Simple Pistachio Pastry Cream

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This pistachio pastry cream blends pistachio paste and white chocolate to create a delicious treat that’s ready to shine in your next dessert.

Use it to fill éclairs or cream puffs, layer in cakes or layered desserts, or spread in tarts or pies. Or simply enjoy by the spoonful (I don’t judge).

Recipe Info

This recipe:

• Combines pistachio and white chocolate. Pistachios pair well with many ingredients, and white chocolate is definitely a top choice. I selected white chocolate because it naturally complements pastry creams (see my chocolate pastry cream recipe).
• Is super simple. This pistachio pastry cream is basically a slight variation of vanilla pastry cream. The only difference? You stir in pistachio paste and swap out butter for extra white chocolate to amp up the flavor. It’s very beginner-friendly.
• Comes together quickly. You’ll spend about 15 to 20 minutes actively preparing the cream.

Making this pistachio pastry cream for the first time? Read the ingredients notes, step-by-step instructions, and tips. If you’re a veteran, feel free to jump to the recipe card.

Ingredients Notes and Substitutes

• Milk: Whole fat works best, but skim should be okay too. Milk alternatives also work well, though the final flavor will be slightly different.
• Pistachio Paste: The main source of flavor in the pastry cream. For best results, choose a single-ingredient one made from roasted pistachios. If yours is made from raw pistachios, it might need a bit of salt to bring out the nutty flavor. If you have raw pistachios on hand, toast them in the oven or on the stove until fragrant, then grind in a food processor or blender until they become a paste.
• White Chocolate: White chocolate pairs spectacularly with pistachios, and the pastry cream doesn’t taste nearly as good without it.
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch is ideal as it has a relatively high thickening temperature. You can also use potato starch, though you need to halve the amount. Check out my article on cornstarch versus potato starch for more details.
• Sugar: Regular white sugar works well, but feel free to use any sweetener you like.
• Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract helps improve the flavor but isn’t necessary.
• Egg Yolks: Along cornstarch, egg yolks help thicken the cream.

How to Make Pistachio Pastry Cream

The steps below show how to make the recipe using the starch slurry method, where you mix all the ingredients except the cornstarch and a bit of milk, bring them almost to a boil, then stir in the slurry.

Since publishing it, I switched to the tempering eggs method as it’s slightly easier and less involved. Check out my vanilla pastry cream recipe for a general overview.

1. Season: Measure out your pistachio paste and give it a taste. If needed, add a pinch of salt. Pistachio paste from unroasted pistachios might taste a bit bland, so about 1/8 teaspoon of salt for every 1/4 cup of paste should do the trick. Start with less, mix it in, and taste again. Keep adding salt until you get a nice, strong pistachio flavor without making it too salty.
2. Prep Pot: Set aside 1/4 cup of milk, then pour the rest into a saucepan along with the pistachio paste, egg yolks, vanilla extract (if using), and sugar. Whisk these together until they’re nicely blended.
3. Cook: Place the saucepan over medium heat and warm the mixture until it’s just about to boil, stirring almost constantly to avoid cooking the yolks.

4. Prepare Starch Slurry: While the mixture is cooking, mix the reserved milk with cornstarch in a separate bowl, ensuring there are no lumps.

5. Add Starch Slurry: As soon as you see bubbles forming in the saucepan, remove it from the heat and swiftly stir in the starch slurry. If the slurry has settled, give it a quick stir to redistribute the starch before adding.

6. Cook Until Thick and Bubbly: Return the pot to low or medium heat and keep stirring until the mixture thickens significantly and begins to bubble. This should take between 2 to 4 minutes, depending on your stove and pot. Don’t rush this step to prevent the yolks from curdling.
7. Take Off the Heat and Whisk: Once thickened, pull the pot off the heat and whisk vigorously for another minute to ensure it’s smoothly thickened.

8. Stir in White Chocolate: Drop the chopped white chocolate in the pot, wait 30 seconds for it to warm up, and then stir it in.

9. Taste Test: Carefully taste the cream—it’ll be hot! Adjust with more sugar or vanilla if needed.
10. (Optional) Strain: If you notice any lumps or cooked egg bits in your pastry cream, pour it through a strainer into a bowl to achieve a uniform texture.
11. Cover and Chill: Lay plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent skin from forming. Let it cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then refrigerate until chilled.

