Homemade Pistachio Ice Cream
Are you disappointed with the lack of pistachios in store-bought ice cream? We are too. That’s why we created our own Homemade Pistachio Ice Cream that is packed full of real pistachios in an ultra-creamy textured, rich, and delicious ice cream! No fillers in this one, it has all of the pistachio flavor you wish the others had!
Homemade Pistachio Ice Cream!! This recipe is one that we created for my mom since it is her favorite ice cream flavor and she has been so disappointed with the “pistachio” ice creams found in grocery stores because they’re often made with almonds rather than actual pistachios! So we knew we had to create our own real pistachio version. There’s no filler nuts or coloring in this homemade ice cream, it is rich and creamy and absolutely pistachio-packed! Plus you can make it with or without an ice cream maker!
Ingredients Needed
- Pistachios – Shelled, of course, but be sure they’re unsalted. Or if all you have are shelled, it’s a great thing for a bored kiddo to do!
- Milk, Heavy Cream, and Sugar – Staples for any good homemade ice cream!
- Egg Yolks – These are for the custard. Don’t throw out those whites – make yourself some meringue cookies!
- Almond Extract – This highlights the pistachio flavor! You can also use a vanilla extract or we’ve also made it with hazelnut extract, too!
Helpful Tools
(Amazon affiliate links)- You can find all of my kitchen essentials here!
Ice Cream Maker – While we prefer this ice cream to be made with an ice cream maker, we have instructions on how to make it without one, too! We find that the no churn method doesn’t produce a texture as creamy, but it will still be a rich, delicious, and pistachio-packed ice cream!
Loaf Pan – Or any other freezer-safe container for the final freeze of the ice cream.
Mixing Bowls – We love these glass mixing bowls and use them for everything!
Sieve – Or colander of choice to strain the boiled pistachios from the milk.
Blender or Food Processor– Not required, but helpful to quickly chop the pistachios.
Whisk – A good whisk is a key tool in your kitchen, but you can also of course use a fork.
Small Pot– For the only parts of this Homemade Pistachio Ice Cream recipe that require cooking.
Instant Read Thermometer – Another key tool for your kitchen for all of your grilling, baking, candy-making, and also custard making needs!
Ice Cream Scoop – The best “tool” for homemade ice cream!
Step by Step Churned Ice Cream
Boil the Pistachios
For the ultimate pistachio flavor for this ice cream, not only do we add a ton of pistachios to the ice cream, but we also infuse pistachio flavor right into the milk for the custard by boiling half of the pistachios in the milk.
We like to strain the milk into a Pyrex with a pour spout to make the slow addition of it to the eggs and sugar easier.
Create the Custard
A custard-based ice cream is what gives ice cream the rich flavor and creamy texture that is sometimes missing from a homemade version. Creating the custard is a bit more technical than a no-churn homemade ice cream, but it really takes a homemade ice cream to the next level. Once you have made the custard, it’s time for it to chill. This will ensure an ultra creamy texture in the end!
Also, the thicker the custard is when it is added to the ice cream maker, the thicker and creamier the ice cream you will get. While many believe custard should “age” overnight for the best results for homemade ice cream, we find that by chilling the custard for just a few hours you will achieve an absolutely delicious and creamy ice cream. But if you have the time, chilling overnight is great too!
Once the custard is chilled, then it’s time to add the heavy whipping cream and give it another good whisk.
Add to the Ice Cream Maker
Finally, add that creamy custard to the ice cream maker with all of the chopped raw and chopped boiled pistachios, and let the ice cream maker churn away until creamy! Add it to a loaf pan or another freezer-safe container and let it freeze for another 4-5 hours.
Once done, Homemade Pistachio Ice Cream! So incredibly creamy and there is nooo hunting for pistachios, they are packed into every spoonful!
Ice Cream Making Tips
Heat it slowly and stir often to prevent scorching of the milk with the pistachios. Also, an instant-read thermometer will tell you exactly when it’s reached the right temperature. This is one of our must-have kitchen tools!
Whether it’s adding the milk to the eggs and sugar or it is reheating it all on the stove again, be sure you have a good whisk or large fork ready to whisk it all fast and continuously. The last thing you want to do is scramble your eggs, so keep it all moving while the milk is being mixed in or the custard is thickening.
You may see some lumps in your custard, that’s ok! Just keep whisking. Just be sure it’s not a lot of scrambled eggs.
