Pistachio croissant: what it is and how it is made

A pistachio croissant is a butter croissant filled with pistachio cream and finished with crushed pistachios, often with a dusting of icing sugar. The pastry stays flaky and buttery, while the pistachio filling adds a soft, nutty, slightly sweet centre. It is a variation on the plain croissant and on the almond croissant.

What is a pistachio croissant?

A pistachio croissant is a croissant made from laminated yeast dough that carries a pistachio-based filling and topping. The dough is the same layered butter dough used for a plain French croissant. What changes is the cream inside and the nuts on top.

Bakeries make it in two common ways. Some fill a freshly baked croissant by cutting it open and piping in pistachio cream. Others use a day-old plain croissant, soak it lightly in syrup, fill it, top it with more cream and bake it again. This second method is how the almond croissant, called croissant aux amandes in French, began, and pistachio versions copy it.

How is a pistachio croissant made?

A pistachio croissant is made by baking a laminated croissant, filling it with pistachio cream, and often baking it a second time with a topping. The pastry and the filling are prepared separately.

1. Make croissant dough by folding a block of butter into yeast dough several times, which creates the layers.
2. Shape, proof and bake the croissants until deep golden.
3. Beat pistachio paste with butter, sugar, egg and a little flour to make a pistachio cream, a close cousin of frangipane.
4. Slice the croissant along its side and spread or pipe in the cream.
5. Spread a thin layer of cream on top, scatter chopped pistachios and bake briefly so the cream sets.
6. Finish with icing sugar once cooled.

Home bakers often skip the lamination and buy plain croissants to fill, which works well because the filling is the main change.

What does a pistachio croissant taste like?

A pistachio croissant tastes of buttery pastry first, then a sweet, gently savoury nut flavour from the cream. Pistachio is less sharp than almond and slightly resinous, with a hint of green, grassy sweetness.

The texture changes from the outside in. The top is crisp from baking, the middle layers are airy and shatter into flakes, and the filling is soft and dense like a thick custard. Crushed pistachios add small crunchy pieces. Because the cream is rich, a pistachio croissant feels heavier than a plain one, so many people pair it with black coffee or unsweetened tea.

Pistachio croissant vs almond croissant: what is the difference?

The difference is the nut: a pistachio croissant uses pistachio cream and pistachio topping, while an almond croissant uses almond frangipane and sliced almonds. The croissant itself is the same.

A third relative is the pain au chocolat, which holds chocolate batons rather than a cream and is cut in a rectangle instead of a crescent.

What is pistachio cream made of?

Pistachio cream is made from ground pistachios blended with butter, sugar and egg, sometimes lightened with milk or pastry cream. It is the pistachio counterpart of frangipane, the almond cream used in French pastry.

The quality of the cream depends mostly on the pistachios. Pastry makers in Sicily and Turkey are known for strongly flavoured pistachios, and many bakeries buy paste from those regions. Cheaper creams use a smaller share of nuts and add flavouring and colour. A cream that is very bright green and tastes mainly of sugar is usually a sign of less nut and more additive.

What can go wrong when baking one?

The usual problems are a soggy base, burnt nuts and a filling that leaks. Each has a simple cause, and most come from too much cream or too hot an oven.

• Soggy base: the croissant was soaked too long in syrup, or too much cream was added.
• Burnt topping: pistachios brown faster than almonds, so cover the tray loosely with foil near the end.
• Leaking filling: the cream was too loose. Chill it for 30 minutes before piping.
• Dense pastry: the underlying croissant was under-proofed, so the layers never opened.

A thin layer of cream on top is enough, because the filling spreads as it heats.

What goes well with a pistachio croissant?

A pistachio croissant pairs well with drinks that are not very sweet, since the cream already carries sugar. Black coffee, an americano, plain tea and green tea all balance it.

• Coffee: a flat white or an americano cuts through the richness.
• Tea: jasmine, green or plain black tea keeps the nut flavour clear.
• Fruit: a few raspberries or sliced strawberries add a sharp contrast.

A very sweet drink, such as a flavoured syrup latte, makes the whole plate feel heavy.

How do you pick a fresh pistachio croissant?

A fresh pistachio croissant looks glossy and golden, feels light for its size and has crisp, distinct layers at the edges. Choose one baked that day when you can.

• The top nuts should look dry and toasted, not dark or oily.
• The layers should stand slightly apart, not be pressed flat and wet.
• It should smell of butter and toasted nuts, with no stale, sour smell.
• A filled croissant that has sat in a case for a long time will feel heavy and soft.

Ask staff when the croissants were baked. Filled pastries lose crispness quickly because the cream releases moisture into the layers.

How do you store and reheat a pistachio croissant?

Keep a pistachio croissant in a paper bag at room temperature for the day it is bought, and reheat it in a 150 degree C oven for about five minutes. Do not seal it in plastic, which traps moisture and softens the crust.

If you need to hold it longer, refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to two days, since the cream is dairy and egg based. Bring it back to crispness in the oven rather than the microwave. A toaster oven also works, but watch the nuts on top, which brown quickly.

Is there a pistachio croissant at WeBake Dessert Cafe?

No pistachio croissant is recorded for WeBake Dessert Cafe in Burnaby. The business has no published menu. A directory listing names croissants, in butter and chocolate styles, but that listing appears to describe a different business, so the croissants are unconfirmed.

Items that Google reviewers do mention are a scone, salt bread, coffee and a Spanish latte. To find out what the pastry counter holds on a given day, check the menu page for what this guide has recorded, then call the cafe, whose number and opening times are on the hours and location page. This guide is independent and takes no orders.

Common questions

For the address, opening hours and menu, see WeBake Dessert Cafe in Burnaby.

This article is general information from an independent guide, not from WeBake Dessert Cafe itself. For the store’s current details see hours and location.