Pistachio Butter Isn't Just For Toast — Try It On Savory Dishes

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Foodies may recognize pistachio butter from their social media feeds, à la the viral Dubai chocolate trend, which was rumored to have caused a pistachio shortage. Say what you will about "in" foods, but thanks to its viral moment, pistachio butter has recently become more accessible to innovative home cooks craving a taste of something new. Convenient store-bought versions are widely available (the Gusto Etna brand, which has added ingredients such as milk and sugar to create a creamier texture than straight pistachio butter, currently runs for $14.49 per 6.7-ounce jar on Amazon). Not unlike how peanut butter is made, pistachio butter is made from ground pistachios with a bold, subtly sweet, roasted-nutty taste. The nuts' natural oils form a thick, lusciously smooth, spreadable consistency — making this ingredient a wildly versatile condiment suited to myriad dishes. Most popular applications utilize pistachio butter in sweets like baked goods or dessert fillings. But, here at Tasting Table, we think some of the absolute best ways to use pistachio butter are savory.

To put this powerful ingredient to good use, it can be helpful to think of it like a flavorful compound butter. A swipe of pistachio butter could be placed under the skin of a chicken breast pre-roast for extra crispy, sweet-nutty moisture. Bonus points if you rub the exterior chicken skin with cracked pepper, coarse salt, and dried sage and thyme for herbaceous counterbalance. If you're feeling ambitious, a swipe of pistachio butter would also upgrade our elegant baked chicken saltimbocca (which is easier to make than it looks), rounding out the salty prosciutto and acidic white wine while cutting through the richness of the provolone.

Pistachio butter also makes an elevated candidate for homemade salad dressings. Swap it for the peanut butter in this peanut lime dressing — a trip-around-the-palate blend of sriracha, lime juice, umami soy sauce, fresh ginger, and robust, dark maple syrup. Or, for a snack, you could use it in place of tahini for your next batch of simple creamy hummus.

A spoonful of pistachio butter can also add instant textural body and complexity to soup broths. Try adding it to our 5-ingredient spicy wonton soup, our hearty red pepper soup with coconut milk and red chilies, or even toss it into the pan sauce for this roasted pork lo mein. Need a quick yet mature appetizer for last-minute cocktail hour guests? Swipe pistachio butter across crostini with a slice of brie, smoked flaky Maldon, and a fresh rosemary sprig.

For an impressive dinner party centerpiece, use that pistachio butter to make a bastilla, which is one of the traditional Moroccan dishes you should whip up at least once. This sweet-savory pie comprises a stewed herb and chicken filling with eggs and crunchy slivered almonds, wrapped in thin, crisp pastry dough. For even more pistachio-complementary dimensionality, that chicken can be simmered with honey and aromatics like ginger, turmeric, and garlic. Some preparations also dust the top of the pie with a layer of powdered sugar and cinnamon. We recommend brushing the dough with a generous coating of pistachio butter before baking for a sweet-nutty note that'll flatter the bastilla's existing colorful tasting profile.