This silky-smooth pistachio cream melts in your mouth and balances the natural sweetness of pistachios with a hint of vanilla from the vegan white chocolate. The texture is rich and creamy, yet light enough to spread effortlessly. It's essentially a cross between a gourmet pastry filling and a luxurious nut butter!
When I first saw the viral Dubai Chocolate Bar on TikTok, I immediately knew this was something I had to try for myself. However, I quickly encountered a problem - where could I find pistachio cream? Most grocery stores simply don't carry it. I even had difficulty finding pistachio butter (blended pistachios with salt). Pistachio cream (a popular Italian spread known as crema al pistacchio) is an entirely different product.
And when I found it on Amazon, the brands were noticeably inconsistent in terms of the ingredients used, and definitely were not healthy (let alone vegan). Traditional versions contain whey, milkfat, powdered sugar, vegetable oil and/or emulsifiers making it more like a dessert spread - think Nutella, but with pistachios. Some are sweetened, some are artificially flavored or colored, and almost all of them are imported from Italy and cost $17-$20 for a small 7-ounce container!
With all that in mind, my mission became to create a homemade pistachio cream that is healthier, less expensive, dairy-free and completely customizable. It took a LOT of trial and error but I eventually found the winning combination - and it's a super easy recipe with only 4 ingredients!
Ingredients
All you need are pistachios, vegan white chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life), avocado oil and a couple pinches of salt!
- Pistachios: Use raw unsalted pistachios, ideally shelled (hard shell removed) to save time. I get mine in the bulk food section of the grocery store. Some Costco locations carry them as well.
- Vegan white chocolate chips: We will be melting the white chocolate with neutral-tasting avocado oil to add a rich sweetness while also turning it into a cream!
How to Make Pistachio Cream
This first step is optional to create a smoother texture and more vibrant green color. But if you don't have time, don't worry, it's delicious either way! Start by boiling the pistachios (my own unique spin!). Each pistachio is encompassed by a thin brown skin, and boiling not only softens the nuts to make them creamier but also loosens the gritty skins - when removed the result is a more vibrant green color.
Once boiled and drained, rub the skins off with a towel to remove as much as you can naturally. To remove the rest, pick through each nut manually (similar to the hazelnuts in my homemade Nutella recipe). If you skip the manual picking, it will still turn out just as delicious, but the color just might not be as vibrant and the texture will not be as smooth. Again, it is delicious either way and when I'm short on time I skip this step.
Pat the pistachios dry with a towel as best you can. In a perfect world, you can let them dry out over a couple days to ensure absolutely no moisture, but who's got that kind of time?
Melt the white chocolate with 1 teaspoon of the avocado oil. I microwave it for one minute and then stir it together - works every time.
Process the pistachios in a food processor for one minute. Then, add the salt and pour in the melted white chocolate. Process for another minute, scraping down the sides as needed until thick and creamy. To thin it out to your desired consistency, stream in the remaining 3 teaspoons of the avocado oil. This will help make it creamy and drippy.
Serve! If you have extra, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.
Recipe Tip
Add a little crunch! One of the draws of this recipe is just how smooth and creamy it is, but adding a few pistachios to the food processor at the end and pulsing a few times adds a nice touch, especially if using as a spread.
How to Use Pistachio Cream
The impetus for me making this recipe was the Dubai Chocolate Bar, but since I made so much with all the experimenting I discsovered it can be used in so many other dishes!
- Spread it on toast (my kids are obsessed)
- Swirl it into oatmeal or yogurt
- Drizzle it over pancakes or waffles
- Use as a filling for cakes and pastries
- Enjoy it straight off the spoon!
This homemade pistachio cream is a game-changer. I can't wait for you to try it out, and please let me know how you use it!
Print
Homemade 4-Ingredient Pistachio Cream (Vegan)
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 10 ounces 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This silky-smooth pistachio cream melts in your mouth and balances the natural sweetness of pistachios with a hint of vanilla from the vegan white chocolate. The texture is rich and creamy, yet light enough to spread effortlessly. It's essentially a cross between a gourmet pastry filling and a luxurious nut butter!
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw, shelled, unsalted pistachios
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- ½ cup white chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life to keep it dairy-free)
- 4 teaspoons avocado oil (divided)
Instructions
- Optional for a smoother, more vibrant green cream: Boil the pistachios for 10 minutes to loosen the skins, then drain and rub them in a towel to remove as many skins as possible (you can also peel by hand). Pat dry and set aside. It is important the nuts are as dry as possible for the best texture. If you have time to let them air dry a couple hours that is best.
