Healthy Pistachio Recipes

Skip sugar-sweetened yogurt and try ricotta instead. Topped with fresh fruit and nuts, it's the perfect healthy snack.

Buy a melon that feels heavy for its size and smells slightly sweet. Picking a ripe one ensures the right balance of flavors in this arugula and goat cheese salad.

Mild tasting mahi mahi gets a spicy and nutty infusion with this crunchy chili-pistachio coating. Served with a quinoa salad, this healthy meal is ready in just 45 minutes.

This recipe was inspired by kulfi, an Indian frozen dessert often flavored with cardamom, saffron and pistachios. Counting saffron threads seems tedious but it is an accurate way to measure one of the most precious spices on Earth. Rather than using an ice cream maker, you whip the cream mixture to form soft peaks before freezing it. The results are über-creamy.

The pesto in this recipe is made with broccoli, pistachio nuts and ricotta cheese. It's a nice alternative to basil pesto, and works well with the chicken and whole-grain pasta in this easy main dish recipe.

Richly satisfying, this luscious-looking soup made with red bell peppers gets a touch of heat from Thai chiles. For an extra-nutty flavor, puree an additional 1/4 cup shelled pistachios with 1/4 cup water and serve the soup with a dollop of this pistachio puree on top.

Grouper has a relatively mild flavor, but by adding the bold flavors of pistachio, mango and pomegranate, your taste buds will be delighted! This easy-to-prepare dinner takes just 40 minutes.

This healthy breakfast casserole recipe has a good dose of cardamom, so if it's not your favorite spice, reduce it to 1 teaspoon and add 2 teaspoons cinnamon.

The mix-ins in these homemade granola bars are inspired by ingredients commonly used in Middle Eastern cooking--dates, hazelnuts, pistachios, tahini and cardamom. But feel free to vary the dried fruit, nuts, seeds and/or spices to your preference. We tested several sticky sweeteners, including maple syrup and honey, but found brown rice syrup held the bars together the best.

Burfi is an Indian sweet treat often served and gifted during Diwali and other festivals--or whenever one has a craving. Usually made with either condensed milk or ghee (or both), it's a decadent sweet that's not quite a cookie, not quite a candy, but something in between. It's often described as a kind of fudge. Throughout South Asia and the diaspora, different families have their own unique ways of making it, and that's the beauty: from the size and shape to the toppings and mix-in spices, everything can be customized. Even chocolate burfi is a thing! This version uses nonfat dry milk powder, almond flour and less sugar than most other burfi recipes for sweet satisfaction that's just a bit lighter, so you can feel good about serving up seconds.

Strawberries and pistachios top a thin layer of Greek yogurt for a colorful and tasty frozen treat. A sprinkle of chocolate cookie crumbs finishes this satisfying snack or dessert.

Sweet dried fruit, salty nuts and crunchy popcorn are mixed together to make this super-satisfying, homemade trail mix that travels well.

This crunchy Italian cookie recipe isn't traditionally very sweet, so just a touch of honey adds flavor along with mild sweetness. Dipping them in chocolate makes them extra special.

In this tasty, easy-to-prepare dessert, nectarines and blueberries are sweetened with brown sugar and topped with a crunchy pistachio-oat topping.

This centerpiece-worthy salad calls for buying up the most colorful roots in the produce section. We like using a rainbow of beets and carrots for the most stunning presentation.

Bright golden beets contrast with the red quinoa for a colorful salad full of texture and flavor. Chopped pistachios add crunch while feta brings saltiness to this stunning salad.

Turbinado sugar has a rich, molasses-like flavor that plays nicely with sweet-tart oranges in this easy healthy dessert recipe.

The simplicity of this grapefruit salad recipe really lets the flavors of the fruit and avocado shine through. If you haven't tried chervil, it's worth seeking out. The herb looks like lacy parsley and, though subtle, has hints of licorice and anise with a touch of basil. Serve as a first course or as a side for roast pork.

Grilling a large salmon fillet is a surefire way to wow guests at the table. It's also easier than grilling individual fillets and adds a little insurance against overcooking. If you're nervous about grilling the fish, take heart: You don't have to flip it, the skin keeps it intact, and even though you're cooking it over both direct and indirect heat, it stays put on the grill. The skin crisps up beautifully, and the spice rub adds bold notes that pair well with sweet peaches and red onion.

Dried fruit and nuts is a classic snack that never gets old. Tip: Use shell-on pistachios--shelling them will force you to eat slower and really savor your snack time.

Drizzle melted dark chocolate onto sliced kiwis and sprinkle with pistachio nuts for a fast healthy dessert or snack that satisfies your sweet, salty cravings.

It's easy to pick up bags of pre-made snack mix at the grocery store, but why buy them when snack mix is so easy to make at home? This spicy snack mix recipe is simple and fun to make and costs less than what you'd pay to buy it pre-made.

Adding matcha, a powdered green tea with a grassy flavor, balances the sweetness of these little tea cakes and adds gorgeous color too. You can add more matcha to the glaze for a festive green tint or sprinkle some on top. Alternatively, use dehydrated raspberry powder for a pink hue.

Pistachios are a relatively recent addition to commercial agriculture in New Mexico, where abundant sunshine makes them easy to grow. New Mexican chef and five-time James Beard Award semifinalist Jonathan Perno showcases them in an otherwise straightforward green bean dish. The nuts and roasted beans create a toasty flavor that blends beautifully with the chile-infused turkey and potatoes.