This pistachio butter recipe only calls for pistachios and salt, but a little maple syrup or honey can be used as well. It makes for a great gift, and it’s also paleo and vegan.
This recipe starts off like pretty much any nut butter recipe. You roast the nuts. Then blend them in a food processor or high-speed blender until creamy. That’s it!
What kind of pistachios to use
You’ll want to make sure to use pre-shelled pistachios. You don’t have to, but shelling the number of pistachios you need for this recipe would take way too long and possibly leave you with some hurting fingers.
I don’t recommend using pre-roasted pistachios. They’re roasted longer than this recipe calls for, and that results in them being a bit too hard and dried out. It’d probably work if you added a bit of oil.
And using salted pistachios results in pistachio butter that’s too salty.
Roasting activates the oil in the nuts, which makes it quicker and easier to break down into butter. You need to process them when they’re still warm. Roasting them also brings out the flavor!
You can make pistachio butter without roasting them first, but the flavor isn’t as good, and it’ll probably take twice as long to process the nuts.
So! Raw and unsalted is the way to go.
Food processor versus high-speed blender
I like to use a food processor and not a high-speed blender because the sound of grinding nuts is less obnoxious. I’m not sure if my high-speed blender is faulty or what, but since I got it, the sound of making nut butter in it has been almost unbearable.
If using a high-speed blender, you definitely want to use the smaller jar that’s meant for making nut butter. I believe you can put about 2 cups of nuts in there. Max.
If using a food processor, you’ll probably not be able to get the nut butter totally smooth. But you might need more than 2 cups of pistachios to ensure that the nuts go well over the blade of your food processor.
What I do is use the food processor to get it as runny and smooth as it can get, and then I move it over to the high-speed blender to get it 100% smooth.
I know it sounds like a pain, but I usually process 14 cups of nuts at a time, and it pays off. If you’re just doing the 2 cups, I can understand why you couldn’t be bothered. ;)
A great homemade gift
Homemade Christmas gifts are my favorite kinds of gifts to give and receive. And this homemade pistachio butter makes a tasty, healthy and festively green present!
Put on a nice gift tag, and you’ve got yourself a fancy-looking (at least to me) gift that is sure to please. :)
These other nut butter recipes would also make great gifts.
What to do with pistachio butter
In raw recipes, I think it’d work well most of the time. As long as the other flavors would go well with pistachio.
In recipes where you have to boil the nut butter with some other ingredients, like these no-bake oatmeal cookies, I wouldn’t risk it. Every nut butter has a different consistency.
Plus, pistachio butter in an oatmeal cookie recipe, at least mine with lots of cinnamon, sounds weird.
It would also be great on these Pistachio Muffins, which you can make with the leftover blanched pistachios you need for this recipe. Or drizzled on this lovely Pistachio Bundt Cake!
These no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies would be a safer bet, but I’m not 100% since I haven’t tried it.
I also haven’t tried using pistachio butter in this paleo fudge recipe, but think it’d work well.
In baked recipes, there’s no way to know without trying the exact recipe. I think it’d work in these coconut flour cookies, but the cookies may look differently. And they’ll of course have a bit (or maybe more than a bit!) of pistachio taste.
Are pistachios healthy?
Yes, they are! Pistachios are little golden nuggets of goodness that have so many health benefits.
Pistachios are actually seeds from the pistachio tree and although they are called a nut, botanically they are seeds, and they vary in colors from yellow to shades of green.
- Pistachios are low in calories, one daily serving is 1 ounce (49 nuts) and amounts to 159 calories. Compared to other nuts, pistachios take the win for one of the lowest-calorie nuts.
- They are packed with nutrients and minerals, high in protein, fiber, magnesium, potassium, Vitamin B-6, Vitamin E and unsaturated fat.
- Pistachios have 6g of protein per serving making them a great plant-based protein source for vegans and vegetarians. Protein makes up 21% of the total weight of the nut, and when comparing the ratio of amino acids, pistachios win hands down compared to almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, and walnuts.
- Vitamin B-6 plays a vital role in health, particularly concerning protein metabolism. One serving of pistachios provides about 37 percent of the recommended daily vitamin B-6 intake.
- As far as potassium, one serving provides half of the potassium of one banana.
- Antioxidants are substances that play a critical role in health. Nuts and seeds, in general, contain several antioxidant compounds, but pistachios may have higher levels than other nuts.
