This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
A delicious two-ingredient homemade pistachio nut butter recipe with pistachio butter uses and flavour combinations! Perfect for spreading on toast, mixing into your baked goods or preparing as an edible gift.
I think of Pistachio butter like the underappreciated, sultry cousin to Nutella. Pistachio butter is like a silky pistachio creme that is possibly one of the most addictive of all the nut butter recipes.
This butter is better to be eaten in moderation if you’re watching your weight! I’d also say that this homemade Pistachio butter recipe is an excellent option for a DIY holiday gift. Who doesn’t love an edible Christmas gift, after all? I’ve included a list of pistachio butter uses below as well! And flavoured pistachio butter suggestions.
In terms of price, Pistachio nuts certainly aren’t easy on the purse strings. However, when looking at the cost of store-bought jars of pistachio butter and the price of making your own – It’s still much more cost-efficient to make your own. I tend to buy my pistachios in bulk (usually a 1kg bag shelled raw pistachios) since I’m using them ALL the time – for my baklava recipe, for pistachio pesto, to make pistachio milk, in vegan tart bases etc. Buying in bulk makes this recipe even more cost-efficient over store-bought versions.
Want to save this recipe?
How to make homemade pistachio butter
Just like all homemade nut butter recipes, this pistachio butter is ridiculously simple to make and takes only two ingredients: Pistachios and salt.
I started with pistachios in shells because I had a lot on hand, but if you can manage NOT to do this, then I’d suggest buying shelled pistachios. We don’t all need blisters on our fingers from shelling pistachios for twenty minutes!
To begin, you need to roast the pistachios in the oven at 165ºC (fan assisted) for 10 minutes, turning them halfway.
This will give the pistachio butter a delicious, toasty roasted taste. Leave these to cool entirely before starting the next step.
Note* It’s worth noting that pistachio butter will naturally be a brown-green shade. If you want it to be more vibrant green colour, one way to get the colour greener is to remove the pistachio skins after roasting by rubbing the roasted pistachios in between a cloth like I did in this peanut butter butter recipe .
Next, you blend the pistachios in a high-speed processor or blender. Depending on how powerful your blender is, this is best done in intervals. This will stop the nuts (and the machine) from overheating. The longer you blend them, the runnier in consistency your butter will be.
I always aim to make my homemade nut butter recipes oil-free, because I think they don’t need the additional oil. The blender / food processor you use does all the work for you. As the nuts are blended, their oils are released, and this helps to make a smooth paste.
Once you’ve reached your desired consistency (for me, the smoother, the better!), then add the salt to the blender.
Give a final quick blitz to combine thoroughly.
This homemade pistachio butter can then be kept in an airtight glass container in the fridge for a month. Alternatively, freeze it for up to 3 months.
I usually avoid additional ingredients to my homemade nut butter recipes because it will affect the shelf-life of the nut butter. If I do want to flavour this pistachio butter for any reason, I tend to only flavour a small batch.
Pistachio Butter flavour combinations
Here are some pistachio butter flavour combinations you could try, especially if making for a DIY holiday gift:
- To make a delicious, sinful pistachio spread you can mix some melted white chocolate into this spread. Alternatively, blend some white chocolate directly into the blender when making the pistachio butter, with some water.
- Pop in some homemade Vanilla extract or Vanilla Powder.
- For a delicious chocolate pistachio butter, add some cocoa powder and your favourite natural liquid sweetener of choice. The cocoa will dry the mix so the liquid is needed to avoid having to add oil.
- Add a cheeky 1 tsp of matcha for a delicious matcha pistachio butter blend
- This isn’t one I’ve tried, but you can always experiment with flavours such as pumpkin spice with some maple syrup. If you try it, let me know how it goes!
- A dash of Cinnamon could be lovely too!
- For a delicious middle eastern twist try adding some rose water and natural sweetener of choice.
