Pure pistachio paste is one of the essential ingredients for making excellent pistachio desserts: cakes, creams, gelato, granita, milkshakes, molten lava cakes, and much more! You often ask me which ones to buy and where, so I've created a small selection of the best pure pistachio pastes.
This isn't a definitive ranking, but rather a collection that also takes into account availability and value for money. Obviously, where it's worth it, I will highlight specific strengths.
I have only included pastes that are 100% pistachio. In fact, "pistachio-flavored" pastes exist, but they are not pure, as they contain sugar, almonds, cashews, etc.
PISTACHIO BUTTER? PURE PASTE? SEMI-FINISHED PRODUCT? WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
Pure paste is also called a "pistachio semi-finished product" (in professional pastry jargon) and recently "pistachio butter" has become trendy (especially in the fitness world). They are essentially the same thing. What can vary is the degree of refinement, i.e., how finely the pistachio is ground until it becomes almost "liquid".
Generally, the more refined ones are able to release more pistachio flavor when mixed into something (creams, gelato, doughs, etc.) but can be cloying if eaten straight. Conversely, the less refined ones, which are more granular, are also pleasant for direct consumption (this is the case with the aforementioned "pistachio butter").
THE PISTACCHISSIMO SELECTION
- Evergreen: excellent, with a medium/high degree of refinement, made with Bronte pistachio DOP.
One of my favorites. Semi-fluid consistency, which makes it easy to blend into recipes. - Don Tanu: excellent, with a medium/high degree of refinement, made with Bronte pistachio DOP.
One of the best I've ever tasted. Semi-fluid consistency, which makes it easy to blend into recipes, but with some granular traces that make it very delightful.
- LorCam: excellent, with a medium/low degree of refinement, made with Bronte pistachio DOP.
One of my favorites. Very granular consistency, which makes it great to enjoy even as if it were a 100% pistachio cream! - AromaSicilia: excellent, with a high degree of refinement, made with Bronte pistachio DOP.
One of my favorites. Creamy consistency, which makes it easy to use and powerful for flavoring any preparation.
High chlorophyll content, which gives preparations an intense green color. - : excellent, with a high degree of refinement, made with Sicilian pistachio.
The large format is very cost-effective (and you can store it in the fridge for a long time) if you plan on making many desserts! - Gusto Etna: good, with a high degree of refinement.
Creamy consistency, which makes it easy to use and powerful for flavoring any preparation.
Lots of added chlorophyll, which gives preparations an intense green color.
Great value for money and can also be found on Amazon and in some supermarkets (spotted in the former Auchan stores in Catania and Palermo).
OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS
Below are other pure pastes with good value for money if you want to buy on Amazon (because some have absurd prices). I haven't tried these, but knowing the companies and analyzing the product sheets, I am quite sure they are very good.
- Mangiù: 190g jar, made with Sicilian pistachio.
- BronteDolci: 1 kg bucket, quite convenient if you need to make a lot of desserts.
CAN I SUBSTITUTE IT WITH JARRED CREAM IN RECIPES?
Short answer: NO!
Pure paste is 100% pistachio, so if you really can't get your hands on it, you can substitute it with pistachio flour, which at least is always 100% pistachio.
You can even make it at home by grinding whole pistachios or chopped pistachios as much as you can. The flavoring power is slightly lower, but still comparable (obviously, the key factor remains the quality of the pistachio used).
Jarred cream, on the other hand, is not a substitute, because it typically contains 30/40% pistachio, so if you replace 100g of pure paste with 100g of cream, in the end, you will have used much less pistachio!
Furthermore, the cream contains sugars, fats, and much more, which could upset the balance of the recipe.
For general questions and advice, you can contact me via Facebook, Instagram, or E-Mail.
For specific questions about products (gluten-free, dyes, etc.), I recommend contacting the producers directly.
Initial image credits: Bontitaly
