Pistachio-White Chocolate Milkshake

Get the Recipe: Pistachio-White Chocolate Milkshake

This is a super creamy, decadent milkshake made with pistachio paste and white chocolate ganache.

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Yield1 (8oz/240ml) shake

Prep10

Cook20

Chill30

Total1

Pistachio Paste: You can purchase pistachio paste at the store or you can make your own. I've provided an easy recipe (makes 1 cup of paste) for the purposes of this post, but if you want to have a smoother, richer, and more vibrant pistachio paste, check out my full Pistachio Paste recipe post. (Making the most intensive version of pistachio paste will add up to 2 hours to this recipe.)
Vanilla Ice Cream: The same goes with vanilla ice cream. I purchased a custard-style vanilla ice cream for this recipe. Most store-bought ice creams are this style but check the carton/tub for egg yolks as an ingredient to be sure. If you want to make homemade vanilla ice cream, use my Browned Butter Bourbon Ice Cream recipe and just leave out the toasted milk powder and bourbon. (Making your own ice cream will add up to 8 hours to this recipe.)

First, measure and pour the sugar and water into a small sauce pot and turn the stove to medium-high heat. Once the sugar has dissolved and temperature of the syrup reaches 245°F (118.5°C), turn off the heat and add in the shelled pistachios. Stir everything around with a spatula. The syrup will turn hard and sandy as it coats the nuts and cools. Once the pistachios are coated and the sugar has fully crystallized, pour the pistachios onto a baking sheet or plate and spread them out to cool.
When cooled, add the candied pistachios, almond flour, and almond extract to a food processor or high-powered blender. Turn on the processor for about 2 minutes and let it grind the nut mixture down to a coarse meal. when you see it start to clump, add in the oil a ½ tbsp (7.5ml) at a time. The meal will slowly become a thick paste. Depending on how thinned you want the pistachio paste, you can add more neutral oil (½ tbsp - 7.5ml) or even some amaretto or pistachio extract (¼ tsp - 1.25ml) a little at a time. Add any additional salt, to taste, and set the paste aside to cool off.

For the ganache, chop the chocolate into small pieces and place them in a medium sized bowl. Then, heat the cream until it just begins to simmer (around 180°F or 82°C). Pour the heated liquid over the chocolate and let it sit for 30-60 seconds. Then, whisk until all of the chocolate has fully melted. Set aside or in the refrigerator to cool.

To make the milkshake, add the listed ingredients to a blender and blend on high for 1 minute. Pour into a glass and enjoy.

This recipe makes more than 1 milkshake worth of pistachio paste and white chocolate ganache. In a sealed container, the ganache will last up to 2 weeks and the pistachio paste up to 1 month in your refrigerator.
Any part of this pistachio-white chocolate milkshake recipe can be scaled up or down, as long as the ingredient ratios stay the same.
If you halve the ganache recipe, you might need a double boiler (a heat safe bowl nested into a small pot with about 1in (2.5cm) of water.) to get the chocolate to melt fully. 1/4 cup of heated cream added to a bowl might not stay hot enough to melt the chocolate.
If you use almond extract for the pistachio paste, it does add a sweet nuttiness that I think enhances the pistachio flavor. However, if you decide to add it, do not add more than the recipe calls for. The almond extract can quickly overpower the pistachio and all that work for pistachio paste will be lost. It will still taste good, but it won’t be what you were working towards.