I turned my go-to cheesecake recipe into a smooth and creamy but dense and rich pistachio cheesecake. It can easily be adjusted to fit different size pans.

slice of pistachio cheesecake on a plate with pistachios on the side

Why you’ll love this pistachio cheesecake

Ingredients and process are simple and does not require an *actual* water bath.
It’s smooth and creamy but dense and rich, like a classic cheesecake.
The recipe can be adjusted to make different sizes, from a small batch 6 inch cheesecake to a large 10 inch cheesecake.

slice of cheesecake on a plate with a few bites taken out

Ingredients & substitutions

Cream Cheese: make sure to use the full-fat brick cream cheese. I prefer the Philadelphia brand.
Sugar: I used granulated sugar but this recipe works with light or dark brown sugar as well, it will just slightly darken the color and alter the flavor.
Sour Cream: I’ve tested this recipe with equal amounts of sour cream and greek yogurt several times and have never noticed a difference.
- Plain yogurt should also work fine, just make sure it’s unsweetened.
Eggs: Use large, room temperature eggs.
- If you’re in a pinch, place them in hot water for 5-10 minutes.
Vanilla: I recommend vanilla bean paste or actual vanilla beans. If you’re in a pinch, pure vanilla extract works well too.
Pistachios: I used lightly salted pistachios and just ground them as fine as I could. Then pulsed them with water to make a paste.
- Pistachios have a very subtle flavor so if you want to add pistachio extract as well, I would do about ½ -1 tsp.
- I haven’t tested this with store bought pistachio paste but I reckon it would turn out fine. I believe it’s more runny than the homemade version I made so I recommend reducing the sour cream by half or adding 2 tsp of cornstarch (add with the sugar). The color and texture will be more smooth and more green.
Crust: I used honey graham crackers and paired them with brown butter and just a tiny touch of cinnamon for the most incredible crust.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Prepare your pan by removing the edge of the springform pan. Place a sheet of parchment paper onto the bottom of the pan so that it hangs off the edge. Then attach the side of the springform pan back to the bottom, so the parchment paper should be secure between the two pieces. Lightly spray the sides of the pan with baking spray.

Step 2: Make the crust by browning the butter and then set it aside. Place the graham crackers in a food processor and pulse until they’re fine crumbs. Add the browned butter, sugar and cinnamon and pulse until it’s evenly distributed. Spread the crust into the prepared pan, coming all the way up the sides. Use a ½ cup measuring cup to make the bottom smooth and the corners sharp.

Step 3: Make the pistachio paste by pulsing the pistachios in a food processor until they’re as ground up as they’re going to get. Then add the water and pulse until it sticks to itself and turns into a paste.

Step 4: Make the filling by creaming the room temperature cream cheese with the sugar and pistachio paste until it’s smooth, creamy and glossy. Make sure there are no chunks of cream cheese left.

Step 5: Add the sour cream, vanilla and egg, mixing on low speed until the batter is completely smooth.

cream cheese mixed with pistachio paste and sugar

finished cheesecake filling after adding egg and sour cream — cream cheese mixed with pistachio paste and sugar

Step 5: Pour into the prepared pan and bake at 300F (148C) for 35 minutes nwxy to another pan full of water. Then turn the oven off and use a knife to release the cheesecake from the edge of the pan.

The cheesecake needs to cool slowly to prevent cracking so let it rest for 10 minutes with a crack open and then 10 minutes with the door fully open.

cheesecake before baking — cheesecake finished baking (you can see the edges baked just a tiny bit too quickly here so make sure to keep oven nice and low).

cheesecake finished baking (you can see the edges baked just a tiny bit too quickly here so make sure to keep oven nice and low).

Step 6: Cheesecake should still have wiggle in the center, let it cool on the counter for a few hours before transferring to the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight.

slice of pistachio cheesecake on a plate

Expert tips to get the perfect bake and prevent cracking

Weighing your ingredients with a digital scale is always recommended.
Bake the cheesecake at a lower temperature than normal for a longer period of time. The cheesecake should grow slowly and bake more evenly resulting in a flatter, even top. You can see how my cheesecake in the photo grew up higher on the edges and settled lower in the center – that’s because the outside of the cheesecake baked too quickly compared to the center.
- That happens when the oven temperature is too high or the cheesecake is more liquidy (like subbing heavy cream for sour cream).
The cheesecake needs to cool slowly to prevent cracking so let it rest for 10 minutes with a crack open and then 10 minutes with the door fully open.
Allow the cheesecake to chill in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours (preferably overnight) so that it sets fully.

How to bake a pistachio cheesecake in different size pans

I adapted this from my original cheesecake recipe which I tested in 4 different sizes. It’s pretty straightforward to adjust to whatever pan size you need. The original cheesecake I wrote as an 8 inch. I made this as a 6 inch so it’s easy to size up.

The amount of cheesecake you’ll need for each size pan:

10 inch pan: 4 batches of filling, double batch of crust – bake for 65-75 minutes, rest in the oven for 25 minutes.
9 inch pan: 3 batches of filling, 1.5 batch of crust (also works with a 4 batches if you want a taller cheesecake) – bake for 55-60 minutes, rest in the oven for 20 minutes.
8 inch pan: 2 batches of filling, 1 batch of crust (also works with 3 batches if you want a taller cheesecake) – bake for 45-50 minutes, rest in the oven for 15 minutes.
6 inch pan: 1 batch – bake for 35 minutes, rest in the oven for 15 minutes.

plate with pistachio cheesecake a bite taken out

How to store these cheesecake

To refrigerate, cover the cheesecake with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate it for up to a week. Serve cold or bring to room temperature 1-2 hours before serving.

To freeze the whole cheesecake, wrap it in plastic wrap and then wrap it twice in aluminum foil (or place it in an airtight container big enough).

To freeze slices, place them tightly in an airtight container and then place the container in a freezer bag, squeezing out all the excess air. Bring them back to room temperature by thawing at room temperature for a few hours before serving.

Thanks so much for reading today’s post, if you have any questions just comment down below. Make sure to leave it in the comment section because I can’t answer in the rating section.

If you make my pistachio cheesecake recipe, I’d love it if you left a star rating for me. If it’s less than five stars, please leave a comment with the rating so I know why! 🙂

As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!

Love, B

Yield: 6 inch cheesecake, 4-8 servings