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Rich, creamy, and bursting with nutty flavor, homemade pistachio butter is simply amazing! With its vibrant green hue and silky texture, it’s a delicious, nutritious, and versatile spread you’ll want to use on everything.
Pistachio nut butter is the kind of thing you try once and wonder where it’s been all your life! It’s rich, creamy, and naturally sweet with that irresistible pistachio flavor—way better than store-bought. Plus, it takes just minutes to make with one ingredient. Yep, just pistachios! OK, and a pinch of salt if you want.
Spread it on toast, swirl it into baked goods, drizzle it over oatmeal, or grab a spoon and go straight in – no judgment here! 😍 Plus, you can gift it to a fellow pistachio lover!
This nut butter really does stand out from the crowd. It’s packed with protein, healthy fats, and antioxidants. Plus, its naturally vibrant green color, smooth texture, and subtly sweet, nutty flavor make it a luxurious treat for everyone.
Making pistachio butter yourself is more cost-effective than store-bought versions, especially when you buy pistachios in bulk. I always keep a large bag of raw shelled pistachios on hand because I use them all the time—for my baklava recipe, homemade pistachio milk, and vegan tart bases. Buying in bulk not only saves money but also makes recipes like this even more accessible.
You can also make other nut butters at home. Two of my favorites are walnut butter and hazelnut butter—just as quick, easy, and delicious!
Watch how to make it
Ingredients
- Raw pistachios: For convenience, use shelled pistachios. But if you don’t mind a bit extra work, unshelled pistachios give the freshest, most delicious flavor! Don’t forget, it’s best to buy in bulk.
- Salt: This is optional, but even just a pinch of salt will help enhance the natural flavor of pistachios.
See the printable recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make homemade pistachio butter
Toast the pistachios: First, roast the shelled pistachios in the oven at 325º/165ºC (fan-assisted) for 10 minutes, turning them halfway. This will give the pistachio butter a delicious, toasty, roasted taste. Roasting them will also help release their natural oils and make them easier to blend.
Let the pistachios cool and transfer to a food processor: Set the roasted pistachios aside and let them cool entirely (about 10 minutes). Optionally, you can remove the pistachio skins after roasting by rubbing them in between a cloth like I did in this peanut butter recipe.
Then, transfer them to your food processor or blender.
Blend until smooth: Next, blend the pistachios until you achieve your desired consistency. The longer you blend, the runnier the nut butter will be.
Make sure to give your machine a break every few minutes and scrape down the sides with a spatula.
Once you achieve your desired consistency, add salt (optionally) and blitz one last time.
The pistachio butter is now ready to enjoy! Transfer it to a glass jar and keep it in the cupboard or fridge.
The color of pistachio butter can vary depending on the type of pistachios used and whether or not the skins are removed. It can range from a vibrant green to a more muted, earthy tone. Either way, it’s delicious!
Pistachio butter serving suggestions
Here are some of my favorite ways to use homemade pistachio butter:
- Spread on toast, stir into oatmeal, or blend into smoothies.
- Use in baking and desserts, like Almond Pistachio Thumbprint Cookies, Avocado Ice Cream, and more.
- Spread crostini or pancakes, or add to vegan tart bases.
- You can also use a couple of spoonfuls of pistachio water and blend them with water to quickly make homemade pistachio milk.
More favorite nut butters
If you try this pistachio butter recipe, let me know how it goes in the comments below. I’d appreciate a recipe card rating and would love to see your recipe recreations – tag me on Instagram @Alphafoodie!
Homemade Pistachio Butter
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups pistachios raw shelled
- 1/2 tsp salt
This will yield about 1.5 cups of pistachio butter.
Instructions
- Roast the shelled pistachios in the oven at 325º/165ºC (fan-assisted) for 10 minutes, turning them halfway.
- Leave them to cool entirely (about 10 minutes). Optionally, remove the skins.
- Transfer the roasted pistachios to a blender or food processor and blend them until the nut butter is smooth and creamy. The longer you blend, the smoother and runnier the nut butter will become. Scrape down the sides with a spatula as needed, and give your machine a break every few minutes to avoid overheating.
