Creamy, dreamy, Pistachio Lush! Give this recipe a try, any time of year. You’ll love the touch of salty pistachios in the buttery shortbread crust. The real whipped cream topping is like a fluffy cloud on top of a luscious layer of pistachio pudding. Or, make it easy and trade out the whipped cream for Cool Whip, but the homemade topping really pushes it over the edge of goodness. Looking for more great dessert recipes? Check out my Desserts Playlist here! Enjoy!
Disclosure: I only endorse products I have used personally and highly recommend. When you make a purchase through some of the links below, I may earn a small commission from Amazon.com at no extra cost to you.
Superboard Pastry Board
Pistachio Lush, AKA Leprechaun Lush!
Tasty any time of year!
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 c. all purpose flour (4.25 oz.)
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 c. chopped pistachios (roasted and salted)
- 1 stick unsalted butter (omit salt if using salted butter)
Cream Cheese Layer:
- 1 8 oz. block cream cheese
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 tsp. almond extract
- 1 c. powdered sugar
- 1 c. heavy cream
Pistachio Pudding Layer:
- 1 1/2 c. whole milk
- 1 3.4 oz box instant pistachio pudding mix
Whipped Cream Topping: (see notes for substitutions)
- 1 1/2 c. heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 3 Tbsp. instant white chocolate pudding mix
* 2 extra Tbsp. chopped pistachios to sprinkle over whipped topping
Instructions
For the crust:
- In a mixing bowl, add flour, salt, chopped pistachios. Mix together. Add softened butter. Cut butter into the flour mixture. Lightly spray or butter an 8 inch square pan. Press dough into pan. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 20 - 25 minutes, or until lightly browned around edges. Cool.
Cream cheese layer:
- In a mixing bow, blend together the cream cheese, vanilla, and almond extract. Mix in powdered sugar. Add heavy cream and beat on high for about 2 minutes or until thickened and fluffy. Spread evenly over cooled crust.
For the pistachio pudding layer:
- In a mixing bowl, add milk and pistachio pudding mix. Whisk together for about 2 minutes until thickened. Spread evenly over cream cheese layer. Cover na chill until ready to serve. Make the whipped topping (or top with Cool Whip, but I really hope you'll try my whipped topping recipe)!
For the whipped topping:
- In a mixing bowl, add heavy cream and beat until it just starts to thicken. Add vanilla and white chocolate pudding mix. Beat until thick and fluffy. Chill until ready to serve.
- This makes 9 servings. Add a dollop of whipped topping to each square, top with a sprinkle of chopped pistachios, and if you like, add a little pinch of gold sparkly sugar on top. Enjoy!
Notes
I really hope you'll try my recipe for whipped cream topping. Most lush recipes call for Cool Whip, but I prefer the taste and texture of whipped heavy cream. If you'd rather use Cool Whip, just add 1/2 tub to the cream cheese mixture in place of the cream, and save the other half of the Cool Whip for topping each piece.
If you're using salted butter in the crust, just omit the 1/4 tsp. salt.