Description
These Cheat Air Fryer Pistachio Cannoli transform simple flour tortillas into crispy Italian pastry shells filled with creamy pistachio ricotta. No deep-frying needed—just 15 minutes to impressive homemade cannoli!
Ingredients
6 small flour tortillas (6-inch diameter)
3–4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese, drained if watery
1/2 cup full-fat cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar, plus extra for dusting
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup finely chopped unsalted pistachios, plus extra for garnish
Honey for drizzling (optional)
Metal cannoli molds or aluminum foil tubes
Toothpicks
Instructions
1. Preheat your air fryer to 180°C (350°F) for 3 minutes.
2. Mix granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Cut tortillas into 4-5 inch circles using a round cutter or mug.
4. Brush both sides of each tortilla circle generously with melted butter.
5. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture liberally on both sides of each tortilla.
6. Wrap each tortilla around a metal cannoli mold or foil tube, overlapping edges by half an inch.
7. Secure the seam with two toothpicks, one near each end.
8. Place 3-4 wrapped shells in the air fryer basket, seam-side down, leaving space between each.
9. Air fry for 3-4 minutes, rotating shells 180 degrees at the 2-minute mark for even browning.
10. Remove when shells are golden brown, crispy, and slightly puffed.
11. Let shells cool on molds for 5 minutes, then gently twist and slide off molds.
12. While shells cook, make the filling: Beat ricotta, cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and chopped pistachios with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy (2-3 minutes).
13. Chill the filling in the refrigerator until shells are completely cool (about 10 minutes total).
14. Transfer chilled filling to a piping bag fitted with a large round or star tip.
15. Pipe filling into both ends of each cooled shell, working toward the center until completely filled.
16. Dust generously with powdered sugar using a fine-mesh sieve.
17. Garnish with extra chopped pistachios pressed into the filling at each end.
18. Drizzle with honey if desired and serve immediately.
Notes
Shells are best filled just before serving to maintain maximum crispness. Moisture from filling will soften shells within 30-45 minutes.
Store unfilled shells in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Pistachio filling can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored refrigerated in an airtight container.
If tortillas crack when rolling, warm them for 10 seconds in the microwave wrapped in a damp paper towel.
No cannoli molds? Roll aluminum foil into 1-inch diameter tubes and secure with tape.
For chocolate variation, replace pistachios with mini chocolate chips and add 2 tablespoons cocoa powder to filling.
Watch shells carefully during final minute of cooking—tortillas can go from golden to burnt quickly.
For keto version, use low-carb tortillas and replace powdered sugar with powdered erythritol or monk fruit sweetener.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 4
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cannoli
- Calories: 185
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 145mg
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 16g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 28mg
Keywords: air fryer cannoli, pistachio cannoli, tortilla cannoli hack, easy cannoli recipe, no deep fry cannoli, quick Italian dessert