Pistachio cream is rich and silky smooth, packed with real pistachio flavor. It's made with pistachios, white chocolate, butter, and milk which makes it a sweet spreadable cream that can be stuffed into pastries, cheesecakes and spreading over warm toast and croissants.
This version is made the right way - boiled, peeled, and blended, free of dyes and extract.
I use this pistachio cream recipe in everything from basque pistachio cheesecake to simple desserts that need a little something extra. It's one of those recipes that is worth keeping in the fridge because it has so many applications!
A Quick Glance At This Pistachio Cream Recipe
- ✅Done in: 40 minutes
- 🛒Ingredients: 6 ingredients
- 🍽️Yields: 4 cups
- 💪Difficulty: Easy
- 👩🍳Cook Method: Stovetop + Blender
- ⏰Make Ahead Friendly: Yes! It can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week.
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What Is Pistachio Cream?
Pistachio cream is a smooth, thick but spreadable cream made from blended pistachios, white chocolate, butter, and milk. It has Italian roots, found in many pastry shops across Sicily stuffed into brioche and layered into cannoli but it's made its way into home kitchens everywhere, and for good reason.
It's not pistachio butter. It's richer, sweeter, and creamier, closer to a Nutella-style spread than a nut butter and can be used in the same applications as Nutella like Nutella Stuffed Cookies. The white chocolate is what gives it that smooth, almost ganache-like consistency.
The flavor is nutty, subtly sweet, and distinctly pistachio with no artificial aftertaste when you use real nuts and quality chocolate. It's one of those recipes I keep coming back to because the payoff is massive for what's actually involved.
Why This Recipe Works
- Boiling and peeling the pistachios - this step removes the skins that cause bitterness and dull green color. Peeling the pistachios helps improve color and reduce bitterness but pistachio variety and natural color play a part too. This is a step that's not necessary when using pistachios in a salad, like Peach Burrata Salad.
- White chocolate as the base - it adds sweetness and fat without overpowering the pistachio. It also contributes to creating that silky, spreadable texture that makes this feel like a bakery-quality product.
- Blending in two stages - first the pistachios with milk, then adding the warm chocolate mixture. This builds a smoother final texture than blending everything at once.
- Whole milk adjusts consistency. More milk gives you a thinner, more saucy result great for drizzling. Less keeps it thick and spreadable.
- Salt at the end balances the sweetness from the white chocolate and powdered sugar, keeping the flavor from tipping too sweet.
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Recipe Ingredients
- Pistachios - Use roasted, salted, shelled pistachios. The salt adds flavor and the roasting deepens the nuttiness. I use Wonderful Pistachios and they work great here. Unsalted will work too, just adjust the added salt at the end.
- White Chocolate - Quality matters here. Callebaut white chocolate is my go-to for this recipe. Avoid white chocolate chips - most have stabilizers that affect how they melt and the final texture of the cream.
- Butter - Unsalted butter so you can control the salt level. It adds richness and helps create that smooth, creamy spread consistency.
- Whole Milk - Don't swap this for a lower fat milk. The fat content helps emulsify the mixture and keeps the cream smooth rather than grainy.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Raw pistachios can be used in place of roasted - you'll get a slightly lighter flavor but the recipe still works.
- A small amount of pistachio extract (about ¼ tsp) can be added to amplify the flavor, but it's not necessary if you're using quality fresh pistachios.
- For a darker, more caramel-like flavor, milk chocolate can be used in place of white chocolate. It will change the color and the sweetness level significantly but is wonderful and Dubai Chocolate-esque. It's a great swap for raspberry jam in my star bread recipe.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
How To Make Pistachio Cream
Step 1: Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add pistachios and boil for 5 minutes.
Step 2: Drain pistachios well then rinse with cold water until cool enough to handle and transfer to a clean kitchen towel. Rub the pistachios between the two sides of the towel for 20-30 seconds to loosen the skins. Remove as many skins as possible.
Step 3: Transfer the peeled pistachios to a high-powered blender with the powdered sugar and 1 cup of milk. Blend on high for 2-3 minutes until fairly smooth. Mixture may look grainy initially but with become smoother.
Step 4:In a small saucepan over low-medium heat, combine white chocolate, butter, and remaining ½ cup of milk. Stir constantly until fully melted and smooth. Pour the warm, not hot, white chocolate mixture and salt into the blender with the pistachio base. Blend on high for another 2 minutes until completely smooth and creamy. Transfer to an airtight container or wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Store in the fridge for up to 7 days.
