Make delicious pistachios even better by coating them in chocolate! This simple 3-ingredient recipe doesn't require any baking and can be made in just 5 minutes. You won't be able to stop eating them! They are gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan.
These Chocolate Covered Pistachios are the perfect snack for chocolate and nut lovers! Delicious shelled pistachios are coated in rich dark chocolate. No crazy preservatives or additives like cane sugar, soy lecithin, or citric acid here! They are crunchy, healthy, and super delicious!
Make them the way you like by changing up the chocolate, mixing in other nuts or dried fruits, or adding toppings. These chocolate pistachios are great to keep in the fridge and enjoy for a summer snack or dessert. Sweet and salty for the win!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- A super filling snack! Packed with protein and healthy fats.
- Just 3 ingredients.
- Made in 5 minutes.
- Keeps in the fridge.
- You control the ingredients! No corn syrup, sunflower lecithin, or tapioca syrup here.
- Gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan! Pistachios are tree nuts so be careful if you have an allergy!
Want more easy snacks? You'll also like this chocolate covered pineapple, gluten-free chocolate chip muffins, gluten-free cheese scones, and gluten-free cheez its.
Ingredient Notes
Here are all the ingredients you'll need to make chocolate covered pistachios:
- Pistachios: I like to use the Wonderful Pistachios "No shells" pistachios. I used the lightly salted or roasted ones. I would avoid the flavours like BBQ for this recipe. You can also use regular pistachios and shell them yourself.
- Dark chocolate: I like 70% but you could go darker or choose milk chocolate. I recommend using a bar of chocolate as chocolate chips will melt quite thick. Dark chocolate may contain milk products so be sure to read the label if you're dairy-free.
- Coconut oil: Just a little thins out the chocolate to the perfect dipping consistency. You could also use vegetable oil.
Substitutions
There are many ways to change up these chocolate nut clusters. Here are some substitution suggestions:
- Add in other nuts like almonds, hazelnuts, or peanuts!
- Swap out the dark chocolate for creamy milk chocolate, semisweet chocolate, or white chocolate if you like!
- While the chocolate is wet, you could sprinkle on flaky salt, cookie crumbs, or candies.
- Add dried fruits like cranberries, apricots, pineapple chunks, etc. Make fruit & nut clusters!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Be sure to read the recipe card below for the full recipe.
(Prep) If you haven't bought pre-shelled pistachios, remove and discard the shells from a ton of pistachios. I use about 170g when the shells are removed.
(1) Roughly chop the dark chocolate into small pieces and place in a medium size bowl with the coconut oil. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, then microwave again until melted.
(2) Add all of the pistachios to the chocolate and toss with a spoon to coat.
(3) Allow the excess chocolate to fall, then place the chocolate covered pistachios on a parchment-lined plate or baking sheet in little clusters.
(4) Top with flaky sea salt if you like. Repeat until all the chocolate and pistachios are used up.
(5) Place in the fridge for at least 20 minutes to solidify.
Transfer the pistachios to a closed container and enjoy straight from the fridge. They may melt quickly at warm temperatures.
Keep in the fridge for up to 1 week, if they even last that long!
What to Serve with Chocolate Covered Pistachios
These delicious little pistachio clusters are the perfect summer snack or dessert. Keep them on hand for when you need a little sweet & salty treat at the end of a meal. Enjoy them on their own, on a charcuterie board, or on a snack table with some of these easy recipes:
- Chocolate covered pineapple
- Chocolate covered cherries
- Salsa pinwheels
- Gluten-free cheez its
- Rice crispy treats
- Gluten-free banana bread
- Almond biscotti
- White chocolate macadamia nut cookies
Check out more snacks!
Storage
Store chocolate covered pistachios in the fridge in an airtight container so they do not melt. Or if you are familiar with tempering, you could temper the chocolate so they can be stored at room temperature.
Batching
Scale the ingredient quantities up or down if you want to make more or less. You can also add more nuts, fruit, or flavours into the mix.
Expert Tips
Here are some of my top tips and tricks for successful chocolate covered pistachios:
- Use a chocolate bar, not chocolate chips. Chocolate chips have stabilizers to help them keep their shape, which prohibits nice creamy melting.
- Melt the chocolate and the oil together so there is no temperature change. Chocolate can be temperamental with temperature changes.
- Keep everything as dry as possible. Chocolate hates water and may seize if exposed.
- Place dipped nuts in little clusters on parchment paper on a plate or baking sheet for easy removal.
- Keep in the freezer for longer term storage, and allow to thaw for 15 minutes before eating.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pistachios are pretty easy to shell on their own with no special tools. Grab the opening and push with both of your thumbs to release the shell. If the pistachio is nearly closed, you can discard it. To avoid all this work, I like to buy the Wonderful Pistachios "No Shells" pistachios. Lightly salted or roasted will work in this recipe.
Bars of milk or white chocolate should melt and coat the cherries similarly. They will taste a bit more sweet but still delicious.
Sure! Try almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts etc... any nut or dried fruit you like can be dipped in chocolate.
Absolutely—it's delicious! Be sure to check out my chocolate covered cherries and chocolate covered pineapple recipes.
These chocolate covered pistachio clusters are the perfect treat for when you need a sweet treat! They are crunchy, chocolatey, healthy, and delicious! They are quick to make and easy to store so you can snack throughout the week.
More Chocolate Recipes
- Chocolate Covered Cherries
- Chocolate Covered Pineapple
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Chocolate Amaretti Cookies
- Inside Out Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oreo Truffles
- Fudgy Dairy-Free Brownies
- Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
More Snacks
- Golf Ball Cheese Ball
- Italian Marinated Olives
- Viral Chocolate Strawberry Yogurt Clusters
- High Protein Buffalo Chicken Dip
Have you made these chocolate covered pistachios? I'd very much appreciate it if you leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review below, and tag me on instagram @fromoliviaskitchen!
Recipe
Chocolate Covered Pistachios
Ingredients
- 170 g shelled pistachios roasted and lightly salted will work
- 100 g dark chocolate approximately 1 3.5 oz bar
- 2 teaspoon coconut oil
Instructions
- If you haven't bought pre-shelled pistachios, remove and discard the shells.
- Roughly chop the dark chocolate into small pieces and place in a medium size bowl with the coconut oil. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, then microwave again until melted.
- Add all of the pistachios to the chocolate and toss with a spoon to coat. Allow the excess chocolate to fall, then place the chocolate covered pistachios on a parchment-lined plate or baking sheet in little clusters. Top with flaky sea salt if you like. Repeat until all the chocolate and pistachios are used up. Place in the fridge for at least 20 minutes to solidify.
- Transfer the pistachios to a closed container and enjoy straight from the fridge. They may melt quickly at warm temperatures. Keep in the fridge for up to 1 week, if they even last that long!
Notes
- Swap out the dark chocolate for milk or white chocolate if you like!
- While the chocolate is wet, you could sprinkle on flaky salt, cookie crumbs, or candies.
- Store chocolate covered pistachios in the fridge so they do not melt.
Kimberly says
Please let me know how many servings were used for your estimated nutritional facts?
I love to cook, but baking is not my strong suit. So when I was asked to bring a dessert to a neighbor's gathering, I panicked a little. Found this recipe on Pinterest and it did not disappoint. It was easy, delicious and even healthy.
Thank you Olivia!
kimberly
Olivia Parsons says
The recipe yield about 20 servings per the recipe card. Thanks for your review!
Kimberly Salvadore says
And they were a hit at gathering. There were 2 desserts. Mine were gone in a short time, the other was hardly touched.
kimberly