Pistachio cream pie is an easy no bake dessert made with pistachio pudding and a graham cracker crust, which makes for a cool and creamy treat!
Perfect for spring and summer, you can bring this pistachio cream pie to a BBQ, potluck, or its pretty pale pastel green color is lovely for Easter or Mother’s Day!

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(Updated January 30, 2023 with new photos)
Creamy desserts are one of my family’s favorites! There’s something about the light and fluffy sweet cream paired with a slight bit of crunch from cookies or graham crackers that makes them so appealing!
From heavenly chocolate Oreo cream layered dessert, to creamy peanut butter pie, to decadent speculoos tiramisu and more, no bake desserts are something the entire family enjoys.
I recently made a batch of pistachio bread, but I had accidentally bought extra pistachio pudding (oh darn!).
I thought about making one of our favorite pistachio pudding dessert recipes, such as pistachio cookies, pistachio cake, pistachio ooey gooey butter cake, pistachio cupcakes, or pistachio banana bread.
There’s also the option of pistachio ice cream, retro pistachio fluff, pistachio sheet cake, or pistachio cranberry bread or pistachio whoopie pies (decisions, decisions, right?!).
But I ultimately decided instead to put the box of instant pudding mix to good use by making a pistachio pudding cream pie.

What is Pistachio Cream Pie?
Have you ever had pistachio ambrosia salad? Some people refer to it as Watergate salad. But it’s essentially some pistachio pudding with whipped cream, fruit, nuts, and marshmallows mixed it.
It was always a staple at our church potlucks growing up, and that’s what initially inspired me to make a pie with the pistachio pudding mix.
I opted not to use fruit, marshmallows, or extra nuts in the pie, just to keep things simple. But you could totally add those in if you wanted to!
The resulting pie was light and fluffy, perfectly creamy, and a lovely pale shade of pastel green. In short–it was a success!
Because of it’s pretty hue, I think this cake is perfect for spring holidays such as St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, or a baby shower.
But it would be great at Chrismtas, too!
If you want a firmer, more tangy dessert, try my no-bake pistachio cheesecake recipe!
More Creamy Pie Recipes:

How to Make Pistachio Cream Pie with Pudding Mix
It’s so easy to make this pistachio cream pie! With a handful of ingredients, this pie comes together in a matter of minutes.
Ingredients You’ll Need for this Pistachio Cream Pie Recipe:
- Ready-made graham cracker crust
- Instant pistachio pudding mix (this gives delicious pistachio flavor!)
- Milk
- Cream cheese
- Unsalted butter
- Powdered sugar
- Whipped topping (such as Cool Whip)
- Optional: Crunchy pistachios, maraschino cherries, or whipped cream for garnish

How to Make this No Bake Pie:
Mix the pudding. You’ll start by mixing the pudding mix and cold milk for a couple of minutes, until smooth and beginning to thicken.

Beat cream cheese mixture. In another bowl, using a hand mixer on medium speed (or a stand mixer), beat together some softened cream cheese, softened butter, and powdered sugar. This will form a thick frosting-like mixture.

Prepare the filling. Mix together the pudding mixture with the cream cheese mixture

Add whipped topping. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the whipped topping, mixing until no green and white streaks remain, but it’s a pale green color.

Fill the crust. Pour the filling into a graham cracker pie crust. I most often use a store-bought crust, but you can make your own in a pie plate if you’d prefer.

Refrigerate. Chill the pie for at least a few hours to allow it to set up a bit more.
Garnish, if desired. As an optional step, you can pipe some whipped cream around the edge or sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Some people like to add a maraschino cherry on top!
Serve and enjoy!

Notes and Adaptations for Making Pistachio Pudding Pie:
- The filling for this pie is supposed to be very creamy and soft. It does set up some in the refrigerator after chilling, but it does not set up to be super firm. We like it that way, but just know that if yours is still soft and creamy after chilling, that’s how it should be!
- I used a store bought graham cracker crust, but you can always make your own if you prefer. You could also use an Oreo crust!
- If you prefer to make this as a pistachio ambrosia pie, you can add in marshmallows, crushed pineapple, and extra nuts (such as chopped walnuts, pecans, or pistachios). In that case, I’d recommend using a 20-oz can of crushed pineapple. Gently mix the pineapple and its juice with the dry pudding mix (in lieu of milk) as well as the whipped topping. Once that’s combined, add in 1-2 cups of mini marshmallows and 1/2-1 cup of chopped nuts, depending on how chunky you want the filling to be.

