31 Pistachio Recipes for Dinner, Dessert, and So Much Snacking
We feel we’ve got something to prove with this one, and we think we’ve done it deliciously: Our best pistachio recipes show you can do a lot with the tiny green member of the cashew family. Truly, pistachios aren’t just for ice cream or gelato (though we do have a great recipe for semifreddo) or for snacking (though spicing up the unsalted nuts and throwing them back with a beer is a stellar move); their nutty flavor suits everything from cheesy appetizers to pasta dishes to sweet desserts.
But before we get to the recipes, here’s a nut storage tip: Shelled pistachios can be stored, tightly wrapped, in the fridge for up to four months. But they’ll last even longer (six months or more) in the freezer. And unshelled nuts will keep longer still. Enough hand-holding. You know as well as we do that cooking (and eating) is believing, so go ahead, make these pistachio recipes, and don’t forget to come back and tell us what you think.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Allison Ritchie2/31Black Bass With Preserved Lemon–Pistachio Sauce
This buttery pan sauce takes less than 10 minutes to make, goes great with lean proteins, and relies on pantry staples. What more could you want in a weeknight dinner?
Kelsey McClellan3/31Pistachio Thumbprint Cookies
What’s green and molten and $24 a jar? Italian pistachio paste—so creamy at room temperature, you could almost call it pistachio butter—which this pistachio recipe requires for its color, flavor, and texture. Spread the leftover paste on toast for a bit of breakfast luxury.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Stephanie Yeh6/31Mini Knafeh With Rose and Pistachio
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling Rebecca Jurkevich7/31Plum-Cardamom Crumble With Pistachios
When you have more summer fruit than you can handle, it’s time for a crumble. This one has a topping of brown sugar, salt, cardamom, and butter, with a sprinkling of chopped pistachios.
Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Susan Spungen8/31Cardamom-Pistachio Carrot Cake
Swirl the flavors of South Asian gajar ka halwa (a sort of carrot pudding) with carrot cake, and what do you get? This single-layer stunner, which is studded with bright green pistachios and topped with a sticky toffee-like carrot-juice frosting.
Photograph by Laura Murray. Food Styling by Yekaterina Boytsova9/31Ranch Fun Dip
Grind pistachios, nutritional yeast, and salt to the texture of coarse sand. The resulting dip will easily cling to the cut sides of crunchy, raw vegetables. Think of it as a savory version of Fun Dip.
Photographs by Laura Murray, food styling by Simon Andrews, prop styling by Sophie Strangio10/31Grilled Flatfish With Spoon Sauce
This spoon sauce—pistachios, prunes, garlic, parsley, mint, tarragon, kimchi or sauerkraut brine, vinegar, salt, and olive oil—is a perky, crunchy finisher for anything you might care to grill.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca12/31Weeknight-Fancy Ravioli With Creamy Peas
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Kendra Vaculin, prop styling by Gözde Eker13/31Baked Alaska With Pistachio Brittle and Raspberry Curd
A one-bowl vanilla cake, doctored store-bought ice cream, and quick raspberry curd make this impressive dessert totally achievable. It’s also an excuse to break out the kitchen torch.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Jesse Szewczyk, prop styling by Hazel Zavala and Caroline Newton17/31Baklava Cookies
The joy of baklava is that no two versions are alike—see, for example, this Pistachio Baklava With Orange-Cardamom Syrup—and this pistachio recipe is certainly unique: Baklava in cookie form? Yes, please.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne, Prop Styling by Gerri K. Williams18/31Pistachio-Sesame Cheese Ball
Boursin cheese makes this cocktail party appetizer easy to prepare, but if you’re a cream cheese devotee, by all means, go for this Green Goddess, Pistachio, and Goat Cheese Ball instead.
Photograph by Laura Murray, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio19/31Garam Masala Short Rib Roast With Pistachio Crust
It’s not just pistachios that coat these juicy ribs; there’s also a spice mixture of garam masala, salt, brown sugar, and MSG, plus tangy Citrus-Ginger Raita.
Bobbi Lin20/31Saffron–Rose Water Brittle With Pistachios and Almonds
You’ll use both dried rose petals and rose water in this recipe with pistachios, but a word to the wise: When it comes to floral extracts, a little goes a long way.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime21/31Pistachio and Mint Pesto
This herbaceous, zippy pistachio pesto is great served with crudités as part of an antipasto platter or, really, whatever else inspires you. It easily transforms simple roasted root vegetables, for example, into something next-level.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Molly Baz, prop styling by Emily Eisen22/31Salted Chocolate–Tahini Bliss Balls
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Judy Kim, prop styling by Gözde Eker23/31Cannoli Ice Cream
Stick a biscotti in this ricotta ice cream (which is chock-full of crushed sugar cones, chocolate, and pistachios) and it’s basically the most Italian thing you can get outside of your nonna’s kitchen.
Photograph by Heami Lee, food styling by Maggie Ruggiero, prop styling by Sophia Pappas24/31Spring-y Brothy Beans
Photograph by Laura Murray, food styling by Sue Li25/31Brown Butter and Pistachio Sablés
Boy, do we have pistachio cookies for you: There are these sablés as well as chocolate ones. Spiced shortbread cookies with poppy seeds and rose petals. And these crunchy oat sandies. Choose your fighter.
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Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Caroline Hwang, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime.26/31Honeydew With Salami and Pistachios
Cook time: zero. Prep time: however long it takes you to slice some melon and plate it with salami, olives, and chopped raw pistachios. For an equally easy dinner party appetizer, try Fresh Fruit With Cheese and Peppery Nuts, whether your vibe is pistachios, pecans, hazelnuts, or walnuts.
Peden & Munk28/31Pistachio-Yogurt Sauce
It may look like a swirly pistachio cheesecake or maybe pistachio pudding, but it’s actually a savory sauce to accompany grilled or roasted meat or crisp-skinned fish. If you’re craving a sweet take on the Greek yogurt-pistachio combo, try this Pomegranate Sorbet Parfait.
