Pistachio Dessert

The Perfect Dessert

Of all the no-bake desserts to choose from, creamy layered desserts are a favorite in my house. I’ve made chocolate lasagna and strawberry lasagna in my time and they are always crowd-pleasers!

Now it’s time for another layered dessert! This pistachio dessert with Cool Whip has four tantalizing layers that begin with a crunchy shortbread crust, then a light cheesecake layer, followed by a layer of pistachio pudding, and is topped with whipped topping and crunchy pistachios. It’s the perfect creamy, sweet, salty and overall delicious dessert.

The secret to the pistachio layer is using dry instant pudding powder. You can use instant pudding to make so many easy dessert recipes. Pistachio cookies, snicker salad, and watergate salad all use pudding mix for a light pistachio flavor.

Let me walk you through everything you need to know to make this ultimate creamy layered pistachio dessert!

Why This Recipe Works

Pudding desserts like this one or my banana cream pie have a real retro vibe. They feel like something your mom or grandma would have whipped up to serve to guests.

Since this is a chilled layered pistachio dessert, it’s great to bring to potlucks or BBQs in the warm summer months, but it also makes a nice, green-themed dessert for St. Patrick’s Day, Easter or even Christmas!

Ingredients for Pistachio Layered Dessert

This easy pistachio dessert has 4 impressive layers, and all the ingredients should be easy to find in your local grocery store. Here are the key ingredients you’ll need:

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

• Shortbread cookies: These cookies form the base. You can buy store-bought or make homemade shortbread cookies. If you can’t find shortbread, any crumbly cookie will do.
• Ground pistachios: I buy unsalted shelled pistachios. If you can’t find the shelled kind, you can shell them yourself.
• Cream cheese: I use brick-style cream cheese at room temperature. 
• Cool Whip: Make sure you thaw the Cool Whip before using it. If you prefer a homemade cool whip, it is fairly easy to make. For the top layer, you could also use homemade whipped cream which make it absolutely delicious. 
• Pistachio instant pudding: Make sure it’s the instant pistachio pudding mix. Do not use the cook-and-serve variation and don’t follow the directions for making instant pudding on the back of the box. We’re going to use it in a slightly different way. 
• Milk: Whole milk will give you a creamier pudding, but 2% or even 1% will work.

Variations

Once you start making this creamy layered pistachio dessert, your imagination will run wild with ideas for putting your own spin on it! Here are some suggestions you can try:

Crust: Use another cookie of your choice. Regular or golden Oreos make a delicious crust! You don’t even need to remove the filling first. Just blitz the whole cookie up in your food processor to make fine crumbs. 

Pudding: This pistachio dessert is all about the pistachio flavor, but you can really make it with any pudding flavor. You can even add multiple layers of different flavors of pudding if you want to get extra fancy. Why not try chocolate or butterscotch pudding? Lemon would be nice too!

Toppings: Chopped pistachio nuts are the classic topping for this dessert, but you don’t have to stop there. Sprinkle over some chocolate chips or shredded coconut. Or crush some more shortbread cookies or Oreos and spoon them over the whipped topping. Bright red maraschino cherries would also make nice additions!

How to Make Pistachio Dessert

There are 4 layers in this recipe, and they all come together very quickly. There’s no baking involved, but there is some chilling time for each layer and once you’ve assembled everything, you’ll need to chill the entire dessert for an additional 2 -3 hours before serving. I promise that the wait will be worth it!

1. Make the crust. Use a food processor or blender to pulse the cookies and nuts into fine crumbs. Drizzle in the melted butter and pulse until the crumbs stick together when pressed between your fingers. Press into the baking dish and place in the refrigerator or freezer for 5 minutes.
2. Make the cream cheese layer. Whip the cream cheese with an electric mixer until soft and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and mix until combined then gently fold in the Cool Whip.
3. Assemble the first layer. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the cooled crust and place in the refrigerator or freezer for 10 minutes.
4. Make the pistachio pudding layer. Whisk the pudding mix and milk together until thick.
5. Assemble the next layer. Gently spread it over the cream cheese layer. Place the dish back into the fridge for another 10 minutes.
6. Add the topping. Spread the remaining Cool Whip on top and sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Chill the entire thing for 2 to 3 hours before serving.

Expert Tips

• Take your cream cheese out of the fridge at least an hour before you need it. It needs to be softened to whip it properly. If you don’t have time to leave it out at room temperature, check out my other tips for how to soften cream cheese.
• Make sure you take the time to chill each of the layers in this dessert. The chilling time helps to keep each layer distinct, so they don’t all run into each other.
• If you want clean slices where you can see the individual layers, wipe off the blade of the knife after each cut.
• For an even creamier pudding in your pistachio dessert, substitute the milk with half and half.

Storing

Always store this layered pistachio dessert in the refrigerator. Tightly cover the baking dish with plastic wrap or transfer the dessert to an airtight container and store for up to 3 days.

Unfortunately, freezing won’t really work for this one. Because there’s milk in the pudding layer, it will form icy crystals when frozen which will then turn watery once thawed. Stick to storing your pistachio dessert in the fridge only!