Homemade 4-Ingredient Pistachio Cream (Vegan)

This silky-smooth pistachio cream melts in your mouth and balances the natural sweetness of pistachios with a hint of vanilla from the vegan white chocolate. The texture is rich and creamy, yet light enough to spread effortlessly. It's essentially a cross between a gourmet pastry filling and a luxurious nut butter!

A spoonful of pistachio cream above a small jar of the cream next to a bowl of pistachios with a white marble background.

When I first saw the viral Dubai Chocolate Bar on TikTok, I immediately knew this was something I had to try for myself. However, I quickly encountered a problem - where could I find pistachio cream? Most grocery stores simply don't carry it. I even had difficulty finding pistachio butter (blended pistachios with salt). Pistachio cream (a popular Italian spread known as crema al pistacchio) is an entirely different product.

And when I found it on Amazon, the brands were noticeably inconsistent in terms of the ingredients used, and definitely were not healthy (let alone vegan). Traditional versions contain whey, milkfat, powdered sugar, vegetable oil, emulsifiers and/or refined sugars, making it more like a dessert spread - think Nutella, but with pistachios. Some are sweetened, some are artificially flavored or colored, and almost all of them are imported from Italy and cost $17-$20 for a small 7-ounce container!

With all that in mind, my mission became to create a homemade pistachio cream that is healthier, less expensive, dairy-free and completely customizable. It took a LOT of trial and error but I eventually found the winning combination - and it's a super easy recipe with only 4 ingredients!

A spoonful of pistachio cream being lifted from a full glass jar with a white background.

Ingredients

A close-up shot of shelled pistachios with a white background.

All you need are pistachios, vegan white chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life), avocado oil and a couple pinches of salt!

Pistachios: Use raw unsalted pistachios, ideally shelled (hard shell removed) to save time. I get mine in the bulk food section of the grocery store. Some Costco locations carry them as well.
Vegan white chocolate chips: We will be melting the white chocolate with neutral-tasting avocado oil to add a rich sweetness while also turning it into a cream!

How to Make Pistachio Cream

This first step is optional to create a smoother texture and more vibrant green color. But if you don't have time, don’t worry, it’s delicious either way! Start by boiling the pistachios (my own unique spin!). Each pistachio is encompassed by a thin brown skin, and boiling not only softens the nuts to make them creamier but also loosens the gritty skins - when removed the result is a more vibrant green color.

A hand pouring shelled pistachios from a bowl into a pot of water with a white background.

Pistachios in a pot of boiling water with a white background.

Once boiled and drained, rub the skins off with a towel to remove as much as you can naturally. To remove the rest, pick through each nut manually (similar to the hazelnuts in my homemade Nutella recipe). If you skip the manual picking, it will still turn out just as delicious, but the color just might not be as vibrant and the texture will not be as smooth. Again, it is delicious either way and when I'm short on time I skip this step.

Boiled pistachios in a strainer with a white marble background.

Boiled pistachios on a black cloth towel with a white marble background.

Pat the pistachios dry with a towel as best you can. In a perfect world, you can let them dry out over a couple days to ensure absolutely no moisture, but who's got that kind of time?

A hand holding a pistachio with no skin next to one with skin above a pile of pistachios on a black cloth.

A pile of pistachios with skins on to the left of a pile of pistachios with the skins removed with a white marble background.

Melt the white chocolate with 1 teaspoon of the avocado oil. I microwave it for one minute and then stir it together - works every time.

Process the pistachios in a food processor for one minute. Then, add the salt and pour in the melted white chocolate. Process for another minute, scraping down the sides as needed until thick and creamy. To thin it out to your desired consistency, stream in the remaining 3 teaspoons of the avocado oil. This will help make it creamy and drippy.

Pistachios in a food processor with a white marble backgorund.

Pistachios in a food processor after being processed.

Serve! If you have extra, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.

An overhead view of pistachio cream in a small jar next to a spoonful of pistachio cream and a bowl of pistachios with a white marble background.

Recipe Tip

Add a little crunch! One of the draws of this recipe is just how smooth and creamy it is, but adding a few pistachios to the food processor at the end and pulsing a few times adds a nice touch, especially if using as a spread.

How to Use Pistachio Cream

The impetus for me making this recipe was the Dubai Chocolate Bar, but since I made so much with all the experimenting I discsovered it can be used in so many other dishes!

Spread it on toast (my kids are obsessed)
Swirl it into oatmeal or yogurt
Drizzle it over pancakes or waffles
Use as a filling for cakes and pastries
Enjoy it straight off the spoon!

A spoon resting in a glass jar of homemade pistachio cream with a white marble background.

This homemade pistachio cream is a game-changer. I can't wait for you to try it out, and please let me know how you use it!

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. A spoonful of pistachio cream above a small jar of the cream next to a bowl of pistachios with a white marble background.