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–+ servings
Cannoli cheesecake dip in a green bowl with festive background, pretzels, and broken sugar cones.

Creamy Vegan Cannoli Dip

Course: Dessert, party food
Cuisine: American
Keyword: vegan cannoli
Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
chill time: 3 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 23
Calories: 127kcal
Author: Cindy Rainey
Creamy, smooth, and a little cheesecake tangy, this vegan cannoli dip is made with silken tofu, cashews, powdered sugar, and some special ingredients to give it the true flavors of an authentic cannoli filling. Makes a great dip for apples, cookies, pretzels, or my personal favorite - waffle cones!
Print Recipe

Equipment

  • high-speed blender

Ingredients

  • 1½ cups raw cashews
  • 14 ounces silken tofu
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons coconut oil see notes
  • 1½ teaspooons lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1½ teaspoons lactic acid
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup vegan mini chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Soak the raw cashews in very hot water for about 1 hour. Drain.
  • Open and drain the silken tofu. Do not press it but gently dry with a paper towel. Allow to rest on a dry paper towel while you are preparing the other ingredients.
  • Add the soaked and drained cashews along with the drained silken tofu to a high-speed blender along with the powdered sugar, coconut oil, lemon juice and zest, vanilla, lactic acid (link in comments). and salt.
  • Blend for 2-3 minutes till nice and smooth.
  • Chill in the fridge for about 3 hours. It will set up when chilled. If can be eaten right away BUT is better when it sits overnight and the flavors have a chance to meld together .
  • After chilling stir in the chocolate chips. (Reserve a few to sprinkle on top for decoration.) Spoon into a clean serving dish to serve.

Notes

You MUST disclose to anyone eating this dip that it contains cashews and soy. They are both serious allergins and are not typically found in food such as this.
Please use raw unsalted cashews. If you use salted, roasted cashews then you will need to soak overnight and triple rinse to remove the salt.
Refined coconut oil does not have a coconut taste. Unrefined or virgin coconut oil will have a slight coconut taste. It does not bother me in this recipe - but it will be there. If the slight coconut taste bothers you then use refined coconut oil 
I highly HIGHLY recommend using vegan powdered lactic acid for a genuine cheesecake taste. This brand is vegan and can be found on Amazon. You'll only use a little bit, but save the rest to add to vegan cheese sauces and other recipes you need a little bit of that cheesy sour taste. If you don't want to use lactic acid then add in a little more lemon zest - it will still be tasty but will not have that cheesecake flavor.
I use Enjoy Life Vegan Mini Chocolate chips.
The cashew soaking time is included in the prep time. Be sure to reserve time to chill - at least three hours. The flavors will be even better if chilled overnight. 
It can be eaten after it chills for three hours BUT honestly, it's so must better after the flavors meld together overnight. 

Nutrition

Serving: 2Tablespoons | Calories: 127kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 27mg | Potassium: 87mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg