Pistachio Cream Spread is a delicious spread, filling, and sauce that you can make at home. This recently popularized cream has taken social media by storm, and is now available in most grocery stores. This easy pistachio cream will make you forget about the store-bought variety. It has a few simple ingredients and much more flavor.
Pistachio cream is a tastier and superior alternative to chocolate hazelnut spread. This creamy pistachio spread makes the perfect smear on toast or can be added to desserts like pistachio tiramisu and pistachio ice cream. You could even use it to make pistachio ganache to fill cakes and pastries.
The Creamiest Spread
Ingredients to Make Pistachio Spread
This vibrant green pistachio goodness is relatively easy to make. You need a few ingredients and a food processor and voila! Creamy deliciousness at your fingertips.
Raw and unsalted pistachio kernels: Use raw, unshelled, and unsalted pistachios. This could be the whole kernel or the Turkish and Persian silvered pistachio variety.
Powdered milk and regular whole milk: Whole Milk for optimum fat content and flavor, and powdered milk gives the cream that milky and rich taste.
Powdered sugar: Do not use regular granulated sugar. It’ll make the texture gritty and grainy.
Vanilla or pistachio extract: Pistachio extract works well here, but I haven’t found any that are alcohol free, so vanilla extract works fine.
Neutral oil: Use neutral flavored oil like canola, grape-seed oil, etc.
Salt: It allows the flavor of pistachios to pop.
Smooth, Creamy, and Absolutely Delicious!
How to Make the Creamy Pistachio Spread
For ease of time and effort, I opted to use the slivered pistachios because they don’t need any blanching and peeling.
First, you need to add the blanched and peeled pistachios or the slivered pistachios to a food processor. No, a blender would not work. Process until chunky, you’ll need to stop and scrape down the sides a few times and repeat the process.
Next, drizzle in the oil or melted butter while the food processor is running and blitz again. It should look a little smoother.
Now, add in the powdered sugar, powdered milk, pinch of salt (1/4 tsp), vanilla extract and process again. If the mixture looks chunky, it’s totally fine. If you’re opting to use white chocolate instead of powdered milk, melt it and add it now as well.
Finally, as the food processor is running, drizzle in the milk in increments. It’s okay if the pistachio mixture looks curdled or chunky. Stop the motor, scrape down the sides and blitz again. It should now look like a cream.
Now you’re ready to transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, covered tightly.
Nutty and Sweet
How to Serve This Pistachio Cream Spread
This pistachio spread is seriously going to be your new favorite! You will not believe all the ways you can use it! And trust me, it goes way beyond spreading it over bread.
As a Dreamy Filling: You can absolutely fill your favorite cakes and pastries with it. For example, instead of using ashta in Pistachio Baklawa and Ashta Croissant, you can utilize my creamy pistachio spread. Besides, take your Qatayef Asafiri (Middle Eastern Cream-Filled Pancakes) to the next level by filling them with my rich spread.
Perfect as a Topping: It would be delicious when drizzled over homemade crepes, pancakes, or even waffles. Try it with these Knafeh Pancakes for an irresistible boost of flavor.
Mixed with a Variety of Desserts: Elevate you desserts by adding in my smooth spread. Give it a try in pistachio tiramisu for a unique twist on the traditional dessert, or add it to flavor ice cream.
Substitutions
Pistachio Extract: It works well in the recipe, but I haven’t found any that are alcohol free, so vanilla extract works fine. Overall, vanilla extract is considered the viable substitute for pistachio extract.
Powdered Milk: Now I know a lot of you might say, “I don’t have powdered milk, what do I do?” Well, I recommend buying some because it elevates the flavor and texture of baked goods significantly. But if you really don’t want to, you can add melted white chocolate. If you use melted white chocolate, you’ll need to add about triple the amount of powdered milk and use less sugar.
Neutral Oil: If you do not want to use neutral oil, then you can definitely substitute it with melted unsalted butter. The butter helps the spread stay smooth and adds more fat content, which means more flavor.
Pure Perfection!
Top Tips
There are multiple ways to make this pistachio cream, but I’ve found that this method is the best method to make it at home. To ensure that your cream is smooth and bright green, you need to do the following:
If you’re using whole pistachio pieces, you could either peel them (remove the brown outer layer) or leave them as is. Keep in mind that if you choose not to peel them, your spread will not be as smooth and will have some chunks/specks of brown in it. So if you want the cream to be bright green, it is best to peel them!
If you choose to peel them, the easiest way to do so is to add them to a pot of boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Immediately drain them and let them cool for 5 minutes before rubbing off the skin using a clean towel.
If the mixture is too thick for you, add more milk. However, note that it will thicken as it sits too.
If you like it sweeter, add more sugar.
While you are preparing the cream, stop processing every now and then to scrape down the sides.
If you’re using white chocolate instead of powdered milk, use less sugar.
Storage Tips
To store the pistachio spread, transfer it to an air tight container. Ensure the jar is tightly closed to prevent air from causing and accelerating spoilage. Refrigerate the spread for up to two weeks.
Your New Favorite Spread
Frequently Asked Questions
No, a blender would not work. The nature and design of a blender do not allow it to blend and mix thick combinations without the addition of a significant amount of liquid. And adding such a quantity of liquid would ruin the texture and, of course, the flavor of the pistachio cream.
Yes, however it is not considered vegan unless you do not use melted butter and substitute regular cow’s milk with a vegan milk option.
It is not recommended to do so. If you do use salted pistachios, you will end up with a salty pistachio spread. We do not want that!
Must-Try Recipes
The Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pistachio Baklawa and Ashta Croissant
Palestinian Sesame Tea Cookies
If you’ve tried this recipe, don’t forget to rate it and leave a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience. You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Pistachio Cream Spread Recipe
Ingredients
- 2⅔ cups pistachio kernels , raw and unsalted
- 1½ cups whole milk
- ½ cup powdered milk
- 1¾ or 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla or pistachio extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil
Instructions
- You need to add the blanched and peeled pistachios or the slivered pistachios to a food processor. No, a blender would not work.
- Process until chunky, you'll need to stop and scrape down the sides a few times and repeat the process.
- Drizzle in the oil or melted butter while the food processor is running and blitz again. It should look a little smoother.
- Add in the powdered sugar, powdered milk, pinch of salt (1/4 tsp), vanilla extract and process again. If the mixture looks chunky, it's totally fine. If you're opting to use white chocolate instead of powdered milk, melt it and add it now as well.
- As the food processor is running, drizzle in the milk in increments. It's okay if the pistachio mixture looks curdled or chunky. Stop the motor, scrape down the sides and blitz again. It should now look like a cream.
- Now you're ready to transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, covered tightly.
Notes
- There are multiple ways to make this pistachio cream, but I’ve found that this method is the best method to make it at home. To ensure that your cream is smooth and bright green, you need to do the following:
- If you’re using whole pistachio pieces, you could either peel them (remove the brown outer layer) or leave them as is. Keep in mind that if you choose not to peel them, your spread will not be as smooth and will have some chunks/specks of brown in it. So if you want the cream to be bright green, it is best to peel them!
- If you choose to peel them, the easiest way to do so is to add them to a pot of boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Immediately drain them and let them cool for 5 minutes before rubbing off the skin using a clean towel.
- If the mixture is too thick for you, add more milk. However, note that it will thicken as it sits too.
- If you like it sweeter, add more sugar.
- While you are preparing the cream, stop processing every now and then to scrape down the sides.
- If you’re using white chocolate instead of powdered milk, use less sugar.
