This homemade pistachio cream is a smooth, lightly sweet cream made by blending 1 cup of shelled pistachios with milk, heavy cream, sugar, salt, and vanilla, then cooking it on the stove until it thickens. It takes about 25 minutes of work plus 2 hours to chill, and makes about 1¼ cups, enough to fill a 6 inch cake or 6 to 8 tartlets.
There is no pudding mix, instant custard, or artificial color. The flavor and green color come from the pistachios themselves, and the cooking time decides the texture: pull it early for a pourable pistachio sauce, or cook it longer for a thick spread and cake filling.
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- Makes: about 1¼ cups, fills one 6 inch cake or 6 to 8 tartlets
- Time: 15 minutes prep, 7 to 10 minutes cooking, 2 hours chilling
- Base: 1 cup (130 g) unsalted shelled pistachios, ½ cup milk, ¼ cup heavy cream, ⅓ cup sugar
- Texture control: about 6 minutes for a sauce, 9 to 10 minutes for a firm filling
- Storage: up to 1 week in the fridge; freezes in small portions
What Is Pistachio Cream?
Pistachio cream, or crema di pistacchio, is a sweet, spreadable pistachio cream used as a filling, topping, or spread. Many store bought jars lean heavily on sugar and oil, with a small share of nuts. This homemade version is built on whole pistachios, with milk and cream for body, so it tastes clearly of roasted pistachio and is only lightly sweet.
Pistachio cream has been in my kitchen notes for years. I have used it between cake layers, folded it into trifles, and spooned it onto warm toast. It is not the same as pistachio butter, which is just blended nuts, or pistachio paste, which is a concentrated, unsweetened nut paste.
Ingredients for Smooth, Green Pistachio Cream
Use shelled, unsalted pistachios, either raw or dry roasted. The milk can be whole dairy milk or a plant milk; I have tested it with both whole milk and oat milk, and both work, while almond milk gives a slightly sweeter, toastier result. The heavy cream is not optional. It brings the body and silky texture you want.
If you have pistachio paste, add a tablespoon after blending. It deepens the green and strengthens the nutty flavor. I use it when making this cream as a filling for my pistachio tiramisu.
Raw or Roasted Pistachios: Color vs Flavor
I have made this with both, and the choice changes the result. Raw pistachios, once skinned, give a brighter, almost jade green cream with a light, delicate flavor. Roasting them at 350°F for 5 to 7 minutes deepens the flavor and gives a toasted edge, but the color turns earthier, closer to beige than green.
I tend to use roasted nuts for fillings and raw nuts for spreads. If you are using the cream in something where color matters, like pistachio pudding cake, skip the roasting for that vibrant look.
How to Make Pistachio Cream
Soak the pistachios in just boiled water for 10 minutes to loosen their skins, then drain and rub them in a clean kitchen towel to remove as much skin as you can. This is the step that makes the cream smooth and bright green. Roast them now if you want a deeper flavor, and let them cool completely.
Blend the pistachios in a high speed blender or food processor to a coarse, damp paste, scraping down the sides often. Add the milk, cream, sugar, salt, and vanilla, and blend on high for 2 to 3 minutes until very smooth. If it still feels gritty, keep blending. Add the pistachio paste now, if using.
Pour the mixture into a saucepan and cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula and reaching into the corners. In 7 to 10 minutes it thickens and coats the back of a spoon while still pouring easily. Pour it into a clean jar, cool to room temperature, and chill for at least 2 hours. It thickens more as it chills.
Sauce, Spread, or Filling: Setting the Texture
The cooking time is your texture dial. For a loose pistachio sauce to pour over gelato, pancakes, or cake slices, take it off the heat after about 6 minutes. For a spread for toast and croissants, stop somewhere in between. For a firm filling for cakes and rolled cakes, go to 9 or 10 minutes.
If chilled cream is too stiff to spread, let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes and stir gently. If you want it thinner next time, cut the cooking time by 1 to 2 minutes.
Pistachio Pastry Cream for Filling Pastries
This recipe is a nut cream, not an egg custard, so it has no eggs or cornstarch. For a classic pistachio pastry cream to pipe into cream puffs, eclairs, or tarts, make a batch of vanilla pastry cream and whisk in a few tablespoons of this pistachio cream or a spoon of pistachio paste once the custard has cooled, tasting as you go.
That gives you the sturdy, pipeable texture of a custard with real pistachio flavor. It is lovely in cream puffs or as the layer in a pistachio cream pie. For a fluffy, pipeable pistachio frosting instead, try my pistachio mascarpone frosting.
