How to Make Pistachio Paste

Pistachio Butter (pistachio paste) is an incredible nut butter that can be used as a topping or an ingredient to make all kinds of pistachio desserts. It's made with just one ingredient - pistachios! 

I use pistachio paste all the time, it's one of my all-time favorite ingredients to use in baking, like my best Pistachio Cake. But pre-made pistachio butter can be tricky to find and is usually quite expensive. 

Since I bake so many pistachio recipes, I decided one day to experiment with making my own homemade pistachio paste and I couldn't believe how easy it was! Now I make my own pistachio butter all the time. And the great thing is the same method can be applied to make all kinds of homemade nut butter. Try my Pecan Butter recipe (it kind of tastes like cookie butter and I can't get enough!) 

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love This Pistachio Butter Recipe
• What Is Pistachio Paste?
• Pistachio Paste Ingredients
• How to Make Pistachio Butter
• Pistachio Butter Recipe Tips
• Ways to Use Homemade Pistachio Butter
• Pistachio Butter Recipe Variations
• How to Store Homemade Pistachio Butter
• Recipes With Pistachio Butter
• Recipe
• What kind of pistachios to use:

What Is Pistachio Paste?

Pistachio paste is essentially a nut butter made from 100% pistachios. It's made by roasting pistachios to release the natural oils, then blending them up until they form a a paste. Pistachio paste can be used in baking to create pistachio flavored desserts, or it can be used as a spread or dip. It can also be customised in a variety of ways, such as by adding salt or honey.
Pistachio paste should not be confused with pistachio cream, which is a sweet spread often used as a topping or filling. Unlike pistachio cream, pistachio paste is not sweet, as it is just pure pistachio flavor - which is what makes it a great way to flavor baked goods!

Pistachio Paste Ingredients

Pistachios - Real pistachio paste only has one ingredient - pistachios! They are the star of the show. See my section below on what kind of pistachios to use. 

What Kind of Pistachios To Use

There are so many different kinds of pistachios out there. Really, you could make this recipe with any kind of pistachios, but here are some tips to help you decide which kind is best for you.

Shelled or Unshelled?

First off, make your life easier and buy some pre-shelled pistachios if you can. (Shelled means the shells have been taken off) You need a lot of pistachios to make pistachio butter, so save yourself from this tedious task and sore fingers!

Salted or Unsalted Pistachios?

If you intend to use your pistachio paste in baking, it's best to use unsalted pistachios, this way you can control how much salt goes into the end product. If you are using it to spread on toast or as a dip, you might want the additional salt. For the safest option, use unsalted and you can always add a pinch of salt later. 

Roasted or Raw Pistachios? 

Pistachios typically come roasted. Either raw or roasted are fine, just be careful if you are using pre-roasted pistachios not to overroast them yourself when you put them in the oven. As soon as you can smell their l lovely nutty smell, take them out. 

Recommended Equipment

You definitely need a strong food processor or high-speed blender to make pistachio butter. The motor needs to be powerful enough to bring out the oils in the nuts and blend them into creamy pistachio butter.

I have experimented with making pistachio paste in both the food processor and the blender. They both work but I have had better results with the food processor. The blender can give the pistachio butter a bit of a runny consistency (which is fine for baking but doesn't make a great spread!) 

How to Make Pistachio Butter

The process of making pistachio nut butter is actually really simple. The important thing is that you have a powerful enough food processor. See my Equipment section below for more details on this. 

How to Get Really Green Pistachio Paste

If you want a super vibrant green color for your pistachio paste, you need to blanch your pistachios, i.e. peel the pistachio skins off. To do this, you need to soak your pistachios in boiling water for 10 minutes, then rub them with a towel and individually pick off all the little pieces of skin from each of the pistachio kernels. 

If you really want the greenest pistachio butter, you can do this. Personally, I think life is too short to be picking skins off of pistachios, especially since you end up with an insanely tasty nut butter either way. The skins do not result in any kind of different flavor for the final product, it is purely aesthetic. 

You can also buy blanched pistachios, but they are a little harder to find. 

Homemade vs Store-bought

You can buy pistachio paste online, or in some grocery stores (like Whole Foods.  If you do, just check the ingredients to make sure it's real pistachio butter. It should say something like 'pure pistachio paste and the only ingredients should be pistachios and maybe a little salt and oil. If it has a bunch of other ingredients and preservatives, it won't work the same and the quality won't be as good.

The downside of store-bought pistachio paste is that it can be pretty expensive, and it's not always easy to find. The quality can vary too.

If you make your own pistachio paste, not only is it a lot cheaper, but you can make it very quickly and easily whenever you need it, and you can modify it to your exact needs - smoother or chunkier, added flavors, etc.  I have definitely converted to always making this easy homemade pistachio paste, whether it's to spread on my morning toast or to bake into pistachio desserts. 

Pistachio Butter vs Pistachio Paste

Pistachio butter and pistachio paste are just two different names for the same thing, they are both just pure pistachios that have been crushed up and made into a paste that can be used in baking or as a spread (like butter).

Pistachio Butter vs Pistachio Cream

Pistachio cream is different from pistachio butter. Pistachio cream is pistachio butter that has been combined with other ingredients to make a deliciously creamy spread, often used in eclairs and cream puffs. It's sooo tasty as a topping, like on my Pistachio Cheesecake, but it can't be used instead of pistachio paste in baking recipes so make sure you know the difference when shopping!  

I have experimented with making homemade pistachio cream over and over with white chocolate and various other ingredients. It tastes really good, but I haven't gotten it to have quite the same delicious flavor and creamy texture of Pisti Pistachio Cream. 

Ways to Use Homemade Pistachio Butter

Let me count the ways! I use this homemade pistachio butter recipe in SO many of my bakes. Here are a few of my pistachio dessert recipes using it:

• Italian Pistachio Cake
• Pistachio Cheesecake
• Pistachio Cupcakes with Pistachio Frosting
• Pistachio Muffins
• Pistachio Cannoli
• Pistachio Dacquoise Cake
• Pistachio Pastry Cream

You could also use it to:

• Make homemade pistachio ice cream or pistachio gelato
• Spread on toast
• Drizzle a spoonful on top of yogurt, oatmeal, or a smoothie bowl
• As a dip for your favorite fruit
• It also makes for a great gift in a little jar

Pistachio Butter Recipe Variations

Sweet Pistachio Butter - To give a sweet flavor, try adding some maple syrup, honey, or other natural sweetener to make a lovely sweet pistachio spread to put on toast or in your morning porridge. Liquid sweeteners work best for consistency, but you can add whatever you like. It's also lovely with a hint of almond extract.

Crunchy Pistachio Butter - The less you process your pistachio butter, the chunkier it will be. If you prefer to have some chunks in there, don't process it for quite such a long time.

Combine Nuts - You could try combining pistachios with some of your other favorite nuts, or even something like sunflower seeds to create different flavor combinations.

Can You Make Other Nut Butters With This Recipe?

Absolutely! The method for this pistachio paste recipe can be used to make all sorts of homemade nut butter recipes, such as almond butter, peanut butter, or cashew butter.

You could even take it to the next level and make some hazelnut butter with a little cocoa powder mixed in to make a nut butter alternative to Nutella! Just follow the recipe the exact same but with whatever type of nuts you like.

You might like to check out my sweet pecan butter recipe!

How to Store Homemade Pistachio Butter

Store your perfect pistachio paste in a jar or other airtight container. It will be good in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Recipes With Pistachio Butter

Here are some of my favorite pistachio desserts using pistachio paste. 

Recipe