Homemade Pistachio Cream Recipe

I love baking with nuts. Adding roasted pecans to cookies, like in these Coffee Pecan Cookies, or sprinkling candied cashews on my Cream cheese frosting is one of my favorite ways to add texture and flavor to my recipes. Which is why making homemade pistachio paste is such a game-changer. The rich, creamy texture of the smooth paste adds a subtle nutty depth to desserts like Pistachio Cornetti and other delicious sweet treats.

​For more Pistachio and nutty recipes, check out these Pistachio Muffins, Honey Baklava, and Baklava Muffins.

Uses of Pistachio Cream

There are countless delicious ways to use this spread and upgrade your favorite desserts, and I have collected some of my favorites:

• Filling: Use it to fill different types of desserts like Pistachio Babka, Choux a la creme, Italian cream puffs, Rugelach, layer cakes, and Bombolini donuts.
• Topping: Drizzle over ice cream (and not just vanilla ice cream), cakes, or French toast for an extra layer of pistachio flavor.
• Flavoring: Stir or fold it into custards, like pastry cream or crema pastiera, to make pistachio pastry cream. Use it to fill a pastry tart like Pate Sucree or Pate Sable. Use it to make pistachio ice cream, or fold it into stabilized whipped cream and fill some Cannoncini.
• Baking: Incorporate it into batters for cakes, muffins, or cookies. 

Ingredients and Equipment You’ll Need

The complete Pistachio Cream Recipe, including measurements, is in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Ingredients

• Shelled unsalted pistachios  (preferably roasted). 
• Milk powder.
• Powdered sugar.
• Unflavored oil (e.g., canola oil or sunflower oil).

Equipment

This recipe calls for a food processor or a blender.

• Blender or food processor
• Spatula
• Airtight container for storage, like a mason jar

How to Make 

Step one: Process the pistachios with the milk powder until you have a slightly moist find powder. Stop every once in a while to scrape the bottom of the bowl and release any ground pistachios.

Step two: Add the oil and process until you have a smooth mixture. 

Step three: Process the powdered sugar until it is incorporated.

Step four: At this point you can use the pistachio butter, or transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate.

Tips and Variations

• Roasting Enhances Flavor: Roasting the pistachios before blending brings out their natural oils and enhances the flavor; however, using raw pistachios is ok.
• Make it Sweeter: If you prefer a sweeter cream, you can increase the powdered sugar or add a drizzle of honey.
• Add flavoring: You can enhance the flavor and add another layer of flavor by adding 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract, vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract.
• Texture Control: The longer you process the cream, the thinner it will be. Use vegetable shortening instead of oil for a thicker cream with a peanut butter consistency, or mix in 1/2 cup of melted white chocolate. (adding white melted chocolate will alter the recipe to a close version of Italian Pistachio cream or crema al pistacchio)

Yields

This recipe makes about 1 cup of pistachio cream. It can easily be doubled or tripled if needed.

How to Store

Store your pistachio cream in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Before using, allow it to come to room temperature so it softens and spreads more easily. If the oil separates over time, simply stir it back in.