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Homemade Pistachio Butter

By Steve Dunn

Published on November 19, 2018

Time

55 minutes

Yield

Serves 16

Homemade Pistachio Butter

Ingredients

4 cups (1¼ pounds) shelled pistachio 1 teaspoon honey, plus extra for seasoning¾ teaspoon kosher salt

Before You Begin

You can use raw or preroasted pistachios here, but do not use salted pistachios. Roasting the nuts before grinding them not only boosts their flavor but also warms their oils, allowing for faster breakdown during processing. (We also warm preroasted nuts for this reason.) You can customize your pistachio butter by adding ¼ to ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger or ⅛ teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the pistachios before processing in step 2.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Spread pistachios in single layer on rimmed baking sheet and roast until fragrant and slightly darkened, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through roasting. (If using preroasted pistachios, place in oven for 5 minutes to warm.) Transfer sheet to wire rack and let pistachios cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
  2. Process pistachios in food processor until oil is released and paste begins to form, scraping down sides of bowl often. Add honey and salt and continue to process to desired smoothness, 8 to 10 minutes longer. Season with extra honey and salt to taste. If butter is thicker than desired, thin by adding vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon at a time, pulsing 3 times after each addition, until desired consistency is reached. If butter is thinner than desired, thicken by adding water, 1 teaspoon at a time, pulsing 3 times after each addition, until desired consistency is reached. Transfer to jar with tight-fitting lid. Butter can be stored at room temperature or refrigerated for up to 2 months.
Homemade Pistachio Butter
Photography by Steve Klise. Styling by Tara Busa.

Homemade Pistachio Butter

Save

Time

55 minutes

Yield

Serves 16

Ingredients

4 cups (1¼ pounds) shelled pistachio
1 teaspoon honey, plus extra for seasoning
¾ teaspoon kosher salt

Ingredients

4 cups (1¼ pounds) shelled pistachio
1 teaspoon honey, plus extra for seasoning
¾ teaspoon kosher salt

Ingredients

4 cups (1¼ pounds) shelled pistachio
1 teaspoon honey, plus extra for seasoning
¾ teaspoon kosher salt

Why This Recipe Works

Making your own nut butter in a food processor couldn't be simpler, and it allows you to customize the butter to your taste with the addition of ground spices. We found that toasting the nuts prior to processing not only boosted their flavor but also warmed their oils, allowing for faster breakdown during processing. We also discovered that if the butter was too thick or thin, we could adjust the consistency by adding some vegetable oil or water, 1 teaspoon at a time, and continuing to process until the butter reached the desired consistency.

Before You Begin

You can use raw or preroasted pistachios here, but do not use salted pistachios. Roasting the nuts before grinding them not only boosts their flavor but also warms their oils, allowing for faster breakdown during processing. (We also warm preroasted nuts for this reason.) You can customize your pistachio butter by adding ¼ to ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger or ⅛ teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the pistachios before processing in step 2.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Spread pistachios in single layer on rimmed baking sheet and roast until fragrant and slightly darkened, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through roasting. (If using preroasted pistachios, place in oven for 5 minutes to warm.) Transfer sheet to wire rack and let pistachios cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
  2. Process pistachios in food processor until oil is released and paste begins to form, scraping down sides of bowl often. Add honey and salt and continue to process to desired smoothness, 8 to 10 minutes longer. Season with extra honey and salt to taste. If butter is thicker than desired, thin by adding vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon at a time, pulsing 3 times after each addition, until desired consistency is reached. If butter is thinner than desired, thicken by adding water, 1 teaspoon at a time, pulsing 3 times after each addition, until desired consistency is reached. Transfer to jar with tight-fitting lid. Butter can be stored at room temperature or refrigerated for up to 2 months.

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