How To Make Homemade Pistachio Paste

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By: Shinee Davaakhuu

Updated: Nov 13, 2025

5 from 19 votes

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Super easy homemade pistachio paste. Sharing my proven tips to get a smooth texture and vibrant green color every time!

Unlike my homemade pistachio butter, you only need ONE ingredient to make the most incredibly gorgeous pistachio paste: pistachios!

Would you believe this beautiful nut butter has zero food coloring? True story!

And the color wasn’t even painted in Photoshop. I promise! It’s naturally this vibrant green! And oh my goodness, so deliciously pistachio-y!

Over the years, I’ve made pistachio paste of many different shades, from dark brown (eek!) to bright and green. While a lot depends on the varity of pistachios you’re working with, I have some tips for you to up your chances of nice and green pistachio paste.

Shelled raw pistachios in a metal measuring cup. — Raw pistachios

A bowl of slivered pistachios. — Raw pistachios

What kind pistachios to use

Beautiful and delicious pistachio paste starts with the right kind of pistachios!

If you want bright green pistachio paste, choosing the right kind is the key!!

Roasted salted shelled pistachios with skin-on make a brown paste that’s super unappealing, I might say. Frankly, it does taste good. But keep those for snacking!

You’ll need raw pistachios. Raw pistachios means unsalted and not roasted. Also, pistachios from different regions result in different final product.

Raw Shelled Pistachios: I’ve used these California shelled pistachios. They’re decent quality, but you’ll need to blanch and peel the brown skin to ensure brighter green paste.
Slivered Pistachios: Now, if you want to avoid blanching and peeling step (because it can get pretty tedius!!), you can pay a little extra and get slivered pistachios.

What kind pistachios to use
The Secret to Vibrant Green Pistachio Paste
How to remove brown skin off of pistachios
How to make pistachio paste
How to use homemade pistachio paste
Storage
My Favorite Pistachio Recipes
Homemade Pistachio Paste Recipe

The Secret to Vibrant Green Pistachio Paste

There’re many different varieties of pistachio from different regions. And they all vary in color and taste.

California pistachios are the most common in the U.S. And unfortunately, they do tend to yield a darker, less vibrant green paste.

But there’s a way to make them less brown and encourage the brighter green color, even with California pistachios!

Blanch the pistachios: the green color instantly brightens.
Peel off the brown skin: removing any impurities helps to keep the beautiful green color of the pistachio.

2 bowls with pistachio paste, one is bright green made of raw peeled pistachios, and the other is brown made of roasted pistachios.

How to remove brown skin off of pistachios

1. Blanch the pistachios

Bring a pot of water to a boil.
Add the pistachios, and remove the pot from the heat.
Soak for 30 seconds and transfer into a bowl with ice water.
Transfer the cooled pistachios to a clean kitchen towel.

2. Rub off brown skin

Gently rub the blanched pistachios between the cloth to peel off the brown skin.
You may need to help some stubborn ones by peeling individually with your fingers. Separate the peeled pistachions from the brown skin. This process can be a bit tedious, but I promise it’s worth it!

3 images of peeling blanched pistachios on a white towel.

How to make pistachio paste

Add the prepared pistachios into a food processor.
Process until nice and smooth, adding a little bit of water to get things going smoother.

During this process, pistachios go through the following stages: whole nuts -> crumbs -> powder (or pistachio flour) -> paste. And the entire process takes less than 5 minutes!

Cost effective, incredibly delicious, healthy homemade pistachio paste!

Smooth pistachio paste in a food processor.

How to use homemade pistachio paste

This flavorful pistachio butter can be used in so many delicious desserts, like my pistachio macarons, pistachio ice cream, pistachio buttercream, and so much more.

I can’t wait to make amazing desserts incorporating this tasty nut butter.

Pistachio paste also makes an awesome snack! Spread it on a toast, or cracker, or just grab a spoon and dig in.

Pistachio paste in a white bowl with 2 spoons.

Storage

Store pistachio paste in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.

You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.

How to freeze pistachio paste

I like to freeze the pistachio paste in 1-tablespoon portions. First, drop a tablespoon of paste on a plate lined with parchment paper, flatten slightly, and freeze for 1 hour. Then transfer them into a freezer bag before putting it back in the freezer.

Flat discs of pistachio paste arranged on a white parchment paper.

Frozen discs of pistachio paste in a ziptop freezer bag.

My Favorite Pistachio Recipes

How to Make Pistachio Butter
Pistachio Cream Filling (French Buttercream)
Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
Pistachio Eclairs
Easy Pistachio Buttercream
Pistachio Macarons

Video Tutorial

5 from 19 votes

Homemade Pistachio Paste

By Shinee Davaakhuu Super easy homemade pistachio paste. Sharing my proven tips to get a smooth texture and vibrant green color every time! Prep: 30 minutes Cook: 5 minutes Total: 35 minutes Servings: 6 servingsYields: About 120g pistachio paste Save RecipeSaved Recipe Pin Recipe Comment Print Recipe

Ingredients

▢ 1 cup (120 g) raw shelled pistachios
▢ 1 teaspoon neutral oil Note 2

Instructions

To peel the brown skin off:

To remove brown skin, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add pistachios and remove from heat. Soak for 30 seonds or so and transfer into a bowl of ice water.
Drain the pistachios onto a clean kitchen towel. Rub it gently and peel off the brown skin.

To make pistachio paste:

In a food processor, put cleaned pistachios and process for 5-10 minutes, until pastey. It'll go through a few stages; be patient.
Add oil to help the paste to blend more easily, and continue to process for another 5-10 minutes, or until it is nice and smooth.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 weeks, or freeze for up to 3 months.

⭐️ Did you make this recipe?Please leave a review and let us know how you liked it!

Video

Tips & Notes

Note 1: Choose unsalted and unroasted pistachios. I’ve used these California shelled pistachios. They’re decent quality, but you must blanch and peel the brown skin to ensure a brighter green paste. You can also use slivered pistachios: If you want to avoid the blanching and peeling step (which can get pretty tedious!!), you can pay a little extra and get slivered pistachios. Note 2: Any neutral oil, such as avocado or grapeseed oil, will work. It helps to emulsify and thin out the paste for easier blending. In the past, I used to add water instead of oil, but I learned that it’s not ideal for shelf life. If you’re using the pistachio paste right away, you can use water, but it’s better to use oil.

Nutrition

Servings: 20 gCalories: 114kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 4gFat: 9gSugar: 2gSodium: 1mg Course: fillingCuisine: American

Did you make this?Leave a rating and your feedback. Thank you!

This recipe was originally published on March 6, 2015.

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Hi, I’m Shinee!

Welcome! I’m so happy you’re here! I believe anyone can cook restaurant-quality food at home! And my goal is to help you to become a confident cook with my easy-to-follow recipes with lots of tips and step-by-step photos.

New? Start here More about me

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78 Comments

LQQKS delightful. I am excited to make something with this very green pistachio paste.💚

Thank you!😊
Reply
1. So glad you tried and loved the recipe, Bella. Thank you for your feedback!
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