Simple Homemade Pistachio Butter

4.91 from 42 votes
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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.

Homemade pistachio butter in a jar and some pistachios next to it

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.

spoonful of pistachio butter dripping over a jar

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.

blending up some homemade pistachio butter

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 pistachio pesto, in vegan tart bases etc. Buying in bulk makes this recipe even more cost-efficient over store-bought versions.

unshelled pistachios on a flat surface

How to make homemade pistachio butter

pistachios spilling from a jar

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!

shelled pistachios in a heart shaped bowl

To begin, you need to roast the pistachios in the oven at 165ºC (fan assisted) for 10 minutes, turning them halfway. 

pouring pistachios in a baking tray

This will give the pistachio butter a delicious, toasty roasted taste. Leave these to cool entirely before starting the next step. 

toasted pistachios in a baking tray

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 . 

blending up some homemade pistachio butter - a delicious DIY holiday gift / Edible christmas gift

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.

blending up some homemade pistachio butter - a delicious DIY holiday gift / Edible christmas gift

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.

a jar of homemade pistachio butter recipe

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.

two-ingredient Homemade pistachio butter recipe with pistachio butter uses. Perfect for a DIY holiday gift and Edible Christmas gift

Pistachio Butter flavour combinations

Here are some pistachio butter flavour combinations you could try,  especially if making for a DIY holiday gift:

two-ingredient Homemade pistachio butter recipe with pistachio butter uses. Perfect for a DIY holiday gift and Edible Christmas 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

two-ingredient Homemade pistachio butter recipe with pistachio butter uses. Perfect for a DIY holiday gift and Edible Christmas gift

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!).

two-ingredient Homemade pistachio butter recipe with pistachio butter uses. Perfect for a DIY holiday gift and 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

homemade cashew butter in a jar with three cashews on top Homemade pumpkin seed butter in jar DIY Homemade vegan Nutella dairy-free, refined sugar-free, paleo, vegan & healthier

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

4.91 from 42 votes
By: Samira
A delicious two-ingredient homemade pistachio butter recipe along with pistachio butter uses and flavour combinations! This includes using it as a delicious spread on toast, mixing it into baked goods or even preparing a batch for a DIY gift
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 24 Servings (1.5 Cups)

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
Course: DIYs
Cuisine: American
Freezer friendly: 3 Months
Shelf life: 1 Month

Nutrition

Serving: 1tBsp, Calories: 86kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 49mg, Potassium: 158mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 64IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 16mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Recipe Rating




31 Comments

  1. 3 stars
    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.

  2. 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.

    1. 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.

    1. 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.