Pistachio Cheesecake Cups
Published 6/6/2025
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I can’t get enough of these pistachio cheesecake cups! They’re protein-rich thanks to blended cottage cheese and taste just like pistachio cheesecake, but with added protein in cutie little personal pie size.
If you’re new around here, you should know, my all-time favorite dessert flavor is PISTACHIO. Pistachio ice cream, pistachio pudding, and obviously now these pistachio pie cups. They’re made green by using pistachio butter (no food coloring here!), and the filling is layered atop a homemade graham cracker crust, a crunchy layer of chocolate and then topped with easy whipped cream and chopped pistachios.
why you’ll love this recipe ⤵️
3-ingredient homemade pistachio pudding: you read that right! This homemade pudding is made from just cottage cheese, pistachio butter and honey. Mmm mmm good! And no food coloring, granulated sugar, eggs or jello needed.
Everything I love about a whole pistachio cheesecake without all the hassle: we’re talking no water bath, no springform pan, no stand mixer, no need to bake a whole cheesecake.
Perfect to keep in the freezer: these bite-sized babies are perfect for keeping in the freezer. Simply put a cheesecake cup on the counter and let it thaw for 10 minutes, and then gobble it up.
The Star Ingredients
- Cottage cheese: you know it! You’ll use blended cottage cheese instead of cream cheese (or sour cream or heavy cream!) in these cheesecake cups. Not only is it higher in protein than cream cheese, it gives the cheesecake batter a super creamy texture.
- Pistachio butter: basically ground pistachios into a paste like peanut butter or almond butter. You’ll need this to give these cutie cups their iconic pistachio taste and green color.
- Graham crackers: you’ll pulse graham crackers with room-temperature butter (no need to use melted butter!) to make the graham cracker crust — such a perfect flavor combination for a pistachio cheesecake crust.
- Chocolate chips: melted semi-sweet chocolate chips stirred with coconut oil adds a nice little chocolate crunch to these cheesecake cups. White chocolate would also taste amazing!
Find the list of full ingredients in the recipe card below.
Pistachio Paste vs. Pistachio Butter
I prefer to use pistachio butter because it’s 100% pistachios and typically unsweetened. Pistachio butter is creamy and delicious, but is sweetened. So, if you choose to substitute pistachio paste in this recipe, you will want to test for sweetness and adjust the honey accordingly.
What about pistachio cream? I haven’t tested this with pistachio cream since that’s a much sweeter product that often contains milk powder or other flavor enhancers.
Equipment to Gather
- Muffin tin: Make sure you have a muffin tin on hand.
- Paper liners: Paper liners will make it easier to remove the pistachio pie cups from the tin without making a mess.
- Food processor: You’ll need a food processor to grind up the graham crackers into fine crumbs for the crust, as well as for the pistachio pie layer to make the cottage cheese smooth and mousse-y.
- Nonstick cooking spray: Even though you’re using paper liners for the pie cups, you’ll still want to spray them with nonstick spray to ensure they come out lookin’ perfect.
- Microwave-safe bowl: Easily melt your chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwave instead of dealing with a double boiler.
How to Make Pistachio Cheesecake
All you need to do to before assembling these pistachio cheesecake cups is to prepare the 3 layers. Here’s how:
- Prepare the graham cracker crust: Place the graham crackers and butter into a high-speed food processor, and process on high until the mixture forms a crumble.
- Prepare the chocolate layer: Add the chocolate chips and coconut oil to a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on high in 20-second intervals, stirring between until the chocolate is melted.
- Prepare the pistachio pudding layer: Add the cottage cheese, pistachio butter, and honey into a high-powered food processor and process on high until it’s thick and creamy with no lumps.
Serve Up The Cups
Now it’s time to assemble! Start here:
- Spoon 1 tablespoon of the graham cracker crumbs into each muffin liner, and press it down flat.
- Bake the graham cracker crust for 5 minutes at 350℉, and then allow to cool.
- Scoop two heaping teaspoons of melted chocolate onto the top of the graham cracker crust, and then transfer the pan to the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Scoop 2 heaping tablespoons of the pistachio pudding layer to the top of the chocolate layer and evenly spread the layer out.
- Transfer the pan to the freezer and freeze for at least 2 hours to firm up.
- Top with a dollop of whipped cream and chopped pistachios right before serving (that’s what I did in these photos, and honestly now I’ll never go back!). ENJOY!
My #1 Tip
Make sure to use full-fat cottage cheese: Not only will it make your cheesecake cups luscious and creamy, but they will taste better, too. 2% or 4% will work great.
Why? Nonfat cottage cheese has a higher water content, which will make the cheesecake filling more watery. And, if you plan to freeze them, they may be “icy.”
Refrigerating or Freezing Leftovers
These pistachio pie cups can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
If you want to make them ahead of time (or TO keep a batch in the freezer at all times IYKYK!), simply freeze them in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Just thaw them in the fridge for a few hours or on the counter for 10 minutes before serving.
Other Cheesecake Recipes I Love
- Healthy Cheesecake Recipe
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecake Cups
- High-Protein Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Lemon Mini Cheesecakes
- Protein Strawberry Cheesecake Jars
Pistachio Cheesecake Cups Recipe
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Layer
- 9 Graham crackers
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Chocolate Layer
- 6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
Cottage Cheese Cheesecake Layer
- 10 oz. 4% cottage cheese
- ⅓ cup pistachio butter
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon honey
Optional Toppings
- whipped cream
- shelled pistachio nuts, roughly chopped
Instructions
- First, preheat the oven to 350℉, line a muffin tin with muffin liners, and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Prepare the graham cracker crust. Place the graham crackers and butter into a high-speed food processor. Process on high until the mixture forms a crumble.
- Spoon 1 tablespoon of the graham cracker crumbs into each muffin cup. Use a spoon to press the crumble down into the liners.
- Bake the graham cracker crust for 5 minutes at 350℉. Remove from the oven and allow the crust to cool.
- Prepare the chocolate layer. Add the chocolate chips and coconut oil to a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on high in 20-second intervals, stirring between until the chocolate is melted.
- Scoop two heaping teaspoons of the melted chocolate onto the top of the graham cracker crust. Spread it evenly over the crust and transfer the pan to the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Prepare the pistachio butter layer. Add the cottage cheese, pistachio butter, and honey into a high-powered food processor and process on high until thick, creamy, and no lumps. This may take 2-4 minutes.
- Scoop ⅕-2 heaping tablespoons of the cottage cheese mixture to the top of the chocolate layer and evenly spread the layer out. Top with flaky salt.
- Transfer the pan to the freezer and freeze for at least 2 hours to firm up.
- Top with optional dollop of whipped cream and chopped pistachios before serving.
Tips & Notes
- We prefer to use 2% or 4% cottage cheese in this recipe.
- Any nut butter can be used in this recipe, but the pistachio butter is what gives these cups their green color and pistachio flavor.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Photography: photos taken in this post are by Erin from The Wooden Skillet.
