I love the abundance of summer fruit. Peaches, berries, plums, cherries, melons, and apricots are everywhere, and it is hard not to want to bring them all home from the market. Still, this is a time to be thoughtful. For now, I am choosing desserts made with roasted, grilled, baked, poached, or otherwise cooked fruits.

A Reminder About Cyclospora

Cyclospora is a parasite that has been linked to outbreaks from contaminated fresh produce. Unlike many other foodborne concerns, Cyclospora is not reliably removed by rinsing or washing produce. Even careful washing and scrubbing may not eliminate it.

That doesn’t mean we have to give up summer desserts. It does mean I am making some simple adjustments in my kitchen. Cooking fruit is a delicious option, and cooked fruit desserts can be every bit as beautiful, colorful, and satisfying as fresh ones.

Dried fruits work in many desserts, too. I use sulfite-free dried fruit, and it can be lovely in compotes, fillings, sauces, baked desserts, and other sweets.

Are Fruit Desserts Safe During a Cyclospora Outbreak?

Fruit desserts can still be enjoyed during a Cyclospora outbreak, but I am choosing them with extra care. My preference right now is to cook the fruit whenever possible.

Think gently simmered fruit, baked galettes, grilled peaches, poached pears, roasted berries, and warm fruit sauces. These desserts still taste like summer, and in some cases, cooking brings out even more of the fruit’s natural sweetness.

This is also a good time to enjoy desserts made with peeled fruit, cooked fruit, or fruit that has been baked into a filling. A fruit grunt, galette, cobbler, crisp, compote, or grilled fruit dessert can feel every bit as celebratory as a bowl of fresh berries.

Best Practices in My Kitchen

These are practices I follow all the time, and they are especially important now:

• I have always scrubbed the outer coverings of fruits and vegetables, including melons, avocados, citrus, really anything with a peel or rind, before cutting into them. If not, any germs on the produce can transfer to the knife and then to the food.
• Always wash your hands before, during, and after preparing food.
• Scrub your knives and cutting boards well.
• Keep produce, prep tools, and work surfaces clean.

Produce I Am Avoiding for Now

For now, it is safest to avoid fresh produce that’s been associated with Cyclospora outbreaks until public health officials determine it is safe. This includes:

• Bagged and boxed salads and salad mixes
• Clamshell boxes of fresh berries
• Fresh herbs, particularly cilantro and basil
• Fresh raspberries and blackberries
• Sugar snap peas
• Green onions
• Other imported fresh produce identified in current public health advisories

Personally, I am choosing produce from the smaller, local farms at my farmers market, and I’m happy to have herbs and tomatoes growing on my small terrace.

Cyclospora and Fruit Desserts: What I’m Making Now

There are still so many wonderful desserts to enjoy. Here are a few cooked or peeled fruit desserts I recommend right now:

• Fruit Grunt – A comforting dessert of gently cooked seasonal fruit topped with tender dumplings.
• Peach Melba – Briefly blanch and peel peaches before serving them with raspberry sauce.
• Grilled Peaches with Mascarpone Cream and Pistachios – Grilling peeled peaches brings out their natural sweetness for an elegant summer dessert.
• Blueberry Galette – From my Essential Vegan Desserts course at Rouxbe. The dough I used for the galette is my olive oil pastry dough. I added a heaping teaspoon of ground cardamom from Burlap and Barrel to the macerating blueberries, oh my, and then added more plus cardamom extract to the Vanilla Pastry Cream accompaniment.

Cooked fruit can be vibrant, fragrant, and deeply satisfying, especially when paired with a smooth, creamy element. Vanilla Pastry Cream is a lovely classic to keep on hand for summer desserts. Spoon it over cooked peaches, roasted berries, poached pears, or other cooked fruits for something simple, elegant, and comforting.

And when you want something completely fruit-free, Peanut Butter Mousse or Peanut Butter Cups are always a good idea.

A few simple adjustments can help us continue to enjoy delicious summer desserts while reducing risk. In regards to Cyclospora and fruit desserts, my best advice is simple:

If you can cook it, cook it.

