13 Pistachio Recipes You'll Go Nuts For

Healthy, delicious, and just plain fun, this versatile little nut adds nutrition and crunch to a wide range of sweet and savory dishes.

A pistachio inside of its shell
Photo:

lacaosa/ Getty Images

The pistachio has come a long way since its humble beginnings in Central Asia, and we have 13 pistachio recipes as evidence. Once resigned to a novelty ice cream flavor, pistachios have expanded their reach beyond desserts to starring roles in savory dishes, too. You'll even find pistachios made into nut butter, pesto, and a plant-based milk!

What's so great about pistachios? For one thing, as a nut, they're uncharacteristically green, which is fun! (To be exact: Culinarily they're nuts, but botanically they're seeds.) Slightly more important than their fun factor, pistachios are good for you, so don't hold back.

Pile some chopped pistachios atop your next soup or salad for a satisfying crunch, or add them to a side or snack to punch up its nutrition factor. Need help thinking of ways to add pistachios to your life? Here are 13 of them.

01 of 13

Green Risotto With Pistachio Pesto

Green Risotto With Pistachio Pesto Recipe
Victor Protasio

Pistachios add an unexpected texture to this creamy northern Italian rice dish. They complement its spring green color borrowed from fresh parsley, basil, and spinach leaves.

02 of 13

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti With White Chocolate

White Chocolate Salted Butter Biscotti
Caitlin Bensel

Another Italian import, this biscotti recipe starts with a standard dough, but takes it up several notches with the addition of pistachios, cranberries, and white chocolate chips. It finishes with a dip in white chocolate, making it perfect for dipping into your latte.

03 of 13

Pistachio Pudding

Pistachio Pudding
Hector Manuel Sanchez

This creamy, gently sweet pudding has a naturally whimsical light-green hue that's sure to elicit a smile. Finish each serving with a dollop of whipped cream and crushed pistachios.

04 of 13

Spiced Sweet Potato Soup With Pistachio Dukkah

Spiced Sweet Potato Soup With Pistachio-Seed Topping
Alison Miksch

What's a dukkah? It's a Middle Eastern blend of nuts, seeds, and spices that puts a sweet, savory, nutty finish on a wide variety of dishes. In this case, pistachios team with sesame seeds, oregano, thyme, and lemon zest to add a punch of flavor and texture to a smooth, creamy, spicy soup.

05 of 13

Pistachio-Walnut Cheesecake

Pistachio-Walnut Cheesecake

Greg DuPree

Pistachios star in this dessert from top to bottom—literally. They pair with walnuts to add crunch to the cookie-crumb crust, and then provide a bit of color and texture atop the creamy cheesecake filling.

06 of 13

Roasted Rhubarb Salad With Goat Cheese and Pistachios

Roasted Rhubarb Salad With Goat Cheese and Pistachios
Greg DuPree

This colorful salad has spring written all over it. Pinkish-red roasted rhubarb pieces stand out against mixed baby lettuce leaves, while chopped pistachios add crunch to counter tangy, creamy goat cheese crumbles.

07 of 13

Steak and Beet Salad With Cheddar and Pistachios

Steak and Beet Salad with Cheddar and Pistachios
Greg DuPree

This recipe calls on chopped pistachios and crumbled aged white cheddar to top off a delightful dinner salad with a unique flavor and texture. Fun fact: Pistachios come from the evergreen tree family, as do mangos and poison ivy. 

08 of 13

Herby Rice Salad With Chickpeas and Pistachios

Herby Rice Salad in a bowl
Courtesy of Ananda Eidelstein

Pistachios and chickpeas pack this rice dish with enough protein to make it a satisfying meal. In a list of nuts with the most protein, pistachios rank second (after almonds).

09 of 13

Honey-Apple Galette With Pistachio Sugar

honey-apple-galette-recipe-1119foo
Anna Williams

Did you stumble over "galette" or "pistachio sugar"...or both? Let us explain: A galette is a French invention that's defined as "a flat, round cake made of pastry dough or bread." In this case, it's a loosely constructed, rustic apple pie topped with a blend of finely crushed pistachios and sugar with a pinch of salt that's liable to make your guests say, "Ooh la la!"

10 of 13

Pluot Crumble

Pluot Crumble
Heami Lee

The star of this dish is the pluots—a stone fruit variety that's a hybrid of plums and apricots—but pistachios play a strong supporting role in the crumble. Bookmark this nutty crumble recipe to use with just about any summer fruit.

11 of 13

Grilled Asparagus and Hot Honey Flatbreads

Grilled Asparagus and Hot Honey Flatbreads
Greg DuPree

This recipe calls on pistachios for a crunchy topping to accompany ricotta, arugula, and grilled asparagus layered on a store-bought naan flatbread. Would pistachio as a pizza topping be so much of a stretch?

12 of 13

Spring Green Salad

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Greg DuPree

You need a crunchy topping for an all-green salad: What else would you pick but pistachios? They blend monochromatically with romaine, cucumbers, snap peas, and edamame, as well as—of course—a green (avocado-based) dressing.

13 of 13

Nutty Superfood Breakfast Bites

Superfood Bars
Grace Elkus

Pistachios join a cast of nutrient powerhouses—almonds, quinoa, and goji berries, to name a few—to create this superfood snack that doubles as breakfast on the go. There are so many other nuts, seeds, and dried fruit in these bars, you could skip the pistachios, but why would you want to?

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