Pistachio Pastry Cream is a silky, velvety custard infused with the rich, naturally sweet flavor of roasted pistachios. It’s smooth, thick, and lightly nutty, with a soft green hue and a taste that lands somewhere between classic pastry cream and pistachio gelato. Perfect for filling tarts, cakes, cream puffs, or folding into whipped cream for a light pistachio mousse pure pistachio comfort in every spoonful.
Working on Baking Science taught me bakers are basically magicians. Boring ingredients, wild results. This recipe proves it: eggs, milk, sugar… snooze. Add a cup of pistachios, keep your ficus for 10 minutes, and it becomes a green, silky show-off you’ll lick straight from the bowl.
My favorite part about this recipe is that you can take it anywhere: make it as decadent and silky as French pastry cream, or as thick and indulgent as Italian crema pasticciera.
Key Ingredietns
The complete recipe is at the bottom of this post in the recipe card. Here is a quick recap to the key ingredients their rule in the recipe and substitutions when possible.
- Roasted Pistachios. Shelled, whole or chopped this is the star of the show and what gives the recipe its unique and distinguished pistachio flavor. While using pistachio cream (especially store-bought) is an option, I do not recommend it because one some brands use a very low amount of pistachios and two it contains sugar and the cream might be overly sweet.
- Egg and Egg yolk. The combination of the two is what makes the cream smooth and stable without making it too gummy. If you wish to make the cream more decadent, reduce the egg yolks amount from 4 to 2, or skip it all together.
- Cornstarch. It helps thicken the cream and keep it stable. You can use potato starch instead. When you measure the starch, it’s best to use a kitchen scale. If you don’t have one, make sure not to pack the starch when you spoon it, and level it with your finger or a butter knife. Too much will give the cream and gummy, gel like texture.
- Butter. It adds a smooth, creamy texture, flavor and when chilled is solidifies and stable the cream. You can reduce it or increase it by 2 Tablespoons to enhance flavor and texture.
Make It
Making a custard is a not complicated but some things can go wrong, which is why I added step-by-step images. I am also including all my tips for best results starting with stay focus, and keep your mind in the recipe, it is only 10 minutes.
- The best way I found to mix the ground pistachios with the liquids is to first ground them in the food processor, (or a blender), then process them with some of the liquids until smooth and thin. I used 1/2 cup of milk, but you can use as much of the liquids as you need, just make sure to measure ahead of time.
- Mix the cornstarch with the egg yolk first to prevent it from clumping.
- Room temperature eggs is agreat way to prevent curling and lumps.
- Use a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula to stir, metal utensils may contain aluminum which when in touch with eggs turn them greenish-yellowish.
- Once you add the eggs to the milk and cook, stir constantly otherwise it may burn and clump.
- The pistachios might give the custard a grainy look, but it won’r effect the texture.
Yields and Storing
This recipe makes 3 cups of pistachio pastry cream, and should be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 day.
To freeze: mount the pastry over a large piece of pastry wrap then wrap it tightly.Place in a freeze bag and freeze for up to four weeks. When ready refrigerate overnight to defrost.
Uses for Pistachio Pastry Cream
- Pistachio Cream Pie.
- Make some Creme Legere (lightened pastry cream).
- Make Pisatchio Torta Della Nonna (custard filled tart).
- Fill some Pastry Cream.
- Use it to fill this Pistachio Crust.
- Make some Pistachio Croissants.
Pistachio Pastry Cream (Thick and stable)
Ingredients
- 1 Cup (150g) Whole shelled and roasted pistachios
- 1 1/2 Cups (360ml) Milk
- 1 Cup (240ml) Heavy cream
- 3/4 Cup (150g) Sugar
- 4 Large Egg yolks at room temperature
- 3 Tablespoons (27g) Cornstarch
- 2 Large Eggs at room temperature
- 4 Tablespoons (5gg) Unsalted butter cut into 1/4-inch pieces
Instructions
- In a food processor process the pistachios with 1/4 cup (50g) of the sugar until you have a thick paste.
- Pour in 1/2 cup of the milk and process until smooth.
- Pour the pistachio milk into a medium sauce pan, then mix in the rest of the milk (1 cups), the heavy cream (1 cup) and the rest of the sugar (1/2 cup, 100g)
- Place the sauce pan over medium heat and bring it to a boil while stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, as the liquids is cooking, in a medium deep bowl, mix the egg yolks with the cornstarch (3 tablespoons/ 27 g) followed by the whole eggs. Set the bowl next to the stove.
- Once the mixture reached full boil, remove it from heat and measure half a cup.
- Gradually drizzle the mixture (1/2 cup) into the egg mixture while vigorously stirring.
- Now pour the egg mixture into the sauce pan with the liquid mixxture and place back over the stove, medium heat.
- Cook while stirring with a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon until the mixture is thick. It is ready when you run your finger at the back of a spoon the cream does not follow toward the center. Or, when the temperature reached 180°F.Remove from the heat.
- Place the butter pieces in a large bowl, then run the pastry cream thorough a sieve into the bowl.
- Gently mix the cream until the butter is completely melted, and top the cream with a plastic wrap over the surface of the pastry cream.
- Allow the cream to chill at room temperature for one hour, then refrigerate.
Notes
- For a less thick pastry, reduce the egg yolk amount to 2.
- You can increase the butter amount to up to 6 tablespoons, or 2 tablespoons.
- Room temperature eggs are the best way to prevent clumping and curdling.
- Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to four days.
- To freeze: wrap the pastry cream with plastic wrap, place in a freeze bag and freeze for up to four weeks.
- Silver tools may contain aluminum which can cause the eggs to change their color to greenish-yellowish. When stirring use a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula.