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This recipe comes from my cookbook Vegan Chocolate: Unapologetically Luscious and Decadent Dairy-Free Desserts. While the book is filled with chocolate desserts, this vanilla pastry cream is one of those essential recipes that belongs in every dessert kitchen. It is smooth, lightly sweet, and adaptable enough to pair beautifully with fruit, chocolate, cakes, tarts, and more.

Why I Love This Vanilla Pastry Cream

I love recipes that do more than one thing, and this vanilla pastry cream is a perfect example. It can be spooned into a tart shell, layered into parfaits and trifles, served with berries, or used as a thick, rich-tasting sauce for a wide variety of desserts.

It is also lovely on its own. Chill it until it is cold and spoonable, or freeze it and enjoy the way it tastes like ice cream. The versatility makes it especially helpful when you want one reliable recipe that can move in several different directions. The cream takes on flavor beyond vanilla. I love adding cardamom, for example. 

The cream is so easy to make, but using a high-speed blender, such as a Vitamix, makes the smoothest cream. Be sure to bring the cream to a boil to activate the agar. If you do not have a high-speed blender, soak the cashews until very soft and make the cream in batches, without the agar.

A Plant-Based Dessert Staple

Classic pastry cream is usually made with dairy and eggs, but this version is completely plant-based. It still gives you the smooth texture and rich flavor you want in a dessert cream, without relying on traditional ingredients.

I think of vanilla pastry cream as a foundation recipe. Once you have it made, dessert can be as simple as adding fruit, cake, chocolate sauce, cookie crumbs, or a spoon. It can also become part of something more elaborate, like a tart, pie, trifle, or layered parfait.

Ways to Use It

This cream is thick enough to use as a filling for pies and tarts, but soft enough to layer into individual desserts. Spoon it into pretty glasses with fruit and cake for an easy trifle, or alternate it with berries and crunchy toppings for a parfait.

It also works as a sauce. Serve it over brownies, chocolate cake, poached fruit, crisps, or any dessert that would benefit from something creamy and vanilla-scented. When frozen, it becomes a simple soft-serve style dessert with a flavor that reminds me of ice cream.

Texture Notes

The guar gum can be eliminated if you prefer. In this case, increase the agar to ½ teaspoon. This gives you another option, depending on what you have in your kitchen and the texture you want.

For a pourable cream, omit the guar and agar altogether. That version is wonderful when you want a creamy sauce to drizzle over desserts rather than a thicker filling.

A No-Waste Blender Tip

Before washing out the blender, add a little water or plant milk and run it on high. Save that sweet liquid for smoothies. It is a small step, but it captures every bit of flavor and keeps something delicious from going down the drain. And it makes cleaning the blender easier.

Vanilla Pastry Cream Variations

Once you have the basic cream, you can easily change the flavor. Here are some of my favorite ways to make it your own:

• Omit the guar and agar to make a pouring cream.
• Use coconut sugar to make a delicious, almost butterscotch cream.
• Use softened, pitted Medjool dates to make a refined sugar-free cream that tastes of caramel.
• Add finely grated zest of an organic lemon for a fresh addition.
• Add ¼ teaspoon or more of almond extract for an amaretto note.
• Swirl some ganache into the cream, just barely mixing in the chocolate for a beautiful contrast.
• Mix with thawed frozen blueberries, including the juice from the defrosted berries.

Keep This Recipe Close

This is the kind of recipe I return to again and again because it is practical, delicious,  easy to adapt, and simple to make.  It can be the start of a simple dessert or the creamy layer that makes a more elaborate one feel complete.

Use it for pies, tarts, parfaits, trifles, sauces, frozen desserts, or your own favorite combinations. Once you make it, you may find that you always want a batch ready in the refrigerator or freezer. The cream freezes beautifully in a tightly closed container. Allow it to soften in the refrigerator, stir, and use as desired.

For a smooth, versatile, dairy-free dessert staple, keep this vanilla pastry cream recipe close.

