Real pistachio flavour, no artificial anything. Soaked pistachios blended into a rich, naturally green base — spun in the Ninja Creami Deluxe 10 and finished with roasted pistachio pieces and a swirl of pistachio puree.
The secret to pistachio ice cream that actually tastes like pistachios is threefold: soaked pistachios blended into the base, good-quality pistachio paste mixed in, and enough fat and solids to give the Creami something to work with. Thin, low-fat bases come out icy and grainy. This one doesn’t.
Soaking the pistachios for a minimum of a few hours, softens them enough to blend completely smooth. Combined with almond milk and pistachio paste, the base is dense enough that the Lite Ice Cream setting does exactly what it should: produces a creamy, scoopable texture without over-processing.
The mix-in spin adds roasted pistachio pieces for crunch, and the final swirl of pistachio puree is stirred in by hand so it stays in ribbons rather than disappearing into the ice cream. That last step is worth doing.
Use maple syrup or agave instead of honey to make it fully vegan — both work well and don’t affect the texture.
Nutrition for Pistachio Ice-Cream
Using a Ninja Creami to make ice-cream allows to use less calorie-dense ingredients like cream.
Per serving, based on 2 servings. These estimates including mix-ins, using honey.
- 380calories
- 11gprotein
- 38gcarbs
- 22gfat
Tips & variations
- The fat and solids from the soaked pistachios and pistachio paste are what give this ice cream its texture. Don’t be tempted to reduce them or substitute with a lighter base — the Creami needs that density to process properly.
- Blend the base as smooth as possible. Any pistachio chunks left in the base will freeze into hard pieces that affect the spin.
- The 5-minute thaw before processing is not optional — it protects the Creami motor and dramatically improves texture on the first spin.
- Add a pinch of fine salt to the base before freezing. It deepens the pistachio flavour significantly.
- Leftovers refreeze well. Thaw for 5–10 minutes before serving, or re-spin once if needed.
Which Ninja CREAMi machine is the best to get?
I bought the Ninja CREAMi Deluxe XL and I’m really happy with how creamy both the ice creams and sorbets turn out. One tub makes about 4 portions of post-dinner dessert—or 2 very generous mid-afternoon snacks. If you’re considering getting one, this is definitely the model I’d recommend (see it on Amazon here)!
Dairy-free pistachio ice cream (Ninja Creami version)
4
servings10
minutes24
minutesKeep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
- Ice cream base
1 cup Dry pistachios (120 g)
¾ cup Unsweetened almond milk (180 g)
3 tbsp Pistachio butter (40 g)
6 tbsp Honey (or maple syrup / agave) – (80 g)
- Mix-ins
2 tbsp Roasted pistachios, roughly chopped
1 tbsp Pistachio butter
How to
- Soak the pistachios in cold water for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Drain and rinse well before using. They will have softened and swelled to about 1½ cups.
- Add the soaked pistachios, almond milk, pistachio paste, and honey to a blender. Blend on high for 1–2 minutes until completely smooth. The base should be thick and creamy.
- Pour into the Ninja Creami pint container. Freeze for a minimum of 24 hours until completely solid.
- Remove from the freezer and leave at room temperature for 5 minutes. Place into the outer bowl, lock in, and process on Lite Ice Cream.
- Once the cycle finishes, run Re-spin once. The texture should now be smooth and creamy.
- Make a well in the centre of the ice cream. Add the roasted pistachio pieces. Return to the machine and run Mix-In.
- Remove from the machine. Add the tablespoon of pistachio puree on top and use a spoon to fold it through in a few strokes — you want ribbons, not full incorporation. Serve immediately or return to the freezer for 20–30 minutes for a firmer scoop.
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