Pistachio Tiramisu is made with a homemade pistachio butter infused mascarpone cream and topped with chopped pistachios. A delicious Sicilian twist on a classic Italian dessert that requires no baking!
Tiramisu, which means "pick me up" in Italian, is a classic dessert made with coffee infused lady fingers layered with a sweetened, creamy mascarpone cream. And best of all, this easy pistachio tiramisu requires no baking whatsoever!
This is a no-fail dessert that everyone appreciates. If you're looking for an easy, homemade alternative to bakery bought desserts for birthdays or other special occasions, this is perfect for you!
I decided to give tiramisu a little Sicilian twist to it by adding pistachios, both in the filling and topping!
I prepared a homemade pistachio butter and stirred it into the mascarpone cream for a subtle pistachio flavor. If you prefer, you can also use purchased pistachio cream in a jar. I also topped the tiramisu with crushed pistachios to give it a crunchy texture as well as a pretty finish.
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Why do so many Sicilian recipes contain pistachios?
The collection of pistachio recipes on my blog is increasing as the years go by. Referred to by Italians as green gold , pistachios are native of the island of Sicily.
They grow in Bronte, in the volcanic soil of the slopes of Mt Etna where they are harvested by hand once every two years. It's no wonder they are so expensive! In Sicily, you'll find entire shops dedicated to products made with pistachios.
Now I know you won't necessarily find Sicilian pistachios where you live so you'll have to substitute whichever variety are available to you at your local grocery store. However, if you happen to find yourself in Sicily, be sure to pick up a bag of vacuum sealed pistachios to take home as a souvenir!
Pistachio Tiramisu Ingredient List
You'll need the same ingredients to make this version of tiramisu as your classic tiramisu as well as, of course, shelled unsalted pistachios!
- Savoiardi cookies (Italian lady fingers): these crunchy cookies will not fall apart when dipped in the coffee
- Eggs (separated): Most recipes use raw eggs and therefore you may be concerned about the risk of salmonella bacteria. However I cook the egg yolks with sugar over a double boiler to avoid this potential problem.
- Granulated sugar
- Mascarpone cheese: some people mix with whipped cream however I prefer not diluting the flavor of the mascarpone cheese
- Freshly brewed espresso coffee: it must be espresso, not instant coffee!
- Alcohol: Marsala is the alcohol of choice but you can substitute rum; coffee liqueur or even amaretto.
- Cocoa powder
- Pistachios: shelled, unroasted, for both the pistachio butter and topping
- Honey and vegetable oil: for the pistachio butter
The following are step by step instructions with images to guide you through this recipe. Please scroll to the end of this post for the detailed printable recipe card.
How to make Pistachio Tiramisu
- Prepare the pistachio butter: Add shelled pistachios in the bowl of your food processor and process until finely chopped.
- Add honey, vegetable oil and process until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scoop into a bowl and set aside.
- Brew espresso coffee, place in a wide shallow dish. Stir in alcohol of your choice (Marsala, rum, coffee liqueur, or amaretto) and set aside to cool. Separate the eggs and place the whites and yolks in separate bowls. Place the bowl with the egg whites in the fridge to keep cool for whipping them later.
- Prepare a double boiler: Combine the egg yolks with sugar in a bowl and place over a small sauce pan with water simmering in it. The simmering water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. Whisk until the mixture is creamy and pale and forms ribbons when you lift the whisk, about 3 minutes. Let it cool.
- Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- When the egg yolk mixture has cooled, stir in mascarpone cheese until smooth.
- Gently fold in half the egg whites. Stir in the other half.
- Add the pistachio butter and stir until completely incorporated.
- Spread a thin layer of mascarpone cream on the bottom of a rectangular dish (mine is 12 x 10 inches). You can skip this step if you wish, I just like something on the bottom for the cookies to stick to.
- Dip Savoiardi cookies in the cooled espresso coffee, turning once to soak each side and place in an even layer in the dish (1).
- Spread half the mascarpone-pistachio cream mixture over the cookies and gently spread the cream evenly using an offset spatula (2).
Top Tip
Depending on the size of the dish you use, you may use more or less cookies than I specified in the recipe. You may also break cookies in half in order to fill in corners.
- Dip more Savoiardi cookies to make a second layer of cookies over the cream (3).
- Spread the remaining mascarpone-pistachio cream over the cookies and dust lightly with cocoa powder (4).
- Sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Place in the fridge for at least 6 hours. I prefer making my tiramisu a day ahead to allow the cookies to soften and absorb the coffee. Serve cold and keep leftovers refrigerated.
Recipe FAQs
If you don't have Marsala, try substituting with rum, coffee liqueur or amaretto. Or if you prefer you can eliminate the alcohol altogether and only use coffee.
Let set in the fridge at least 6 hours before serving, however I prefer making it the day before.
