How to make pistachio paste

by Abbas Jahangir · Published December 4, 2023 · Updated March 24, 2024

Do you want to try making pistachio paste? Here is the recipe for this preparation and how we can use it in sweet and savory recipes. Be careful: we will talk about pistachio paste, not pistachio paste, which is a completely different thing. That sometimes a simple preposition can make all the difference in the world.

Today we will learn how to make pistachio paste. Which is absolutely not pistachio pasta. The latter, in fact, is normal pasta which, instead of being seasoned with a traditional sauce, is seasoned with pistachios. Pistachio paste, on the other hand, is a cream that we can make quite easily at home and which can be used as a preparation to create other sweet and savory dishes. Obviously pistachios are the basis of all this. The nice thing is that to prepare the pistachio paste you can use either already peeled pistachios (if you are lazy like me or are in a hurry) or whole pistachios.

Speaking of pistachios: here you will find 10 other ideas for using them in the kitchen in an original and creative way.

The pistachio paste recipe

Obviously there are different recipes for preparing pistachio paste. Here you can find a very simple and quick one, for those who have little time to spend in the kitchen, but still want to make a good impression on friends and relatives.

Ingredients

pistachios (please, unsalted and for convenience use those without peel or grain): 100 grams
icing sugar: 50 grams
seed oil: 30 grams (the best would be peanut oil, but if you are allergic to peanuts or legumes or if you have to use pistachio paste for a dinner with friends and you don’t know if there are allergies or intolerances, it is better to opt for an oil of sunflower seeds or corn)

Preparation

If you have opted for pistachios without peel, you will first have to crush them in your blender. If you instead opted for grain, you skipped this step. In either case, pour the pistachios (previously shredded or already in the form of grains) into your food processor together with the sugar and oil. Spin for a few seconds and repeat this maneuver several times.

At each new turn you will have to open the bowl and check that the blades have not overheated. In fact, if they overheat, you risk the pistachios not releasing their oil. In theory, if you have done everything correctly, a pasty cream should form. This is pistachio paste. Once ready, you can store it for up to a week in the refrigerator , in a container covered with transparent film.

And for those who use whole pistachios ? Here you will have to do a few more steps. Obviously you will have to peel them by eliminating the outer shell. At this point take the pistachios and leave them to soak in a bowl of water at room temperature for at least two hours.

Now drain the water and pour the pistachios onto a clean, dry kitchen cloth. Cover them with another cloth, equally clean and dry, and start rubbing them to remove the skin around them.

Then let them dry in a dry and ventilated area, preferably in the sun for at least a day. Then proceed as seen above.

Once you have your pistachio paste you can use it to prepare:

savory dishes: it is used in pasta, risottos, with meat, fish or even on pizza
sweet dishes: it is used in ice creams, creams, sorbets, granitas, biscuits and cakes

Pistachio paste has a very aromatic, intense flavour. When made from in-shell pistachios, it tends to be a little runnier. In itself it is a very concentrated product, which is why it should be added a little at a time . In some cases it may be necessary to dilute the pistachio paste : this is done simply by adding water, milk or cream, it also depends on the tastes and the preparation in which you want to use it.

Savory recipes with pistachio paste

Pasta with pistachio cream

Technically we could use pistachio paste to make pistachio pasta too (we won’t survive all these prepositions). In theory, all you need to do is take some previously prepared pistachio cream, put it back in the blender and add some basil, salt, oil, a pinch of Parmigiano Reggiano and water. Blend everything until you obtain an even creamier mixture and then use it to season the pasta.

Some people also flavor everything by adding cream .

Risotto with pistachio paste

Technically it is also possible to prepare a risotto with pistachio paste . Even in this case we won’t have to add much because of its intense flavour, but the advantage is that it will give our risotto not only a unique flavour, but also an intense green colour. Obviously it should be used to cream risottos.

Pistachio cream vinaigrette

An even more vegetal alternative is the vinaigrette with pistachio cream . All we will have to do in this case, after having prepared the pistachio paste, is to dilute it with citrus juice (filtered, please) or with a little apple cider vinegar, so that it can then be seasoned on potatoes, beets , cauliflower or even celeriac.

Sweet recipes with pistachio paste

Cake with pistachio cream

Pistachio paste also works well with sweet preparations. We have an example with the classic grandmother’s cake , the one made with shortcrust pastry and which usually contains custard . Well: instead of custard we can adopt the variant with pistachio cream. In this case, to prepare the pistachio custard you will have to mix the pistachio paste with starch, sugar, salt and egg yolk, mixing and pouring in the milk little by little. Then put the mixture on the heat and, stirring constantly, thicken the cream. In this way you will obtain a cream with a greenish color.

Pistachio cream

Technically, the pistachio custard seen above, in addition to being put in cakes or tartlets (but also in cream puffs or to fill sponge cake), you can also use it to prepare a spoonful pistachio cream, to be served in glass cups and to eat with a spoon. It is not difficult to prepare it: mix sugar, cornstarch, salt to taste and egg yolks in a pan.

Then add the pistachio paste, a little at a time, and milk at room temperature. Mix everything and then add the remaining milk, then passing the saucepan over the heat. When it has thickened, place it in a bowl, cover it with cling film and let it cool. Please note that it can only be kept in the fridge for three days.

Creamy pistachio paste with chocolate crumble

This dessert is easy to prepare, but also very spectacular. So it will make you look great. First you will have to soften the gelatine sheets. Then pour the fresh cream into a pan, bring it almost to the boil and turn it off. Now drain the gelatine and add it to the hot cream, mixing everything with the whisk and add the condensed milk, stirring constantly.

And it is at this point that you will have to add the pistachio paste, a little at a time and a pinch of salt. Blend everything and pour the cream thus obtained into transparent glass glasses, letting everything cool in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

Now it’s time to prepare the chocolate crumble . Pour the flour, bitter cocoa powder, brown sugar, cold butter and a pinch of salt into the bowl, crumbling everything by hand and creating large crumbs. Then place the crumble on a baking tray lined with baking paper. The crumbs should become crunchy.

Allow the crumbs to cool and then pour them over the pistachio cream in the glasses. And your pistachio paste cream with chocolate crumble is ready.