These no flour Italian pistachio cookies are incredibly easy to make and you can have a super tasty treat in 20 minutes. They're a bit chewy and extra nutty, so don't be surprised if they disappear quickly!

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Pistachios are my favourite type of nut, and I like them in everything. I make a delicious pistachio ice cream for, and I don't even bother to take the pistachio bits out of the mixture because I believe it would ruin the fun. I've also been known to use pistachios as a base for a pesto I use to make pizza with mortadella, so you can see that my love for these little green nuts runs deep and true.
It's no wonder that I've also learned how to make some mean pistachio almond cookies. I perfected this recipe via lots of trial and error (not that I'm complaining), and the result is fabulous.
I tried to make these cookies with almond flour, but I found it to be quite unnecessary, and the texture was way better with ground almonds. These cookies without flour are gluten-free and dairy-free, and they have a fudgy, slightly chewy texture.
I use demerara sugar for these cookies because I totally like how it brings a slightly caramel-like taste that makes the cookies feel truly special. You can replace it with caster or granulated sugar if you want, but I highly recommend making some demerara sugar cookies instead.
Below you can see the ingredients you need to make these cookies.
How do you make the cookies?
1. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 175C/350F.
2. Add 100 g pistachios and the sugar to a food processor. Process until you don't see any large chunks of nuts. Transfer the mixture to a clean bowl and mix in the ground almonds.
3. Add the egg whites, almond essence and vanilla essence and mix with a spatula until you get a slightly sticky dough. If the dough is too thick, use more egg whites, but just 1 teaspoon at a time until you get the right consistency.
4. Chop the remaining pistachios into small pieces.
5. Form round cookies with your hands or with the help of a cookie scoop. Roll each of them in the pistachio and flatten them a bit before placing them on the prepared baking tray.
6. Bake for 10 minutes until they start to turn slightly brown. Remove the cookies from the oven (they will still be soft) and allow them to cool completely before you transfer them.
How to store these pistachio cookies?
The cookies will keep well in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Make sure they are completely cooled before putting them in a container; otherwise, they will become moist.
If you liked this recipe for Italian pistachio cookies, check out some of my other desserts:
The BEST Peanut Butter and Jelly Blondies with Raspberries
Easy Chocolate Raspberry Brownies
Galaktoboureko (Greek Custard Pie)
Looking for more delicious inspiration? 😄 Follow Skinny Spatula on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
Italian Pistachio Cookies (No Flour)
These no flour Italian pistachio cookies are incredibly easy to make and you can have a super tasty treat in 30 minutes. They're a bit chewy and extra nutty, so don't be surprised if they disappear quickly!
Ingredients
- 175 g pistachio kernels (1 ¼ cup), shelled, divided into 100 g + 75 g (¾ cup + ½ cup)
- 125 g demerara sugar (½ cup)
- 100 g ground almonds (1 cup)
- 2 egg whites (large eggs, approximately 75 g egg whites)
- ½ teaspoon almond essence
- ½ teaspoon vanilla essence
Instructions
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 175C/350F.
- Add 100 g pistachios and the sugar to a food processor. Process until you don't see any large chunks of nuts. Transfer the mixture to a clean bowl and mix in the ground almonds.
- Add the egg whites, almond essence, and vanilla essence and mix with a spatula until you get a slightly sticky dough. If the dough is too thick, use more egg whites, but just 1 teaspoon at a time until you get the right consistency.
- Chop the remaining pistachios into small pieces.
- Form round cookies with your hands or with the help of a cookie scoop. Roll each of them in the pistachio and flatten them a bit before placing them on the prepared baking tray.
- Bake for 10 minutes until they start to turn slightly brown. Remove the cookies from the oven (they will still be soft) and allow them to cool completely before you transfer them.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 133Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 85mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 2gSugar: 9gProtein: 4g
Nutritional information is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.
Navdha says
These are similar to a pistachio sandwich cookie with chocolate cream which is the best cookie I’ve ever had. Will try and see how I can recreate the sandwich cookie with this recipe 🤞🤞🤞
Christian Guzman says
These look great! I love pistachios and I'm adding them to the grocery list now. I can hardly wait to make some. These will be such a great crunchy treat!
Dannii says
I love anything with pistachios and these cookies look amazing.
hoppinmp says
Wow, these are great. I love that they're gluten free!
chezlerevefrancais says
These look so good and very nutty! Can't wait to try one.
kagucuisine says
A great easy recipe! Thank you!Pistachios are an addictive food in my opinion. You can never just have one😂. I have only recently started to using them in sweet treats and I’ve fallen equally in love💚.
Angela DiCicco, The Italian Grandmama says
I'm not sure if you're featuring Italian food because it's National Italian American month or you just love it but I've been sharing your Italian recipes on The Italian Grandmama's Guide Community on Facebook! Thanks for all the goodies!
Alice says
I'm not American, so I didn't even know that National Italian American month was a thing, but it does sound exciting. I just love these cookies. Thank you for sharing, Angela!
willbarch78 says
Yum. Can't wait to make these!
Alice says
I hope you like them!