Instead of 1 large tiramisu, make individually portions in cups or glasses. Spoon some mascarpone cream at the bottom of a glass, break the Savoiardi cookies in pieces to fit the glass, top with more cream and continue layering. Sprinkle with cocoa powder and chopped pistachios and refrigerate.
Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days.
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on my blog please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how much you enjoyed it in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Pistachio Tiramisu
Ingredients
- ¾ cup brewed espresso coffee
- 2 tablespoon alcohol Marsala, rum, coffee liqueur or amaretto
For the pistachio butter
- ½ cup pistachios shelled, unsalted
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 3 teaspoon vegetable oil
For the mascarpone cream
- 4 large eggs separated
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 475 grams mascarpone cheese (just over 1 lb)
To assemble:
- 36 Savoiardi cookies (lady fingers) I used ⅔ of a package
- cocoa for dusting
- ½ cup pistachios chopped
Instructions
- Brew espresso coffee: place in a wide shallow dish. Stir in alcohol of your choice (Marsala, rum, coffee liqueur, or amaretto) and set aside to cool.
For the pistachio butter
- Add shelled pistachios in the bowl of your food processor and process until finely chopped. Add honey, vegetable oil and process until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scoop into a bowl and set aside.
For the mascarpone cream
- Separate the eggs and place the whites and yolks in separate bowls. Place the bowl with the egg whites in the fridge to keep cool for whipping them later.
- Prepare a double boiler: Combine the egg yolks with sugar in a bowl and place over a small sauce pan with water simmering in it. The simmering water should not touch the bottom of the bowl.
- Whisk until the mixture is creamy and pale and forms ribbons when you lift the whisk, about 3 minutes. Let it cool.
- Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. You can do this by hand or with an egg beater.
- When the egg yolk mixture has cooled, stir in mascarpone cheese until smooth. Gently fold in half the egg whites. Stir in the other half. Add the pistachio butter and stir until completely incorporated.
To assemble:
- Spread a thin layer of mascarpone cream on the bottom of a rectangular dish (approx 12 x 10 inch ). You can skip this step if you wish, I just like something on the bottom for the cookies to stick to.
- Dip Savoiardi cookies in the cooled espresso coffee, turning once to soak each side and place in an even layer in the dish.
- Spread half the mascarpone-pistachio cream mixture over the cookies and gently spread the cream evenly using an offset spatula. Dip more Savoiardi cookies to make a second layer of cookies over the cream. Spread the remaining mascarpone-pistachio cream over the cookies.
- Dust lightly with cocoa powder and sprinkle with chopped pistachios.
- Place in the fridge for at least 6 hours or make the day ahead. Serve cold.
Notes
- If you don't have Marsala, try substituting with rum, coffee liqueur or amaretto. Or if you prefer you can eliminate the alcohol altogether.
- Depending on the size of your dish, you may use more or less the amount of cookies suggested in this recipe. You can also break cookies in half in order to fill all corners of your dish.
- Let set in the fridge at least 6 hours before serving, however I prefer making it the day before
- Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days.
- Instead of 1 large tiramisu, make individually portions in cups or glasses. Spoon some mascarpone cream at the bottom of a glass, break the Savoiardi cookies in pieces to fit the glass, top with more cream and continue layering. Sprinkle with cocoa powder and chopped pistachios and refrigerate.
- Please note that the nutritional information provided is approximate and may vary according to exact portion size.
Mary
This recipe doesn’t have enough 5* reviews! I’ve made it a couple of times and it is a favourite in our household. Delicious, and the honey and real ground nuts add a much richer flavour than some other recipes which use pistachio crème.
Nadia
Thank you Mary, that is incredibly kind of you! So glad you enjoyed this recipe and thanks for taking the time to comment. Much appreciated!
Andrea
Absolutely delicious - I've doubled the Pistachio cream for that extra Pistachio taste.
Nadia
Hello Andrea, thank you very much I'm glad you enjoyed it and sure, why not double the pistachio, I'm sure it was delicious!
Mary
Making this for the second time and it is probably one of the best desserts I've ever had! Thank you for this great recipe.
Nadia
Hi Mary, thank you very much, I'm thrilled to hera this!
Vicki
Hi, I have ready made, shop bought pistachio butter. How much would I need to use? Thank you.
Nadia
Hello Vicki, I have not tried the recipe with bought pistachio butter however I would recommend that you start with 1/2 cup then taste and adjust if needed according to your taste. Let me know if you try it out, it would be great to share with my other readers. Thanks!
Sandy
What is 1./2 cups of sugar? Is it supposed to be 1/2 cup of sugar?
Nadia
Hi Sandy, thanks for spotting that typo! Somehow there's always one that manages to slip by me and yes it is 1/2 cup sugar. Corrected!
Katia
Great recipe! I had pistachio tiramisu in Italy a couple years ago and I’ve been looking to recreate it. I tried this today and it worked out perfectly and was a hit! The cookies soak up the espresso mixture fast so flip and remove quickly! Thank you ☺️
Nadia
Hello Katia, I'm thrilled to hear that you enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to share with me!