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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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 ooey gooey butter cake or pistachio banana bread or pistachio ice cream or pistachio cranberry bread or pistachio whoopie pies (decisions, decisions, right?!), but decided instead to put a box to good use by making a pistachio pudding 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!
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.
You’ll start by mixing the pudding mix and cold milk for a couple of minutes.
In another bowl, beat together some softened cream cheese, softened butter, and powdered sugar. This will form a thick frosting-like mixture.
Mix together the pudding mixture with the cream cheese mixture, then fold in the whipped topping. Pour the filling into a graham cracker crust.
Chill the pie for at least a few hours to allow it to set up a bit more. 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 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.
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.
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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.
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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!