13. Whisk and Use: When removed from the fridge, the pastry cream will have a stiff, pudding-like texture. This is normal. To use it, start by “chopping” it up with a fork, then switch to a whisk and stir for a minute or two until it becomes smooth (ish). Once done, it’s ready for piping.

Tips

• Chill On a Plate. To speed up chilling the pudding, pour it onto a large plate or bowl. A larger surface area will help it lose warmth faster.
• Make in Advance: This pastry cream keeps for 3 to 4 days, so you can easily prepare it the day before you need it.
• Make it lighter. This cream is delicious but might be a bit rich if used in large quantities, like when filling cream puffs. To lighten it, fold in whipped cream and stabilize it with gelatin. This setup is called diplomat cream, and I got a big guide on making diplomat cream.
• Make it richer and sturdier. While this pastry cream pipes okayish, it’s not nearly as sturdy as buttercream. If you need a richer, more stable version that holds its shape well, and you don’t want to work with gelatin, turn it into cream mousseline. The linked article explains the whole process.

Usage

Here are a couple of ways you could use pistachio pastry cream:

• Layered Desserts: Use it as a layer in parfaits or trifle. Layer it with fruits, cake pieces, or crushed cookies for a delightful dessert.
• Stuffed Pastries: Pipe it into croissants, Danish pastries, or sweet rolls before baking for a nutty surprise.
• Cake Filling and Frosting: Use it as a filling for sponge cakes, cupcakes, or layer cakes. It can also be used as a frosting for cupcakes or a naked cake.
• Pistachio Macarons: Use it as a filling for macarons for a sophisticated and flavorful treat.
• Tart Filling: Fill pre-baked tart shells with the pistachio pastry cream and top with fresh fruits or a glaze for an elegant dessert.

Similar Recipes to Try

Looking for more? Here’s a list of recipes you might like:

• Pistachio eclairs. These eclairs use the exact pastry cream covered in this article. If you love the resulting pastry cream, you’ll love these.
• Pastry cream flavors. Want to test out other pastry creams? Here’s a list of 12+ flavors I already covered.

Storage

Once prepared, you can store this pastry cream in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Make sure the container is sealed tightly so that it doesn’t absorb any smells.

Pistachio Pastry Cream

A smooth blend of pistachio and white chocolate that’s spoon-licking good.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Course: Dessert, Filling

Cuisine: French

Keyword: Filling, Pastry Cream, Pistachios

Servings: 2.5 cups pastry cream

Author: Marcin Skrzypiec

Equipment

• Whisk

Ingredients

• 2 cups milk ~480 ml
• 4 egg yolks medium or large, about 60-70g
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch 40g
• 7 tablespoons sugar ~87g
• 2 oz pistachio paste 1/4 cup or ~60g
• 2 oz white chocolate ~60g
• 1/4 teaspoon salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional

Instructions

• Season Paste: If your pistachio paste is from raw pistachios, taste it and add a pinch of salt to bring out the pistachio flavor if needed.
  1/4 teaspoon salt, 2 oz pistachio paste
• Prep Pot: Combine the majority of the milk (reserving 1/4 cup), pistachio paste, egg yolks, vanilla extract, and sugar in a saucepan. Whisk until well blended.
  2 cups milk, 4 egg yolks, 7 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Cook: Heat the mixture on medium until it almost boils, stirring at all times to prevent the yolks from cooking.
• Prepare Starch Slurry: In a separate bowl, mix the reserved milk with cornstarch to form a smooth slurry.
  4 tablespoons cornstarch
• Add Starch Slurry: Once bubbles appear in the saucepan, remove from heat and quickly stir in the starch slurry.
• Thicken: Return the saucepan to the stove, cook on low to medium heat while stirring until the mixture thickens and bubbles (about 2-4 minutes).
• Finish Cooking: Remove from heat and whisk for another minute to ensure a smooth consistency.
• Add White Chocolate: Add chopped white chocolate, wait 30 seconds, then stir until melted and mixed in.
  2 oz white chocolate
• Taste Test: Adjust the flavor with additional sugar or vanilla if needed.
• Strain (Optional): Strain through a sieve to remove any lumps or cooked egg bits.
• Chill: Cover with plastic wrap touching the cream's surface, cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate until chilled.
• Whisk and Use: Before using, break up the chilled cream with a fork, then whisk until smooth and ready for piping.

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