Pistachio coffee is an absolute treat to sip upon with sweet, creamy & nutty elements to savour. This pistachio latte recipe is quick & easy to make. It’s also far cheaper than buying a take-out flavoured coffee.
Enjoy this drink alongside a serving of pistachio tiramisu.
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Why I love this pistachio latte recipe
- Taste – A rich blend of coffee, nuttiness, sweetness, creaminess. So good!
- Texture – Pistachio cream adds a subtle, luxurious thickness to this drink.
- Uniqueness – Rarely found in cafés, making it a special homemade treat.
- Quick & easy – Ready in about 5 minutes.
- Cheaper than Starbucks – the jar of pistachio cream is an investment but you’ll reap the benefits in the long term.
- Enjoyable cold too – turn it into an iced pistachio latte on warm sunny days (keep reading for details).
This pistachio coffee is a sweet nutty treat in the world of flavoured coffees. It’s probably not one for coffee purists. However, if like me, you like to play with your java and don’t mind sweetness, it’s an absolute treat.
If sweet coffee is your bag don’t miss my Biscoff latte, Irish latte, caramel latte or my Mexican mocha. They are all playful & comforting flavoured coffee drinks.
Ingredients notes
Espresso coffee and milk both feature in my pistachio coffee recipe. But I’ve included a touch of vanilla extract and sea salt alongside the star ingredient pistachio cream (creme) to pull all the ingredients together.
What is pistachio cream?
Pistachio cream (pistachio creme) is a blend of pistachio nuts, sweetener and other ingredients such as milk powder, olive oil or vegetable fats depending on the brand. It is a sweet spread originating from Italy, with a similar consistency to Nutella.
You can buy pistachio cream from Italian delis and online. As it’s not the cheapest it is worth picking up a large jar of pistachio cream to reduce the cost per 100g.
How to make a pistachio coffee at home
Full instructions and measurements are given in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
Step 1. Heat the milk in a pan to around 70C/ 160F then add the salt, vanilla and pistachio cream.
Step 2. Stir with a balloon whisk until smooth.
Step 3. Pour in freshly brewed espresso coffee.
Step 4. Reheat to around 70C/ 160F, stirring with the whisk continuously.
Expert Tips
Top Tip: You can pour the pistachio milk into a milk foamer, velvetiser or use a handheld blender to blitz the drink to make it frothy.
- Use around 18g of espresso powder to brew 80ml of fresh espresso coffee. This is the quantity used for this recipe. Using more/ less espresso powder will affect the final flavour of your pistachio coffee drink.
- Warm your serving cup/ mug/ glass as the drink is being made by filling it with recently boiled water. This will help ensure the drink is served at optimum temperature.
- Don’t allow the milk or coffee to boil. The coffee will taste bitter and your pistachio latte will be too hot to enjoy.
- Taste before adding extra sweetener to this drink. The pistachio cream is already sweet, so sugar is unlikely to be necessary.
Serving suggestions
There is nothing wrong with serving this drink just as it is. Pour it into your favourite mug or coffee glass and enjoy this rich, creamy and decadent nutty pistachio coffee without adornment. However, if you want to push the boat out and lift the indulgence level up a notch or two try the following ideas:
- Whipped cream: a generous swirl of whipped cream floating on top, plus a drizzle of the pistachio cream and a few chopped pistachio nuts enhance this drink’s look.
- Additional pistachio cream: serve your pistachio latte in a coffee glass and swipe a little of the pistachio cream around the inside of the glass to give a visual indication of the flavour. Note that this will increase the sweetness of the drink slightly so you may want to reduce the amount of pistachio cream blended into the drink itself.
- Over ice: you can easily turn this into an iced pistachio latte. Simply heat half of the milk, sir in the other ingredients then decant the liquid into a heatproof jug. Pour in the rest of the milk to cool the drink then serve it over ice.
