Pistachio butter is so easy to make! It requires just two ingredients – roasted pistachios and salt.

If you like the nutty taste of pistachios, you’re going to adore its intensified flavor once it’s turned into a creamy spread. Vegan & gluten-free.

Close-up pistachio butter in glass bowl.

Pistachios are one of my all-time favorite nuts.

They’re good in so many applications:

Chopped into warm lentils
Sprinkled on Brussels sprouts
Used in pesto
Tossed on summer & fall salads
Spooned into curried tofu salad

They have a unique flavor that is all their own.

So it’s no wonder that they are amazing as the star of the show in pistachio butter.

It takes everything that you like about its flavor & dials it up a notch.

Pistachio butter isn’t as common on grocery store shelves as peanut butter or almond butter.

And when you do see it in specialty stores, it’s often expensive.

However, it’s simple & fast to make at home.

It’s also less than half the cost of buying pre-made pistachio butter.

In this post:

Jump to:

What kind of pistachios should I use?
The equipment you’ll need
Ingredients
Step by step instructions
Make it your own
Can I omit the salt?
Ways to use it
How to store
📖 Recipe

What kind of pistachios should I use?

For this recipe, I use an 8-ounce bag of dry roasted pistachios from Trader Joe’s. Any dry roasted pistachios will work.

I recommend using unsalted pistachios.

While turning the nuts into butter, the flavor is condensed. So if you use salted nuts, the salt quickly overpowers.

Shelled pistachios are best for this recipe.

It would take a long time to remove the shells of a full bag of pistachios before grinding them into nut butter. It’s much easier to buy them already shelled.

The equipment you’ll need

To make pistachio butter, you’ll need a high-speed blender.

You can use a food processor, but it will take longer.

(Using a high-speed blender, the nut butter is ready in minutes.)

If your blender jar is very tall, you may need to double the amount of pistachios you’re using, since the butter will condense. It could fall below the blade, which makes blending difficult.

If you have a short (low profile) blender jar, that’s not a problem.

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you will need to make this recipe.

For this recipe you need just two ingredients:

Dry roasted unsalted pistachios
Salt

Step by step instructions

Here’s how to make this recipe at a glance. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.

Blender jar with shelled pistachios inside.

Put dry roasted pistachios and a pinch of salt into a high-speed blender.

Start at a low to medium speed.

First the pistachios will turn into a flour.

As the blade turns & nuts warm, the oils will start to release and pistachio butter will form.

The longer you let the blender run, the smoother it will be.

If your blender comes with a tamper, use it to move the pistachios into the blade.

Once it’s moving easier, you can increase the speed.

If necessary, stop and scrape down the sides, so that all of the nuts are evenly incorporated.

Blended pistachio butter in blender jar.

Move the nut butter to a small glass container for storage.

Use a rubber spatula to get the pistachio butter out of all the nooks and crannies.

(If there’s still nut butter stuck on the blender, I recommend making a smoothie in it, so that none of it goes to waste.)

Make it your own

Overhead apple slices on plate with bowl of pistachio butter.

Make this pistachio butter your own by adding some flavorful ingredients:

Add a squeeze of agave or maple syrup for sweetness
Throw in a dash of cinnamon or vanilla for a dessert vibe
Stir in melted chocolate chips (For directions on how to melt chocolate, check out my chocolate covered oranges)
Include a dollop of coconut oil
Add other roasted nuts & seeds like peanuts, cashews, walnuts, and/or pumpkin seeds

Can I omit the salt?

Yes!

If you’d prefer for this spread to be salt-free, it has plenty of flavor on its own without it.

Simply leave it out, or replace it with any of the ideas above.

Ways to use it

Hand holding apple slice with pistachio butter.

There are so many ways to enjoy this pistachio butter!

Use it as a dip with apple or pear slices
Slather it on toast or crackers
Spoon it into oatmeal
Spread it on top of waffles or apple cinnamon pancakes
Use it as a PB replacement in a peanut butter banana smoothie
Add it to your vegan charcuterie board
Give a jar of it as a vegan food gift

How to store

Keep leftover pistachio butter in a covered container in the refrigerator.

A 1-cup container is just the right size.

It will last for several weeks.

Overhead knife spreading across pistachio butter.

If you try this recipe and love it, let me know! Leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It truly makes my day and is such a help!

📖 Recipe