Classic cannoli are perhaps the most famous Italian dessert. Marta's family is from Sicily — the home of cannoli — and we both grew up gorging on these treats. But the classic recipe is not healthy, nor is it suited for people with allergies or those on a diet. Just a glimpse at the ingredients is enough to make you gain a kilo: eggs, sugar, butter, ricotta cheese, whipped cream; all deep-fried. Our mission today is to show you how to turn this recipe around and make it super healthy.
It took us two days of testing, but now you can have eggless, dairy-free, vegan, low-fat, sugar-free, and low-calorie cannoli. We think you'll love them! Of course, frying food gives different results than oven baking it, but these cannoli will be just as crispy and delicious.
We strived to use as few ingredients as possible, to keep the recipe simple and accessible. Check out the FAQ section below where we give you a few substitution options.
First, we'll show you how to make vegan cannoli shells. Here we used wholemeal flour, so the recipe is not gluten-free. But we are working on a new recipe that will be both vegan and gluten-free; stay tuned! By the way, don't worry if you don't have proper cannoli moulds. We'll show you how to make some DIY cannoli tubes easily.
Once you have the shells, we'll help you prepare the most low-fat filling possible, made with tofu and sugar-free sweetener erythritol. The filling will burst with chocolate and orange flavour, so yummy!
Did our hard work pay off? Let's take a look at the numbers. Compared to the traditional ones, these vegan cannoli have almost half of the calories, seven times fewer saturated fats and sugars. So, if you are on weight loss or vegan diet, or have dairy and egg allergies, you can now enjoy Sicilian-style cannoli without a worry in the world. Have fun making these!