This Pistachio Pie with Mascarpone features a tangy baked custard with pistachio crumbs inside of a crunch salty pretzel crumb crust. It's a wonderful blend of flavors and textures and is a show stopping pie to serve for dessert.
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Pistachio Pie Recipe
I know when most people think of pistachio pie, they think of some jello pudding mix with some frozen whipped topping on top. Now I'm not knocking that, if that's your thing. But think of this Pistachio Pie with Mascarpone as a grown up version of that.
Tangy mascarpone and pistachio baked into a custard and made in the best crunchy, salty and sweet pretzel crumb crust. It's just so good!
What Makes this Pie Special
The flavor that really ties it all together is minuscule in quantity but is what truly makes it feel like pistachio: almond extract! Sometimes in baking we tend to associate one flavor with another because they're so often paired together, and that is the case here.
Without almond extract it just doesn't feel like "pistachio" so definitely don't skip out on that ingredient. But beware, a little goes a long way. This recipe calls for only ½ of a teaspoon, but don't be tempted to add anymore. It will overpower the pie.
The mascarpone adds a really luxurious feel to the whole pie, making it dense with almost a cheesecake feel. You can find mascarpone at most grocery stories now. I think in a pinch you could substitute cream cheese in equal quantities, but you'd have to make sure it was at room temperature first in order to be able to mix it together well.
Using Pretzels as a Pie Crust?
This crunchy, salty and sweet pretzel pie crust makes this pistachio pie feel revolutionary! But best of all, like most crumb crust recipes it’s so simple to put together. Simply grind up some pretzels, mix it together with a touch of sugar and melted butter and you’ve got yourself an easy pie crust that won’t disappoint.
The one caveat that I found is that not all pretzels are created equally, so depending on the brand and type of pretzel you use, you may have to add in a little bit more (or less) butter to make the crumbs easy to pack in to the pie plate.
What you need to know is that the crumbs shouldn't be so dry or so wet that it's difficult to evenly spread and pack into the plate. Crumbs too dry? Add in more butter. Crumbs too wet? Add in more ground up pretzels. Simple as that!
Check out this post for for more info about making a crumb crust from pretzels. Though, most everything you need to know is right here in the recipe.
Tips for Making Pistachio Custard Pie
This pie isn’t difficult to make since it’s essentially just whisking together the filling ingredients. However, here are a few tips to make sure you make the best eggnog custard pie possible!
- Get those ingredients to room temperature. This custard filling comes together best when the ingredients are close to room temperature, so go ahead and grab them out of the fridge about an hour before you plan to bake--especially the mascarpone.
- To increase your chances of getting a smooth custard, let the filling sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. The recipe below doesn’t call for that, for lack of streamlining it, but this is a recommended step that can reduce the number of air bubbles in your finished custard.
- Don’t overcook it: The custard should be set about 2-½″ from the outside, but still wobbly in the middle.
- Let it cool before slicing: Custard pies finish setting and firming while they cool. Go hands-off and let the refrigerator work for you. If you try to cut it before it has completely chilled, you could end up with custard soup.
How to Decorate and Garnish this Pistachio Pie
There are a few options on how to decorate this pie! Whenever you decorate your pie, it's always helpful to create a presentation the reflects the ingredients that will be in your pie. For this, it's obvious to use additional pistachios! You can chop up some pistachio and place around the edges of the pie, and leave the mascarpone filling exposed.
Or you could cover the top of the pie with additional ground pistachio, and do some decorative piping with whipped cream around the edges. Either way the additional crunch of the pistachios on top of the pie adds another layer of flavor and texture that is wonderful.
Make-Ahead Tips
The pretzel crust can be made and blind-baked up to to 1 day ahead of time.
The filling can be whisked together up to 1 day ahead of time, but I recommend the filling is taken out of the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before attempting to bake, to avoid the filling going from the cold fridge to the hot oven.
The pie in its entirety can be made 1-2 days ahead of time, though it may be able to stay up to 3 days ahead of time. Store the pie in the refrigerator.
More Sweet Pies
I am so honored when you make a recipe from my site! If you make this Pistachio Mascarpone Pie, please leave a comment and a star rating with your experience! If you have any questions about this recipe, feel free to comment here, too!
