Pistachio Ice Cream

This easy homemade Pistachio Ice Cream recipe is luxuriously creamy with the perfect balance of sweet vanilla flavor and hints of nuttiness from crushed pistachios.

If you enjoy homemade ice cream as much as I do, don’t miss my Orange Ice cream, or this Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream recipe that doesn’t require an ice cream maker!

If you’ve tried Pistachio Ice Cream before, chances are good that it’s your FAVORITE flavor, and making it homemade is easier than ever. I use my Kitchen Aid Ice Cream Maker attachment, but I’ve also tested this recipe in a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker.

If you’re wondering what Pistachio Ice Cream tastes like, rest assured that it’s sweet and creamy like ice cream should be, with subtle hints of savory nuttiness from the pistachios. The vanilla extract and almond extract really give the flavor a delicious boost, and the egg yolks help the texture to be extra creamy and custard-like, like you’d find at a high quality ice cream parlor.

Ingredients for Pistachio Ice Cream:

Egg yolks – are essential for the soft and creamy texture in the ice cream and added thickness.
Granulated sugar
Heavy cream and evaporated milk – the cream and evaporated milk give the ice creamy it’s soft, creamy taste and texture. You can replace the evaporated milk with whole milk (or 2%, but it won be as creamy).
Salt – to bring out flavors.
Vanilla extract and almond extract – the best highlight flavors with pistachio.
Whole shelled pistachios – I like to buy them already shelled. We use half of the pistachios to flavor and color the simmering milk, and then stir pistachio pieces into the ice cream at the end.

How to make Pistachio Ice Cream:

Add ½ cup pistachios and ¾ cup sugar to a food processor and process until finely chopped and blended.
Add evaporated milk and cream to a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the pistachio mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, until almost simmering and sugar has dissolved, 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.
Add egg yolks to a bowl and whisk well. Slowly whisk 1 cup of hot milk mixture into the yolks. Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan and cook, stirring continuously, until thickened, about 8-10 minutes. (Do not allow the custard to boil.)

Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl; discard what’s left in the strainer. Cover mixture and refrigerate for several hours or overnight, until completely chilled. (Depending on the your ice cream maker, you may need to freeze the bowl of the ice cream maker overnight as well).
Stir in almond and vanilla extract and then pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze/churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Stir in remaining 1/2 cup pistachios. Transfer the ice cream to a container, cover and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours.

Homemade ice cream will keep in the freezer for 1-2 weeks (much longer than that and it may start to form ice crystals on top).

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