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Pistachio Ice Cream

Pistachio ice cream made like Italian pistachio gelato style—pistachio custard cooked to 175°F and churned for a dense, scoopable texture. Toasted pistachios create a rich, nutty depth with visible pistachio pieces in every spoonful.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
chilling + freezing 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 470
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Toasted pistachios
  • 1 cup shelled pistachios Toast until fragrant, then blend into a fine paste.
  • 0.5 cup pistachios Roughly chopped for fold-in.
Dairy base
  • 2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
Egg and sweetener
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 5 egg yolks
Flavorings
  • 0.5 tsp almond extract
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.25 tsp salt
Color (optional)
  • 1 Green food coloring Optional—use only a drop or two to reach pale sage-green.

Equipment

  • 1 ice cream maker
  • 1 saucepan
  • 1 food processor

Method
 

Make pistachio paste
  1. Add the shelled pistachios to a food processor and blend until a fine paste forms, pausing as needed to scrape the sides, then set aside.
  2. Toast the pistachios if they are not already toasted, until fragrant, then cool briefly before blending into the paste.
Cook pistachio custard
  1. Heat the heavy cream and whole milk in a saucepan over medium heat until steaming.
  2. Whisk the granulated sugar into the egg yolks until smooth, then slowly whisk the steaming dairy into the yolks.
  3. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook, whisking constantly, until it reaches 175°F.
  4. Remove from heat and whisk in the pistachio paste until the custard is smooth and evenly green.
Chill the base
  1. Whisk in the almond extract, vanilla extract, and salt, and add a drop of green food coloring if desired.
  2. Strain the custard, cool completely, refrigerate for 4 hours, and chill until very cold.
Churn and freeze
  1. Churn the chilled pistachio custard in an ice cream maker until thickened.
  2. Fold in the roughly chopped pistachios, then freeze until firm.

Notes

Pro tip: strain the custard and chill it fully—cold base churns smoother and freezes firmer. Refrigerate leftovers up to 3 days in a sealed container; for best texture, avoid repeated thawing and refreezing. Freezing works well up to 2 months. For a dairy swap, use lactose-free milk and cream to keep the same custard method and texture.