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Homemade pistachio mousse in small glass cups topped with chocolate ganache, whipped cream, and chopped pistachios.

Pistachio Mousse

5 from 1 vote
A silky, no-bake pistachio mousse made with real pistachios, pistachio paste and whipped cream, topped with an optional thin layer of chocolate ganache.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Chill Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Italian
Calories: 430
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Mousse Base
  • 1 cup shelled pistachios - raw or roasted, unsalted
  • ¼ cup pistachio paste - store-bought or homemade
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream - cold
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract - pure
  • ⅛ teaspoon almond extract - enhances pistachio flavor
  • 1 pinch salt
Stabilizer (Optional)
  • 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin - bloom in cold water
  • 2 tablespoon water - cold
  • OR
  • 4 oz mascarpone cheese - natural stabilizer
For Serving
  • chopped pistachios - topping
  • whipped cream - topping
  • fresh berries - optional
Chocolate Ganache (Optional Topping)
  • 4 oz dark chocolate - finely chopped
  • ½ cup heavy cream

Equipment

  • 1 Food processor or blender (For grinding pistachios)
  • 1 Electric hand mixer or stand mixer (For whipping cream)
  • 2–3 Mixing bowls (Keep them very cold)
  • 1 Rubber spatula (For gentle folding)
  • 6 Serving glasses (Any style)

Method
 

  1. Chill the mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer for 15 minutes.
  2. Blend the pistachios with the powdered sugar for 2–3 minutes until a damp paste forms. Add the pistachio paste, vanilla, almond extract and salt and blend until smooth.
  3. Optional: sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water, let it bloom 5 minutes, microwave 8–10 seconds until melted, and whisk it into the pistachio base. (Or beat in the mascarpone instead.)
  4. Whip the cold heavy cream to soft peaks, 3–4 minutes.
  5. Stir one-third of the whipped cream into the pistachio base, then gently fold in the rest until no white streaks remain.
  6. Spoon or pipe into 6 glasses, cover, and refrigerate at least 2 hours (4 hours if using gelatin).
  7. Optional ganache: heat the ½ cup cream until steaming, pour over the chopped chocolate, wait 2 minutes and stir smooth. Cool 10 minutes and spoon a thin layer over each mousse.
  8. Top with chopped pistachios, whipped cream and berries just before serving.

Notes

For the smoothest texture, blend the pistachios with the sugar until they form a paste. Without gelatin the mousse is best within a day; with gelatin it holds 3 days and can be piped or used as a cake filling.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be considered an approximation.