Pistachio Ice Cream

A pale green scoop of pistachio ice cream, filled with family stories, sweet quiet moments, and the soft rhythm of summer days.

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• Homemade Pistachios Through the Seasons
• Ingredients
• How to Make Pistachio Ice Cream Recipe
• Storage
• Top Tips
• Recipe

There’s a particular shade of green I wait for every year. It’s not the bright green of spring herbs or the dark green of kale. This one is muted, soft, and a little nostalgic. The color of shelled pistachios. It appears in cookies, in bark, sometimes in cake. And here, every summer, it reemerges in our freezer in the form of white chocolate pistachio ice cream.

This recipe started simply, as many of mine do. It was somewhere between Leo asking for a sweet snack and Lin knocking over a cup of juice. I had leftover pistachio cream from a no-bake chocolate pistachio cake I had made for my husband’s birthday, and a half-eaten bar of white chocolate. The rest was instinct. I warmed the cream and sugar on the stove, stirred in the chocolate, then folded in that jar of pale green pistachio spread. Creamy and gently nutty.

What surprised me most was how quickly my husband claimed it. Not casually, not with a passing comment, but with certainty. “This one’s my favorite,” he said, spoon still in hand. And coming from a man who rarely asks for dessert, that meant something. Every summer since, he finds a way to remind me. Sometimes he points to the pistachios in the store, other times he casually asks if we still have any white chocolate. I knew what he meant.

There, pistachios are folded into cookies, chopped into rugelach, crushed over desserts without fanfare. In my own childhood, they showed up every Purim in pistachio hamantaschen, tucked into the corners of soft, buttery dough. My mother would let me sprinkle crushed nuts over the tops before baking, the scent of freshly baked pastry and pistachio filling the house.

Homemade Pistachios Through the Seasons

Since then, this ice cream has become a regular in our home. It’s something we eat slowly, even when the days are fast. I’ll sometimes serve it with shards of cranberry-pistachio white chocolate bark for guests, or next to a plate of pistachio cranberry cookies when we want something small and sweet with coffee. The kids don’t need anything extra, they like it as it is.

It’s one of the few desserts we all agree on, the only one that disappears before I can tuck away a portion for later.

Pistachios have always felt like more than an ingredient to me. They’re small, yes — but they’ve carried stories across generations. My Ukrainian grandmother used them in cakes when she could get them. My Colombian mother-in-law stirs crushed nuts into savory dishes, balancing salt with sweetness.

And in our own kitchen, they bridge these histories. We bake them into cookies in winter. We gift bark around the holidays. And we make this ice cream as soon as the weather turns warm.

Their pale green feels both familiar and comforting. A quiet richness. Not showy, not overpowering, just steady. Like the people I love most.

And maybe that’s why this ice cream means so much to me. It gives us a moment to savor. The background music to our noisy kitchen, the finish to a family meal, the quiet companion to a long afternoon when the kids finally settle for a nap. It’s a way of saying, “I remember.” And sometimes, that’s all we need.

Ingredients

• Heavy Cream - This is what gives the ice cream its body and softness. I always use full-fat cream, it’s the base for most of our summer ice creams. Especially those I churn during naptime. If you're dairy-free, coconut cream can work in a pinch! Though it won’t taste the same, but it will still scoop beautifully.
• Whole Milk - Whole milk lightens the cream without sacrificing richness, making the final result feel cold and lush, not dense. It also helps balance the sweetness from the chocolate and pistachio.
• White Chocolate - I use a bar of white chocolate, chopped into small pieces so it melts evenly. Not chips ones! They have stabilizers that don’t melt as well. If you’re using a sweeter pistachio spread, you can reduce the amount slightly, but I rarely do.
• Pistachio Cream Spread - I look for pistachio spread that lists nuts first—avoid anything where sugar or palm oil dominates. Good pistachio cream tastes earthy, almost floral, and subtly toasted. If you can’t find pistachio spread, a smooth homemade version using roasted pistachios and a bit of neutral oil will work, though the color may be darker.

See the recipe card for full list and exact quantities.

How to Make Pistachio Ice Cream Recipe

This pale green ice cream is smooth, nutty, and quietly sweet! Its the kind of summer dessert that disappears by the spoonful. It takes only a few ingredients and a bit of time, most of it hands-off, and the results are something you’ll return to every year.

Warm the Cream Base

In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream, whole milk, and sugar. Heat over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved. The mixture should be warm, but not boiling.

Melt in the White Chocolate

Remove the pan from heat and immediately add the chopped white chocolate. Let it sit for 30 seconds to soften, then stir gently until completely melted and smooth. If needed, return the pan to very low heat and stir constantly to finish melting.

Whisk in the Pistachio Cream

Once the chocolate is fully melted, whisk in the pistachio cream spread. Keep stirring until the mixture is fully blended and turns a pale green. It should look silky and uniform, with no streaks.

Chill the Mixture

Pour the base into a large bowl and let it cool slightly before covering. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight if easier. The colder the base, the creamier the churn.

Churn the Ice Cream

Once fully chilled, stir the mixture to recombine any separation. Pour into your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. It should thicken into a soft-serve consistency after about 20–25 minutes.

Freeze Until Scoopable

Transfer the churned ice cream into a freezer-safe container. Press a piece of parchment paper directly on the surface to prevent ice crystals, then cover and freeze for at least 4 hours.

Serve Cold

When ready to serve, let the ice cream sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften slightly. Scoop into bowls or cones, and if you like, sprinkle with chopped roasted pistachios for texture and color.

Storage

Once the churner quiets down and you’ve tucked away that first bowl of pistachio ice cream, the rest can be stored in a freezer-safe container with a snug-fitting lid. I like to press a piece of parchment paper directly against the surface before sealing. This will keep ice crystals from forming and help the texture stay smooth.

In our house, this ice cream rarely lasts long, but it will keep beautifully in the freezer for up to two weeks. When you're ready for another scoop, let the container sit on the counter for about 5–10 minutes to soften. And if you have any shards of cranberry-pistachio white chocolate bark left, a little on the side never hurts.

Recipe