Pistachio Dressing is bright green and tangy and will add a wonderful creaminess to your salads without anything dairy. Great with robust vegetable salads such as kale, cabbage or roasted veggies like carrots or beets.
Our creamy pistachio dressing will give your salads a beautiful green colour and a delicious nutty flavour. The lime juice makes it wonderfully tart and puckery which can be adjusted to your liking.
For a creamy smoother dressing without too much tartness try our Sunflower Seed Dressing or our Tahini Dressing.
Table of contents
More on Pistachios
No surprise here but pistachios originated from Central Asia and the Middle East which is why it is so prolific in their cooking.
A member of the cashew family this vibrantly green nut is not a nut at all but the seed of the pistachio tree.
Pistachios boast quite a few nutritional benefits - rich in vitamins and minerals, loaded with antioxidants and good for eye and gut health.
I love their bright green colour and crunch in salads or in a Dukkah blend.
Let’s Talk Ingredients & Substitutions
- Pistachios - are the main ingredient in this dressing, I have kept the pistachios raw here for a creamier consistency for added nuttiness and depth feel free to roast them, but you may have to add some water otherwise it will be too thick.
You can easily swap them for any of your favourite nuts, I have also made it with blanched almonds and macadamias, and they were both delicious. - Fresh Basil - adds freshness and a wonderful aroma to our pistachio dressing. Swap for any soft leaf herbs such as mint, tarragon or dill.
- Lime Juice - to add tartness and flavour, we do use quite a lot here, so it will be puckery. For a milder, mellower dressing use a quarter of a cup. You may also swap for lemon juice if you prefer.
- Olive Oil - for its fruity aroma and to loosen the dressing. Keep in mind that when you are making these thicker style dressings that the oil will thicken and the acid component (lime or lemon juice or vinegar will loosen it). Swap for avocado oil and avoid hydrogenated oils such as sunflower or canola.
- Chilli Flakes - adds a touch of heat, feel free to adjust to your liking or leave it out altogether. For some smoky flavour try adding some smoked paprika.
You Will Need
How to Make It
- Place the pistachios in a small food processor or small high-speed blender and blitz until crushed into a coarse powder.
- Add the remaining ingredients for the dressing to the pistachios and blitz until smooth. Please note that this is quite a tart dressing for a smoother, mellower tasting dressing just use a quarter cup of lime juice.
- If necessary add 1-2 tablespoons of water if the dressing is too thick (it should be the consistency of mayonnaise).
- Taste and adjust seasonings according to your personal preferences.
What Can I Use It On?
It is thick and creamy which works well with robust vegetables such as kale, Tuscan kale, cabbage and beetroot.
- Try it on roasted vegetable salads such as asparagus, cauliflower, carrot, beetroot (I usually smear the dressing on the bottom of a salad platter and then place the roasted vegetables on top of the dressing, then top with crushed pistachios for a pop of colour)
- Sturdy greens such as chard, silverbeet or kale
- An alternative creamy dressing for potato salad
- Green bean and pea salads, either raw, roasted or blanched
- Drizzle it on iceberg lettuce wedges
- Makes an incredible dip for crudités and pita crisps
- Also sensational to serve as a sauce with grilled white firm-fleshed fish (again smear on a plate and serve the fish on top)
Tips & FAQs
The thickness and the colour of this dressing will make salads look a bit dull, which is fine for weekday dinners or informal occasions.
However, if you are using it for a dinner party or formal occasion, then I recommend you smear the dressing on the bottom of a salad platter, season the salad and then arrange it on top of the dressing.
This recipe makes approximately 2 cups or 32 tablespoons, the nutritional information has been calculated per tablespoon.
There is enough dressing for two salads that serve eight people each.
It can be stored in a tightly sealed glass container in your fridge for approximately 4-5 days.
This wonderfully tart and creamy pistachio salad dressing is suitable for most diets - paleo, whole30, low-carb, keto, gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian.
Each serve contains 1 gram of net carbs and 84 kcals.
(Please note we use a nutritional database to calculate the nutritional information and should be considered as an estimate).
Try It As An Alternative Dressing On...
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- ½ cup pistachios shelled
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½* cup lime juice, freshly squeezed (change to ¼ cup for a milder dressing)
- ½ cup basil leaves
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½-1 teaspoon chili powder (depending on how hot you like it)
Instructions
- Place the pistachios in a small food processor or small high speed blender and blitz until crushed into a coarse powder.
- Add the remaining ingredients for the dressing to the pistachios and blitz until smooth.
- Please note that this is quite a tart dressing for a smoother, sweeter dressing just use quarter cup of lime juice.
- If necessary add 1-2 tablespoons of water if the dressing is too thick (it should be the consistency of a mayonnaise).
- Taste and adjust seasonings according to your personal preferences.
- Pour into an air tight glass container in your fridge, it should keep for three days or so.
Shelly says
An absolute treat when it comes to salad dressings!
Gemma says
Can you freeze it?
Anastasia says
Sorry for the late response.
No I do not recommend freezing it, but it is absolutely sensational to use as a dip for raw veggies and warm pita bread or as a spread in sandwiches and wraps (try with char grilled veggies, grilled chicken, rocket and avocado).
I hope this helps. ☺️
Heather says
This dressing was incredibly tart so I had to add more pistachios, olive oil, and I had to add honey as well to cut the acidity. Next time, I would cut the lime juice by half. Also, I think this would work better with roasted pistachios for a stronger flavor. I’d probably add an additional clove of garlic too. It was nice and creamy though using my vitamix.
Anastasia says
Hi Heather, thank you so much for your feedback.
Yes, this is meant to be a tart dressing and I will definitely update my post to let people know that. I used raw pistachios for a creamier consistency, roasted pistachios would add depth but are drier.
I really appreciate you letting me know 😊.
A