Homemade Pistachio Syrup (that actually tastes like pistachios!)

This bright green syrup tastes just like pistachios, with a bright green color and bold, nutty flavor that’s perfect in caffeinated beverages, cocktails and mocktails, or drizzled over ice cream, waffles or pancakes.

Most pistachio syrup recipes out there call for simply steeping pistachios in a sugar syrup, but that just gives you a faintly nutty sugar syrup that barely tastes like pistachio at all. Instead, my recipe calls for blending the nuts with the sugar syrup and then straining it, resulting in a luscious, thick green syrup that actually tastes like real pistachios (no extract needed!)

I know, I know. I’ve gone a little pistachio crazy lately, it’s bordering on obsession (at what point do I need to change the blog name to Love & Pistachios?)

Since we’ve already tackled homemade pistachio butter, I really wanted to figure out a homemade pistachio syrup next. Because, let’s face it, most commercially available brands of pistachio syrup just aren’t very good. I thought finding a good pistachio extract was hard, but pistachio syrup is even more elusive. Most of the ones I’ve tried taste too chemically, even bordering on cherry cough syrup-like flavor more than pistachio. It’s really disappointing if we’re being honest here.

I figured, how hard could it be to make my own?

I tested a number of different versions of this recipe, with the ultimate aim to maximize the natural pistachio flavor as much as possible, and a secondary goal of a gorgeous green color.

When I compared a steeped and blended syrup to a syrup that was just steeped with pistachios, the difference was like night and day. The blended syrup actually tastes like pistachios. The steeped syrup… doesn’t. Like, at all. It tastes like a plain old sugar syrup that briefly dated a pistachio in their teenage years (lol).

Anyway. Blending the syrup is the key here, and you really can’t get away with skipping this step (though see my note at the very bottom for a blender-free version in a pinch).

That said, there are a few little tricks I learned as I tested nearly half a dozen different methods and variations on this recipe:

Briefly toasting your pistachios (especially if they are blanched) will give the syrup a more robust, toasty flavor (just don’t toast them too long as you don’t want them to brown).

As with pistachio butter, blanching/peeling your pistachios first will give you a brighter color and a cleaner flavor (the skins often have a bit of a dusty earthy taste to them that I don’t love).

Yes, I know blanching and peeling is a chore and half. Ideally if you can find already blanched or slivered pistachios, that’s going to be the best and easiest way to make the syrup (the final photos here feature my batch using slivered Turkish pistachios, which don’t need to be blanched, making them well worth the added cost in time savings alone I think).

The color of your syrup will be determined by the variety and preparation of your pistachios, so the greener the better.

Unblanched pistachios with their skins still on will give you a brown syrup. The syrup will also be a bit more earthy as the skins do impart some flavor as well.

Blanched pistachios will be greener overall, but the final hue ultimately depends on the variety of pistachios: Turkish and Sicilian pistachios are greener than California-grown nuts, and freshly shelled nuts are usually greener than pre-shelled (but also more time consuming as you have to remove the shells yourself).

You can see in these photos the difference in color: blanched and peeled California pistachios on the left, and slivered Turkish pistachios on the right.

Slivered or blanched/peeled Turkish pistachios or peeled Sicilian pistachios will give you the greenest color and the most recognizable pistachio flavor (one of these days I’ll get my hands on some true Bronte pistachios from Sicily to play with; if anyone has any connections here please share and I’ll be forever grateful). Compared to California pistachios which are usually more yellow in color with a buttery, slightly sweet and earthy flavor.

To blanch and peel pistachios:

While this step is optional, it will result in a greener color and a cleaner flavor in the final product.

Submerge pistachios in boiling water for no more than 20-30 seconds.Transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking, then drain and transfer to paper towels or clean tea towels.Rub the blanched nuts between the cloth; the friction will help loosen the skins.Peel any remaining skins of the pistachios with your fingers, revealing the bright green nutmeat inside.

Sieve & Strain.

After blending, pour the syrup through a fine mesh sieve to remove any larger bits and solids. At this point you have two choices:

Option one: pour the blended syrup into the sieve and then let the syrup drip through at its own pace. You can swipe a spatula through the pulp a few times to clear some of the pulp and let the thinner syrup flow through, just try no to ‘press’ any of the pulp through as you do. You can also line the sieve with a layer of cheesecloth to strain out more of the pulp, or even use something like a nut milk bag which has a very fine mesh.

This longer method requires a little more patience, but will give you a smooth syrup that’s more in line with the consistency and mouthfeel you expect from commercial sugar syrups (just slightly thicker and more opaque). Still plenty of pistachio flavor! You’ll end up with about 3/4 cup of syrup this way.

