Pistachio Ice Cream
Pistachio ice cream is a delightful summer treat that comes together easily with a bit of time and an ice cream maker.
Servings 8 servings (1 quart)
Calories 410kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw unsalted pistachios (138g)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (150g)
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 cups heavy cream (480mL)
- 1 cup whole milk (240mL)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- In a food processor, combine the pistachios and sugar and process until finely ground, about 45 seconds. Set aside.
- In a medium heat-proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan, heat the cream, milk, salt, and ground pistachio mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is warm and the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes.
- Gradually whisk in about a cup of the warm cream mixture into the egg yolks. Whisk the egg yolk mixture into a saucepan with the rest of the warm cream.
- Cook over medium heat, gently stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened, coats the back of a spoon, and a thermometer inserted registers 170°F, about 5 minutes.
- Pour through a fine mesh sieve set over a medium bowl, pressing with a rubber spatula to strain out as much liquid as possible from the pistachios. Discard the remaining solids in the sieve.
- Stir the vanilla and almond extract into the cream base. Coll, stirring occasionally, until mixture cools to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until fully chilled, at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
- Pour the chilled pistachio ice cream base into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Spoon the churned ice cream into a freezer-safe 1-quart container. Stir in additional chopped pistachios, if desired. Cover and freeze until firm, 4 to 6 hours.
Notes
- For a brighter green color: Add a drop or two of green food coloring along with the extracts to the ice cream base. I like the natural pale yellowish-brown color of the ice cream without food coloring because it looks just like ground pistachios. But a little bit of enhanced green color makes a really pretty presentation.
- Add more pistachios: If desired, stir in chopped pistachios after churning. You could also sprinkle some on top of each serving as well.
- Strain the custard. Straining the ice cream base will catch any pieces of egg or solid custard, so all that remains is a velvety smooth liquid with no chunks.
- Chill the ice cream base before churning. The liquid base must be cold so it churns well. Pouring hot custard into a frozen ice cream maker will melt the frozen insert before the base freezes into ice cream.
- Freeze the ice cream before serving. Once the ice cream is churned, it needs to be frozen for a few hours until solid. It will still be very soft right after churning. A few hours in the freezer will make it perfectly scoopable.
Nutrition
Calories: 410kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 163mg | Sodium: 178mg | Potassium: 268mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 1086IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 105mg | Iron: 1mg