Simple Pistachio Butter

Savory, creamy, delicious pistachio butter takes just a handful of ingredients, a food processor and a few minutes to make!

Shelled or Unshelled?

If you bring pistachios up in the presence of any of my daughters they will immediately tell you about the time, as young children, that I made them shell multiple cups of pistachios for a wedding cake I was making. They’ll describe the scene in a way that makes you feel very sorry for them. And of course, because the final product was for a client, they didn’t even get to taste any of the pistachio cake when it was finished. Talk about adding insult to injury! Apparently I have scarred them for life because to this day none of them will purchase pistachios in the shell (and one of them won’t eat them at all)!

My husband and stepsons are a different story. I made the mistake of buying shelled pistachios at the store once and was immediately informed upon bringing them home that shelling them is half of the fun. So, for the men in my life I buy pistachios in the shell.

But for me? It’s one of the few cooking tasks I feel is tedious, so I keep a bag of shelled pistachios in the pantry for baking. I’m sure my daughters will be shaking their heads and rolling their eyes when they read this but what can I say? Times have changed 😉

So, what about you? Do you take pleasure in popping each little nugget of green pistachio goodness from it’s shell or do you just want to skip to the good part?

A Fabulous Book You NEED In Your Life

I first read about pistachio butter in Joshua McFadden’s wonderful book, Six Seasons. If you love vegetables and you’d like to eat more in tune with the seasons it’s a book I highly recommend. There’s a great section in the front with Go-To recipes for things like vinaigrettes, herb butters, nut butters, pickles, etc. Make one (or two or three) of these mini recipes on the weekend and it’s like having flavorful secret weapons in your fridge ready to elevate the simplest of recipes into something really special!

Drizzle a little vinaigrette over steamed veggies or a piece of fish just before serving. Slide a pat of herb butter under the skin of your chicken before you roast it. Layer pickled veggies on a hummus wrap for lunch. I’ve been doing these things for years and it makes eating well when you don’t have a lot of time so much simpler (and more delicious)!

Plus, he’s a vegetable whisperer ☺️

What Can You Do With Pistachio Butter?

Pistachio butter is delicious simply piped onto celery sticks (or licked directly from a spoon) but I’ve had so much fun getting creative and finding different ways to enjoy it!

So far I’ve used it as the base layer for a beet, orange and burrata salad, I spread some on a piece of sourdough toast topped with wilted greens, roasted tomatoes, burrata, a fried egg and watercress microgreens for an incredible lunch…

and I’ve combined it with gorgeous rainbow carrots and feta cream for a side dish as delicious as it is beautiful (coming VERY soon).

I’m always on the lookout for more ideas so, when you make it, I’d love to hear what you create!

What’s In Pistachio Butter?

Some nut butters are sweet and some are savory. With the inclusion of red wine vinegar and lemon juice, this one is on the savory side. You could play with the flavors by using a different vinegar or you could make it sweet by omitting the vinegar and lemon juice and adding some honey. As always, this is your pistachio butter so have fun and make it your own!

Ingredients:

• Pistachios
• water
• lemon
• kosher salt
• extra virgin olive oil
• red wine vinegar

In the book, Joshua starts with raw pistachios and toasts them himself. I have roasted salted pistachios in my pantry, so that’s what I’ve been using.

You can use either.

If you’re starting with raw pistachios toast them in a single layer on a baking sheet at 350°f for 6-8 minutes. Remove them from the baking sheet onto a plate immediately after taking them out so they don’t continue toasting. And let them cool slightly before proceeding with the recipe.

Because I was starting with roasted and salted pistachios I waited until the end to add salt, it only needed a pinch. You may not need any at all.

How To Make Pistachio Butter

This is super easy and super fast!

• Process the pistachios by themselves until they are very fine
• Add the water, vinegar and fresh lemon juice with the motor running until it’s smooth. You’ll need to scrape the bowl, getting into the edges really well, halfway through
• Now drizzle in the olive oil, again with the motor running, until it’s very creamy. Taste and add a little salt if needed.

That’s it… simple and delicious!

Storing Pistachio Butter

Scrape the butter into an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator for two weeks (if it lasts that long).

I’d love to hear how you use your pistachio butter so let me know in the comments or tag me with your photos @breathingandcooking on FB or Instagram!