If you accidentally scramble a lot of the eggs, it’s best to just start over. However, if it’s only a few bits, that will be ok. Just keep adding that milk slowly and keep whisking and then you can strain those few scrambled bits out before chilling the custard.
The colder the custard is when it goes into the ice cream maker to be churned, the creamier the texture of the final ice cream will be! Also, always chill the bowl of your ice cream maker, too.
See the recipe notes for our instructions on how to make our Homemade Pistachio Ice Cream without an ice cream maker, too!
Now that is an ice cream cone, am I right? Also, you’ll notice that our Homemade Pistachio Ice Cream has a yellow-ish hue, but it is nowhere near that bright green color of the store-bought versions. That’s because we don’t add any unnecessary coloring agents to this ice cream, or any other filler nuts. This pistachio ice cream recipe is the real deal and one for the true pistachio lover!
Of all of our recipes here, my kiddos love to help model the ones with cones the most!
You Also Might Like
- Homemade Cherry Garcia
- 4 Ingredient Peach Sorbet
- Peanut Butter Banana Soft Serve
- No Churn Carmalized White Chocolate Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Enjoy! As always, if you make this recipe or any of my others, I love to hear what you think! Leave a comment below, email me, or you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
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Homemade Pistachio Ice Cream
Equipment
Ingredients
Custard
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 cup sugar 196 g
- 1 cup pistachios 4.5 oz, raw or roasted unsalted and shelled
Ice Cream
- 1 cup pistachios 4.5 oz, raw or roasted unsalted shelled and chopped
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Prep Ice Bath: Add ice to a large bowl and then add a medium-sized bowl. Set aside. Put the bowl of the ice cream maker into the freezer to chill.
- Boil Pistachios: Add milk and 1 cup of raw unsalted pistachios to a 3 qt saucepan and heat over medium. Stir often to prevent scorching.
- Create Custard: While the milk is heating, take the medium-sized bowl from the ice bath prep and add the egg yolks and sugar. Whisk until well combined.When milk has reached 195 degrees F, remove from the heat and strain milk from boiled pistachios into a medium-sized bowl or large Pyrek. Set pistachios aside. Turn off the heat but keep the saucepan on the stovetop.Slowly add the milk to the eggs and sugar, whisking continuously to prevent scrmbling of the eggs. Return this mixture to the saucepan on the stovetop and heat to medium. Return the medium-sized bowl to the ice bath. Whisk continuously as custard thickens, approximately 8-9 minutes.
- Chill Custard: Pour custard into the medium-sized bowl in the ice bath. Cover with plastic wrap. To prevent the top of the custard from forming a skin, place plastic wrap directly on top of the custard. Place ice bathed custard in the fridge and cool for 2-3 hours or overnight.
- Prep Pistachios: Use a blender or knife to chop the boiled pistachios. Chop the rest of the pistachios and combine the raw and boiled and set aside.
- Create Ice Cream: Once the custard has cooled, while still in the ice bath, add the almond extract ad heavy whipping cream (a little at a time) and whisk until smooth. Add the chilled ice cream maker bowl to the ice cream maker with the churn and add custard to the bowl. Turn to churn and then add pistachios. Let churn for 20 minutes or until it has the consistency of soft serve.
- Freeze: Transfer to a freezer-safe bowl or container, cover and add to the freezer to freeze for 4-5 hours.
- Serve and Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Whisk continuously and vigorously to prevent scrambling of the eggs. Slowly add the milk.
- Do not heat the milk too quickly to prevent scorching.
- If you get a couple of scrambled bits, that’s ok. But if it’s quite a bit, it’s best to start over. You can strain the custard before chilling to remove a few scrambled bits.
This recipe is fantastic! Hands down the best base ice cream recipe I’ve found so far. It’s ridiculously creamy and doesn’t freeze up – it maintains the perfect consistency for the whole carton! So many postachios – delicious.
Thank you so much, Keaton!!
This recipe was Delicious!! Extreme Pistachio filled. I used Roasted NO Salt Pistachios. Our store didn’t have raw, but it still turned out perfect!! Putting it in the freezer after making worked great. We were still able to scoop it when we were ready for dessert. Will definitely make again!!
So great to hear, Tracy!! Thank you so much for sharing and so happy you enjoyed it. ๐
One of my favorite ice cream flavors! I’m glad that I found this recipe to make it at home. So good!
Love to hear it, Juyali! Thanks so much for sharing!