Chef Tips
- The peeling step is the part people skip, and it's the part that matters most. Removing pistachio skins gives you a brighter green color and a cleaner, less bitter flavor. It's arguably one of my least favorite things to do, very tedious, but it's worth it every single time.
- If pistachios get stuck during blending, stop the blender and stir pistachio mixture, reaching all the way down to the blades, then continue blending. If this isn't working, add a tablespoon of remaining milk to get things moving.
- Adjust consistency with milk as needed - add more for a thinner drizzle, less for a thick spread.
- Use a high-powered blender. A regular blender or food processor won't get the same smooth result. A Vitamix or similar high-powered blender breaks down the nut fibers far more thoroughly. If your blender is struggling, add a splash more milk to help it move.
- Keep the heat low when melting the chocolate. White chocolate is more sensitive than dark or milk chocolate. Too high of heat and it burns instead of melting smoothly, trust me, I've burnt a batch and it smells and tastes like burnt marshmallows. Low and slow with constant stirring is the move.
- Taste before you seal it up. Once it's finished, taste for salt. Depending on the brand of pistachios and chocolate you use, the balance will be slightly different. A small pinch of salt can make the pistachio flavor pop significantly. Salt does belong in your sweets.
- Among all the dessert cookie and sweets recipes on this site, pistachio cream is one of the most versatile building blocks you can keep stocked in your fridge. It can be used as a filling, topping or spread on just about anything. Pistachio cream + Nutella sandwich, anyone?
Ways To Use Pistachio Cream
This is where things get fun. Pistachio cream is not a one-trick ingredient.
- Make Pistachio Basque Cheesecake - Use this homemade pistachio cream to make a rich flavorful cheesecake with a beautifully caramelized top.
- Fill Pastries - Pipe into croissants, cream puffs and other pastries for a classic bakery-style use.
- Layer into cakes - spread between cake layers or blend into frosting the same way you'd use a buttercream or ganache.
- Spread over waffles or pancakes - warm slightly then spoon over homemade bubble waffles.
- Make Dubai chocolate bars - combine with toasted Kataifi for crunchy pistachio filling!
- Drizzle over ice cream - gently warm then gently pour over a scoop of vanilla chocolate ice cream.
Pistachio Cream FAQs
Yes, please do! It saves time. But most grocery store pistachios still have their inner skins intact even when shelled, so the boiling and rubbing step is usually still needed.
The skins are the most common reason. Even partial skin removal makes a difference. The other factor is the quality of the pistachios, if they're older or lower quality nuts will have a duller color regardless. There are no artificial dyes or food coloring used in this recipe, so it may not be the green color you're used to seeing.
Add milk one tablespoon at a time and blend or stir until you reach the consistency you want. The milk does not need to be warmed when adding in small amounts.
Store pistachio cream in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 7 days. Give it a quick stir before using as it may thicken slightly after chilling.
To freeze, transfer to a freezer-safe container such as a mason jar with lid, for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
Pistachio cream is a sweet, spreadable mixture made with pistachios and ingredients like white chocolate, milk, and sugar. Pistachio paste is often made from ground pistachios, sometimes with a little oil or sugar, depending on the recipe.
Pistachio cream is generally sweeter and softer, making it great for spreading, filling pastries, and topping desserts. Pistachio paste has a more concentrated nut flavor and is often used in professional pastry recipes, ice cream, and baking.
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📖Recipe
Homemade Pistachio Cream
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2¼ cup roasted salted shelled pistachios I use Wonderful Pistachios
- 3 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1½ cup whole milk
- 2 cups white chocolate
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt Diamond Crystal
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil then add pistachios and boil for 5 minutes. Drain pistachios and transfer to a kitchen towel.
- Rub pistachios between two sides of the kitchen towel for 20-30 seconds to loosen skins. Remove as many pistachio skins as possible as this will help with final color and taste
- Transfer pistachios to a high powered blender along with powdered sugar and 1 cup of milk. Blend 2-3 minutes on high until mixture is fairly smooth
- Heat a small sauce pot over low-medium heat with white chocolate, butter and remaining half cup of milk. Stir constantly until smooth
- Add white chocolate mixture and salt into the blender with the pistachio mix then blend on high for an additional 2 minutes until mixture is smooth and creamy. Thickness can be adjusted by adding more or less milk.
- Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days
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