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matcha pistachi pie overhead view with whipped cream

Matcha Pistachio Pie

Print Recipe
This matcha pistachio pie is made from scratch (no box mix). It's super creamy and gets a nice bright green color from the matcha. Simplify the recipe by using a store bought crust, or use my recipe for a homemade one.
Course Dessert
Cuisine Asian American
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Chill Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 45 minutes
Servings 1 9" pie

Equipment

  • pie tin
  • Rolling Pin
  • pie weights OR extra granulated sugar
  • strong blender or food processor

Ingredients

For Pie Crust (Makes 2)

  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour 300g
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt 3g
  • 1 cup cold, unsalted butter 227g
  • 3/4 cup ice cold water 177mL
  • additional flour for dusting

For Matcha Pistachio Pudding Filling

  • 1 cup unsalted raw shelled pistachios (see note) 140g
  • 3/4 cup sugar 150g
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch 28g
  • 1 tbsp matcha 6g
  • 1 tsp kosher salt 6g
  • 2 1/4 cup whole milk 531mL
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract

For Whipped Cream Topping

  • 1 cup heavy cream 236 mL
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

To Make Pie Crust

  • If using store-bought crust, skip down to the step where you preheat the oven. Otherwise, in a large mixing bowl, whisk flour and salt.
  • Cut cold butter into smaller cubes and add to the flour.
  • Either using a food processor, pastry cutter, or by hand, work the butter into the flour until you get a sandy texture and pea-size chunks of butter remain. Note: You can achieve different textures of pie crust depending on how much you work the butter into the flour, so feel free to adjust to your preferences.
  • Pour in 1/2 cup of the ice cold water and gently mix by hand. Continue adding water 1 tbsp at a time until the dough comes together in a ball. Dough should no longer be dry and crumbly but also not be sticky. Different brands of flour will absorb water differently, so you need to go by feel. You will not probably not need the full remaining 1/4 cup of water.
  • Split dough in half, wrap each half in cling wrap and place in fridge for 20 minutes to rest. You can also let it sit overnight to finish the next day. The extra pie crust can also be frozen for a different recipe.
  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  • Dust a clean surface with flour and take out one of your chilled crusts. Roll out to a 12 inch circle, dusting with flour to keep from sticking. Note: If you are using a deeper dish pie tin, then you will need to roll out slightly larger.
  • Transfer dough to your pie tin, trimming off any excess that overhangs down the sides of the dish. Crimp the edges and poke holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork. Note: You can wrap and freeze the dough at this point to finish the recipe at a later date, if needed.
  • To blind bake the crust, cover the entire crust with aluminum foil. You can use pie weights, or, if you're like me, simply pour some granulated sugar into the foil to weigh down the crust and keep it from rising. The baked sugar gets toasted and can be reused after it's cooled down for other recipes.
  • Bake for 15 minutes. Then remove the foil and weights (remember to save the sugar, if using) and bake, uncovered, for an additional 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Set aside to cool while you make the filling.

For the Matcha Pistachio Pudding Filling

  • If using store-bought pistachio butter, measure out 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp (150 g) and skip to the next step. Otherwise, in a food processor, blend pistachios and sugar until a nut butter is formed. Option to strain out larger chunks of remaining pistachio and save for topping or leave them for a crunchier filling.
  • In a pot, mix nut butter with milk (if using store-bought pistachio butter, add the sugar in this step). Heat on stove over medium heat, stirring to avoid scalding, until steaming.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk cornstarch, matcha, salt, and eggs.
  • Pour a small stream of steaming pistachio milk into bowl with the cornstarch while continuously whisking to temper the eggs (i.e. warm up the eggs slowly without cooking them). Then pour what's in the bowl back into the pot with the remaining pistachio milk.
  • Cook on stovetop until filling thickens to a pudding-like consistency. Do NOT turn the heat up to high or you will curdle your eggs.
  • Remove from heat and stir in almond extract.
  • Pour thickened pudding into baked pie crust. If you notice any lumps of matcha or curdled egg, I recommend straining the mixture into the crust. Cover and refrigerate until cold, at least two and a half hours, but preferably overnight.
  • When ready to serve, beat heavy cream, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract to make a whipped cream.
  • Transfer to top of chilled pie and sprinkle with matcha or the strained pistachio chunks from before. Leftovers keep in the fridge, although the whipped cream may deflate.

Notes

  • This recipe makes two pie crusts, so you can save one to make a different recipe at a later time. Alternatively, you can halve the pie crust recipe and make just one.
  • Feel free to use a store bought crust if you don't want to make one from scratch.
  • For this recipe, I used maeda-en universal quality matcha, which is pretty strong and has a nice bright color, so one tablespoon is enough. If you know you have a weaker matcha, you may want to add more
  • I almost always use pistachio butter instead of grinding my own pistachios now. See blog post above for recommendations.