Easy homemade Pistachio Cream (crema al pistacchio) is made with just 3 ingredients and takes less than 15 minutes to whip up! Spread it on pastries, drizzle it over desserts, or enjoy straight from the jar! ☺️
What is pistachio cream?
It's an Italian sweet pistachio spread that is generally made of pistachios, oil, sugar, milk powder and sometimes white chocolate, and then processed until smooth. However, ingredients can vary depending on the brand.
It can be spread on toast, croissants, muffins and bagels. It can also be used as a filling for the viral Dubai chocolate bar, donuts, cakes and cookies. You can even incorporate it into ice cream, frostings, pastry cream and cheesecakes. The possibilities are endless!
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♡ Why You Will Love this Homemade Pistachio Cream
- Incredible flavor. It's packed with real pistachio flavor, as a batch contains 1 ½ cups of raw pistachios. It's super nutty, creamy, absolutely delicious and so addicting!
- Easy to make. Our prep time is very minimal since we are not roasting, blanching or peeling the pistachios. We're using raw shelled pistachios and keeping the skin on to save time. It takes less than 15 minutes to make and the food processor will be doing most of the work.
- Simple ingredients. You only need 3 simple ingredients to make this luscious spread. The salt is optional and used to enhance the flavors.
Ingredient Notes
Here are some notes about all the ingredients used to make this pistachio spread. Quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card below!
- Shelled Raw Pistachios - Try to find raw pistachios, as it will yield more of a bright green color. Pre-roasted pistachio will make the cream look more brown. I purchase my raw pistachios at Trader Joe's and an 8 ounce bag is just $5.99 usd, which is more affordable than other markets.
- Olive Oil - A little bit of oil will help the pistachios blend smoothly and will be more gentle on your food processor.
- White Chocolate - I recommend using a white chocolate bar, as it will melt more smoothly than white chocolate chips.
- Salt (optional) - A pinch is added just to round out the flavors.
*See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Homemade Pistachio Cream
Here are step-by-step photos and instructions on how to make this homemade pistachio cream! Please find detailed instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Step 1. Add raw shelled pistachios into the bowl of a food processor and mix for 5 minutes or until it becomes clumpy. Scrape down the bowl half way through.
Step 2. With the food processor running, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil and continue blending for 5 to 8 minutes until smooth. The longer you blend it, the smoother your pistachio cream will be. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
Step 3. Add the melted white chocolate and salt (if using) and mix until just incorporated. Transfer pistachio cream to a mason jar or airtight container and enjoy immediately or store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Enjoy!
Substitutions
- Shelled Pistachio - I recommend using raw pistachios, as it will yield a brighter green color. However, you can also use roasted pistachios if that's all you have, but the pistachio cream will be more of a brown color.
- Oil - I used extra-virgin olive oil, but you can use a neutral oil such as avocado oil, canola, vegetable, grapeseed, refined coconut oil or light olive oil.
- Salt - Salt is totally optional, but can be omitted.
Key Equipment
- Food Processor or Grinder
- Bowl + Small Pot (double boiler) - For melting the white chocolate, however, you can also use the microwave.
- Rubber Spatula
Storage
- Refrigerator - Keep pistachio cream in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. The pistachio cream will firm up, but can easily be softened.
How to soften Homemade Pistachio Cream
If your container is heatproof, you can microwave in 20 second intervals, and mixing in between, until you reach your desired consistency. Or, you can submerge the jar/container in hot tap water for 10 to 12 minutes, as seen below. It will soften after 5 minutes. Remove the container from the water, wiping it dry, then give the cream a good mix. Replace with fresh hot tap water and continue submerging for an additional 5 minutes or until softened.
⭐️ Expert Tips
Use raw pistachios for bright green color. Pre-roasted pistachios will make your pistachio cream more brown.
Use a good quality white chocolate bar, rather than white chocolate chips. White chocolate chips contain stabilizers to help hold its shape, which makes it harder to melt smoothly.
FAQ
I buy raw shelled pistachios from Trader Joe's and find that the skin is minimal (see ingredient photo for reference) and doesn't affect the color of my pistachio cream, so I keep it on. There's a tiny teensy bit of grittiness, but it doesn't bother me.
However, feel free to remove the skins if you'd like. You can do this by boiling the pistachios for 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Then gently rub the pistachios with a clean kitchen towel and peel off the skin.
If you plan on using the pistachio cream the day you make it, it does not need to be refrigerated right away. Otherwise, store it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and soften in the microwave as needed.
I haven't tried making pistachio cream in a blender, but a high-powered blender should work.
Not quite! Pistachio cream is sweetened, more creamy and contains more additives, similar to Nutella. Whereas pistachio butter typically just contains pistachios, similar to natural peanut butter and almond butter. However, I have noticed that some brands can use these labels interchangeably, so it's best to read the ingredient list if you are unsure.
More Pistachio Recipes...
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📖 Recipe
Homemade Pistachio Cream
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 Heaping Cup
Description
Easy homemade Pistachio Cream (crema al pistacchio) is made with just 3 ingredients and takes less than 15 minutes to whip up! Spread it on pastries, drizzle it over desserts, or enjoy straight from the jar!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Cup (180g) Shelled Raw Pistachios
- 1 to 2 Tablespoons Oil, see note below
- 4 Ounces (113g) White Chocolate Bar, melted
- ⅛ Teaspoon Fine Sea Salt (optional)
Instructions
- Add raw shelled pistachios into the bowl of a food processor and mix for about 5 minutes or until it becomes clumpy. At first the pistachios will break down into fine crumbs, but will eventually clump together. Scrape down the bowl half way through.
- With the food processor running, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil and continue blending for 5 to 8 minutes until smooth. The longer you blend it, the smoother your pistachio cream will be. Scrape down the bowl as needed. The mixture will be warm.
- Meanwhile, finely chop your white chocolate and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a small pot of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water and heat until the chocolate is completely melted.
- Once the pistachio mixture is smooth, add the melted white chocolate and salt (if using) and mix until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and mix again as needed. Transfer the pistachio cream to a mason jar or airtight container and use immediately or allow to cool completely, then cover and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Enjoy!
Notes
Oil - I'm using extra-virgin olive oil, but you can use a neutral oil like avocado, canola, vegetable, grapeseed, refined coconut oil or light olive oil.
Color - The color of your pistachio cream can vary depending on the variety of pistachios you use and wether the pistachios are raw or pre-roasted. I used raw pistachios from Trader Joe's.
Consistency - As the pistachio cream cools at room temperature, it will thicken more.
Storage - Keep pistachio cream in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. The pistachio cream will completely harden, but can easily be softened.
How to Soften Pistachio Cream - You can microwave it in 20 second intervals, and mixing in between, until you reach your desired consistency. Or, you can submerge the jar/container in hot tap water for 10 to 12 minutes. It will soften after 5 minutes. Remove container from the water, wiping it dry, then give the cream a good mix. Replace with fresh hot tap water and continue submerging for an additional 5 minutes or until softened.
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
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