No Bake Pistachio Cheesecake

You’ve had my pistachio cheesecake recipe for about six years now and with all the pistachio bakes I’ve been making lately (that dubai chocolate really set me off recently), I thought we should have a no bake version as well! 

Recipe Origins 

For this recipe, I dug into my archives to find this no bake cashew cheesecake. It had all the elements I needed: already incorporated the nut butter and gave a firm but creamy filling – except we’ll be making the pistachio butter ourselves by toasting then processing raw pistachios into a nut butter paste. 

I kept the oreo crust like in the cashew recipe but added pistachios to it as well. And for the top, a pistachio whipped cream because I had leftover nut butter and why not =) 

Recipe Ingredients 

Pistachios: raw pistachio nutmeats, shells removed. If you have to use toasted or roasted, bake them for less time in the oven (5-7 minutes should do it). We’re using some of the pistachios to grind into a powder for the crust and some to process into a nut butter paste that goes into the filling. 

Oreos: scrape the cookies of the cream before processing otherwise you’ll end up with an overly greasy crust. Alternatively, use graham crackers. 

Butter: unsalted butter. If you are using salted butter, reduce the amount added to the recipe. 

Cream cheese: full fat cream cheese. This MUST be at room temperature. 

Powdered sugar: I prefer to use powdered sugar made with tapioca starch because it melts on the tongue and doesn’t need to be heated (you won’t have that chalky taste cornstarch usually leaves.)

Salt: fine sea salt. 

Vanilla: pure vanilla extract. 

Heavy Cream: or heavy whipping cream. I use ultra-pasteurized. Keep it cold, using it straight from the fridge. 

How to Make No Bake Pistachio Cheesecake 

Do Ahead: Make the pistachio flour and the pistachio paste 

This can be done the day before, or up to a week if the ‘flour’ and paste are stored in airtight containers. The flour can be stored at room temperature, the paste should be stored in the fridge. 

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spread all the raw pistachios needed for the recipe on a baking tray (100g for the crust, 100g for the filling and if using 20g for the whipped cream). 

Toast for 10 minutes, shaking the pan at the 5 minute mark to ensure even heating. 

Out of the oven, divide the pistachios: set aside about 120g to make the paste and grind the first 100g using a food processor. Stop grinding for the crust when you have tiny bits, rather like almond flour. 

Transfer the ‘pistachio flour’ to a bowl and set aside to cool. 

Add the remaining ~120g to the food processor (no need to clean it) and process until you have a loose paste that easily runs off the spoon when lifted. Depending on the strength of your food processor this can take anywhere from 10-30 minutes. 

Make the Crust 

Before grinding the oreo cookies, use a butter knife or an offset spatula to scrape off and discard the creme filling. This is an added oil that can mess with the structure of the crust. 

Grind the cookies into fine crumbs. Melt the butter and to the bowl with the butter add the crumbs, ‘pistachio flour’, and powdered sugar. Stir until you have wet crumbs. 

To prep the pan: use an 8 or 9 inch springform pan and place a sheet of parchment paper on the bottom then clip the ring around it. 

Spread half of the crumbs on the bottom of the pan then carefully and slowly pack the crumbs up the sides. Use a measuring cup or a jar to help you pack in the crumbs on the bottom and the sides so they are in an even layer. 

Preheat the oven and bake the first for 10 minutes. Out of the oven the crust may look a bit bubbled, use a jar to press it back down into shape. 

Set aside to cool fully. 

Make the Filling 

Set the cream cheese in a medium sized bowl and press it against the bottom and sides, this helps remove any lumps. 

Add 100g of the pistachio paste, vanilla and salt and beat with a hand mixer until well combined. 

Add the powdered sugar and the cold heavy cream and beat until the mixer is leaving ribbons in the bowl; it should look like a fluffy, airy but stable whipped cream’s stiff peaks. 

Pour the filling into the cooled crust and smooth into an even layer. 

Chill the cheesecake for at least 4 hours but preferably overnight so it can set properly. 

Make the Topping (optional) 

Set all the ingredients in a food processor and process on high until thick, you should be able to lift the pistachio whipped cream with a spoon and it won’t droop off. 

Spread over the chilled pie. 

The pie should be stored in the fridge, it will last 3-4 days. 