Print

Versatile Vanilla Pastry Cream

Recipe from Vegan Chocolate: Unapologetically Luscious and Decadent Dairy Free Desserts by Fran Costigan

Course Dessert

Servings 1.5 Cups

Author Fran Costigan

Ingredients

• 5 ounces /143g raw cashews rinsed, soaked 4 hours to overnight or hot soak
• soaked weight/ 173g
• 1 cup canned full -fat canned coconut milk/ 240g mixed thoroughly (do not use light)
• 6 tablespoons /79g organic cane sugar
• 1 tablespoon neutral tasting neutral oil/ 15g such as sunflower
• 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3/8 tsp agar powder
• 1/8 tsp guar gum see notes
• Seeds from one 2-inch vanilla bean or 1 tablespoon 1/2 ounce/15ml pure vanilla extract

Instructions

• Rinse and drain the cashews in a strainer. It is important that the cashews are drained well before starting recipe.
• Blend together the cashews, coconut milk, sugar, oil, guar gum and salt, in high-speed blender,starting on low. Increase the speed to high and blend for 2 minutes, or until the mixture is smooth, thick, and hot. You will see steam coming from top of blender.
• Next, add the agar powder. Blend, starting on low, and quickly increase the speed to high. Blend for 1-2 minutes, or until the mixture boils. It will actually sputter. If you hear the motor laboring at any point, or if the cream stops moving, use the tamper to move and push the cream until it starts moving again. Add the vanilla bean seeds and extract and pulse to combine.
• Immediately pour the cream into a container. It will be very thick, and easiest to remove from the blender while it's hot.
• Cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. The pastry cream will continue to thicken as it chills. Stir before using.
• Refrigerate in a covered container for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 2 months

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That’s the truth. One of the most common concerns I hear from baking students is that they’ve followed a recipe carefully, measured accurately, and still didn’t achieve the results they expected.

Many times, the recipe isn’t the problem if it’s been carefully followed. The oven is the problem.

A few years ago, after renovating my kitchen, I invested in a new oven. It’s a GE Café oven with multiple baking modes and a feature that allows me to start preheating from an app on my phone. That’s something I’ve come to appreciate.  I  also use a Breville countertop oven regularly for testing recipes and baking.

Both ovens bake reliably. Both ovens also lie.

Not because they’re broken or poorly made. They simply do what ovens do. Most ovens are inaccurate, inconsistent, and uneven. Understanding that reality is a valuable lesson for a baker.

What the Oven Thermometer Reveals

When you set your oven to 350°F, don’t assume it’s actually baking at 350°F at the preheat signal.

Many home ovens run anywhere from 15°F to 50°F higher or lower than the temperature displayed on the control panel, and they fluctuate throughout the baking cycle.

That’s why I encourage every baker to use an oven thermometer. In fact, I keep two thermometers in my larger oven set on different racks and one in my countertop oven.

Testing your oven at several temperatures such as 300°F (150°C), 350°F (175°C), and 400°F (205°C) is one of the easiest ways to learn how your oven behaves. Once you know whether your oven runs hot or cool, you can adjust your oven’s temperature dial and bake with much more confidence.

Don’t Trust the Preheat Signal

One of the biggest misconceptions about baking is believing your oven is ready when it says it is.

Most ovens signal that they’re preheated when the air inside reaches the target temperature. The racks, walls, baking stone, or baking steel may still be heating. Ignore the early ding and check your thermometer instead.

Before teaching a recent class on this topic, I reached out to my friend Rose Levy Beranbaum about her preheating times. Rose, the award-winning author of many books including The Cake Bible, The Bread Bible, and The Cookie Bible, is considered the doyenne of precise baking; her recommendations matched my own experience.

She recommends allowing:

• At least 30 minutes for most ovens
• Up to 40 minutes for larger ovens
• About an hour when using a baking stone or baking steel

Many bakers are surprised by those numbers, but proper preheating is essential for consistent baking results.

Your Oven Is Constantly Changing Temperature

Even after preheating, your oven does not maintain a perfectly steady temperature.

A 350°F oven may cycle down to 325°F, then climb to 375°F, before settling back again. Those fluctuations are a fact. The displayed temperature is really an average over time.

I also asked Rose whether electric ovens fluctuate less than gas ovens. Like many bakers, I had always learned that was the case. Rose told me she thought so too, until a technician explained otherwise. She was surprised to learn that gas ovens often fluctuate less than electric ovens.

