My 4-ingredient pistachio cream recipe is silky, nutty, and incidentally 100% dairy free. It’s a must if you’re making those viral Dubai chocolate desserts, but honestly, it deserves a place in your fridge regardless.
Homemade Pistachio Cream
When I was developing my Dubai chocolate cookies, I burned through a lot of store-bought pistachio cream. It was tasty, but expensive, hard to find, and not as pistachio-forward as I wanted. So I made my own. This homemade version is simpler, more affordable and accessible, and just all-around tastier. And, while it’s perfect for viral Dubai-inspired treats, don’t stop there! It’s great for drizzling over waffles, yogurt, or fresh fruit (and yes, eating by the spoonful).
Why You Should Try It
- More accessible (and way cheaper). Admittedly, I live a bit in the middle of nowhere, but I’m sure I’m not the only one reading this post who does. Store-bought pistachio cream is expensive and hard to find, so I wanted an accessible version that can be made with ingredients you can find at your local grocery store.
- Just four ingredients! We skip the dairy and white chocolate (a more modern addition) and keep the authenticity and traditonal ingredients. Blending the pistachios long enough releases the oils for a rich, spoonable consistency.
- Not just for Dubai chocolate bars! This nutty spread is so wonderful for topping pancakes, crepes, waffles, dipping chocolate covered strawberries, filling macarons or cakes, topping French toast, or eating plain.
- Can be made with either raw or roasted pistachios. Raw pistachios are actually more difficult for me to find, so I tested this recipe both ways. Raw are more traditional and will give you a vibrant green color and delicate, clasic taste. Roasted is less traditional, but gives you deeper, toastier notes. Both work for this recipe.
Jump to:
Ingredients
You’ll need just four ingredients for this pistachio cream recipe, and all are pretty straightforward.
- Pistachios. You can use raw or roasted pistachios. Roasted pistachios (I use these in my pistachio cake, so usually have a stash in the pantry) are less traditional and will have a deeper, nuttier flavor, but they will also make the final color a bit more muted. The flavor is also less traditional with roasted nuts (but still tastes good and will work). Usually roasted pistachios come salted; if yours are, just skip the salt in the recipe.
- Oil. Use a neutral oil like avocado or sunflower oil (I used expeller pressed sunflower oil — a traditional choice but not a necessary purchase if it’s not convenient). Canola or vegetable oil will also work. If you are making this pistachio cream recipe for an Italian dessert (like cannoli or cannoli dip), you could use a mild olive oil for more Mediterranean flavor.
- Powdered sugar. This adds sweetness, creates a silky smooth texture, and helps thicken the cream to just the right spreadable consistency.
- Salt. Skip this if you are using salted nuts!
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why I chose them. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
SAM’S TIP: A food processor works better than a blender for this recipe. If yours can make peanut butter, it can make pistachio cream. If it gets too warm, let it rest a bit to keep from overheating anything (or breaking the emulsion).
How to Make Pistachio Cream
Step 1: Pulse the nuts in a food processor until crumbly. Make sure to PULSE the ingredients, especially in the beginning, so everything mixes evenly!
Step 2: Scrape the bowl, then switch to the blend setting and process until the mixture starts to break down and clump together. You may need to scrape the basin of the processor a few more times during this process if the mixture isn’t blending evenly.
Now, add the sugar, salt, and just a tablespoon of the oil (we’ll add more later). Blend again until the cream becomes a smooth consistency.
Step 4: Add the second tablespoon of oil and blend again until fully incorporated into the mixture. Most of the time, I stop here; this is the perfect consistency for making the filling for my Dubai cookies or spreading over toast. If you need yours a bit thinner, add more oil a teaspoon (not a tablespoon!) at a time until you reach the desired texture.
SAM’S TIP: The cream will have a slightly brown tint; this is normal. If you want a more pure green color, you will need to blanch the pistachios to remove their skins before blending. I provide detailed instructions on how to do this in the recipe notes below, but I personally don’t think it’s worth the extra effort.
Frequently Asked Questions
Recently pistachio cream has made a huge splash as a key ingredient in Dubai chocolate recipes (like my Dubai chocolate cookies). But it’s been a staple in many households long before that viral chocolate crept onto the scene. Spread it on toast, drizzle over waffles, pancakes, French toast, crepes, granola and yogurt or fresh fruit, use as a filling for pastries or macarons, etc. Pretty much anywhere you use Nutella, you can use pistachio cream–that includes my nutella stuffed cookies, nutella muffins, and even chocolate babka.
Pistachio butter is a thicker product made from ground pistachios and salt (like peanut butter), while pistachio cream is sweetened and has oil added for a silkier, more spreadable consistency. Some pistachio cream recipes use white chocolate or add dairy, but I went with a more traditional middle-eastern inspired version that was better suited for a Dubai cookie (coming soon!).
I tried making this pistachio cream recipe with butter, but the result surprisingly was not as good as the version made with oil (seriously, I was shocked!). It actually made the cream too thick (so did adding vanilla). Stick with the recipe for best results!
I recommend storing in the fridge for the longest shelf life. Just note that the cream will need to come back to room temperature before you can spread it (you may also need to give it a stir, as the oil sometimes separates).
Drizzle Your Pistachio Cream Over One of THESE:
I’d love to hear how you use this pistachio cream recipe! Please leave me a comment below if you try it 💚
Enjoy!
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Pistachio Cream
Ingredients
- 1 cup (140 g) pistachios (see note)
- ⅛ teaspoon table salt or fine sea salt
- ⅔ cup (84 g) powdered sugar
- 2-3 Tablespoons neutral oil (I recommend sunflower, canola, vegetable, or avocado)
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Place the pistachios in the basin of a food processor. Pulse repeatedly until mixture is crumbly. Set the food processor to blend and blend until broken down into coarse crumbs. You will need to scrape the sides/bottom with a spoon or spatula periodically if the pistachios are not incorporating evenly.1 cup (140 g) pistachios
- Add sugar, salt, and 1 Tablespoon of oil. Continue to blend until mixture is smooth and creamy.⅛ teaspoon table salt or fine sea salt, ⅔ cup (84 g) powdered sugar
- Add another Tablespoon of oil and continue to blend until well incorporated. If needed, add additional oil, a teaspoon at a time, until proper consistency is reached.
- Use as desired.
Notes
Storing
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Bring to room temp before using, and note some separation may occur (just stir it back together!).Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Maureen Coon
Can it be frozen for later use
Sam Merritt
Hi Maureen! I haven’t tried it. I *think* you would be ok. I would probably thaw it in the refrigerator and stir before using. Let me know how it goes if you try it. 🙂
Margaret
Tried this recipe tonight. Turned out great. Only problem is that I may not have enough for the Dubai Chocolate cookie recipe now as I keep eating this cream, lol
Sam Merritt
🤣 I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Brigitte Couture
I hope it’ll work for me! I’ve tried to make paste twice and it’s always a mess 😭 I was just gonna go and buy it online. But so far your recipes never let me down so I’ll try one last time!
Sam Merritt
I hope this one is a success! 🙂