Frequently asked questions
Freshly brewed espresso coffee is the way to go when making latte-style drinks. As the coffee in this pistachio latte will be significantly altered you don’t have to use a super expensive, high quality one. Just ensure that you are happy with the base flavour your choice delivers. You can go down the decaffeinated route if you would like to.
You can use pistachio syrup instead of pistachio cream. However, I cannot say exactly how much syrup you will need to use. Experiment and find a level that you are happy with (perhaps start with 1-2 tablespoons). The texture of your pistachio coffee will likely be different (slightly less thick & creamy).
Buy pistachio syrup online or make your own pistachio syrup.
I do not recommend using pistachio butter to make this flavoured coffee drink as it is quite a different product to pistachio cream.
If you do make this substitution, then you may need to sweeten your drink. Since the butter may also be coarser in texture than the pistachio cream, the drink may feel gritty to drink.
For ultimate creamy indulgence go with whole (full-fat) milk. Alternatively, go with semi-skimmed milk or your favourite dairy-free milk (I love oat milk for this drink).
Please avoid skimmed milk (fat-free milk). It’s not remotely pleasant (ever) and it will not result in a decadent pistachio latte. Using it would be a waste of the other ingredients.
This is not like a Starbucks pistachio latte. I’m not intending it to be (I’m not a big lover of Starbucks drinks in general). The Starbucks version is made with pistachio syrup and browned butter. My version is made with pistachio cream and does not contain browned butter.
More flavoured coffee to try
Looking for other flavoured coffees for when you fancy a change from this delicious pistachio latte? Here are a few options.
Something to eat with your pistachio coffee?
I’m rather partial to something flavoured with either coffee or pistachio when it comes to snacking with this drink. Here are some ideas:
Have you made this pistachio coffee recipe? Did you serve it warm or turn it into an iced pistachio latte? And did you decorate it at all? If you’re on Instagram, why not post a picture and tag me (@jane_littlesugarsnaps), so I can see?
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Pistachio Coffee (Pistachio Latte)
Ingredients
- 80 ml Espresso coffee made from 18g espresso powder
- 150 ml Milk Whole, Semi-skimmed, Dairy-free
- 30 g Pistachio cream
- ¼ teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon Sea salt
Optional toppings
- Whipped cream
- Pistachio cream
- Chopped pistachio nuts
Instructions
- Fill the serving cup/mug/glass with hot water and set aside.
- Warm the milk in a milk pan to 70℃/ 160℉.
- Stir in the salt, vanilla and pistachio cream using a small handheld whisk.
- Brew the espresso coffee, add to the pan and reheat to 70℃/ 160℉ whisking continuously.
- Pour the hot water out of the serving mug and pour your coffee into it.
- Add toppings as desired and serve immediately.
Notes
- You can pour the pistachio milk into a (paid link) milk foamer, (paid link) velvetiser or use a (paid link) handheld blender to blitz the drink to make it frothy.
- Use around 18g of espresso powder to brew 80ml of fresh espresso coffee. This is the quantity used for this recipe. Using more/ less espresso powder will affect the final flavour of your pistachio coffee drink.
- Warm your serving cup/ mug glass as the drink is being made by filling it with recently boiled water. This will help ensure the drink is served at an optimum temperature.
- Don’t allow the milk or coffee to boil. The coffee will taste bitter and your pistachio latte will be too hot to enjoy.
- Taste before adding extra sweetener to this drink. The pistachio cream is already sweet, so sugar is unlikely to be necessary.
Melissa
I have been making this for a couple of months with a jarred pistachio cream and l love it, but hadn’t thought to add vanilla and salt, which I plan to try immediately. 🙂
If you don’t want sugar, there are pistachio butters without added sugar, or you can make your own by spinning pistachios in a food processor. Really not expensive at all when done that way.
Jane Coupland
Thank you Melissa – I really hope that you like it. I’m a sucker for a sweet latte, but great idea for anybody with a more savoury tooth.
Jane Coupland
Thank you for reading this recipe. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do.