The takeaway is simple: Learn how your particular oven behaves. I watch my thermometers. I take notes. I make adjustments when necessary

There are also a few simple things you can do to help maintain a more stable baking environment:

• Avoid opening the oven door unnecessarily and, when you do, make it quick. Every time you open the door, heat and moisture escape.
• Multiple pans increase recovery time after the door has been opened.
• Weather and kitchen humidity can affect baking results more than many bakers realize.

These small details may seem insignificant, but they can affect the consistency of your bakes.

Every Oven Has Hot Spots

No oven heats evenly. Every oven has areas that bake faster than others. Some spots brown more quickly. Others remain cooler.

A simple test is to bake a tray of bread slices or sprinkle coconut flakes across a sheet pan. You’ll quickly see which areas brown faster than others.

Once you’ve identified your hot spots, you can work with them rather than fight them.

• Rotate pans halfway through baking when necessary.
• Learn where your oven runs hot and where it runs cool.
• Adjust pan placement based on what you’re baking.

Professional bakers don’t have magical ovens. They simply know the lies their ovens tell and bake accordingly.

Rack Position Makes a Difference

Something as simple as moving a pan one rack higher or lower can dramatically affect the outcome of a bake.

For most cakes, cookies, quick breads, and pastries, the center rack provides the most even heat and the most reliable results.

The upper rack tends to create more browning and more doming, which can be helpful for cupcakes, but not cake layers.

The lower rack receives stronger bottom heat and is ideal for pie crusts that need a good start before the filling fully cooks.

Convection Baking Requires Adjustments

Convection bake mode is useful. Bakes take less time, and the results are often better than in conventional bake mode.  This mode, however, requires adjustment.

As a starting point, I recommend reducing the temperature in home ovens by 25°F (15°C) and checking for doneness earlier than the recipe suggests.

Convection works beautifully for most baked goods, but not for meringues and some more delicate items.

As with any baking technique, observation is key.

Trust Your Senses More Than the Clock

Recipes provide estimated baking times. A recipe may say to bake for 30 to 35 minutes, but your cake may be done sooner or need a few extra minutes.

Instead of asking, “Has it baked for 30 minutes?” ask:

• How does it smell?
• How does it look?
• How does it feel when lightly touched?
• Does it pass the recipe’s doneness test?

Different baked goods require different doneness tests, and understanding what to look for is essential.

For cakes, begin by observing the structure. The cake should be risen, and the sides will have pulled away from the pan. A wooden cake tester inserted into the center should come out with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it.

The clock is a guide. Your senses are more valuable.

Get to Know Your Oven

One of the best habits a baker can develop is keeping notes.

Create what I call an oven profile. Record the temperatures you observe with your thermometer. Note any hot spots. Write down which rack positions work best for particular recipes. Keep track of adjustments you make when using convection. Over time, you’ll build a personalized guide to your oven’s behavior.

Bakers often assume better results come from buying a better oven. In my experience, better results come from understanding the oven you already have. Now test your oven and bake something yummy!

Join me, Chef Fran Costigan, Rouxbe Director of Vegan Pastry, for a discussion and practical information about chocolate. We’ll explore its many forms, functions, and best uses in vegan desserts. From types of cocoa powder to bars, fèves, and chips, you’ll learn how to choose the right form for specific recipes and how chocolate behaves in batters, creams, and glazes.

I’ll also cover the basics of melting and tempering. Common problems, including seized or overheated chocolate, will be looked at. Expect to learn how to choose quality chocolate, what labels really mean, and how to fix common mistakes.

Bring your queries and questions about chocolate, I’ll be ready to answer them!

My Rouxbe Live classes are always free. Just be sure to register so you can watch live, and if you miss it, we’ll send you the replay link to watch at your convenience.

Register here: https://rouxbe.com/live-events/1052

I’m so excited about this trip and would love you to meet my partners, Kim and Margo,  and to hear the story behind how this dream trip to Provence came together.

How This Dream Trip Took Shape

While working with Kim Giovacco of Veg Jaunts and Journeys on her Philadelphia tours, I said, almost offhand:

“I’d love to lead a trip to Provence.”

Kim’s response?
“I’d love that too, but Provence isn’t very vegan-friendly.”