PrintFull Recipe
Pistachio and Mascarpone Pie
This Pistachio Pie with Mascarpone features a tangy baked custard with pistachio crumbs inside of a crunch salty pretzel crumb crust. It's a wonderful blend of flavors and textures and is a show-stopping pie to serve for dessert.
- Prep Time: 00:15
- Cook Time: 00:52
- Total Time: 1 hour 7 minutes
- Yield: Serves 8-10
- Category: Custard
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Sweet
Ingredients
For Pretzel Crust:
- 1–½ cups (6 ounces) pretzel crumbs
- 8 tablespoons (112 grams) unsalted butter, melted (more as needed)
- ⅓ cup (70 grams) granulated sugar
For Pistachio Filling:
- ½ cup (60 grams) shelled unsalted pistachios
- 8 ounces (226 grams) mascarpone, at room temperature
- ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup (230 grams) whole milk
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- Chopped pistachio, for garnish
- Whipped Cream, for garnish
Instructions
Make the Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Mix together pretzel crumbs, melted butter and sugar in a bowl. The mixture should be moist enough that when you squeeze it, it forms a clump, but not so wet that it sticks to your hands. See note below for troubleshooting.
- Pour the crumbs into a 9” pie plate and start pressing the ingredients up the sides of the pie plate to form the edges first. Once the edges are formed, work the crumbs down to evenly distribute into the bottom of the pie plate and stamp it down.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, until lightly golden and fragrant.
Make and Bake the Filling:
- Place pistachios in a food processor and pulse until they are finely ground, about 10 pulses. Set aside.
- Add mascarpone and sugar to a large bowl and whisk together until smooth. Add in eggs, milk, almond extract and ground pistachios and whisk together until smooth.
- Pour into the prepared pretzel crust and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the outer 2-½” of the pie is set and puffed, and the center is still slightly wobbly. The edges may be golden.
- Let cool almost completely on a rack before placing in the refrigerator to set overnight, or at least 8 hours.
- Garnish the top of the pie with additional pistachio, and piped whipped cream, if desired, and serve cold. Pie will keep for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
I have tested two different brands of pretzels (Trader Joe's and Whole Food's 365) and two different shapes (the typical twists and the stick pretzels). I have found that they can vary in terms of how much butter they will need. If your pretzel crumbs feel really dry, add in more butter. And to the contrary, if they feel too wet to form into a crust, add in more pretzel crumbs to balance out the mixture. It should be the consistency of wet sand, and easy to form into a crust.
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Sheila
When I made this pie, the top got too brown before the custard was set. I poured the custard into the very cold prebaked (directly from the fridge). I covered the top of the pie with foil to stop the browning, but the crust cooked too much, and it stuck to the pie plate and was hard to cut through.
Despite this, the pie was delicious (I loved the flavor of the pretzel crust). I never used cream cheese to stabilize whipped cream before, but it worked like a charm.
Do you think I should have allowed the crust to come to room temp (not using straight from the fridge) was the issue, or could there be another readon this happened?
I will definitely make this again.
Kelli Avila
Hi Sheila: The pie top will get brown as the recipe states--it's just a natural occurance due to the sugar and the pistachios. That's why it's covered with fresh pistachios at the end. As for why your crust was hard / stuck to the bottom of the pie plate: that one I'm not sure about as I've not had that occur. What type of pie plate did you use? Crumb crusts can be tricky due to the difference in moisture content of whatever you are using to make the crumbs. Was the mixture crumbly once it did get cut? Or did it stay together well?
Sheila
It was crumbly and held together well. I cooked the pie in a glass pyrex dish (that I've been making pies in for 40+ years). It just may have been one of those things that happens sometimes for no discerning reason. I didn't realize that the top would get that brown, so thanks for letting me know. I'll be making this again very soon. It was so delicious.
Thanks.
Bianca
This was not only delicious but SO EASY to make! I made it for my family St. Patrick’s Day party and the entire family was excited to eat it because it was so beautiful. The flavor was *chefs kiss*. Light yet decadent. Everyone enjoyed it. I love that it’s not too sweet so it leaves plenty of room for other desserts, or more pie! 🤣 Thank you for an amazing recipe. Will 100% make it again.
Jenny
This pie looks delicious. Can it be made ahead and frozen?
