Delish Pistachio Cream Recipe

This pistachio cream is my love letter to every toast, crepe, and spoon in the house. It’s rich but not cloying, silky with this dreamy green color, and it’s the thing I reach for when dessert needs rescuing or breakfast needs… pizazz. Think Nutella’s elegant cousin: roasted pistachios whirled into butter, warm milk and cream thickened just a touch, and a little white chocolate for that glossy, spreadable finish. It’s simple, stupid-good, and you can make it with a blender and a tiny bit of patience.

My husband calls this “the green gold,” which is dramatic but not wrong. The first time I made it, we were supposed to save it for a brunch board. He ate half of it off a spoon while standing by the fridge door, and then we both pretended it evaporated. Now I double-batch it on Fridays, because our little family puts it on pancakes, stirs it into yogurt, and sneaks it on apple slices after bedtime. It’s become a house staple—the “company’s coming” trick and the “long day, need something sweet” situation all in one jar.

How to Make It

Grab a sheet pan and toast your pistachios for like 8–10 minutes at 325°F—just until they smell nutty and your kitchen feels like a bakery in Sicily. Let them cool a sec, then rub them in a clean towel if you want to ditch some skins. Don’t stress if some hang on; mine always do.

Now, blitz those nuts in a processor until they go from crumbly to paste to glossy pistachio butter. Scrape down the sides like you mean it. A pinch of salt and a little vanilla here makes everything bloom.

On the stove, whisk milk, a splash of cream, sugar, and a spoon of cornstarch (if you like it thicker) over medium heat. No need to boil—just steam and thicken slightly. Kill the heat and stir in chopped white chocolate until it melts into a silky situation.

Pour that hot goodness into the processor with the pistachio paste, add a knob of butter, and blend until it’s so smooth you want to dive in. It will look a bit loose—totally normal. Jar it up and watch it set as it cools. Warm = drizzle. Chilled = spread. Magic.

✔Ingredient Notes

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– Unsalted pistachios: Raw or roasted works, but toast them lightly yourself for max flavor. Skins on? Fine. Skins off? Prettier green and a tad smoother.
– White chocolate: Use real cocoa butter chocolate (check the label). It gives that glossy, spreadable texture. Skip it and you’ll get a more rustic, less sweet cream—still good.
– Milk + cream: Whole milk plus a splash of heavy cream gives body. Only milk works in a pinch; coconut milk is lovely if you’re dairy-free.
– Sugar: Granulated dissolves clean in the warm milk. Honey or maple also work—just know they bring their own flavor and a slightly softer set.
– Cornstarch: Optional, but a single tablespoon helps it set into that bakery-style spoonable cream. Whisk it in cold so it doesn’t clump. Ask me how I know.
– Butter, vanilla, salt: Butter adds shine, vanilla makes it cozy, and salt is the tiny thing that makes everything taste more pistachio-y.

✔Recipe Steps

1. Toast pistachios at 325°F for 8–10 minutes; cool slightly.
2. Process pistachios into a smooth paste, scraping down sides as needed.
3. Heat milk, cream, sugar, and cornstarch over medium, whisking until steamy and lightly thickened.
4. Remove from heat and stir in white chocolate until melted and smooth.
5. Blend hot mixture with pistachio paste, butter, vanilla, and salt until silky.
6. Transfer to a jar, cool to room temp, then chill 1–2 hours until thick and spreadable.

What to Serve It With

– Warm croissants, toast, brioche, or crepes (honestly dangerous).
– Swirled into yogurt or oatmeal with berries.
– Dolloped on pancakes or waffles; thins beautifully when warmed.
– As a cake filling, macaron filling, or spooned over ice cream.
– With fresh figs, strawberries, or apples for a snack board.

✔Tips & Mistakes

– Don’t rush the nut butter stage. If the paste looks dry, keep going—pistachios release oil slowly.
– If it’s lumpy after blending, run it through a fine sieve while warm. Bougie, yes. Worth it, also yes.
– Too thick after chilling? Microwave 10–15 seconds and stir, or whisk in a splash of warm milk.
– Too sweet for you? Cut the sugar next time and use less white chocolate; add a pinch more salt now to balance.

✔Storage Tips

Jar it and stash in the fridge up to 2 weeks. It thickens as it chills and gets almost truffle-like—great for stealth spoonfuls straight from the jar (breakfast of champions). For longer storage, freeze up to 2–3 months; thaw overnight in the fridge and whisk to revive the shine.

✔Variations and Substitutions

– Dairy-free: Use full-fat coconut milk, skip the butter, and add 1–2 tablespoons neutral oil or a little cocoa butter for gloss.
– Sweetener swaps: Honey or maple syrup instead of sugar (start with 1/3 cup; adjust to taste).
– Flavor twists: Tiny pinch of cardamom, orange zest, or a drip of almond extract. Rosewater is stunning—go very light.
– No white chocolate: Add 1–2 extra tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon butter/oil; texture will be thicker/less glossy but still dreamy.
– Salted pistachios: Rinse quickly, pat dry, toast, then skip added salt.

Frequently Asked Questions

Delish Pistachio Cream Recipe

Silky pistachio cream made with roasted pistachios, white chocolate, and real dairy—perfect for spreading on toast, filling pastries, or spooning over ice cream.

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Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 16

Calories: 120kcal

Ingredients

 

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Main Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup unsalted shelled pistachios lightly toasted
• ▢ 0.75 cup whole milk
• ▢ 0.5 cup heavy cream
• ▢ 0.5 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 tbsp cornstarch
• ▢ 4 oz white chocolate chopped
• ▢ 2 tbsp unsalted butter cut into pieces
• ▢ 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ 0.125 tsp fine sea salt

Instructions

Preparation Steps

• Toast pistachios in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until fragrant and just starting to color, about 3 to 4 minutes. Let cool.
• In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk, heavy cream, sugar, cornstarch, and salt until smooth. Set over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is steamy and slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Do not boil hard.
• Remove from heat. Add white chocolate and butter. Let sit 1 minute, then whisk until completely melted and smooth. Stir in vanilla.
• Add toasted pistachios to a high-speed blender. Pour in half of the warm dairy mixture and blend on high until very smooth, scraping down as needed, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the remaining warm mixture and blend again until silky. For an ultra-smooth texture, strain through a fine-mesh sieve back into a clean bowl or jar.
• Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin, then chill until cool and thickened, about 2 hours. Stir before serving.
• Serve as a spread for toast or croissants, as a filling for crepes and cakes, or drizzled over ice cream.

Notes

Store refrigerated in an airtight jar for up to 2 weeks. For a looser sauce, warm gently in 10-second bursts in the microwave and stir. If using salted pistachios, reduce the added salt. A drop of green gel food color can enhance the hue, if desired.