Or, option two, maximize the yield by pressing the pulp through the sieve with a soft rubber spatula or the back of a spoon. Assuming you have decent blender, after thoroughly blending most of the pulp is fine enough to pass through the sieve with some pressure. With this method you will end up with a little over a cup of very thick pistachio syrup that’s packed with pistachio flavor, but it does have a bit of a thicker, coarser mouthfeel as a result. Depending on how you’re using the syrup you may not want this kind of texture.

Bring sugar and water to a simmer to make a syrup; add pistachios, then after 1 minute remove from heat, cover and let cool for 20-30 minutes.Transfer cooled syrup to a high powered blender, then blend until very smooth.Depending on the power of your blender you may not be able to get it quite this smooth.Pour blended syrup into a fine mesh sieve set over a bowl or other vessel.For a smooth syrup, let drip through the sieve at its own pace (save the pulp for another use). Pour strained syrup into a glass jar or other airtight container.

IF you opt for the thinner syrup, don’t throw away the leftover pulp! It’s basically a sweetened pistachio ‘paste’ of sorts, and could be used in a number of ways:

Mix with a little white chocolate and cream for a pistachio ganache, or white chocolate and oil for more of a pistachio cream type spread (think pistachio nutella). I’ve actually got a recipe for a homemade pistachio cream coming soon (stay tuned!) Stir it into homemade ice cream as it churns for a pistachio-packed flavor. Spread it in the bottom of a custard or chocolate tart (like in place of/in addition to the raspberry jam in this raspberry s’mores tart). Swirl it into some overnight oats or Greek yogurt for a breakfast treat. Use it as a filling for eclairs or cream puffs (by its own or mixed with some pastry cream).

You can also make more sugar syrup (1/2 cup each sugar & water), and blend it again with the leftover pulp. This “second pressing” won’t be quite as intensely flavored as the first, but it’s a great way to eek a bit more life out of your pricey pistachios.

A note about sugar substitutes (since I know someone’s going to ask): I have not tested this, but in theory any 1:1 sugar replacement that can boil with water to form a syrup should work here. Personally I’m not a fan of any sugar substitutes, which is why you won’t see any tested substitutions for them, but, hey, you do you.

No blender?

Did you know you can use pistachio butter to make pistachio syrup?

Simply substitute 60 grams of smooth pistachio butter in place of the blanched and peeled pistachios in the recipe. Whisk the butter into the warm sugar syrup (let it sit for a bit to cool and infuse), then strain.

The resulting pistachio butter syrup will have a noticeably different flavor than blending whole pistachios (because the act of processing nuts into butter brings out the natural oils of the nut, which impart a different flavor profile to the final syrup), but it’s a great option if you don’t have a high powered blender or don’t have whole pistachios on hand.

I made it, now what do I do with it?

Pistachio latte – Stir with fresh brewed espresso and some steamed milk or creamer of your choice for a delicious pistachio latte, great hot or served over ice.

Pistachio matcha latte – replace the espresso with match and voila! Pistachio matcha latte. Top with some cold foam and a sprinkle of crushed pistachios or rose petals for an extra special treat.

Pistachio cold foam – You can also add a glug or two of this syrup to a batch of cold foam cream (basically just loosely frothed heavy cream).

Pistachio cocktails/mocktails – Any drink recipe that calls for sugar syrup could use this pistachio syrup instead! I imagine something like a gin fizz with a layer of frothy egg white and a bit of creamy sweetness would be particularly lovely with a little pistachio flavor.

Ice cream drizzle – generously drizzle over ice cream in place of or in addition to hot fudge sauce. Yum!

Cake soak – Many cake pros brush their cake layers with a sugar syrup before filling and layering to preserve moisture and add flavor. This pistachio syrup would be a lovely flavorful way to do just that!

Pistachio lemonade – Sweeten fresh squeezed lemonade with a splash of pistachio syrup to taste. Lemon & pistachio obviously being one of my favorite flavor combinations, I think this would be an amazing refreshing summer drink!

Pistachio waffles or pancakes – Drizzle some pistachio syrup over your next batch of olive oil pancakes or yeasted donut waffles (feel free to mix some chopped pistachios into the batter too or sprinkle some on top).

Salad dressing – hear me out. Most salad dressings have a little sweetness in the form of honey or fruit juice. Try using a splash of pistachio syrup mixed with lemon juice and olive oil for a super simple, super unique salad dressing!

Storage

Store your homemade pistachio syrup in decorative glass bottles or other airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.You will see some separation the longer it sits, that’s ok, just give it a stir and you’re good to go!

While this recipe yields a fairly small batch( you’ll get around 3/4 to 1 cup of syrup depending on how much you strain it). You can halve the recipe if you want a smaller amount, though I find smaller quantities of liquid much harder to blend smoothly in my blender at least.

Or, if you want to make a larger batch, keep what you can reasonably use within 2 weeks in the fridge, and pop the rest in the freezer (be sure to use freezer-safe bottles and leave room for expansion!) Frozen syrup will keep beautifully for up to 6 months.