Pistachio ice cream is a flavor I don’t often see where I live. I wish I could give you an accurate flavor description, however, the best I can do is to tell you it’s a gorgeous balance between nutty, sweet, and creamy. If you’ve tasted it before, you already know how amazing it is, and that’s why you’re here.
This homemade version, made from scratch, is a family favorite. With the standard custard ingredients of 35% whipping cream, whole milk, and five egg yolks, two additional ingredients give the ice cream its exquisite flavor and crunch—shelled pistachios and pistachio bakery emulsion (I use LorAnn pistachio bakery emulsion which is widely available; I’ve seen it at Michael’s, Bulk Barn, and online).
A pretty easy recipe, as far as ice cream maker recipes go, this pistachio ice cream goes well with desserts like double chocolate buckwheat brownies or Dutch oven apple crisp. Make your own to enjoy any time of year, or as a special dessert for dinner parties and other occasions.
Jump to:
💞 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
✔️ You are in control of the sweetness and amount of pistachio flavor.
✔️ It has a unique and distinctive flavor like nothing else!
✔️ The ice cream is a great balance of nutty, creamy, and sweet.
📋 Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- 35% Whipping Cream—Sometimes called heavy cream, whipping cream is the best for classic ice cream creaminess.
- Whole Milk—This helps offset the richness of using only cream but still has enough fat content to enhance the creamy texture.
- Malt Powder—Using it is entirely optional, however, I always have a bag of malt powder in my pantry. A traditional ingredient in milkshakes, malt powder adds a slightly toasty, nutty flavor to the ice cream.
- Pistachio Emulsion—Has a more intense flavor than extract. Highly recommend it if you can find it.
- Pistachios—Recently shelled are best. I use raw, unsalted pistachios in this recipe but you can also use toasted nuts—either store-bought or toast them yourself.
It’s important to note that when making substitutions in recipes, the texture and flavor may be slightly different. However, these substitutes are the best options if you are looking to change the original recipe.
Ingredient Substitutions
- 35% Whipping Cream—You can substitute 18% coffee cream, 10% half and half (sometimes called blend), or even 3.25% whole milk for the whipping cream, however, the ice cream will not be as creamy or rich. Substituting all milk for the cream will yield a texture that closely resembles Italian pistachio gelato.
- Whole Milk—2% milk would be an ok substitute, but I wouldn’t recommend skim milk as you do need some fat for texture and mouthfeel.
- Malt Powder—If you don’t have or want to use malt powder, simply omit it.
- Pistachio Emulsion—Pistachio extract is the only real substitute for the LorAnn bakery emulsion, however, you can use almond extract in a pinch.
- Pistachios—If you’re a fan of sweet and salty you could try salted pistachios in this recipe.
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top of this post, or scroll to the bottom of the post, to see the PRINTABLE recipe card with ingredient measurements and complete instructions.
👩🍳 How To Make Pistachio Ice Cream
STEP 1—Heat the cream and milk in a pot on the stovetop and add the sugar and egg yolks to a mixing bowl.
STEP 2—Whisk the sugar and egg yolks until creamy. Dribble in ½ cup of hot cream, a tiny bit at a time while whisking constantly. Continue to do this until all of the cream is whisked in.
STEP 3—Add the tempered yolks to the pot of remaining cream on the stovetop. Cook the custard to between 170ºF and 175ºF (77ºC to 79ºC), stirring often.
STEP 4—Remove the pot from the heat and carefully strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into an airtight container.
STEP 5—Stir in the malt powder (if using), pistachio extract, and salt until well combined.
STEP 6—Press plastic wrap gently on top of the custard to prevent skin from forming. Let the custard sit at room temperature for one hour to cool slightly, then cover and refrigerate for 8 hours, preferably overnight.
STEP 7—Churn the custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions. Rough chop the pistachios and add them to the ice cream base for 5 minutes before the churning cycle ends.
STEP 8—The pistachio ice cream is now ready to be scooped into insulated ice cream tubs or another airtight container with a lid. If you like a soft serve consistency, you can immediately eat the ice cream immediately, or freeze it to scoop and serve later.
