Pistachio Cheesecake Recipe: How to Make Cheesecake

Pistachio cheesecake is a baked dessert consisting of a sweet, tangy, and creamy cheesecake filling set in a graham cracker crust, flavored with pistachios. Cheesecake bakes for a longer time at a lower temperature than traditional cakes because it’s essentially a cheese custard that slowly sets as it bakes. Add pistachios to the sweet filling or crust (or both) for a nutty flavor and crunchy texture.

Pistachio nuts are oblong, dark-green seeds nestled in a cream-colored shell. They grow in clusters on trees, starting as yellow or reddish fruits that ripen until the pistachio shells naturally burst along a seam, revealing the seed inside. Many pistachio desserts feature green food coloring to accentuate the nut’s natural color.

There are many ways to infuse pistachios and pistachio flavors into a cheesecake. Try any of the three pistachio cheesecake variations below.

1. 1. No-bake pistachio cheesecake: Instead of making a custard that bakes in the oven, try a no-bake filling that you can set in the refrigerator. A classic cheesecake filling recipe calls for eggs, but a no-bake filling leaves out the eggs and uses heavy cream and sour cream to help the filling set. Use this basic no-bake cheesecake recipe as a guide, then fold pistachio paste into the filling.
2. 2. Pistachio white chocolate cheesecake: Melt white chocolate and fold it into a pistachio cheesecake filling. The sweetness of the white chocolate complements the savory, salty flavor of pistachios. Learn how to melt white chocolate properly.
3. 3. Pistachio crust cheesecake: Classic cheesecakes have a graham cracker crust. To make a pistachio cheesecake crust, use a 50/50 mixture of graham crackers and ground pistachios to carry the nutty flavor throughout the crust. You can also use ground pistachios alone for a gluten-free alternative to graham cracker crust.

Use the tips below for making creamy, crack-free pistachio cheesecake.

1. 1. Use room-temperature ingredients. Cold ingredients are more difficult to bring together than room-temperature ingredients. Softened cream cheese and room-temperature eggs and sour cream combine into a smooth, lump-free cheesecake filling. The one exception to the room-temperature rule is heavy cream for a no-bake cheesecake: Heavy cream whips up much easier when it is cold.
2. 2. Add pistachio paste to the cheesecake filling. Instead of adding chopped or crushed pistachios to a cheesecake filling, use smooth pistachio paste, also known as pistachio butter. Pistachio butter is a thick mixture with a concentrated pistachio flavor that blends well into a cheesecake batter.
3. 3. Use a springform pan. Instead of a traditional cake pan, bake the pistachio cheesecake in a springform pan. A springform pan has higher sides, resulting in the classic deep-dish look of cheesecake. It’s also easier to remove the cheesecake from this pan since the bottom separates from the sides.
4. 4. Bake the cheesecake in a water bath. Many custard desserts bake in a water bath, also known as a bain-marie. A bain-marie heats the custard evenly, preventing cracks on the cheesecake’s top and an uneven bake.
5. 5. Leave the cheesecake in the oven for one hour after baking. Abrupt temperature changes can cause a cheesecake to crack. One way to prevent cracks is to cool the cheesecake in the oven for one hour. Turn the oven off once the cheesecake sets, then prop the oven door open and allow it to cool slowly.