Homemade Pistachio Cream

Pistachio cream is a creamy spread that’s becoming increasingly popular—and for good reasons! With just three simple ingredients and made in only 10 minutes, you can easily create a creamy, subtly sweet pistachio spread right at home. Perfect for topping toast, waffles, cakes, or simply enjoying by the spoonful, this recipe is sure to impress.

About 2 years ago, long before everyone went wild about pistachios and started using it in everything including Dubai chocolate, I started working on a collection of pistachio recipes. I started with a complete guide on pistachios and how to use them, followed by a recipe for pistachio butter, pistachio cake and my insanely delicious Italian pistachio cookies that go viral every holiday season. Today I’m going to show you how to make pistachio cream with only 3 ingredients. This is the key ingredient when it comes to Dubai chocolate, and it keeps well for so long.

Why Make Pistachio Cream

Simple Ingredients: The pistachio cream you find in stores is usually only 45% pistachios, the rest is oil, sugar, milk powder and preservatives. This recipe is made with only pistachios, powdered sugar, and avocado oil—keeping it simple and delicious.

Easy Preparation: No peeling or complicated steps; it’s quick and straightforward.

Adjustable Sweetness: Store-bought pistachio cream can be very sweet, with this recipe, you control the sweetness level to suit your taste perfectly.

Pistachio Cream vs Pistachio Butter

You may be asking yourself if there are any significant differences between pistachio cream and pistachio butter. Rightfully so, because they do appear to be very similar. Here are the main differences between the two:

Ingredients:

• Pistachio Butter: Usually made from just pistachios, sometimes with a small amount of oil to help blending.
• Pistachio Cream: Includes pistachios blended with powdered sugar and oil, making it sweeter and creamier.

Texture:

• Pistachio Butter: Thicker, denser, and has a more robust, nutty texture.
• Pistachio Cream: Lighter, silkier, and smoother, ideal for spreading or drizzling.

Sweetness:

• Pistachio Butter: Naturally nutty flavor, usually unsweetened or very lightly sweet.
• Pistachio Cream: Noticeably sweeter due to the addition of powdered sugar, making it suitable for desserts and sweet dishes.

Preparation:

• Pistachio Butter: Often involves peeling pistachios to retain a bright green color.
• Pistachio Cream: Does not require peeling, simplifying preparation while slightly reducing the vibrant color.

Uses:

• Pistachio Butter: Excellent for savory dishes, sauces, breakfast or as a natural nut butter alternative.
• Pistachio Cream: Primarily used in sweet applications such as pastries, cakes or ice cream toppings.

How to Make Pistachio Cream

Gather your ingredients and make sure the pistachios are shelled, dry, clean and are definitely unsalted. Measure the avocado oil and keep it in a measuring jar.

Place the pistachios in a food processor and blend until they become finely powdered.

Add Sugar and Oil

Add the powdered sugar to the pistachios and blend for another 20 seconds.

Next, gradually drizzle avocado oil into the processor while blending. It’s important to gradually add the oil to avoid overly thinning the cream. You want to continue blending until the mixture becomes creamy and smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary.

Adjust consistency by adding additional oil if you would like the pistachio cream to be thinner.

What Are The Uses?

There are many ways to use and enjoy pistachio cream. Here are some ways I’ve used my pistachio cream:

• Spread over toast, bagels, or croissants.
• As a filling or topping for cakes and cupcakes.
• Drizzled on pancakes or waffles.
• Mixed into yogurt or oatmeal for added flavor and creaminess.
• Swirled into chocolate bark or cake.

Frequently Asked Questions