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20 Pistachio Desserts That Are Sweet, Salty and Decadent

Sure, they make an oh-so-fancy addition to your basic GORP. But our favorite way to eat pistachios is in our dessert. The little green nuts—er, seeds, if you want to get technical—make an excellent addition to everything from cookies to cake to ice cream, pairing with chocolate and fruit alike. Here, 20 pistachio desserts to incorporate into your diet. (We’re all about balance.)

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

1. Pistachio Icebox Cookies

  • Time Commitment: 3 hours, 10 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Make ahead, <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser

The beauty of icebox cookies is that you can make the dough ahead of time and bake whenever—the dough will keep in your freezer for about three months.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

2. Strawberry, Cardamom And Pistachio Pavlova Bites

  • Time Commitment: 3 hours, 25 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Gluten free, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients

There’s just something about a mini dessert that’s completely irresistible to us. These little cuties are impressive but require just 25 minutes of hands-on time.

3. Gluten-free Pear And Pistachio Rose Cake

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 10 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Gluten free, special occasion–worthy

Gluten free doesn’t have to be synonymous with dry or bland, and this cake is proof. The use of almond flour both complements the pistachios and adds moisture and richness.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

4. Gluten-free Pistachio Apricot Tart

  • Time Commitment: 55 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Gluten free, special occasion–worthy

A gorgeous, Instagram-worthy dessert in under an hour? Believe it. This pistachio-laced dessert happens to pair deliciously with vanilla ice cream, just saying.

How Sweet Eats

5. Brown Butter, Pistachio And Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies

  • Time Commitment: 2 hours, 30 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Crowd-pleaser, make ahead

Once you get a taste of those chocolate puddles, you’ll understand why we’re suggesting you make a double batch. (Go ahead, freeze a dozen for later.)

Sally's Baking Addiction

6. Pistachio Cake

  • Time Commitment: 5 hours
  • Why We Love It: Special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser, make ahead

Talk about easy on the eyes. This pastel cake is giving red velvet a run for its money. It’s flavored with ground pistachios and almond extract for oomph, with a silky cream cheese frosting to top it off.

Broma Bakery

7. Pistachio Olive Oil Cake

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour
  • Why We Love It: Special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser

If layers aren’t your thing, no worries. A Bundt cake is the ticket to an impressive yet nearly effortless dessert. Don’t get us started on that drizzly glaze.

The Mediterranean Dish

8. Baklava

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 10 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Crowd-pleaser, make ahead, <10 ingredients

Layers of flaky phyllo, oodles of crushed nuts and a sugary syrup to tie it all together? Pinch us, we’re dreaming.

Sally’s Baking Addiction

9. Pistachio Cupcakes With Strawberry Frosting

  • Time Commitment: 3 hours
  • Why We Love It: Crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy, make ahead

We’re kind of obsessed with this flavor combination, and not just because it’s a looker. The tarty strawberry frosting is just the thing to offset the rich nuttiness of the cupcakes.

Detoxinista

10. Vegan Pistachio Ice Cream

  • Time Commitment: 40 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Vegan, <10 ingredients

Look ma, no dairy! We’re not quite sure how you can transform four ingredients into a decadent treat like this, but our hunch is it’s the pistachios.

I Am a Food Blog

11. Flourless Pistachio Almond Loaf

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 30 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Gluten free, <10 ingredients

Serve slices of this moist loaf cake on their own with brunch, or topped with freshly whipped cream for dessert.

Also the Crumbs Please

12. Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 10 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, make ahead

Classic Italian biscotti is flavored with almonds, but we’re not beholden to tradition. The pistachio-chocolate combo is delish with coffee or on its own.

A Cookie Named Desire

13. Pistachio Pound Cake With Vanilla Lavender Strawberries

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 5 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy

Lavender-infused strawberries are optional, but they add a special touch. (Psst: If you have leftover cake, toast it up for breakfast.)

Spoon Fork Bacon

14. Pumpkin Cake With A Pistachio Glaze

  • Time Commitment: 4 hours
  • Why We Love It: Special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser

The pistachios might not be the star here, but they’re not to be overlooked in this lightly spiced cake. You might even covert pumpkin haters with this one.

Two Peas & Their Pod

15. Chocolate Pistachio Cookies

  • Time Commitment: 25 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, ready in <30 minutes

When a dessert involves chocolate and takes less than 30 minutes to whip up, you know we’re already in the kitchen preheating the oven.

Feel Good Foodie

16. Pistachio Butter Cups

  • Time Commitment: 10 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Ready in <10 minutes, <10 ingredients, no bake, gluten free, low carb

Since the pistachio butter is homemade, you can control the sweetness with as much or as little honey as you want. So these sweets are basically healthy, right?

Sally’s Baking Addiction

17. Pistachio Drop Cookies With Brown Butter Icing

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour
  • Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, make ahead

We were smitten at the first mention of brown butter icing. It’s not strictly required, but it takes, like, two seconds to make (and tastes like liquid gold).

The Full Helping

18. Grain Free Vegan Pistachio Coconut Lemon Cake

  • Time Commitment: 4 hours
  • Why We Love It: Gluten free, dairy free, vegan, crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy

If you don’t tell anyone beforehand, they’ll have no idea this stunner is dairy and grain free. That’s the magic of almond flour, pistachios and a drippy lemon glaze.

How Sweet Eats

19. Peach Pistachio Puff Pastry Tart

  • Time Commitment: 45 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <10 ingredients,

It’s layered with fresh fruit, mascarpone and honey, and while it definitely skews sweet, you could also get away with serving it as an appetizer.

Cooking with Janica

20. Pistachio Cream Pie

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 20 minutes
  • Why We Love It: No bake, crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy

We’ve died and gone to vintage dessert heaven. It’s the maraschino cherries that did it for us.

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Katherine Gillen

Senior Food Editor

Katherine Gillen is PureWow’s senior food editor. She’s a writer, recipe developer and food stylist with a degree in culinary arts and professional experience in New York City...
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