How To Use Pistachio Butter/Pistachio Butter Uses
Not a word of a lie – there are tons of homemade pistachio butter uses. Not only can you use this like any other nut butter and pop it on your morning toast. You can also whip up a batch as a special DIY holiday gift (just label and ribbon the jar and this homemade pistachio butter works amazingly as an edible Christmas gift!).
Homemade pistachio butter can also be used tons of recipes including homemade pistachio ice-cream, pistachio macaron filling, to make a pistachio ‘frosting’ filling for cakes and tarts. For other pistachio butter uses, you can drizzle some over your morning porridge (or ice-cream), add a spoonful into your smoothies etc. The options are plentiful!
Other Recipes you may like
Now that you know how simple it is to make homemade nut & seed butter, how about trying on some other alternative nut & seed butters for size. Perhaps you’ll like this Cashew Butter or Pumpkin seed butter. For something a little sweeter, this homemade Vegan ‘Nutella’ is absolutely delicious – I swear! Any of these work amazingly as DIY holiday gifts or part of an edible Christmas gift basked too
As always, if you give this recipe a go then let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Also, feel free to tag me in your recreations @AlphaFoodie.
Homemade Pistachio Butter
Ingredients
- 3 cups pistachios raw shelled
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- To begin, you need to roast the pistachios in the oven at 165ºC (fan assisted) for 10 minutes, turning them halfway.
- Leave them to cool entirely before the next step.
- Next, you simply blend the pistachios in a high-speed processor or blender. Depending on how powerful your blender is, this is best done in intervals so the nuts ( or the machine) don’t overheat. The longer you blend them, the runnier in consistency your butter will be. *
- Once you've reached your desired consistency (for me, the smoother the better!) then add the salt to the blender and give a quick blitz to combine thoroughly.
- This homemade pistachio butter can then be kept in an airtight glass container in the fridge for a month or can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Video
Notes
- * For a completely smooth pistachio butter, this process can take up to 15 minutes- with plenty of breaks to your processor/blender so it doesn’t heat up.
- I try not to add too many additional ingredients to my homemade nut butter recipes because every new ingredient will affect the shelf-life of the nut butter. If I do want to flavour this pistachio butter for any particular recipe then I tend to just flavour the specific amount needed for my recipe. For some flavoured options, read my blog post above
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi! How many grams of pistacho do you need? Thanks ☺️
Hi Vanessa!
You need about 400 grams of pistachios (3 cups) to make the butter. Enjoy! 🙂
Hi,
The butter keeps getting stuck on the bottom, used three machines. Any idea what helps?
Hi Reinier,
Make sure you use enough pistachios to cover the blades of the machine – this will help with blending it into a smooth and runny consistency. Then you can pour it out more easily.
Loved the recipe! Just made this for Xmas gifts. THANK YOU!
Glad you liked it!
Roasting the pistachios IS NOT a necessity and a matter of preference when making pistachio butter. Raw pistachio have a sweeter and stronger pistachio flavour profile to their roasted variety. And raw pistachios have higher nutritional value than roasted. And the shelf life of pistachio butter like all nut butters is 6 to 9 months provided their are refrigerated.
Thank you for your tips!
I tried this recipe to use up a bag of nuts I had on my shelf for a year. I could not get it to be a buttery consistency (more like paste) even with adding some maple syrup and finally a tablespoon of grape seed oil. I wonder if it it was because the nuts were old, because my Ninja blender was not powerful enough, or if I just was too impatient and did not blend for long enough.
Hi Kate,
Blending takes time. I also recommend giving the machine a break every couple of minutes. Overall, it can take up to 20-30 minutes to blend. And yes, if the nuts are older or the blender is not too strong, it can take even longer. If they are stuck at the paste stage for long, adding a bit of oil (like you’ve done) can help move things along.
I was wondering if this mixes well in hot liquids. I was wanting to use it in my coffee.
Thanks
Hi Rachel,
Yes, you can mix the pistachio butter in hot liquids, but keep in mind that it may not fully dissolve and may clump together. You can try blending it in a blender with the liquid to make a smooth mixture. I hope this helps.