Alternative Toppings for the Cheesecake

Chocolate Whipped Cream: use this recipe for a stabilized chocolate whipped cream. 

Vanilla Whipped Cream: make this stabilized whipped cream. 

Chocolate Ganache: chop 100g semi-sweet or dark chocolate and set it in a bowl. Heat 110g of heavy cream until it’s bubbling at the sides and steaming, then pour it over the chocolate. Give it a quick stir and set aside for a minute then stir until smooth. Add a pinch of fine sea salt and a dash of vanilla, if desired. 

No Bake Pistachio Cheesecake Recipe

No Bake Pistachio Cheesecake

Creamy pure pistachio no bake cheesecake made from a homemade pistachio paste and housed in an oreo pistachio crust.

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Chill Time: 8 hours hrs

Yields: 9 inch pie

5 from 2 votes

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Ingredients

Pistachios (ground & paste)

• 227g raw pistachios divided (100g of the pistachios will go into the crust, 100g into the filling and the remainder can go into the whipped cream - the remaining 7 will likely get lost in the scraping and moving from one device to another)

Oreo Pistachio Crust

• 230g or 2 cups oreos ground into fine crumbs
• 100g pistachios ground into a powder, from above
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar optional, sweetens & helps firm up the crust
• 90g or 6 tablespoons butter melted

No Bake Pistachio Cheesecake Filling

• 452g or 2 bricks full fat cream cheese softened to room temperature
• 100g pistachios ground into a paste (from above)
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 70g or ½ cup powdered sugar preferably with tapioca starch (not cornstarch - check the label)
• 240g or 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Pistachio Whipped Cream (Optional)

• 20g pistachio paste from above
• 35g or ¼ cup powdered sugar
• Pinch fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 240g or 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Method

Prepare the nut components (can be done up to a week ahead of time)

• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spread all the pistachios onto a baking pan and bake for 10 minutes, shaking the pan halfway for even heating.
• Separate the nuts into two bowls, into one add 100g of pistachios (this will be for the crust) and into the other 127g (this is for the filling and optionally for the whipped cream).
• First process the nuts for the crust, blend them on high until you have a pistachio flour, it should look like almond flour, the nuts being in little bits. Transfer back into the bowl and let cool.
• Add the nuts for the filling (127g) into the food processor and this time we’re going to process on high until we have a loose paste. This can take up to 30 minutes depending on your food processor and may require scraping the bowl a few times. Once you can stir the paste and it easily runs off the spoon when lifted, it’s done. Set aside to cool.
• If making ahead of time, store both the ‘pistachio flour’ and ‘pistachio paste’ in an airtight container. The flour should be kept at room temperature, the paste in the fridge.

Make the crust

• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Set a sheet of parchment paper over the bottom of a 8 inch or 9 inch springform pan then clip the ring to it.
• Remove the cream from the oreos then weigh them to ensure you have the right amount. Grind them in a food processor until you have fine crumbs.
• In a medium sized heatproof bowl, melt the butter. Set the oreo crumbs (or graham cracker crumbs) into the bowl along with the ground pistachios (pistachio flour) and the powdered sugar. Stir until mixed and you have wet crumbs.
• Press the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of the pan, use a measuring cup or jar to help you pack them into an even, tall layer.
• Bake the crust for 10 minutes. If it looks warped out of the oven, use the cup to press it back into place. Let cool fully before making the filling.

Make the pistachio filling

• The cream cheese must be at room temperature before starting. Set it in a medium sized bowl and press it into the bottom of the bowl to remove lumps. Add the pistachio paste to the bowl, the vanilla and salt and use a hand mixer to beat until well mixed - but stop once it is, we don’t want to make the cream cheese runny.
• Add the powdered sugar and cold heavy cream to the bowl and beat until the mix is thick, fluffy and holds ‘stiff peaks’ by leaving ribbons in the mix. It should not slop off the spoon when lifted.
• Pour the filling into the chilled crust. Smooth into an even layer. Set in the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours but preferably overnight so it can set properly.

Optional: make the pistachio whipped cream topping

• Set all the ingredients in a food processor and process until the mix is thick and fluffy, it should not drop off the spoon when lifted. Spread over the chilled pie and sprinkle with additional nuts, if desired.

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