This No Bake Pistachio Cheesecake is rich, creamy, luscious and made with real ground pistachios. No fuss and super easy to make for a party—and no need to turn on the oven!
Pistachio is having a real moment right now with the Dubai Chocolate bar, but we need to appreciate it on its own as well.
Pistachios have a very subtle flavour, especially when mixed into a dessert. These no bake cheesecakes have a little tang of the cream cheese, a slightly nutty pistachio flavour and the flavours balance so well together.
If you liked this recipe, I know you'll love this popular Pistachio Tres Leches cake, this delicious Strawberry Cheesecake, and these Cheesecake Stuffed Red Velvet Cookies!
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Ingredients
See recipe card BELOW for quantities.
- Cream cheese blocks - make sure it's full fat and not the kind in a tub
- White granulated sugar
- Powdered sugar
- Heavy cream
- Sour cream
- Pistachio paste
- Lemon juice
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- Graham crackers
- Butter
- Pistachio spread
- Milk
- Chopped pistachios
Instructions
If you're using store bought pistachio paste or spread, just skip past the prepping and making the pistachio paste steps!
Pistachio paste
I wasn't able to find pistachio paste or spread AT ALL near me (seriously, is there a shortage?) so I made my own! My pistachio paste was just pistachios and a little bit of oil. No sugar, nothing more. So pistachio butter.
If you're using pistachio spread which is already sweetened, I suggest starting out with about half to about two-thirds the amount and build up from there.
I used Serious Eats method to blanch the pistachios before blending into a paste.
- Place shelled raw, unsalted pistachios in a pan, cover with cold water and soak for 5 minutes.
- Turn up the heat and until the water is almost at a simmer or steaming hot.
- Rinse with cold water.
- Remove skins by rubbing the pistachios in a kitchen towel to loosen them up.
- Place in a high powered blender or a food processor and blend until its a smooth paste. You will need to scrape it down multiple times and maybe add in a little bit of neutral oil.
Make the cheesecake
- Crush the graham crackers into fine crumbs using a food processor or blender. Stir in melted butter until well mixed, then press the mixture firmly into cheesecake cups or a pan using a flat-bottomed glass. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add both sugars and mix again until combined. Mix in the lemon juice, vanilla, salt, sour cream and pistachio paste. Add food colouring if a brighter green is desired.
- In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold it into the cream cheese mixture without deflating it.
- Spoon the cheesecake filling into the prepared crusts and smooth the tops. Cover and refrigerate for 3–4 hours until set.
- Warm the pistachio spread in the microwave and thin it with a bit of milk. Spoon it over each cheesecake and tilt to coat. Just before serving, top with whipped cream and chopped pistachios.
Storage
Cover and place in the fridge for up to a week.
Top tips to make this pistachio cheesecake
- Room temperature ingredients: Having the ingredients at room temperature helps everything incorporate together easily, making the final product sm. And especially for the cream cheese, it helps blend it smoothly without lumps.
- Don’t skip chilling the crust: Letting the crust set in the fridge helps it firm up and stay in place when you add the filling.
- Whip the cream to stiff peaks: Make sure the whipped cream holds its shape before folding it in—this gives the cheesecake that light, airy texture.
- Warm the pistachio spread gradually: Microwave it in short bursts to avoid overheating. Stir in milk a little at a time until it’s pourable.
FAQ
Yes! You can prepare them up to 2 days in advance—just keep them covered in the fridge until ready to serve. Top with the whipped cream and chopped pistachios right before serving.
Absolutely. Press the crust into a springform pan and pour the filling over it. Chill overnight for best results.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
No Bake Pistachio Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 3 blocks - full fat cream cheese, room temp (each 250g) (750g)
- 1 ⅔ cup - heavy cream (400ml)
- ⅓ cup - white granulated sugar (66g)
- ¾ cup - powdered sugar + 1-2 tablespoon if you like it sweeter (90g)
- 1 teaspoon - lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon - vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon - salt
- ⅓ cup - sour cream (75g)
- ¾ cup - pistachio paste* see notes below (180g)
Crust
- 150 g - graham crackers
- 6 tablespoon - melted butter (84g)
Topping
- 3-4 tablespoon - pistachio spread
- 2-3 tablespoon - milk
- - chopped pistachios
Instructions
- Place the graham crackers in a food processor or blender and blitz to get fine crumbs.150 g - graham crackers
- Mix in the melted butter until combined. Evenly press it into the cheesecake pan or cups using a flat bottomed cup.6 tablespoon - melted butter
- Place in the fridge to set for 30 minutes while you make the cheesecake.
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with a mixer or a stand mixer until smooth. Add in the powdered and granulated sugar and beat until well combined and smooth.3 blocks - full fat cream cheese, room temp (each 250g), ⅓ cup - white granulated sugar, ¾ cup - powdered sugar + 1-2 tablespoon if you like it sweeter
- Beat in the lemon juice, vanilla, salt, sour cream and pistachio paste until smooth. If you want a vibrant green colour, add some food colouring.1 teaspoon - lemon juice, ½ teaspoon - vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon - salt, ⅓ cup - sour cream, ¾ cup - pistachio paste* see notes below
- In a separate bowl, pour in the heavy cream and beat until stiff peaks form.1 ⅔ cup - heavy cream
- Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture with a spatula, making sure not to knock the air out.
- Pour the cheesecake mixture into the prepared cheesecake cups and smooth out.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours to set.
- Add the pistachio spread to a small bowl and warm up in the microwave.3-4 tablespoon - pistachio spread
- Mix in some milk to thin it out.2-3 tablespoon - milk
- Pour a tablespoon or two on the cheesecake and tilt the cup to spread all over. Add more if needed. Repeat with the rest of the cups.
- Right before serving, pipe a little dollop of whipped cream on each cheesecake cup and garnish with some chopped pistachios!
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