Challenge accepted. And I had an idea.
Enter Chef Margo de Groot Coenen, the perfect connection!
I reached out to Margo, whom I first met when she was enrolled in my Essential Vegan Desserts course at Rouxbe. She’s actually a triple Rouxbe graduate, also completing the Plant-Based Professional and Blue Zones programs.

Margo lives in Viens, a perched medieval village in the Luberon region of France, where she is the chef-owner of the celebrated Picnic en Provence, the first whole food plant-based outfit in Provence . I proposed our idea.

Her answer– Oui, Yes. Let’s go!

From there, Kim, Margo, and I spent over six months thoughtfully collaborating to design a one-of-a-kind, fully vegan journey to Provence.

Meet Your Hosts

Kim Giovacco

Kim is truly living her dream, turning her passions for travel and veganism into a thriving career. Since 2016, Veg Jaunts and Journeys has run 57 small group vegan tours around the world. An incredible 65% of bookings come from returning travelers, and half of the guests have joined more than one tour! Veg Jaunts and Journeys donates 5% of its profits to large and small animal sanctuaries in the United States.

In short: you are in very good hands.

Follow Kim on Facebook and Instagram. Be sure to check out all of Kim’s 2026 tours and 2027 tours!

Margo de Groot Coenen

Margo is a Dutch-born plant-based chef living in Viens in the Luberon, with her husband Harm, their dog Elmo, and their cat Koosje. After a 20+ year career in purpose-driven project leadership, Margo now channels her passion into food, creating joyful, shared experiences rooted in care, connection, and compassionate living with her plant-based company, Picnic en Provence. The first of its kind in the region, Margo does private cheffing, catering, classes, and her signature picnics. She brings a fresh, plant-based approach to Provençal cuisine, deeply inspired by the region’s Blue Zone lifestyle. Margo was recently awarded Chef of Honor by a prestigious Provençal culinary group for her cuisine, her radical simplicity, accessibility, and inclusive, happy approach to cooking and being a chef.
Photo of Margo by Fanny Steverlynck 

Follow Margo and Picnic en Provence on Instagram.

Fran Costigan (that’s me!)

If you’re reading this, you’ve likely seen my bio. After classic training at culinary school, I was a pastry chef in both traditional pastry and vegan pastry kitchens (who remembers Angelica Kitchen in NYC?). I have spent more than 35 years helping shape the modern vegan pastry movement. And, yes,  I did make the Chocolate Cakes to Live For for Rip Esselstyn’s wedding.

As Director of Vegan Pastry at Rouxbe, I created and led the Essential Vegan Desserts course. Cookbooks, writing, consulting, teaching, and presenting across the U.S. and internationally have been and remain my joys. Fun fact: in France, I might be heard referring to myself as Françoise de Colmar, a nod to my paternal grandparents from Alsace. And, my cookbook Vegan Chocolate: Unapologetically Luscious Decadent Desserts was published by a French press. Mousse au Chocolat and Tarte au Citron are high on my list of favorite desserts.

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook.

About This One-of-a-Kind Provence Trip

This tour is designed to be both enriching and restorative. It’s filled with beautiful surroundings, exceptional plant-based food, hands-on experiences, so much fun, and time to connect, explore, and simply enjoy Provence. It will be a trip of a lifetime, and I can’t wait to welcome you, spend 10 glorious days and 9 nights together, and share this experience with you.

To learn more about the trip, visit Veg Jaunts & Journeys for details. In fact, check out all of Kim’s 2026 and 2027 trips on her website.

As of this writing, the Provence trip is sold out and has a waitlist.

Warmly,
Fran

From April 8–17, 2027, I’ll be co-leading a thoughtfully designed, vegan tour of Provence, France, and I would love for you to join me!

Provence is known for its food, culture, and atmosphere. It’s a region where markets overflow with produce, village life moves at a human pace, and meals are meant to be savored. But as beautiful as Provence is, it is not always easy to navigate as a vegan traveler. That’s exactly why this all-inclusive (besides airfare) vegan travel package was created. It removes the guesswork so you can simply enjoy the experience.

Add who we are, how it came to be.
We’ve put tremendous thought into creating an experience where you can simply arrive, settle in, and savor Provence as a vegan traveler.

A Fully Plant-Based Trip

Throughout the entire tour, everything we eat will be plant-based.

