If pistachio nuts have turned up in a recipe or caught your eye at the store, here's what you need to use them with confidence and how to choose them, cook them, store them, what to substitute, and 144 recipes to try them in.

What are pistachio nuts?

Pistachios are the green, faintly sweet nut that splits its own shell as it ripens.

The kernel inside is soft and a little resinous, with a flavor that reads almost floral and far less heavy than a cashew.

That green color comes from the nut, not from dye. It is why pastry cooks reach for pistachios when they want a nut you can actually see.

Most pistachios are roasted and salted in the shell for snacking. For cooking you want them shelled and usually unsalted, sold loose or as bright kernels.

They sit in both worlds. Folded into ice cream and baklava on the sweet side, scattered over roast vegetables and chicken on the savory.

How to Use Pistachios

For snacking, the in-shell roasted pistachio is hard to beat, and prying them open is half the appeal. For cooking, buy them shelled so you are not picking through shards.

Chopped pistachios are a finishing nut. Their green pops against dark chocolate and pale rosewater sweets, which is why they crown so many Middle Eastern desserts and show up through layered Baklava and fried Gosh Feel pastries.

Ground fine, they become a crust. Press chopped pistachios onto fish or a rack of lamb before roasting and they toast into a green, crunchy shell. They also bake straight into cookies like these Pistachio Cranberry Cookies, where the green and red play off each other.

A light toast deepens their flavor, but go easy. Pistachios brown fast and lose that fresh green if you push them, so a few minutes in a dry pan over medium heat is plenty.

Pairing and Common Mistakes

Pistachios love sweet, perfumed flavors. Rosewater and orange blossom are their classic partners, with honey close behind. They pair just as happily with dark chocolate or tart dried fruit.

On the savory side they finish roast vegetables and grilled meats with crunch and color. They are lovely on Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Pistachios.

The common mistake is salt. Snacking pistachios are heavily salted, so if you chop a handful from the bowl into a dessert you will taste it. Use unsalted shelled nuts for baking and finishing.

The other trap is over-toasting. Their whole selling point is that green color, and too much heat turns them a dull brown and flattens the flavor.

Substitutes

No nut matches pistachios exactly. For color and a similar soft crunch, shelled and lightly toasted pumpkin seeds give you green for a crust or garnish, though they taste more vegetal.

In baking, almonds are the usual stand-in. They are firmer and milder and lose the green, so expect plainer nuttiness and less perfume.

For a finishing crunch on savory dishes, chopped toasted hazelnuts or cashews work, trading the floral note for richer, rounder flavor.

Buying and Storing

Pistachios come in or out of the shell. A fully closed shell means the nut was picked underripe, so look for shells that have split open on their own.

Shelled kernels cost more but save you the work for cooking. The brightest green ones command the highest price and go mostly to pastry kitchens.

Like all nuts, pistachios are oily and turn rancid in warmth, tasting sharp and stale once they go.

Keep them airtight in a cool, dark cupboard for a couple of months, in the fridge for up to six, or freeze them for a year. Buy shelled kernels in smaller amounts, since out of the shell they spoil faster.

Nutrition

Quick facts

Where to find pistachio nuts: Pistachio nuts are usually found in the snacks section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group: Pistachio nuts are a member of the Nut and Seed Products US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese

开心果

British (UK) term

Pistachio nuts

en français

pistaches

en español

pistachos

How much do pistachio nuts weigh?

Amount	Weight
1 cup	123 grams
1 oz (49 kernels)	28 grams
1 kernel	0 grams

Related

Nut and Seed Products

Recipes using pistachio nuts

There are 144 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 144 recipes

More pistachio nut recipes

• Almond & Cardamom Cream Pudding
• Americana Key Lime Pie
• Baklawa 'Be'Aj'
• Carrot Cake with An Indian Flavor
• Cherry-Pistachio Biscotti
• Chocolate Silk
• Fabulous Fig Bread
• Golden Saffron Cake
• Lemon Pistachio Bread
• Meatcakes with Dried Fruits
• Mojan's Indian Ice Cream
• Pasteli Me Fistikia (Pistachio & Honey Candy)
• Pears & Cream Cheese
• Pistachio Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream
• Pistachio Chip Cookies
• Pistachio Kulfi Pops
• Pistachio Sugar Cookies
• Pistachio Swirl Fudge
• Syros Island Nougat