Ways to Use Pistachio Cream
Chilled, it behaves like a thick spread. Use it between cake layers, in trifles, or on toast. I have layered it into pistachio pudding dessert and spooned it into a baked tart crust with whipped cream on top. Swirl it into buttercream for an easy pistachio frosting, or spread it over a shortbread base with a pinch of sea salt.
For Dubai chocolate style desserts, cook the cream to the firm end so it holds its shape, then use it as the pistachio layer in a Dubai chocolate tart or Dubai chocolate strawberry cup. It also makes a quick filling for pistachio cupcakes.
If It Turns Out Wrong
- Gritty texture: the nuts were not blended long enough, or the skins were left on. Blend longer before cooking.
- Dull, brownish color: roasted nuts or skins left on. Skip roasting and peel well for a greener cream.
- Too thin after chilling: it needed a couple more minutes on the stove.
- Too thick to spread: it cooked too long. Let it soften at room temperature and stir in a spoon of milk.
- Scorched taste: the heat was too high or it was not stirred constantly.
Storing and Freezing
Keep the cream in a clean, tightly sealed glass jar in the fridge for up to 1 week. To freeze, spoon it into silicone ice cube trays, then move the cubes to a freezer bag once solid. Thaw them overnight in the fridge. Thawed cubes blend easily into yogurt, custard, or frosting.
Pistachio Cream FAQ
How do you make pistachio cream at home?
Blend skinned pistachios to a paste, blend in milk, cream, sugar, salt, and vanilla until smooth, then cook over medium low heat for 7 to 10 minutes until it coats a spoon. Chill for 2 hours.
Is pistachio cream the same as pistachio pastry cream?
No. Pistachio cream is a cooked nut cream without eggs. Pistachio pastry cream is an egg custard flavored with pistachio, which you can make by stirring this cream into vanilla pastry cream.
Can I use pistachio cream for cakes?
Yes. Cook it 9 to 10 minutes for a firm filling. One batch fills a 6 inch cake.
How do I keep pistachio cream green?
Remove the skins after soaking, skip the roasting, and add a spoon of pistachio paste.
How long does homemade pistachio cream last?
Up to 1 week in a sealed jar in the fridge, or longer frozen in small portions.
Pin this pistachio cream to your dessert or pistachio board. If you make it, tell me in the comments how you used it: warm on cake, swirled into gelato, or spread on toast.
Pistachio Cream Recipe
This pistachio cream is a smooth, lightly sweet homemade pistachio cream made with whole shelled pistachios, milk, heavy cream, sugar, salt, and vanilla, with optional pistachio paste. It takes about 25 minutes of work plus 2 hours of chilling and makes about 1¼ cups, enough to fill a 6 inch cake or 6 to 8 tartlets. The pistachios are soaked and skinned for a smooth, green cream, then blended and cooked until thick; cook it about 6 minutes for a pistachio sauce or 9 to 10 for a firm filling. Use it as pistachio cream for cakes, a pistachio spread for toast, a topping for gelato, or stirred into pastry cream. It keeps 1 week in the fridge and freezes well.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (130g) shelled pistachios (unsalted, preferably raw or roasted but unsalted)
- 1/2 cup (120ml) milk (whole milk or plant-based like oat or almond)
- 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream
- 1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp pistachio paste (optional, for added flavor depth)
Instructions
- SOAK THE PISTACHIOS: Bring water to a boil and soak the pistachios for 10 minutes to loosen their skins. Drain them, then gently rub with a clean kitchen towel to remove as much skin as possible. This step helps create a smoother texture and a brighter green color.
- ROAST THE PISTACHIOS (IF USING RAW): Spread the peeled pistachios on a baking sheet and roast in a preheated 350°F (175°C) oven for 5 to 7 minutes. Allow them to cool completely before blending. Roasting enhances the nutty flavor.
- BLEND THE PISTACHIOS: Add the cooled pistachios to a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend until they form a coarse paste, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.
- ADD LIQUID INGREDIENTS: Pour in the milk, cream, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Blend on high speed for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture becomes very smooth and creamy. If using pistachio paste, add it now and blend briefly to combine.
- COOK THE MIXTURE: Transfer the blended pistachio mixture to a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula or whisk, until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 7 to 10 minutes.
- COOL AND CHILL: Pour the cooked cream into a clean jar or bowl. Let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before using. The cream will thicken slightly as it chills.
Notes
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or freeze in ice cube trays. For a thinner texture (for drizzling or spreading on toast), reduce the cooking time by 1 to 2 minutes. For a firm cake filling, cook 9 to 10 minutes. Remove the skins after soaking and skip roasting for the greenest color; roast for deeper flavor. If the chilled cream is too stiff, let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes and stir.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 14Total Fat 1gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 1mgSodium 103mgCarbohydrates 1gFiber 0gSugar 0gProtein 0g
