This is the best pistachio ice cream recipe! (And puts the store-bought cartons to shame!) With an abundance of nutty flavor from ground pistachios, complemented by vanilla and almond extracts, it has perfectly balanced flavors that you will love! And if you enjoy ice cream but don’t like it too sweet, this is the perfect treat for you because the sweetness is just right, not cloying like many store-bought varieties.
Since this homemade ice cream uses a custard base made with egg yolks, it does need to be churned. You can either use an electric ice cream machine or hand churn it. Either option will work! For more homemade ice cream recipes, try my vanilla ice cream, chocolate ice cream, or strawberry ice cream.
Ingredients for Pistachio Ice Cream
Pistachios — raw, unsalted pistachios are the best option. You could swap them for roasted unsalted pistachios, but the color of the ice cream will be browner, and the flavor will be toastier.
Sugar — granulated sugar adds sweetness to the ice cream. Sugar also helps with the texture of the ice cream because, when dissolved into liquids, it keeps the liquid from freezing as hard, creating a scoopable ice cream.
Eggs — egg yolks are an important part of the custard base and add richness and a creamy texture to the ice cream.
Cream — full-fat heavy cream will yield ice cream with the creamiest texture. While I also use milk in this recipe, I don’t recommend substituting any of the cream for additional milk. The ice cream can turn out hard or with a crystalized texture instead of smooth and creamy.
Milk — opt for whole milk, not reduced fat or fat-free milk. The fat content in whole milk is essential to creating a smooth ice cream once frozen.
Salt — a little salt enhances the other flavors.
Extracts — you need vanilla extract and almond extract to add flavor and a divine aroma to the homemade ice cream.
How To Make Pistachio Ice Cream
1. Combine the raw pistachios and white sugar in a food processor and process until finely ground. Set aside for now.
2. In a medium heat-proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth and set aside.
3. To a large saucepan, add the heavy cream, whole milk, salt, and ground pistachio and heat mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Heat until the mixture is warm and the sugar has dissolved.
4. Temper the eggs by gradually whisking about a cup of the warm cream mixture into the egg yolks.
5. Whisk the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan containing the rest of the warm cream.
6. Cook over medium heat, gently stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and a thermometer inserted into the mixture should read 170°F.
7. Pour the warm nuts and cream mixture through a fine mesh sieve set over a bowl, pressing with a rubber spatula to strain out as much liquid as possible from the pistachios. Discard any solids remaining in the sieve.
8. Stir the vanilla and almond extracts into the cream. Allow the ice cream base to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Cover and refrigerate until fully chilled, at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. Pour the cold pistachio ice cream base into an ice cream maker and churn ice cream according to manufacturer instructions. Spoon the churned ice cream into a 1-quart freezer-safe container. Stir in additional chopped pistachios, if desired, for extra crunch. Cover and freeze for 4 to 6 hours until firm.
How To Properly Temper Egg Yolks For Ice Cream
Tempering egg yolks is a method of gradually bringing them to a warmer temperature. If you were to pour egg yolks straight into hot liquid, they would begin to cook immediately and curdle, creating lumps of what are essentially scrambled eggs. Luckily, it is very easy to temper eggs!
- Place your egg yolks in a heat-proof bowl and whisk them until well combined.
- Ladle or scoop a cup of the hot cream mixture from the pot.
- While whisking, slowly pour the hot liquid into the egg yolks, and keep whisking until fully incorporated. This will warm the yolks up gradually, turning them velvety and smooth.
- Gradually pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the cream while whisking constantly.
Why Did My Ice Cream Base Curdle?
Homemade ice cream bases will curdle for a few reasons. The main one is not properly tempering the eggs. If you plop the egg yolks directly into hot liquid or don’t add enough hot liquid into the egg yolks before adding them to the pot, they will cook up into firm chunks, so your custard base ends up chunky instead of smooth. (Follow my tips above for how to temper eggs!)
Smooth custard also depends on constant stirring and slower cooking over lower heat. The goal is to warm and cook the egg yolks gently so that they become creamy instead of chunky. If the heat is too high, or you do not continually stir it, the custard can cook too much on the bottom and form firm bits. Or, if it boils too hard, the emulsification of the eggs, cream, and milk can break, causing the custard to split or look grainy.
Do I Have To Have An Ice Cream Maker To Make Pistachio Ice Cream?
