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This homemade pistachio syrup is perfect for flavoring coffees and cocktails. It is made with real pistachios for the most authentic rich, nutty pistachio flavor. It’s easy to make, so you can have pistachio lattes every morning!
Flavored coffee syrups form the base of any fancy, flavored latte. For other coffee syrups, try this candy cane syrup to make peppermint lattes, this pumpkin spice syrup to make chai pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin cold foam, or this brown sugar syrup for iced brown sugar oat milk lattes.
Flavored syrups can also be used to make a variety of cocktails. For syrups that are great for making cocktails, try this blueberry simple syrup to make this blueberry gin cocktail, this thyme simple syrup, this pear simple syrup or this raspberry simple syrup for this raspberry martini.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- All natural flavoring. All the pistachio flavoring comes from real, fresh pistachios. There are no artificial extracts of flavors used. As a result, this pistachio syrup tastes like real, pure pistachio.
- Use it to make Starbucks pistachio drinks. This pistachio syrup is the perfect copycat recipe to use as the base for any Starbucks pistachio drink. Most famously, it is great for pistachio lattes.
- Easy & quick to make. This syrup is made with only 3 ingredients in under 15 minutes. You can make a large batch on the weekend so it is ready to go for lattes on busy weekday mornings.
Ways To Use Pistachio Syrup
This pistachio syrup can be mixed into any sort of drink. Typically, it works best for coffee drinks as well as cocktails. Here are some ideas for how to use it to make different drinks, but you can always experiment and create your own drinks!
- Pistachio Latte: The most classic drink that you can make is this seasonal Starbucks pistachio latte. Mix 2 tablespoons of pistachio syrup with 2 oz of espresso. Top with ⅓ cup of frothed milk and crushed pistachios.
- Pistachio Cold Brew: Mix 2 tablespoons of pistachio syrup into ½ cup cold brew coffee. Add milk and any sweetener to taste. Optionally, top with this vanilla sweet cream cold foam or this salted caramel cold foam.
- Pistachio Frappuccino: Blend 2 oz espresso, 2 tablespoons of pistachio syrup, ½ cup milk and a handful of ice together. Top with whipped cream and crushed pistachios.
- White Chocolate Pistachio Martini: Shake 1 oz pistachio syrup, 1 oz vodka, 2 to 3 oz white chocolate liqueur and a handful of ice together in a cocktail shaker. Strain and serve.
- Pistachio Espresso Martini: Shake 1 ½ oz espresso, 1 oz pistachio syrup, 1 oz Kahlua, 1 oz vodka and a handful of ice together in a cocktail shaker. Strain and serve.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Pistachios: Real pistachios are used to make this syrup. Use unsalted or lightly salted pistachios and make sure to de-shell them before measuring them.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar is dissolved as the syrup cooks, giving it sweetness. Typically granulated sugar is used for making flavored syrups. However, brown sugar would also taste delicious with pistachios, giving the syrup a richer, more caramel flavor.
- Water: Water gives the syrup the proper consistency. Use filtered water to avoid any unpleasant tastes that can be present in tap water.
Equipment
- A food processor to finely chop the pistachios.
- A saucepan to make the pistachio syrup in.
- A fine mesh sieve to strain out the pistachio syrup.
- A glass mason jar to store the syrup in.
Step By Step Instructions
Step 1: Add the pistachios to a food processor and pulse several times to break them up into small pieces.
Step 2: Heat the pistachios, granulated sugar and water together in a saucepan over medium to high heat, stirring occasionally. Continue to heat for 5 to 7 minutes until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Step 3: Remove the pistachio syrup from the stove and use a fine mesh strainer to remove the pistachio chunks. Let the syrup cool for a few minutes.
Storage
This recipe will make just under 1 cup of pistachio syrup. It is easy to prepare a large batch of syrup in advance so it is ready to go for any drinks that you want to prepare later on. Here is how you should store the syrup:
- Fridge: Let the syrup fully cool to room temperature. This will take about 20 minutes. Store the syrup in an airtight glass container in the fridge for up to 1 to 2 weeks. Don’t use plastic containers for storing the syrup as sometimes they can leak unpleasant flavors into the syrup. Stir or shake the syrup well before using.
- Freezer: Store the syrup in a freezer safe container in the freezer for up to 2 to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before using. You can also freeze the syrup in an ice cube tray for individual-sized portions. Once frozen in the ice cube tray, transfer the frozen syrup cubes to a freezer-safe Ziploc bag. This prevents any unpleasant freezer-flavors from seeping into the syrup.
Expert Tips
- Finely chop the pistachios. Don’t skip this step! Chopping the pistachios or adding them whole into the syrup won’t give the same flavor. By finely chopping the pistachios, you are increasing the surface area of the pistachios, meaning that much more flavor is infused into the syrup.
- Don’t boil the syrup. A very gentle simmer is ok, but if you boil the syrup, too much water can evaporate. This results in a very thick, sticky syrup. If this happens, heat the syrup on low and stir in a ½ tablespoon of water at a time until it thins out. The syrup should have the consistency of thick water.
- Save the pistachios. Once you’ve made the syrup, don’t throw out the pistachios you have strained out. These are great for mixing into yogurt & granola.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, but it will give the syrup a more artificial flavor. Use a high quality pistachio extract and replace the pistachios with ½ to 1 teaspoon of pistachio extract.
Unlike other simple syrups, this pistachio syrup is slightly more subtle. There is still a strong, nutty pistachio flavor, without it being overwhelming. For this reason, you can add up to 2 tablespoons of syrup per beverage for flavoring.
Yes! A small amount drizzled over pistachio or vanilla ice cream is delicious.
📖 Recipe
Pistachio Syrup
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup syrup 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This homemade pistachio syrup is perfect for flavoring coffees and cocktails. It is made with real pistachios for the most authentic rich, nutty pistachio flavor. It’s easy to make, so you can have pistachio lattes every morning!
Instructions
- Use a food processor to pulse the pistachios a few times until they are finely chopped.
- Add the pistachios, sugar and water to a medium saucepan and heat on medium-high. Continue to heat for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Don’t let the syrup boil; if needed, reduce the temperature.
- Once the granulated sugar has completely dissolved, remove the pistachio syrup from the stove. Pour it through a fine mesh strainer to remove the pistachio chunks.
- Let the syrup cool to room temperature before storing.
Notes
- Storage: Store leftover pistachio syrup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 to 2 weeks or in the freezer for 2 to 3 months.
- To make a copycat Starbucks pistachio latte, see the full pistachio latte recipe.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Syrups Recipes
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tbsp
- Calories: 48
- Sugar: 12.6g
- Sodium: 0.1mg
- Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 12.6g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 0g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Charla
I love anything with pistachios in, I assume this would work with raw cane sugar or coconut sugar instead?
Michaela
No more waiting on Starbucks to have their pistachio drinks. I can make them myself, all year round. Yay!
Dannii
The flavour in this was incredible. It made the BEST latte.
Kathleen
This pistachio syrup is simple to make and a great flavor to add to my favorite drinks.