Recommended Equipment:
No Bake Pistachio Cream Pie

Pistachio cream pie is an easy no bake dessert made with pistachio pudding and a graham cracker crust. It makes for a cool and creamy treat, perfect for spring and summer!
Ingredients
- 1 prepared graham cracker crust
- 1 (3.4-oz) package pistachio instant pudding mix
- 1 cup cold milk
- 3 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 8-oz whipped topping (such as Cool Whip)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together pudding mix and cold milk at low speed for 2 minutes, until it begins to thicken slightly.
- In a small mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar until it is the consistency of thick frosting.
- Add cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and beat together on medium-high speed until smooth.
- Gently fold in (or mix on low speed) the whipped topping, until the mixture is uniformly pale green with no white streaks.
- Pour filling into prepared pie crust. Allow to chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
- Optional: Garnish pie by piping whipped cream around the edges and/or sprinkling with chopped pistachios.
Notes
- The filling for this pie is supposed to be very creamy and soft. It does set up some in the refrigerator after chilling, but it does not set up to be super firm. We like it that way, but just know that if yours is still soft and creamy after chilling, that's how it should be!
- I used a store bought graham cracker crust, but you can always make your own if you prefer. You could also use an Oreo crust!
- If you prefer to make this as a pistachio ambrosia pie, you can add in marshmallows, crushed pineapple, and extra nuts (such as chopped walnuts, pecans, or pistachios). In that case, I'd recommend using a 20-oz can of crushed pineapple. Gently mix the pineapple and its juice with the dry pudding mix (in lieu of milk) as well as the whipped topping. Once that's combined, add in 1-2 cups of mini marshmallows and 1/2-1 cup of chopped nuts, depending on how chunky you want the filling to be.
Did you make it and love it? I appreciate your 5-star review!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 283Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 209mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 0gSugar: 14gProtein: 3g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is not guaranteed for accuracy.
Be sure to pin this to your dessert board on Pinterest!




I just made this so we can enjoy it for dessert later. The filling tastes amazing! Yes, I had to taste it. My family is going to love it!!
Thank you so much, Jeanine! I always taste the filling, too–it’s so good you could just eat it by itself! 🙂 Enjoy!
My husband loves this pie. Actually he makes it himself. We have made this pie at least 4 times so far.
Thank you for the recipe. 5 Stars!
Hi Anita! Thank you so much for your kind words–I love hearing that this pie has become such a hit in your home! Even better that hubby makes it himself! 🙂
Great tasting and super quick to put together. Will definitely make this again.
Thank you, Martha! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Hi! I totally forgot to fold in the cool whip! Will this be a disaster? Can I leave the cool whip out of the recipe?
Hi! It will just be more of a “pudding pie” instead of a cream pie, and you likely won’t have enough filling to fill in the pie crust completely–but it will still be tasty! 🙂
I made this once and it’s super yummy so I’m making it again for dessert tonight.
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Stacy! 🙂
Made this BUT i used the full 8 oz of cream cheese by mistake and it still came out great! Maybe a little firmer due to the extra cream cheese. I will make it again.
Hi Helen! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! You’re right, using more cream cheese won’t negatively affect it. 🙂
So you don’t need the big box of pudding, just the small box?
Hi Kelly! Yes, that’s right, just the smaller 3.4-oz box. Hope that helps! 🙂
Can you make this the day before?
Thanks!
Hi Karen! Yes, you can make it ahead of time. I probably wouldn’t add any garnishes the day before, though (like whipped cream)–save that for the day of. Enjoy! 🙂
I included this recipe in a No Bake Easter Dessert roundup I recently put together and I couldn’t get it out of my head. We are all huge pistachio pudding fans. I made it for Easter dinner dessert (with real whipped cream and a chocolate cookie crumb crust) and it was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten! And everyone loved it. I wish I made 2 more! It will definitely be on regular rotation around here! YUM!!!
Thank you so much, Terri! I love hearing how you tweaked it–what a fantastic idea to use chocolate cookie crust! I’m so glad your family enjoyed it as much as we do. Thank you for including it in your round-up, too! 🙂
Can these be frozen?
Hi Danielle! I’ve never tried freezing them, so I can’t say for sure. But I think it would probably work!
Can you make your pistachio with paste instead of pudding. I can’t have pudding!
Hi there! I’ve never tried it with paste, so I can’t say for sure, but I think the texture and flavor would both be affected without the pudding.
Mine did not get firm, making it very difficult to cut. I put it in the freezer. Perfect!
Great idea, Debbie! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you. 🙂