I’ll be co-leading the journey with Chef Margot De Groot of Picnic en Provence, who lives locally and has deep relationships throughout the region. Together, we’ll guide you through hands-on cooking classes, shared meals, and unforgettable gatherings around the table.

Margot brings her deep knowledge of Provençal cuisine and local producers. I’ll be sharing my expertise in vegan pastry and technique. To say we will eat well is an understatement.

We’ll prepare and enjoy traditional Provençal dishes reimagined through a plant-based lens. As vegans, we’ll cook (and eat) traditional Provençal dishes, explore French patisserie, and bake bread with local experts.

If you prefer to cook alongside us, wonderful. If you prefer to observe and take notes, that is equally welcome.

Our Home in the Luberon

Our vegan tour of Provence, France begins at a private hilltop hamlet in the Luberon, overlooking vineyards and the valley below. This will be our shared home. A place to cook, gather, and relax.

Picture stone buildings, open kitchens, terraces with expansive views, and long tables set for dinner as the light fades across the hills.

From this base, we’ll explore quieter, off-the-beaten-path corners of Provence that most visitors never see. We’ll visit villages and markets, connect with local producers, and return each day to our own peaceful space.

Nice, Aix-en-Provence, Avignon, and Marseille

Our journey begins and ends in Nice, where sea air and coastal elegance frame our experience. Along the way, we’ll spend time in places such as Aix-en-Provence, Avignon, and Marseille, creating a balance of countryside, small towns, cities, and coasts.

Our week in April assures we’ll avoid the heavy summer crowds. This allows us to move at a pace that feels both unrushed and intimate, the way Provence is meant to be experienced.

An Intimate, Limited Group Experience

This is a small-group experience by design. We want the atmosphere to feel personal and connected, not hurried or impersonal.

Because space is limited, I encourage you to reserve your place early if this speaks to you.

If you’ve ever dreamed of exploring Provence…
If you love thoughtful travel centered around vegan food…
If you want to cook, eat, sightsee, and gather in a fully vegan environment…

I would be honored to share this experience with you.

Vegan Tour of Provence, France

This Vegan Tour of Provence, France, brings together plant-based cuisine, regional traditions, and the beauty of the area in one carefully curated experience.

For full details, itinerary, and registration information, please visit Veg Jaunts & Journesys to learn more and reserve your space

I truly hope you’ll join us in Provence in April 2027. It promises to be a beautiful time together filled with flavor, friendship, and the simple pleasure of good food.

Update: We are fully reserved. Wait list is available!

Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Perfect for beginners and seasoned bakers alike, this session will refresh your skills, boost your confidence, and inspire dessert ideas that bloom all April and beyond. You don’t have to be vegan to enjoy this session. desserts

Tuesday, April 7th
1:00 pm Pacific, 4:00 pm Eastern

Access this event live from any device. Can’t make it live? You’ll get a link to the recording.

Link to register and send in your questions
https://rouxbe.com/live-events/1048

In this upcoming live session with Chef Fran Costigan, Director of Vegan Pastry at Rouxbe and lead instructor of Essential Vegan Desserts, you’ll explore practical, professional solutions for common vegan baking challenges. Learn how to evaluate what went wrong, when a recipe can be repaired, and when it’s best to start fresh.

From frostings and creams to cakes and fillings, Chef Fran will share how to fix common baking mistakes with her calm-in-the-kitchen approach, including smart adjustments, ingredient insights, and strategies that will boost your confidence and save your desserts. Because sometimes the answer really is yes, this dessert can be saved.

Join us live for this informative and fun online live event.

March 3 at 1:00 pm PST / 4:00 pm EST

Rouxbe Live Events are always free.

To receive the link to attend live,  register in advance at: https://rouxbe.com/live-events/1043.

When you are registered, you’ll get a reminder before it begins as well as a link to the recording when it’s available.

If you’ve ever wondered how to make pistachio butter at home, you’ll be happy to know it requires just two ingredients and a bit of patience. This smooth and creamy pistachio butter recipe uses raw, unsalted pistachios and a small amount of oil to create a rich, spreadable nut butter that’s far fresher and often more flavorful than store-bought versions.

