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

Pistachio Cheesecake Recipe

Bernice Baran
Rich and creamy pistachio cheesecake baked in a brown butter graham cracker crust. Recipe can be easily adjust to any size pan.
5 from 4 votes
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Additional Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 55 minutes
Course Cheesecake
Cuisine American
Servings 6 slices
Calories 386 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

Graham Cracker Crust

  • 6 Tbsp (85g) salted butter, browned to be 56g*
  • 1 pack 124g/8 full sheets of graham crackers
  • 1 Tbsp (25g) granulated sugar
  • Tiny pinch of cinnamon *optional

Pistachio Paste**

  • 2 oz lightly salted pistachios without shells
  • 3-5 tsp water

Cheesecake Filling

  • 8 oz (1 brick) cream cheese room temperature
  • 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup (60g) pistachio paste
  • 1/4 cup (60g) sour cream room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 large egg room temperature

Instructions
 

Brow Butter Graham Cracker Crust

  • In a small pot, over medium heat, cook butter cook the butter for 5-10 minutes, stirring intermittently until it begins to bubble and foam.
    6 Tbsp (85g) salted butter, browned to be 56g*
  • Then stir continuously until you see the milk solids browning and settling on the bottom. Pour the butter into a bowl and allow it cool for a few minutes. 
  • Preheat the oven to 300F (148C) conventional (no fan) and grease and line a 6 inch springform pan with baking spray and parchment paper.*
  • Place the graham crackers in the bowl of your food processor and turn it to full speed, until the graham crackers are finely ground.
    1 pack
  • Add the sugar, cinnamon and the melted butter (should be 4 Tbsp/56g after browning) and pulse until the butter looks evenly distributed.*
    1 Tbsp (25g) granulated sugar, Tiny pinch of cinnamon
  • Dump the crumbs into the prepared pan and use a 1/2 cup measuring cup to press it down evenly, coming up only halfway on the edges.
  • Bake the crust for 5-10 minutes, while you prepare the filling.

Pistachio Paste**

  • Place the pistachios in a food processor and pulse until they're as ground as they're going to get.
    2 oz lightly salted pistachios
  • Add the 3 tsp of water to it and blend. Add 1 more tsp at a time if needed, just until it sticks to itself and turns into a paste.
    3-5 tsp water

Pistachio Cheesecake Filling

  • It's important that everything is softened to room temperature. If you need to, place the cream cheese (with the packaging) and the egg in a bowl of hot water for 5-10 minutes and microwave the sour cream for 10-20 seconds.
  • Place the cream cheese with the pistachio paste and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a hand mixer). Turn the mixer to low speed and mix for 1-2 minutes, scraping the edge of the bowl every so often to make sure the mixture is smooth and there are no chunks of cream cheese left.
    1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar, 1/4 cup (60g) pistachio paste, 8 oz (1 brick) cream cheese
  • Add the sour cream, vanilla and salt and mix at low speed, until they're fully combined. Then add the egg and mix just until it's fully combined.
    1/4 cup (60g) sour cream, 1 tsp vanilla bean paste, 1/4 tsp fine sea salt, 1 large egg
  • Scrape the edge of the bowl well and give it one more good mix. Make sure to get smooth out any visible chunks and don't increase the speed so you don't incorporate air.
  • Fold the batter a few times before pouring it over the crust. Place the cheesecake on the middle rack of the oven and place another pan full of hot water next to it.
  • Bake for 35 minutes. The edges of the cheesecake should be set but the center should still be jiggly.
  • Turn the oven off and leave the door a little open for 10 minutes. Then open the door of the oven all the way for another 10 minutes.
  • Remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow it to cool to room temperature for a couple of hours. Then refrigerate for at least 6 hours before serving.

Notes

*if you skip browning the butter, make sure to use 56 grams to mix with the graham crackers.
  • Double the recipe for an 8 inch pan
  • Triple the recipe for a 9 inch pan
  • Quadruple the recipe for a 10 inch pan
** If you want a brighter green color and less of a brown color you'll need to peel to skin off the pistachios. To do that, just bring a small pot of water to a boil, place the pistachios in for 2 minutes and then drain and run under cold water to cool for a minute. Then peel the skin off. This is tedious and requires more time but that's what I did for this color. Alternatively you could also add a drop of green food coloring.

Nutrition

Calories: 386kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 6gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 101mgSodium: 320mgPotassium: 183mgFiber: 1gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 996IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 65mgIron: 1mg
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