Black Pepper Pistachio Ice Cream
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You are in for a treat! This black pepper ice cream has a few surprises up its sleeve. Black pepper might not be your typical ice cream flavor, but you’ll love the subtle kick it gives amid the creaminess. Speaking of creamy – here’s the twist -the base of this ice cream is entirely dairy-free. How so? It’s made with soaked pistachios, resulting in an astonishingly rich treat with a delightfully nutty essence.
This recipe is a showstopper. The subtle black pepper perfectly complements the creaminess, adding a subtle little zing once the chill of the ice cream has worn off. Made with pistachios soaked overnight in water to soften them, the nutty base adds so much flavor and is a lighter version of ice cream that’s just as creamy and rich, yet even more intriguing! It’s the perfect scoop!
Ingredients needed
Who would think you’d be getting the salt and pepper out for dessert? Leave the heavy cream and whole milk in the fridge and gather these ingredients:
- Pistachios: They blend like a dream after being soaked to make the ice cream base.
- Water: To soak the pistachios.
- Other ingredients: Maple syrup, coconut oil, coconut sugar, fresh ground pepper, balsamic vinegar, and sea salt.
How to make black pepper ice cream
Black pepper on ice cream with a dreamy pistachio base is ready in a few simple steps:
- Soak: Soften up the pistachios by soaking them for 4 – 24 hours in the fridge.
- Blend: Once soft, drain and rinse the pistachios. Then whizz them in a blender with all of the other ingredients until it is smooth and creamy.
- Pour and chill: Pour the creamy mixture into a large bowl then slide it into the refrigerator until it’s completely cold. Then, put it in your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Freeze: After the ice cream maker has done its magic, scoop it into a freezer-proof container. Cover the top with parchment paper so that no icy bits sneak in, then freeze until it’s firm and ready!
What if I don’t have an ice cream maker
An ice cream maker is the easiest way to make this – we love our Cuisinart ice cream maker! Churning ice cream is what gives it the creamy, smooth texture. Churning incorporates air, making it light and fluffy, while breaking up ice crystals as they form. Without churning, ice cream would be denser and harder.
If you are not in possession of a machine, no problem – you can make this with the no-churn ice cream method. The texture will ultimately be slightly less creamy – but it will still taste amazing! To do this:
- Pour the cold custard into a shallow dish and then place it in the freezer.
- Every 30 minutes, take it out of the freezer and use a fork to scrape the edges, stir everything around, and break up any ice crystals. Repeat as many times as needed until you’re happy with the texture.
Recipe FAQs
Where did you get the idea for this unique ice cream flavor?
We have to thank Savita from Chef de Home and her recipe for black pepper and pistachio ice cream pops for giving us the inspiration to create this recipe!
Is this ice cream spicy?
No, it’s not spicy. There’s just enough black pepper to give a little tingle to your tongue, but not enough to be called spicy.
How long does black pepper ice cream keep in the freezer?
If stored in an air-tight or freezer-proof container, it will keep for up to one month in the freezer.
What pepper should I use?
For best results, opt for freshly ground black pepper. If in a pinch, you can buy pre-ground black pepper, but the flavor will be much more subtle.
Achieve this by either using a pepper grinder to crush black peppercorns or by manually grinding them with a pestle and mortar until you have a fine, powdery black pepper.
Pistachio Black Pepper Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups pistachios
- 1 ½ cups water
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh ground pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Soak the pistachios in water for 4-24 hours. Refrigerate then while they're soaking.1 ½ cups pistachios
- Drain the pistachios and rinse them well. Add them to a high-powered blender or food processor with the coconut oil, maple syrup, coconut sugar, pepper, balsamic vinegar, and salt. Blend on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Note: If you do not have a high-powered blender you may want to strain the cream through a fine-mesh sieve if there is a gritty texture.1 ½ cups water, ¼ cup coconut oil, ¼ cup maple syrup, ¼ cup coconut sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons fresh ground pepper, 1 ½ teaspoons balsamic vinegar, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Pour the pistachio cream into a bowl and refrigerate it until it's completely cold. Once the cream is cold process it in your ice cream maker.
- Scoop the pistachio ice cream out of your ice cream maker and into a freezer-proof container. Cover the top with parchment paper directly on the surface and freeze until it's firm.
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
More ice cream recipes
For more inspiration, check out all of my ice cream recipes!
I Thanks for this recipe! I was surprised at how creamy this was, given that there was no coconut milk/cream. I don’t have an ice cream maker, but just used my optimum blender, let it run for a while and then put it straight into the freezer. The flavour is certainly unusual, not sure if I love, but I certainly love the creamy texture of the ice cream. 😀
I use so many recipes online and have never commented. This one definitely deserves it! So amazingly delicious!
Perfect ice-cream.
Regards,
Reshu
This looks amazing! But with the addition of the cane sugar can it be considered Paleo?
From my understanding, some people who eat paleo are ok with including a small amount of unprocessed cane sugar in their diet. If this isn’t something you’re comfortable with you can always omit it and add more honey or maple syrup. 🙂
I would definitely try this one. Thanks a lot for sharing!
You definitely should! It’s really delicious. 🙂
I so wish I could take all the creative credit! Savita from Chef de Home is the true creative genius … I just made it vegan. 🙂
You should definitely make it. It really is so good!
Thanks, Kelly! It really is tasty. 🙂
You should definitely try your hand at nut based ice creams … I think you’ll be surprised at how good they are. I know I was! I honestly blew them off for a long time after having some so so attempts at coconut milk based ice cream, but using nuts gives you a dead ringer for milk based ice cream. 🙂
Holy your fingers must have gotten so sore! Pistachios have always been one of my favourites; I even like the whole process of shelling them, but maybe not for a whole hour!
You totally should make your own! I make nut based ice creams quite often and I’m always amazed at how easy they are to make … and so much better than store-bought.
I hope you have a great weekend too!
Thank you, Cheyanne! I’ve always been a big fan of sweet and savoury flavour combos so this one totally worked for me. Thank you for the pin!
Black pepper! I would have never thought to pair the two together, but this sounds amazing. Pistachio ice cream is one of my favourite flavours- I actually have a tub in my freezer right now, and the next time I have some I’m going to put some black pepper on it!
You totally should! The black pepper really goes great with the pistachio flavour. 🙂
When I first found out that you can use nuts to make ice cream I was pretty skeptical, but they totally work! I don’t think I’d ever go back to making ice cream any other way. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much, Natalie! I absolutely love making dairy-free ice creams from nut bases. I’m always so amazed at how creamy they are. 🙂