Pistachio Ice cream (No Churn)

Try this no churn Pistachio Ice Cream that’s creamy, rich, and nutty. Made with a homemade pistachio cream and plenty of roasted pistachios.

It is definitely the season for ice cream. Well to be honest in my books every season is the season for ice cream.

But for those of you with more self restraint than I, summer is always the time of the year when ice cream becomes the solution for everything.

And a no churn ice cream like this is absolutely essential to keep in your repertoire. Being a no churn recipe makes it SUPER QUICK AND EASY, which is always a winner! It really is a case of mixing it all together and placing it straight into the freezer.

Pistachio Ice Cream

As the first ice cream recipe on the blog, it was only fitting to share my favourite flavour. And to no surprise it is of course pistachio.

It’s certainly a simple no churn pistachio ice cream and a very straightforward recipe too. But pistachio can often be a subtle flavour, so sometimes it’s worth giving it the sole spotlight and its time to shine.

This Pistachio Ice Cream is rich and creamy, with a hint of salt just for balance. We’re making a homemade pistachio paste which is where all our pistachio flavour will be coming from. But don’t worry it’s a very easy paste to make.

But this pistachio ice cream doesn’t end there!

We’re then folding in chopped pistachios into the ice cream mixture before freezing for added flavour and texture. I mean, is a Pistachio Ice Cream really a pistachio Ice cream without pieces of pistachio in it?

There’s a lot of Pistachio in that sentence, isn’t there?

Types of Pistachios

Different types of pistachios exist which can look a bit different as well as taste a bit different.

Iranian and Turkish pistachios tend to be the greenest varieties from what I’ve seen and tried. And the raw pistachios are always far more green than the roasted ones. But the roasted pistachios have a deeper and more earthy flavour, which is preferable here.

For this recipe I’ve used roasted Californian pistachios purely because they’re incredibly accessible and easy for me to find. They’re also more friendly on the pocket whilst still having a lovely shade of green and a good flavour.

But feel free to use whichever variety is most accessible for you.

How do no churn ice creams work?

It is somewhat of a ‘cheat’ method as ice cream does normally require churning. And honestly the texture or churned ice cream will always be superior to those that aren’t.

But having said that, I can wholeheartedly say that the texture of this pistachio ice cream is unbelievably good. I mean, I was really surprised and impressed when I first started testing this recipe. It’s smooth and creamy whilst also being totally free of ice crystals (the culprit that ruins ice creams).

The no churn ice creams tend to have a higher proportion of fat and this is what creates the final creamy and ice free texture. Low fat substitutes WILL NOT WORK.

Can we turn this pistachio ice cream into a gelato?

Not really, not if you want it to be a true gelato.

Gelatos require churning as well as the use of different ingredients. They tend to contain more milk and less cream in comparison to regular ice cream. Gelato also contains less egg yolks or often none at all.

Gelato is also churned at a slower rate which incorporates less air and makes the resulting texture far more dense.

If you have an ice cream maker, you can still make this Pistachio Ice Cream in it

You can still use it! The slow churning of an ice cream maker always creates a far superior texture in comparison to no churn recipes.

But to make the most out of an ice cream maker, it would work even better if a pistachio custard base was used rather than the double cream and condensed milk combination used here. If I ever end up purchasing an ice cream maker, I will get a recipe up for this.

What you’ll need

The full recipe can be found at the end of the blogpost

• Roasted and unsalted pistachios – and a lot of them!
• Sweetened condensed milk – this is also sold as condensed milk. NOTE: this is not evaporated milk. Evaporated milk won’t work here so please make sure you purchase the right one
• Double cream – also known as heavy whipping cream
• Vanilla bean paste – or vanilla extract/essence
• Salt – this will balance out the sweetness and enhance the pistachio flavour

That’s it, it’s literally a 5 ingredient Pistachio Ice Cream!

How to make this no churn Pistachio Ice Cream

1) Start by blending the pistachios, you may need to stop and scrape the blender down a few times

2) It will start to form a thick pistachio paste, it doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth

3) Then pour in the condensed milk and blend once more. You may need to stop a scrape the blender down once or twice again

4) Then mix together vanilla bean paste and double cream/heavy whipping cream

5) Whisk the cream and vanilla to stiff peaks

6) Then add in the pistachio and condensed milk mixture

7) Whisk till smooth and incorporated. It will be thick but pourable

8) Then add in a pinch of salt

9) Along with some chopped pistachios

10) Fold until incorporated

11) Pour into a freezer safe container or 2lb loaf tin

12) Seal with a lid or baking paper and cling film. Place into the freezer to set

Frequently asked questions:

Can this Pistachio Ice Cream be made vegan?

It can with a few simple substitutes. The double cream/heavy whipping cream can be swapped for a plant based alternative. I recommend a coconut whipping cream rather than oat cream as the fat content is key here for getting the right texture.

Similarly a vegan or plant based condensed milk will work too. These are often sold as an oat variety or a coconut variety. Either will work but the additional fat in the coconut one will help to get the creamy texture we want.

The texture of vegan no churn ice creams can sometimes be inferior

In my testing I’ve found that vegan ice creams work a lot better when churned. The plant based substitutes are often lower in fat which makes it harder to achieve the same texture without churning.

However if you’re able to find coconut based alternatives, these will work well as the coconut contains the necessary fat.

Can a store bought pistachio paste or pistachio cream be used in stead of making it?

A store bought pistachio paste containing 100% pistachios will work here and save you the job of blending the pistachios. It would need an equal amount (150g) of the paste to substitute.

Pistachio cream, on the other hand, won’t work here as a substitute. This is a sweetened cream that contains pistachio along with white chocolate and cream.

Using pistachio cream here would make the ice cream far too sweet as it already contains sweetened condensed milk. It would also not have a strong enough pistachio flavour due to the lower percentage of pistachios.

How long will the ice cream keep in the freezer?

Providing it’s stored properly in an air tight and freezer safe container, the ice cream will last for 3 months. I do like to place another layer of baking paper over the ice cream so that it is in contact with the surface.

I find this helps prevents ice crystals forming over time too.

If you enjoyed this recipe

Please do let me know! Leave a review and a rating below, I’d love to know how you got on.

You can also tag me on Instagram at @dish_by_rish. Or follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Youtube, and TikTok to keep up with all my cooking and baking creations.

Until then, happy cooking… or ice cream making!