Homemade pistachio butter is perfect for stuffing dates, spreading on toast, swirling into oatmeal, blending into desserts, or using anywhere you’d use almond or peanut butter. With a food processor and up to 10 minutes of blending, you’ll watch the pistachios transform from crumbs into a thick paste, then into glossy, silky pistachio butter.

Once you see how easy it is to make pistachio butter from scratch, you may never buy it again.

The Best Equipment for Pistachio Butter

I have both a Vitamix and a food processor, but I prefer using the food processor for most nut butters. While a high-powered blender works, I find the processor easier to manage and scrape down.

Be patient. It can take up to 10 minutes for the pistachios to transform from crumbs to paste to smooth butter. Occasionally, stop the machine to prevent overheating and to scrape down the sides.

You’ll notice the stages clearly:

• First, a coarse meal
• Then a thicker paste
• Finally, a smooth, glossy butter

Homemade Pistachio Butter in a Food Processor

1. Coarse Ground Pistachios – The pistachios have just begun breaking down into a coarse meal. At this stage, they resemble green sand and are still dry and crumbly.
2. Thick Pistachio Paste Forms – As blending continues, the natural oils begin releasing and the mixture clumps together into a thick, dense paste. Stop occasionally to scrape down the sides and prevent overheating.
3. Smoother but Still Thick – The paste becomes heavier and more cohesive. You’ll notice it gathering around the blade and starting to form a ball.
4. Smooth & Creamy Pistachio Butter –After several minutes, the mixture transforms into a smooth, glossy pistachio butter with a silky texture. Transfer to a jar while still slightly warm. The finished pistachio butter should be spreadable, rich, and vibrantly green.

Choosing the Right Pistachios

Always buy raw, unsalted pistachios.

I once made the mistake of purchasing salted shelled pistachios in bulk, and they were intensely salty. Not wanting to waste them, I blanched and rinsed them several times in fresh, cold water, then dried them before using. The flavor was usable but noticeably dulled. Since then, I carefully check the package for the words raw and unsalted.

Sicilian pistachios are considered the gold standard, but pistachios from California work wonderfully as well.

To Roast or Not to Roast?

Lightly roasting pistachios in a low oven enhances their flavor and speeds up the blending process. Warm nuts release their oils more readily, which helps them turn into butter faster.

Adding Oil for a Smooth & Creamy Texture

While pistachios contain natural oils, I add a small amount of neutral oil to achieve a silkier consistency. My favorite is sunflower oil, but you could use roasted pistachio oil for a deeper flavor or extra virgin olive oil for an Italian twist.

Add the oil gradually until you reach your desired texture.

How to Make Nut Butter Using Any Nut

This same technique used to make pistachio butter, works beautifully with any nut. Once you understand the stages of grinding and emulsifying, homemade nut butter becomes second nature. Create delicious, creamy nut butters from almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, and peanuts.

Storing Pistachio Butter

Store pistachio butter can be stored in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to a month. If it firms up, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes, then stir before using.

Smooth & Creamy Pistachio Butter at Home

Learning how to make pistachio butter is less about a recipe and more about understanding the transformation — from whole nuts to a silky, spoonable spread. With good pistachios, gentle patience, and a small drizzle of oil, you create something far more vibrant than anything from a jar. It’s a simple technique that delivers pure flavor and beautiful texture every time.

Print

Pistachio Nut Butter

Course Dessert

Keyword nut butter, pistachio butter

Servings 8 ounces

Equipment

• Vimamix or Food Processor My Food Processor

Ingredients

• 2 cups/ 240-250g shelled raw pistachios
• 1.5 to 2 tsp neutral oil such as sunflower (or roasted pistachio oil)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 300F/150C
• Spread the shelled pistachios in an even layer on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
• Roast for 7-8 minutes until just fragrant but not brown.
• Remove from oven and pour them directly, while warm, into a food processor.
• Process the nuts in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade to a coarsely ground nut flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicon spatula and continue to process until a smooth mass forms. Now, add the oil and process, scraping the sides a few times until you have a smooth nut butter. This can take 10-12 minutes or longer. Taste and add a pinch or two of salt if you like.
• Once you are satisfied with the consistency of your pistachio butter, transfer it to an immmaculately clean jar, cover and refrigerate until needed.

