This frothy pistachio coffee is incredibly easy to make and even more delicious. Nutty and frothy, this homemade specialty coffee drink is better than any latte you can get at a coffee shop. All you need are some pistachios, fresh brewed coffee, espresso powder and your choice of sweetener and added flavorings.
Ingredients
Pistachios
For the best pistachio coffee, be sure to use unsalted roasted pistachios. While some salt is good for balancing sweetness and enhancing flavors, if you use salted pistachios you risk the drink being overly salty. Use any leftover pistachios to make this Pistachio Cake or Pistachio Lemon Bars.
Coffee
For the best flavor we recommend using a combination of strongly brewed coffee and a bit of instant espresso powder. The espresso powder really gives the drink a latte-like flavor. If you don’t have instant espresso powder, that’s OK, just skip it.
Honey
Our preferred sweetener for pistachio coffee is honey—it pairs beautifully with pistachios. If you would like to keep this drink vegan, you can use a pitted date or pure maple syrup.
Optional flavorings
To give this coffee even more flavor, we recommend adding a splash of vanilla, a tiny bit of cardamom (pairs well with pistachio) and a dash of salt to bring out all of the flavors.
How to Make Pistachio Coffee
The process of making this nut-based latte is very similar to the process of making homemade nut milk. It’s simple: soak whole nuts in water for a few hours, rinse and drain the nuts, then purée in a high-powered blender (such as a Vitamix, Ninja or Blendtec) with liquid of choice (water for nut milk, coffee for a latte).
Aside from the liquid used, the only difference between making nut lattes and nut milks is that you don’t need to strain the latte through a cheesecloth like you do with nut milk.
Overall, if you’re a lover of coffee and enjoy a latte from time to time, give this Pistachio Coffee a try!
Test Kitchen Tips
- If you opt to sweeten this with a date, make sure you use a fairly fresh and soft date. If your date is really dry, soak it in hot water with the pistachios to soften it.
- If for some reason the pistachios are blending very smoothly, try blending the mixture in an individual blender cup (they come with a lot of high-powered blenders like the Ninja.
FAQs
Espresso powder is not the same as ground espresso, espresso powder is used as instant espresso so it dissolves quickly and easily. It comes in small glass jars with a green lid, I hope that helps!
Yes! We recommend still soak the pistachios in hot water, it’s an essential step for getting them to blend up creamy and frothy. Additionally, use room temperature water for blending, as opposed to cold, and opt for honey instead of a date for sweetener.
The simmering step helps to bloom the espresso powder, but if you skip that step I would recommend using extra-strong brewed coffee. Alternatively, if you still want that espresso flavor, you could follow the simmering instructions and simply let the mixture cool to room temperature before blending.
You can use any kind of simple syrup either made with white sugar, brown sugar or Turbinado sugar. You can also use coffee syrups like vanilla, caramel, toffee, etc.
More Drinks to Try
If you’re ready to turn your kitchen into a coffee house, try our Maple Latte for another delicious coffee drink to make at home.
Mix up the most refreshing coffee drink for summer—our Espresso Tonic!
Our Healthy Coke Balsamic Vinegar recipe is another fun drink to try. It’s our take on the viral balsamic soda that become popular on TikTok in 2021.
If you like this recipe, then you’ll also enjoy our Vegan Eggnog which is also made with nuts and sweetened with dates.
Drinks & Cocktails
Maple Latte
Drinks & Cocktails
Healthy Coke Balsamic Vinegar Recipe
Winter
Vegan Eggnog
Drinks & Cocktails
Espresso Tonic – Meet the Popular Bubbly Iced Coffee
Creamy Pistachio Coffee
Description
Ingredients
- ¼ cup roasted unsalted pistachios (shelled)
- Hot water
- 1½ cups brewed coffee
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 1 tablespoon honey or 1 pitted date
- Splash pure vanilla extract
- Pinch sea salt
- Pinch ground cardamom optional
Instructions
- Soak pistachios in hot water for at least 1 hour, then rinse and drain. Peel any loose skins from pistachios, then transfer to a blender (preferably a high-powered blender).
- Combine coffee, espresso powder, and honey or date in a saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat then transfer to blender with pistachios. Add vanilla, salt, and cardamom (if using) blend on high 1 minute.
- Pour into a large mug and enjoy.
Save This Recipe!
We’ll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
This post contains affiliate links, the commission is paid by the retailers, at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting all things ZK!
So intriguing! I love the inspiration here, sounds tasty too!
Thank you Liz! 🙂
I just love coffee and this coffee looks so good. I would love to try this coffee. It’s intriguing
Thanks a lot, dear.
Just tried this and loved it! So simple yet so delicious and creamy. I’ll definitely be making this more regularly.
Yay! I’m glad you enjoyed it Heather!
Have you tried this recipe iced? Would any adjustments need to be made to it in that case? It looks delicious! I live in the South and prefer iced coffee in the summer 🙂
Hi Ali! Great question! I think you could definitely make this iced. I would still soak the pistachios in hot water though. Additionally, I would use room temperature water for blending, as opposed to cold, and opt for honey instead of a date for sweetener. The simmering helps to “bloom” the espresso powder, but since you’ll skip that step I would recommend using extra-strong brewed coffee. Alternatively, if you still want that espresso flavor, you could follow the simmering instructions and simply let the mixture cool to room temperature before blending.
I hope that helps!
Sounds delicious! One question: Is espresso powder the same as ground espresso?
Hi Jessica, great question! Espresso powder is not the same as ground espresso, espresso powder is used as instant espresso so it dissolves quickly and easily. It comes in small glass jars with a green lid, I hope that helps!
Already soaking pistachios to make this again – love that it’s naturally sweetened and naturally dairy-free but still so creamy! Reminds me of the pistachio latte at my favorite vegan coffee shop (which is served with a dried apricot and I highly recommend that flavor pairing). Definitely going on my repeat list.