- Melt the white chocolate. In a small bowl, microwave the white chocolate chips with 1 teaspoon avocado oil for one minute.
- Make the cream! Pour the pistachios into a food processor and process for one minute. Then, add the salt and pour in the melted white chocolate. Process for another minute, scraping down the sides as needed until thick and creamy. To thin it out to your desired consistency, pour the remaining 3 teaspoons of avocado oil into the food processor while the motor is running.
- Serve! Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
This recipe makes approximately 10 servings. One serving is 2 tablespoons (or 1 ounce).
Note: The photos in this post show the pistachio cream with the skins removed, which is an optional step that creates a smoother texture and more vibrant green color. Step one explains how to do it - but don't worry, if you don't have time it's delicious either way! This step does add 20 minutes to the total time.
- Prep Time: 5
- Category: Dessert/Spread
- Method: food processor
- Cuisine: Italian
Misty says
I have been on a mission to make my own pistachio cream since first seeing the Dubai chocolate. So excited when I ran across your recipe. Can't wait to make it. Thank you .
Elaine Gordon says
Hi Misty! I’m so glad you found the recipe—especially if you’ve been dreaming of that Dubai chocolate! I hope you love it once you get a chance to make it. And if you do, feel free to update your star rating—I always appreciate feedback from those who’ve tried it! 💚
Krisha says
Hi, how much is one serving? Portion size it doesn't say thank you!
Elaine Gordon says
Hi Krisha! The recipe makes about 10 ounces total and yields 10 servings, so one serving is approximately 1 ounce. That’s roughly equivalent to 2 tablespoons, which is the standard serving size I use for most of my spreads and sauces. I’ll go ahead and update the recipe card notes to clarify. Hope you love it!
Joe says
great recipe im ready just made some and mmm mmm mmm . I'm ready to expand it and try different varieties of pistaccio creme
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Joe! Be sure to try it with the Dubai Chocolate Bar recipe: https://www.eatingbyelaine.com/dubai-chocolate-bar/ and the date bark too: https://www.eatingbyelaine.com/dubai-chocolate-date-bark-viral-tiktok-recipe/ - both fun options for the pistachio cream! Best, Elaine
Melissa says
My pistachio butter did not come out at all like how yours looks and I did all of the steps, including boiling and removing skins! The color is great but the consistency is so off. Doesn't stick to a spoon and is shiny and almost paste like. What happened?
Elaine Gordon says
I'm so sorry to hear this, Melissa. It sounds like you did all the right things. One question I have is did you allow the pistachios to fully dry before processing them? Sometimes the added moisture can impact the texture. I like to let them dry out for a couple hours on the counter. Any other changes you might have made to the recipe ingredients or process would be helpful in troubleshooting. I know this is an involved and expensive recipe so I want to get to the bottom of this for you! Best, Elaine
Melissa says
I did not let them dry! I processed right after removing the skins. Did I miss that in the instructions?? I also processed on level 1 of the processor, not the highest setting. Did it need to be processed on high and only for the 1 min then the additional 1 min (2m total)? I read that the consistency could be because it didn't process enough so the natural oils didn't get released...I don't know if that's true. I've never made a nut butter. You are right, it is a very expensive thing to make and now I don't know what to do with the leftovers 🙁 I still made the Dubai bark with it, it just wasn't as awesome as your pictures! Still tasted good though. I do want to understand how to fix it though!
Elaine Gordon says
Hi Melissa,
That totally makes sense—and I really appreciate you flagging this! The instructions mention “pat dry,” but I’ll update the post to make it more clear how important it is to let the pistachios fully dry before processing. That moisture can definitely affect the texture.
My processor only has one setting, so I hadn’t considered the speed variable—but yes, using the highest speed and blending a bit longer should help release the natural oils for that creamy consistency.
As for the leftovers, I love that you still used it in the Dubai bark! Another idea: try blending the rest into a smoothie or swirling it into my vanilla ice cream base to make pistachio ice cream. I haven’t tested that combo yet, but now I want to!
Thanks again for your thoughtful comment. It’s always helpful to hear what’s working and what needs more clarity!
Melissa says
That's a good idea to add to smoothies! Thank you for updating the instructions!
Elaine Gordon says
You're welcome! Thank you for flagging that for me so I can clarify for everyone. I hope you enjoy it in your smoothies. A chocolate pistachio smoothie sounds so decadent! Best, Elaine