Pistachio Tiramisu

Looking to shake up your tiramisu game? Look no further. Tiramisu is one of my favorite recipes to riff on—I’m known for our strawberries & cream and limoncello tiramisu recipes—and now I’m making yet another version, this time featuring springy green pistachios. Thanks to a shortcut, no-cook mascarpone cream, it’s easier than traditional tiramisu, and I might just like it even more. Here’s everything you need to know.

How To Make Pistachio Tiramisu

INGREDIENTS

• Heavy Cream: Where Italian tiramisu traditionally involves heating eggs and sugar together, then folding in mascarpone, this recipe skips that step in favor of a lightly whipped cream as the foundation. Feel free to use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream here.
• Confectioners’ Sugar: This helps sweeten the whipped cream layer before the additional pistachio cream is added in. This is a dessert, after all!
• Mascarpone: Creamy, decadent mascarpone cheese is essential in tiramisu. Some brands have different textures, and I prefer BelGioioso for this recipe.
• Pistachio Cream: Not to be confused with pistachio butter, which is made with pistachios only, pistachio cream has additional ingredients like dairy, sugar, and sometimes even white chocolate.
• Ladyfingers: Otherwise known as savoiardi, ladyfingers are a must in tiramisu, because they’re dry and hard enough to soak up a bit of coffee without falling apart entirely.
• Coffee: Though traditional tiramisu uses espresso, I prefer to use a strongly brewed coffee. If you prefer a more concentrated coffee flavor and have access to an espresso machine, by all means, swap it in.
• Almond Extract: Pistachios have a very subtle flavor, so adding a little almond extract helps bring out their warm, fruity notes. Feel free to swap with vanilla if that is all you have, but trust me—it’s worth grabbing a bottle of almond here.
• Pistachios: I love roasted, salted pistachios as much as the next person, but for this recipe, we want the fresh flavor of raw pistachios, plus their vibrant color. If you have roasted on hand, feel free to use those though.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Grab the large bowl of your stand mixer and fit it with the whisk attachment. You can also use a large bowl and a handheld mixer for this. Combine the cream and sugar and beat on medium-high speed just until medium peaks form. Be careful not to overwhip at this point.

In another large bowl, combine the mascarpone and pistachio cream until a light green color forms. It’s okay if there are still some streaks of white in the pistachio cream. Add about one-third of the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture and fold to combine. Folding a bit of the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture helps it to combine without overmixing. Then, go the other direction, and fold the rest of the pistachio mascarpone cream mixture into the remaining whipped cream.

In a shallow dish or long container large enough to dip ladyfingers, combine your cold coffee or espresso and almond extract. Dip each ladyfinger, one or two at a time, into the coffee mixture. Do this for no longer than 1 second; they get soggy very quickly! Place them into the bottom of your 13″ x 9″ pan as you go. You’ll have about 2 rows of 12 ladyfingers placed vertically.

Next, spread half of the cream mixture on top of the ladyfingers. Repeat the layers once more, starting with ladyfingers and ending with the pistachio cream mixture.

Sprinkle the top with chopped pistachios and refrigerate your tiramisu until cold, at least 3 hours and up to overnight. Then scoop out a piece and enjoy!

The full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• Don’t soak the ladyfingers for too long: All it takes is a quick dip, no more than one second, for the ladyfingers to soak up the coffee mixture. Any longer and they’ll become too soggy and fall apart.
• Use raw pistachios: I love roasted, salted pistachios as much as the next person, but for this recipe, we want the pure, fresh flavor of raw pistachios.

Tiramisu Variations

• Strawberries & Cream Tiramisu: In this sweet summer version of the classic dessert, ladyfingers get soaked in heavy cream mixed with triple sec. The citrus-soaked ladyfingers are then layered with decadent mascarpone and strawberry jam.
• Red, White & Blue Tiramisu: This red, white & blue tiramisu, made up of blueberry- and strawberry-studded layers, is perfect for 4th of July, of course, but one bite, and I know you’ll be making it again and again, all summer long.
• Tiramisu Cheesecake Bars: Thanks to the addition of an Oreo crust, these bars really take the (cheese)cake. The buttery Oreo crumb crust gets baked until just toasty, then is topped with a layer of espresso-soaked ladyfinger cookies, a layer of espresso-vanilla cheesecake, and a layer of whipped sweet mascarpone.

Storage

You can store the pistachio tiramisu for up to 5 days, covered, in the refrigerator.

1. Step 1In the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or using a large bowl and handheld mixer), beat cream, sugar, and salt on medium-high speed until medium peaks form (do not whip to stiff peaks).
2. Step 2In a large bowl, mix mascarpone and pistachio cream. Add about one-third of whipped cream to mascarpone mixture and fold to combine. Fold mascarpone mixture into remaining whipped cream.
3. Step 3In a shallow dish or long container large enough to fit ladyfingers, combine coffee and almond extract. Dip each ladyfinger into coffee mixture for about 1 second. Line bottom of a 13″ x 9″ pan with dipped cookies (you should be able to fit 2 rows of 12 ladyfingers vertically). Spread half of cream mixture on top. Repeat with remaining ladyfingers and pistachio cream mixture.
4. Step 4Sprinkle top with crushed pistachios. Refrigerate tiramisu until cold, at least 3 hours and up to overnight.