🗣 Expert Tips
1. For green ice cream, whisk in your favorite green food coloring right before churning.
2. Try adding ½ cup of chopped chocolate, shredded coconut, or halved maraschino cherries.
3. For Persian-inspired ice cream, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of rosewater.
📝 Recipe Notes
- Because I love making ice cream and creating recipes for myself and my clients, I invested in the Breville Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker. It was expensive but it’s amazing!
- To prevent slipping, try placing a wet dishcloth underneath the mixing bowl when adding the hot cream to the egg yolks.
- To prevent scrambling, you must whisk the egg yolks quickly without stopping as you dribble in the hot cream.
- If you don’t own a thermometer, cook the custard until it coats the back of a spoon, and your finger leaves a track when you trace a line through it.
- I use both the Tovolo Glide-A-Scoop Insulated Ice Cream Tubs and the Tovolo Tight-Fitting Stack Friendly Ice Cream Tubs.
🙋♀️ Recipe FAQ
Though hard to explain exactly, pistachio ice cream is a wonderful mix of nutty, sweet, and creamy. Its distinctive flavor can be attributed to either whole or chopped pistachios, pistachio butter or compound, pistachio bakery emulsion or extract, or a combination.
Though some recipes for pistachio ice cream are made with almonds, true pistachio ice cream is flavored with real pistachios. More pistachio flavor can be added via pistachio butter, compound, bakery emulsion, or extract.
Pistachio ice cream is often made with products made from ground pistachios which are brown (such as pistachio butter, compound, and bakery emulsion). Many recipes include green food coloring in the ingredient list to make the ice cream look more appealing.
💃 More Sweet Treats
Did you make this pistachio ice cream? Please rate the recipe and tell me how it went in the comments below. Also, stay in touch with me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to see more delicious food and recipes!
🖨 Recipe
From-Scratch Pistachio Ice Cream
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons or digital kitchen scale
- Medium-sized pot
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Digital kitchen thermometer
- Airtight container with lid
- Fine mesh sieve
- Plastic wrap
- Knife and cutting board
- Ice cream maker
- Insulated ice cream tubs with lids or other airtight containers with lids
Ingredients
- 2 cups 35% whipping cream, sometimes called heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 5 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon malt powder, optional
- 2 teaspoons pistachio bakery emulsion, or pistachio extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup pistachios, raw, unsalted, shelled
Instructions
- Place the cream and milk in a medium-sized pot. Heat over medium-low heat until steamy.
- While the cream and milk are heating, add the sugar and egg yolks to a mixing bowl. Whisk by hand until pale and smooth, about 1 minute.
- While whisking the egg yolks vigorously and constantly, slowly dribble ½ cup of the hot cream mixture into the yolks. Once the ½ cup of cream is well combined, pour and scrape all of the egg yolk mixture back into the pot of remaining cream.
- Cook the custard over medium-low heat until it reaches between 170ºF and 175ºF (77ºC and 79ºC) on a digital thermometer.
- Remove the pot from the heat and carefully strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into an airtight container. Stir in the malt powder (if using), pistachio extract, and salt until well combined. Gently press plastic wrap evenly on top of the custard to prevent skin from forming. Let the custard sit at room temperature for one hour to cool slightly, then cover and refrigerate for 8 hours, and preferably overnight.
- Remove the plastic wrap from the custard and squeeze any excess batter from the plastic back into the container. Give the custard a final whisk before processing it in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Rough chop the pistachios and add them to the ice cream 5 minutes before the churning cycle has finished. Scoop the ice cream into insulated ice cream tubs or other airtight containers with lids and store in the freezer until ready to scoop and serve. You can also eat the ice cream immediately if you like soft serve consistency.
Notes
- Because I love making ice cream and creating recipes for myself and my clients, I invested in the Breville Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker. It was expensive but it’s amazing!
- To prevent slipping, try placing a wet dishcloth underneath the mixing bowl when adding the hot cream to the egg yolks.
- To prevent scrambling, you must whisk the egg yolks quickly without stopping as you dribble in the hot cream.
- If you don’t own a thermometer, cook the custard until it coats the back of a spoon, and your finger leaves a track when you trace a line through it.
- I use both the Tovolo Glide-A-Scoop Insulated Ice Cream Tubs and the Tovolo Tight-Fitting Stack Friendly Ice Cream Tubs.
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