The following recipe is the formula for a pourable ganache glaze. Adjust as needed with more chocolate or more plant milk, after the test.

Tips for a successful Chocolate Ganache Glaze:

• Choose a chocolate that tastes best to you right out of the package—the chocolate is what you will taste.
• Don’t deviate from the chocolate percentage listed in the recipe.
• Chop the chocolate finely. Do not use chocolate chips.
• Use a rich plant milk- original or full-fat oatmilk – I use Oatly, or soymilk
• You need the milk to be hot enough to melt the chocolate, but not boiling.
• You must pour the hot milk over the chocolate all at once so the chocolate doesn’t seize, that is get clumpy or grainy. 

Why You Shouldn’t Use Chocolate Chips for Ganache

It may be tempting to reach for that bag of chocolate chips in your pantry, but they are not ideal for making a smooth, glossy chocolate ganache.

Chocolate chips are formulated to hold their shape during baking. Often labeled as heat-resistant chocolate, they contain less cocoa butter than bar or block chocolate. Because cocoa butter is the natural fat that gives chocolate its fluidity and shine, chips tend to melt thick and heavy rather than smoothly.

The result can be a ganache that is overly thick, dull in appearance, and firmer than intended, compromising both texture and finish.

For the best results, use a high-quality bar or block chocolate with the specified cocoa percentage. The proper cocoa butter content ensures a silky emulsion and the elegant sheen that defines a well-made ganache.

A Foundational Pastry Technique

Chocolate ganache may be simple in ingredients, but it is refined in execution. When you use the proper chocolate, heat the plant milk carefully, and form the emulsion with intention, you create a glaze that is fluid, glossy, and beautifully balanced. It is an essential technique in both classic and plant-based pastry.

This vegan Chocolate Ganache Glaze is stunning on my recipe for Chocolate Cake to Live For, also great on Pistachio Butter Stuffed Dates with Chocolate Ganache, poured over vegan ice cream or any parfait. Master the method once, and it becomes a reliable, versatile finish for countless desserts.

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Chocolate Ganache

Course Dessert

Keyword chocolate, chocolate ganache, vegan chocolate cake

Servings 2 Cups

Author Fran Costigan

Ingredients

• 8 ounces / 227 grams dark chocolate 68% to 72%, finely chopped. Do not use chocolate chips.
• 1 1/4 cups / 300 ml oat milk such as oatmik,original or full fat, or soymilk (more as needed to adjust consistency)
• Pinch fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon /5 ml pure vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons / 10 ml mild tasting extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

• Add the chocolate to a heatproof bowl and set aside while you heat the milk.
• Pour the milk and pinch of salt into a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking a few times to a low boil.
• As soon as the milk has stopped boiling, pour it over the chopped chocolate all at once. Rotate the bowl so the chocolate is completely submerged. Cover the bowl with a plate and let stand undisturbed for 2 minutes.
• Add the vanilla and olive oil (if using) and whisk from the center out only until smooth and glossy.
• Keep the bowl of ganache at room temperature while you test the final consistency. Dip a teaspoon into the ganache, set the coated spoon on a small plate, and refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes. After chilling, the ganache on the spoon should be smooth and firm but should still taste creamy. It is unlikely, but if the glaze is too firm, add a tablespoon of room temperature milk, and repeat the test. Add a second tablespoon if needed.
• Pass the ganache through a strainer into a bowl. Whisking slowly will speed the process.
• Allow the ganache to thicken at room temperature for 15 to 25 minutes, or until it will coat a spoon thickly with minimal dripping but remain pourable. Stir a few times from the outside into the center before glazing.

Notes

Keeping:

The glaze can be refrigerated in a tightly closed container for up to five days and frozen for several months. The glaze hardens when it is cold and will need reheating. To reheat, spoon the glaze into a heatproof bowl that fits over a saucepan of barely simmering water. When about two-thirds of the glaze has melted, stir gently until smooth. Adjust the consistency as needed by stirring warm nondairy milk into the glaze a little at a time.

Recipe adapted from Vegan Chocolate: Unapologetically Luscious and Decadent Dairy-Free Desserts, Running Press, by Fran Costigan