To make pistachio ice cream with a custard base, you need some sort of ice cream maker. I use an electric ice cream maker, but a hand-churn ice cream maker that uses salt and ice works as well. You can also use a frozen stand mixer bowl designed to make ice cream. You cannot freeze the base without churning it first, or it will freeze into a solid brick. Churning not only slowly forms ice crystals, but it also incorporates air– both of which are needed for a creamy, scoopable ice cream.
Can You Use Salted Pistachios In Ice Cream?
I don’t recommend using salted pistachios. While salt makes the flavors in homemade pistachio ice cream pop beautifully (which is why I add ½ teaspoon to the base), salted pistachios are typically roasted first, and the flavor becomes quite toasty and almost burnt tasting.
Ways to Serve Pistachio Ice Cream
I like to serve this homemade ice cream with nothing more than a generous sprinkle of chopped pistachios for extra crunch. If you want to really amp it up, drizzle a high-quality extra virgin olive oil on top and sprinkle it with flaky salt. You could also make a twist on ice cream sandwiches by using pistachio ice cream instead of vanilla ice cream. Pistachio ice cream also pairs well with a slice of cake, like orange cake or honey cake, or pie, like strawberry rhubarb pie or apple pie.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- For a brighter green color: Add a drop or two of green food coloring along with the extracts to the ice cream base. I like the natural pale yellowish-brown color of the ice cream without food coloring because it looks just like ground pistachios. But a little bit of enhanced green color makes a really pretty presentation.
- Add more pistachios: If desired, stir in chopped pistachios after churning. You could also sprinkle some on top of each serving as well.
- Strain the custard. Straining the ice cream base will catch any pieces of egg or solid custard, so all that remains is a velvety smooth liquid with no chunks.
- Chill the ice cream base before churning. The liquid base must be cold so it churns well. Pouring hot custard into a frozen ice cream maker will melt the frozen insert before the base freezes into ice cream.
- Freeze the ice cream before serving. Once the ice cream is churned, it needs to be frozen for a few hours until solid. It will still be very soft right after churning. A few hours in the freezer will make it perfectly scoopable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store homemade ice cream in the freezer for up to one month. Press a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper onto the surface of the ice cream to prevent ice crystals from forming. If you aren’t using a container with a tight-fitting lid, make sure to wrap it tightly with plastic wrap or place it in a freezer bag.
You can store the ice cream base in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours before churning it.
Ground pistachios are the biggest flavor component in the ice cream base. However, very cold temperatures tend to make flavors less vibrant, so i like to add a little bit of almond extract to enhance the nutty flavor profile. If you don’t like almond extract, you can leave it out, but it’s such a small amount that it’s not overtly noticeable.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this pistachio ice cream recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Pistachio Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw unsalted pistachios (138g)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (150g)
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 cups heavy cream (480mL)
- 1 cup whole milk (240mL)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- In a food processor, combine the pistachios and sugar and process until finely ground, about 45 seconds. Set aside.
- In a medium heat-proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan, heat the cream, milk, salt, and ground pistachio mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is warm and the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes.
- Gradually whisk in about a cup of the warm cream mixture into the egg yolks. Whisk the egg yolk mixture into a saucepan with the rest of the warm cream.
- Cook over medium heat, gently stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened, coats the back of a spoon, and a thermometer inserted registers 170°F, about 5 minutes.
- Pour through a fine mesh sieve set over a medium bowl, pressing with a rubber spatula to strain out as much liquid as possible from the pistachios. Discard the remaining solids in the sieve.
- Stir the vanilla and almond extract into the cream base. Coll, stirring occasionally, until mixture cools to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until fully chilled, at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
- Pour the chilled pistachio ice cream base into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Spoon the churned ice cream into a freezer-safe 1-quart container. Stir in additional chopped pistachios, if desired. Cover and freeze until firm, 4 to 6 hours.
Notes
- For a brighter green color: Add a drop or two of green food coloring along with the extracts to the ice cream base. I like the natural pale yellowish-brown color of the ice cream without food coloring because it looks just like ground pistachios. But a little bit of enhanced green color makes a really pretty presentation.
- Add more pistachios: If desired, stir in chopped pistachios after churning. You could also sprinkle some on top of each serving as well.
- Strain the custard. Straining the ice cream base will catch any pieces of egg or solid custard, so all that remains is a velvety smooth liquid with no chunks.
- Chill the ice cream base before churning. The liquid base must be cold so it churns well. Pouring hot custard into a frozen ice cream maker will melt the frozen insert before the base freezes into ice cream.
- Freeze the ice cream before serving. Once the ice cream is churned, it needs to be frozen for a few hours until solid. It will still be very soft right after churning. A few hours in the freezer will make it perfectly scoopable.
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