This easy pistachio buttercream is pure magic. Creamy, nutty and perfectly buttery, it’s packed with real pistachio flavour without being cloyingly sweet like many buttercreams. It’s smooth, fluffy and completely irresistible – you’ll want to eat it by the spoonful. Been there – don’t judge 😊
It pairs beautifully with almost any cake flavour you can think of – chocolate, lemon, strawberry or vanilla are all outstanding. Thanks to the recent Dubai chocolate trend, pistachio spread is now easy to find and makes this nutty buttercream so easy to whip up. Perfect for cupcakes, snack cakes, layered cakes or even cookies.
❤️ Why you’ll love it
- Big pistachio flavour without artificial taste
- Not cloyingly sweet like traditional buttercreams
- Perfect for any cake – chocolate, lemon, strawberry, vanilla
- Smooth, fluffy and pipeable – spreads and pipes like a dream
- Very easy to make thanks to store-bought pistachio spread
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Ingredients notes
Most of the ingredients are self-explanatory but I’ll elaborate on just a few below.
⬇️ Jump to the recipe for full ingredients and instructions.
- Pistachio spread: This pistachio frosting gets it’s flavour from pistachio spread also known as pistachio cream (not pistachio paste). The colour of your buttercream will depend on the colour of your spread so a darker spread will give a bolder green result while a pale one will still give it a green colour it will just be milder. You can add a few drops of green colouring if you want to.
- Butter: Since it’s a big part of this nutty buttercream, make sure you use a good quality unsalted butter.
- Extracts: I use both vanilla extract and almond extract in this recipe. The vanilla adds a slight touch of warmth and balance while almond adds more intense nuttiness. Make sure to use extracts, not essence which are artificially made flavours.
How to make pistachio buttercream
This pistachio frosting is seriously easy to make and you can see it in all it’s glory on this pistachio chocolate snack cake.
⬇️ Jump to the recipe for full ingredients and instructions.
1. Whip the butter
First, we’re going to whip that butter a little bit to add fluffiness and lightness to the buttercream. Add the butter, extracts and some of the icing sugar (powdered sugar) and beat for 1-2 minutes until it’s looking lovely and creamy
Scrape down the bowl: It’s so important to scrape down the bowl through the beating of the butter so that everything is being beaten evenly and properly incorporated.
2. Add the rest
Add the pistachio spread, remaining sugar and some food colouring if you want to use it. Beat until fully combined then add a little milk to get the pistachio frosting to the softness and consistency that you want.
Tips and tricks
- Colour doesn’t matter: I’ve added about 3 drops of a good gel food colouring to get the colour you see in my pistachio butter cream but it’s not necessary. You’ll still get a green colour without any colouring, the only difference being the intensity of the colour. The colour of the pistachio spread you use will also contribute to the final colour.
- Scrape down the bowl: Two to three times throughout the beating process, scrape down the bowl. This will ensure everything is beaten properly and evenly.
Storage and make-ahead options
Fridge
Pistachio frosting should be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 7 days. If you want to press a piece of plastic wrap to the top of the buttercream then seal it with a lid, it can last 10-14 days in the fridge. The flavour is always best in the first 3-4 days though.
Freezer
To store it longer, you can freeze the buttercream in an airtight container for 2-3 months. Again, a piece of plastic wrap pressed to the surface before sealing with the lid will make it less likely to absorb other odours from the freezer.
Room temperature
Once your cake is frosted, it’s always best to eat it at room temperature for both texture and flavour. This pistachio buttercream can happily sit out of the fridge for 2-3 days but keep it somewhere cool and dry like the pantry, in an airtight container.
FAQs
Also known as pistachio cream, pistachio spread is a smooth, sweet spread made from pistachios and similar in texture to Nutella. It contains sugar and milk solids and sometimes oil. Some versions have white chocolate added as well. Thanks to the Dubai chocolate trend, it’s now widely available in supermarkets.
It can work though pistachio paste often does not have any added sugar so you may need to increase the amount of sugar in your buttercream to balance.
Yes but it has a balanced sweetness thanks to the nutty richness of pistachio spread. It’s less cloying that regular American buttercream while being stable and pipeable.
Pistachio pairs well with lemon, spices like cardamom, berries like raspberries and strawberries and rich, creamy flavours like chocolate, ricotta, almond and vanilla.
Yes, it’s smooth, fluffy and holds it’s shape well making it perfect for piping swirls on cupcakes or decorating layer cakes.
This could happen if your kitchen is too warm, the butter was too soft, you added too much pistachio spread or you added too much milk. Chill the buttercream for 10-15 minutes then re-whip it until thick and fluffy.
This pistachio frosting recipe makes about 2 ½ cups which is enough to frost 12 cupcakes generously, a 13×9 inch sheet cake or fill and top a 2 layer 8 inch cake.
If you’re looking for something special to top your next bake, this pistachio butter cream is it. It’s simple, beautiful and full of flavour. I can’t wait to hear what you pair it with 💚.
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Ingredients
- 225 g unsalted butter (1 cup / 8oz)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 cups icing sugar (powdered sugar) (390g/13 ¾oz)
- 1 cup pistachio spread (280g/9 ¾oz)
- 4-6 teaspoons whole milk
- Few drops green food colouring optional
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, salt and 1 cup of icing sugar on low until the sugar starts to incorporate, then turn it up to medium-high for 2-3 minutes until lightened and creamy. Make sure to scrape down the bowl from time to time.225 g unsalted butter, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon almond extract, ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, 1 cup icing sugar (powdered sugar)
- Add the remaining sugar and pistachio spread and beat on low until it comes together then beat on medium until fully incorporated.2 cups icing sugar (powdered sugar), 1 cup pistachio spread
- Add enough milk to get it to a soft but pipeable consistency. You can add the green food colouring, if using, at the same time. Beat on medium just until it's incorporated.4-6 teaspoons whole milk, Few drops green food colouring
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- This pistachio buttercream recipe makes about 2 ½ cups which is enough to frost 12 cupcakes generously, a 13×9 inch sheet cake or fill and top a 2 layer 8 inch cake.
- Pistachio spread, also known as pistachio cream is a combination of pistachios, sugar, milk solids and sometimes oil or white chocolate which are ground and mixed to a consistency much like Nutella.
- Yes, you can make Nutella buttercream using this same recipe by swapping the pistachio spread for Nutella.
- The colour of your pistachio spread will determine how naturally green the buttercream becomes. Green food colouring is completely optional and will not change the flavour at all.
- Nutritional info shown is per ½ a cup.
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