Pistachio Cheesecake
Pistachio cheesecake blends creamy cheesecake with the subtle sweetness of real pistachios. Set on a buttery, pistachio graham cracker crust and topped with whipped cream and crushed pistachios, it’s a rich, elegant dessert that's simply irresistible.
Equipment
- 1 Stand or hand mixer
- 1 blender or food processor
Ingredients
The crust
- 1 sleeve graham crackers (9 full crackers per sleeve)
- ½ cup pistachios ground
- 6 tablespoons salted butter melted
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
The filling
- 4 blocks cream cheese (8 ounces per block) room temperature
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup white sugar
- ¼ cup pistachios ground
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
The toppings*
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream*
- ½ cup powdered sugar*
- ½ cup pistachios ground
Instructions
Creating the pistachio nut crumbs
- Since we will be using the pistachio nut crumbs in the crust, in the filling and on top of the cheesecake, it is best to grind the pistachios into the nut crumbs all at once. Place 1 and ¼ cups of pistachios in a blender or food processor and grind into small nut crumbs. Set aside ½ cup for the crust, ¼ cup for the filling and ½ cup to be used for decorating the cheesecake.
Make the crust
- Preheat the oven to 325°. Spray an 8 or 9 inch springform pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- Add the graham crackers to the food processor and grind until the crackers are mostly fine crumbs.
- Mix the graham cracker crumbs, ½ cup of pistachio nut crumbs, melted butter and 2 tablespoons of white sugar together in a small bowl until well combined and all the cracker crumbs are coated with butter.
- Add the graham cracker mixture to the springform pan. Even out the crust and pack it down with a small pastry roller or the bottom of a measuring cup with medium pressure. It should be packed firmly but not too hard.
- Bake for 6 minutes and set aside to cool.
Make the filling
- Place the room temperature cream cheese into the mixing bowl and mix on low speed until creamy and all lumps are gone. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
- Add the white sugar to the cream cheese in the mixing bowl and mix on low speed until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
- Next, add the pistachio crumbs and almond extract to the mixing bowl and mix on low speed until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
- Add the eggs to the mixing bowl one at a time. Mix on low speed until each egg is combined before adding the next egg. Between eggs, scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
Bake and cool the cheesecake
- Add the filling to the springform pan. Place the springform pan in a larger cake pan. Fill a roasting pan with one inch of water. Carefully add the cake pan with springform pan into roasting pan. [Or, alternatively, if you're not using the moat method, add the springform pan wrapped very well in aluminum foil into roasting pan water bath.]
- Bake at 325° for about 60 minutes until the center is mostly set. Then, turn off the oven and open the oven door to start the cooling process. Leave it alone for two hours. After two hours, remove the springform pan from the oven and let it cool on a cooling rack until it's room temperature.
- When the cheesecake is at room temperature, run a knife around the edges to loosen the cheesecake from the sides. Then, cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours but preferably overnight or longer.
- After 6 hours, or preferably the next day, remove the rim. Also, remove the cheesecake from the bottom of the springform pan (see FAQ if needed) if so desired and top with your favorite topping or a whipped cream topping.
Make the whipped cream topping (optional)
- Put the metal mixing bowl in the refrigerator or freezer until cold while you're gathering ingredients.
- Add the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar to the mixing bowl and mix on medium-high to high speeds until stiff peaks form. The time this takes depends on how cold the bowl and cream are as well as the speed of the mixing. Plan on 5-8 minutes but watch it carefully once it starts to fluff. You can stop the mixer at any time and check for stiff peaks. If the consistency is not at stiff peaks then continue mixing and checking.
- Pipe or spoon the whipped cream topping on to the top of the cheesecake.
- Sprinkle the remaining pistachio crumbs over the whipped topping and exposed cheesecake. If there are any remaining pistachio crumbs, you can press them into the sides of the cheesecake just like you would do if you were finishing a cheeseball.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate. Enjoy!
Notes
*This batch of whipped cream topping makes enough for you to cover the whole cheesecake. If you are familiar with piping and just want to do the edging, you can use 1 cup of heavy whipping cream and ¼ cup of powdered sugar. If you are unsure about piping and only want to do the edging, use 1 and ½ cups of heavy whipping cream and ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar.
Would you like to save this?
Don't worry! We won't spam you!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!