1 Ingredient Pistachio Butter

This creamy homemade pistachio butter is easy to make. You only need one ingredient to make it. It doesn’t contain any added sugar or oils. It’s great for spreading on toast or used in desserts.

I have made a lot of pistachio butter lately to use for recipes such as Dubai chocolate bars. And I have done a lot of research and testing along the way because I was on a mission to make a very smooth, naturally vibrant green pistachio butter. You can make basic pistachio butter very easily with any pistachios, but I’m also sharing tips on how to make your pistachio butter more creamy, smooth and green.

Ingredients

• Pistachios

Pistachios: All you need to make pistachio butter are pistachios. I recommend buying unsalted shelled pistachios so you don’t have to shell them yourself. If you can find shelled and peeled pistachios, that is even more ideal because removing the pistachio skin helps produce a greener pistachio butter.

How to Make Pistachio Butter

• Add shelled pistachios to a food processor and blend. I recommend starting on low speed and blending until the pistachios become fine crumbs or start to turn into a paste.
• Then switch your food processor to high and blend until the nuts become a creamy, slightly shiny spread.
• If you only use a food processor, the pistachio butter will have some texture to it. To make the pistachio butter even smoother, transfer the mixture to a high powered blender like a Vitamix and blend until it reaches your desired smoothness.

Tips for making a green pistachio butter

• Use very green pistachios. I tried making pistachio butter with California pistachios, Sicilian pistachios and Iranian pistachios. Iranian pistachios are my favorite and produce a bright green pistachio butter. The pistachio butter in these photos were made with Iranian pistachios. Sicilian pistachios are a lighter shade of green and produce a nice light green pistachio butter. California pistachios are more yellow green and the pistachio butter is more of a dull yellow green. Turkish pistachios are also supposed to be a fairly bright green but I was not able to obtain good Turkish pistachios to try.
• Use peeled pistachios. The peel on the pistachio is usually brown or purple and will dull the green if you blend the pistachios with the peel on. You can peel the pistachios yourself but it is time consuming. If you want to do this, it’s best to first blanch the pistachios which will soften the peel and make it easier to remove. (I don’t recommend doing this with California pistachios because you will end up removing too much of the oils from the pistachios and they won’t blend into a paste.) You can buy already peeled pistachios (sometimes sold as slivered pistachios) but it can be more expensive.

Tips for making a smooth pistachio butter

• Use pistachios with a higher fat content. I found Iranian and Sicilian pistachios naturally have more oil than California pistachios and as a result, they blend into a more creamy paste easily.
• Add a little pistachio oil. If you are using a pistachio variety that doesn’t have as much natural oil, you can add a little pistachio oil to help blend your butter to be smoother and creamier.
• Finish the spread in a blender. A food processor is great for making the pistachio butter into a paste but a high powered blender will help smooth the spread.

Expert Tips

• You can also add a little salt or sweetener if you prefer to add more flavor to your pistachio butter. If adding sweetener, avoid using liquid sweeteners like maple syrup which can cause the pistachio butter to seize.
• The pistachio butter will be its most vibrant green right after it is made. It will get duller in color the longer it is stored.
• How long you need to blend the pistachios will vary depending on your food processor and the pistachios. Pistachios with a higher fat content will turn into butter much faster than pistachios with a lower fat content.
• For a very comprehensive guide on pistachio butter, check out Love & Olive Oil. I found her post so helpful when doing my pistachio butter research.

1 Ingredient Pistachio Butter

Servings: 32 tbsp

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes minutes

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Creamy homemade pistachio butter can easily be made with just 1 ingredient. No added sugar or oils. You can also easily customize it to fit your personal preferences.

4 from 1 vote

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Ingredients

• 4 cups (520 g) shelled pistachios

Instructions

• Add pistachios to a food processor. Blend on low speed for about 5 minutes or until the pistachios are very finely chopped and are starting to turn into a paste. Timing will vary depending on the type of pistachios you are using and your food processor. If your food processor seems to be overheating, make sure to stop and let it cool down.
• Once the pistachios start to form a thick, gritty paste, switch your food processor to high speed and continue to blend until you have an almost smooth creamy spread. The spread should also be shiny in appearance. This usually takes me about 5-10 minutes, but it will depend on the pistachios and your food processor. When I use California pistachios which have less oil, it takes me a lot longer, closer to 15-20 minutes. You do want the mixture to heat up which will help release the pistachio oils and help the spread blend but if you feel like your food processor is overheating, stop it and let it cool down before resuming. You want the consistency to be slightly runny. If you lift it with a spoon, it should slowly drip off the spoon.
• If you prefer a smoother consistency, transfer the pistachio spread to a high powered blender, like a Vitamix, and blend for another few minutes until you have a mostly smooth pistachio butter. Store pistachio butter in airtight jars in the fridge.

Notes

• If you are using raw pistachios, you may want to roast them lightly first.  To do so, add pistachio to a large sheet pan and roast them for about 10 minutes at 325F or until the oils start to release but before they are browned. You don't have to roast the pistachios if you don't want to. The flavor will just be a little different. I usually don't roast mine especially if I am using slivered pistachios because I don't want them to brown. 
• You can halve this recipe to make just 1 cup of pistachio butter. I don't recommend trying to make less than 1 cup because if you don't add enough pistachios to your food processor, it will have trouble blending to a creamy spread.
• For a greener pistachio butter, you will want to use peeled pistachios and a type of pistachios that is naturally more green. See my post for more detailed tips. I used slivered Iranian pistachios.
• For a smoother creamier pistachio butter, use pistachios with higher fat content or add a little pistachio oil if using pistachios with lower fat content. See post for more details and other ways to make your pistachio butter smoother.
• As stated in my post, while I did a lot of research into making pistachio butter, one of the most helpful resources for me was from Love & Olive Oil. I definitely recommend checking out her guide for a very detailed overview of making pistachio butter.
• Nutrition estimate will differ depending on the type of pistachios you use.

Nutrition

Serving: 1tbsp, Calories: 93kcal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 1mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 1g, NET CARBS: 3

The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.

Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Mention @KirbieCravings and tag #kirbiecravings!