Kelli Avila
I haven't tried it----but I think it will probably do well! Let me know if you do!
Kylee
Made this pie for Mother's Day and it was a hit! The top looked pretty brown, so I was afraid that I had overbaked it, but topped it with pistachios and whipped cream and it was fine! Will definitely make this again!
Dasha
Too much milk. Crust is too crumbly. But I love the idea! Will adjust the recipe, thank you.
Nicole
This recipe is fantastic! The crust is delicious and the flavors are spot-on.
Mine didn’t fully set even after 24 hours in the refrigerator, though. I suspect I underbaked it?
If anyone can help me troubleshoot this — I want to try to make this again!
Despite being runnier than ideal, it was truly delicious.
Kelli Avila
Hi Nicole! Unless there was an error with ingredient measurement, then yes, it was likely underbaked. I know I've done that before with this pie. In the future, look for the edges to be puffed and set about 2-1/2" in, and the pie nearly set, with just a slight wobble in the middle. If you are nervous, it's okay to cook this one a little more until it's fully set; that way you ensure it isn't underdone. You could also use an instant read thermometer and check the temperature of the middle of the pie, it should be at least 180 degrees. Hope that helps!
Nicole
Those are excellent tips! I think I definitely underbaked it. The edges were getting golden, but they didn't puff and there was more than a slight wobble!
I am definitely going to make this one again!
Thank you so much for helping me troubleshoot.
Meredith K.
There is a website called Olive Nation that has a pistachio extract, even better than almond! I garnished the pie with little clusters of chocolate dipped pistachios and pretzel pieces. Deliciious.
Christina L.
I should always repeat to myself "trust the process." This pie is delicious! I bake frequently but I am more comfortable/confident with cakes than pies. I followed the recipe and after it came out of the oven, I thought I ruined it. It didn't seem like it was setting up and I was sure it would be too liquid. After chilling in the fridge overnight, the texture was perfect. Lo and behold... just have to trust the process. Unfortunately, I live in a rural area where pistachios are difficult to come by and I didn't have time to wait for an online order. I subbed almonds and added a bit of almond extract. It was a fantastic flavor and I can't wait to try the original recipe with pistachios when I can plan ahead. Other than almonds, I made no other changes or substitutes. Highly recommend this recipe!
Jessica
Hello, in your photos if the pie did you use whipped cream? It almost looks thick like a mascarpone icing.
Kelli Avila
Hi! I believe I used stabilized whipped cream: Stabilized Whipped Cream
TK
I made it! Not on IG, sorry but for a rudimentary trial run, it came out gorgeous!
Differences: I used Glutino gluten-free pretzels, and my pistachios were roasted and salted (didn't want to go back to the store!) - I rinsed them (lol!) and then stuck them in the oven to dry out. They worked nicely and I used 1/4 cup less of milk in case of there being too much salt in the nuts. It came out SO GOOD for my husband's birthday.
Thank you!!
Kelli Avila
YAY! I'm so glad this worked out for you!!! And thanks for sharing--it made my day!
TK
I was about ready to start but I forgot the pistachios...geez. Anyway, have you tried doing this in a springform pan or is the middle too "wobbly" for that? I'm using gluten-free pretzels as well...fingers crossed!!
Sarah
I made this today and it turned out great! I was expecting the pretzel crust to be more salty, but found it to be perfect.
Kelli Avila
Thanks so much for sharing your experience, Sarah!
Launa
My first attempt at this recipe is in the oven...can't wait to try it; it was super easy to make. I could only find salted pistachios, but would like to order some unsalted ones for the next pie. Are the pistachios supposed to be raw or roasted?
Kelli Avila
Hi! I'm making one today myself! Raw is better! But if you can only find roasted, that's ok. Hope you enjoy! -Kelli
Rachel S.
Delicious! Much lighter than I thought it would be so a great way to end the holiday season. The whipped cream is a must! Only issue was trying to find unsalted pistachios locally.
Kathy
Great texture to the filling. Tested recipe out for Christmas ... making it for New Year’s Eve too.
Erica
This was a great pie! I am planning to make it again the future. I overcooked mine and it was still good!
Dee
This pies sounds amazing!!!!! Love the addition of almond extract!
On my baking list!