- Good for eye health, gut health, blood sugar balance, and important for heart health, pistachios really are an outstanding healthy choice.
- Because pistachios have a low glycemic index, they don’t cause a sharp rise in blood sugar.
- Eating pistachios is beneficial for blood sugar levels, blood pressure, obesity, and inflammation.
- Did I mention anti-aging benefits? Well, if I don’t stop here, I’ll never get to the recipe, but believe me, when I say, pistachios are amazing golden seeds of health.
Let me know what you think if you give this pistachio butter a try!
Pistachio Butter Recipe
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsalted, raw, shelled pistachios (you might need another cup if you have a large food processor)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey (for non-vegan), optional
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and roast the pistachios on a baking sheet for 4 minutes. Stir and then roast for another 3-5 minutes or until fragrant.
- Let cool for just 5-10 minutes, and then transfer the nuts to the food processor and process until creamy, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed, about 6 to 12 minutes. Do not overheat your food processor! Take breaks if your food processor starts to warm up too much.
- In the first stage, you’ll have something that looks like almond meal. Then it’ll form a thick mass. Then it’ll break down into a liquid.
- Add the salt. After that, blend for another minute so it’s easily pourable. Add more salt to taste. If you want to add some sweetener (I don't use it), add 1 tablespoon, blend and taste. If it's not enough, add more.
- Cool and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 month or freeze for 3.
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23 comments on “Pistachio Butter Recipe (1 ingredient, 5 minutes!)” — Add one!
3 comments are awaiting moderation!
Can one use already roasted nuts?
Yes, you can, but it’ll take longer to process. Warm nuts are easier to process than room temp.
I prepared the recipe but the pistachios were stiff no matter how much I processed in the processor. Finally I added some water to make it smooth, I am curious what did I do wrong 😑 it is pretty simple.
I’m sorry for just now seeing your question! Did you use raw pistachios and then roast them? And then wait just the few minutes before processing them? If you skipped any of those steps, that would explain the issue. If you did everything exactly as the recipe says, then I’m not sure what the issue could be. Were the pistachios old and stale? As you can see in the video, I didn’t add anything and it turned into a liquid pretty easily. I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful! :/
OMG why have I never thought of doing this myself? I love pistachios but pistachio butter is so expensive. Thank you for this!
Pistachios are my favorite nut so making this into butter was a dream. I adore this recipe and I will be making this again and again !!
Love pistachios and I know I’ll love this butter. What an easy recipe to make and your tips are right on. Nuts don’t taste as good raw as they do if they’re roasted a bit. I’ve already got the pistachios on my grocery list. This will be perfect with my morning bagel.
I’m so sorry for just now seeing your nice, thoughtful comment! It was in spam for some odd reason. I hope that you enjoyed the butter if you ever got to try it. :)
I’m looking forward to adding this pistachio butter to my next charcuterie board. Luckily, we have a few organic grocers in San Antonio. Thank you for sharing.
I made this Pistachio Butter Recipe for Christmas gifts, and everyone loved it!! This was such a great idea that I might just make it every year! Happy Holidays! I am looking forward to your newest blog posts!
This turned out so good! I love pistachios, so I knew this would be a hit. It was super simple and had the best flavor.
Yum! I love pistachios – this butter will be so good!
What a gorgeous and exciting recipe!! LOVE this, and I’ve wondered how to best make it. Thank you for all the details you’ve included. Now, just need to decide what to eat it on!
What a lovely recipe! Had this over toast for breakfast. Yummy!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks for your feedback. :)
Why have I never heard of this before??? This is totally something I need RIGHT NOW! Thank you for sharing this goodness!
I have never seen pistachio butter before! My husband adores pistachios, so I need to make this for him :)
WOW — I need pistachio butter in my life NOW and on the daily! I had no idea the amazingness of it!
I always wanted to make my own pistachio butter, but somehow never got around it! I can only imagine how delicious it is! Saving the recipe to try very soon!
Amazing! And even better considering how I am totally going to hunt down four pounds of organic pistachios this afternoon, left at a random post office somewhere in town. ^^
Haha. You ordered those quickly! Where’d you order them from? I hope you’ll enjoy the butter! Nice to hear from you. :)
Never knew you could make pistachio butter, but this is so creamy and good! Thanks for sharing.
I love it that I can make my own nut butter, without additives. thank you