- Once you've reached your desired consistency, add the salt and blitz again to combine. Transfer the pistachio butter to a jar and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was SO SMOOTH and creamy! Patience is key here but it is absolutely worth it! My mother just got diagnosed with breast cancer so we have had to make a TON of dietary changes, which has been extremely stressful. Simple SUCCESSFUL delicious things like this make me so so happy to find. THANK YOU Samira!!
Hi Rachel,
Thank you for your lovely feedback and I’m so sorry to hear about your mother. It can be challenging but these dietary changes are so worth it in the end. I’m glad I can help, good luck on your side. Xx
I recently had a cup of coffee from a little shop in Cambridge. The barista offered new flavors and one of them was pistachio. I love pistachios, and so I chose that flavor. It was so good and I kept wondering what was giving it such a true pistachio flavor and made it so smooth. When I got towards the bottom of the cup, I opened the cup and realized that it was pistachio butter that made it so good. I can’t find it in grocery stores, so this recipe is such a wonderful find. Thanks!
Thank you for your comment, Helen.
This is such a great idea – adding a spoonful of pistachio butter to the coffee sounds delicious 🙂
I’m excited to make this recipe! I love pistachios!
Is it a good idea to peel off pistachios’ skins before roasting them? I usually peel them by soaking them in boiling water for a minute, then the skin becomes soft and easy to peel. But I’m wondering if that will affect the final result for pistachio butter?
Hi Noor,
Removing the skins will mostly affect the color. You can also remove them after roasting the pistachios.
Is this the equivalent to pistachio paste? I’ve made pistachio paste before but it called for 2 other ingredients… oil and powdered sugar. I’m trying to find a recipe where I can use the final product to spread onto a cake layer and/or add to a frosting. A frosting such as a SMBC yet not have the product interfer with the consistency of the frosting…
Hi Tammie,
This homemade pistachio butter is different from the pistachio paste you talk about. This is more like a smooth peanut/almond butter.
What blender do you use? My mom would like to know:)
Hi Omar,
For this recipe, the NutraMilk machine was used. However, you can use any food processor or blender to make pistachio butter.
I am trying to fat wash mezcal with pistachio butter. This means adding pistachio butter to the mezcal, shaking it, letting sit in a dark place at room temp for a few hours, then putting it in the freezer for a few hours so the fat collects again at the top. Then you filter the fat from the liquid, yet much of the flavor remains. If I made this pistachio butter, would the fat cooperate for me like this do you think?
Hi Dustyn,
I’ve never tried infusing spirits in such a way but it sounds like this pistachio butter would do the job – this recipe calls only for pistachios and a pinch of salt, no other additives.
Hi!
Is the pistachio butter become somewhat sweet naturally? I’m thinking of Pistachio gelato, etc. Or is it salty?
Thanks!
Hi Mariela,
Pistachios naturally have a slightly sweet flavor, not salty.
this is probably a stupid question, but if we buy (shelled) pre roasted pistachios, do we still have to roast them again?
Hi,
It’s recommended to use raw pistachios and roast them for a bit so they release their natural oils – this helps with blending, as well as give them the nice toasty taste. Are the pre-roasted store-bought pistachios roasted with no additives (no oil)?
10 minutes at 165 degrees burnt the pistachios and completely threw the taste off.
Hi there,
I’m so sorry your nuts burned, is your oven fan assisted? If not, it’s better to keep a close eye on them. Also, did you turn the nuts halfway throughout?
How much pistachio butter does this recipe yield?
Hi Lucy,
This recipe yields about 1.5 cups of pistachio butter.
Hey, is it possible to turn the raw pistachios into so smooth butter? I guess it could take a bit longer, but do you think that’s possible?
Hi, Seiryū.
Roasting the nuts will make them easier to process as well as will bring out their flavors. You can skip roasting them and directly blend – you will still get pistachio butter. I hope this helps 🙂
Yeah, that’s that, thanks 🙂 btw. You’ve got so many so inspirating recipes here, I’m really glad that found your blog in the depths of the internet 😀 greetings!
How did you get your pistachio butter so green? Mine was a brown colour…I de shelled all of them and took off as many skins as possible!
Hi Kimi,
The color depends a lot on the nuts themselves (their origin). It’s said that pistachios grown in cooler climates have a more vibrant color.