turning for even browning. Drain on paper towels and repeat until all shells are fried.
8. When shells are cool, remove tubes and fill each cannoli with the prepared cream using a piping nozzle from one end, then the other.
9. Optional: Dust with powdered sugar or sprinkle with Enjoy Life Mini Chips.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

30

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 234Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 244mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 1gSugar: 13gProtein: 3g

This nutrition info is based on the exact ingredients and brands used at the time and may not be 100% accurate. Check your ingredient labels for specifics.