Pistachio Ice Cream Bars
on May 16, 2025
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5 ingredients are all you need for these creamy pistachio ice cream bars. They’re crunchy, sweet, nutty, and the perfect sweet treat for pistachio lovers. This is the summer treat you’ll want to keep making again and again!
These ice cream bars are inspired by the viral Dubai chocolate bars with pistachio creme filling. I love the nuttiness and crunch of the Dubai chocolate bars and wanted to create something light, creamy, and refreshing with the same crunch and taste. These pistachio bars have a super creamy base and are dipped into a Kaitaifi chocolate coating for the perfect amount of crunch in every bite.
Looking for more simple, chocolate sweet treats? These decadent sweet potato brownies and soft and fluffy chocolate chunk banana muffins have to be next on your list to try!
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need
Here is what you’ll need to make these pistachio ice cream bars:
- Greek Yogurt: The main ingredient for the base of these ice cream bars. Make sure to use full-fat whole-milk Greek yogurt and not low-fat Greek yogurt to ensure that the bars are creamy in texture and not icy when frozen.
- Pistachios: I used lightly salted, shelled pistachios, but you can also use unsalted pistachios. I don’t recommend using normal salted pistachios so that the bars don’t have too strong a salt taste.
- Maple Syrup: Source of sweetness for the ice cream base.
- Chocolate Chips: Melted to dip the bars into. Add in a little coconut oil to help the chocolate chips melt more easily.
- Kaitafi: Added to the melted chocolate for that signature Dubai chocolate bar taste. Feel free to omit this and dip the bars into plain melted chocolate.
- Butter: If you are making the Kaitafi, add a little butter to a pan to toast it.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Recipe Substitutions & Additions
- Maple Syrup: The maple syrup may be replaced with equal parts honey.
- Pistachios: If you don’t have pistachios on hand, you can swap them with lightly salted, roasted almonds! The bar base won’t have that pale green color, but you can blend in some spinach for a similar look!
Step-by-Step Instructions
STEP 1: Add the Greek yogurt, pistachios, and maple syrup to a high powered blender and blend until completely smooth (Images 1 & 2). You’ll want to blend it well to ensure that all of the pistachios are fully broken down and smooth.
STEP 2: Place ice cream molds on top of a baking tray for easy transferring and pour the pistachio filling evenly into ice cream molds (Image 3). Place the molds in the freezer for 2 to 3 hours, or until the bars are completely frozen (Image 4).
STEP 3: Once the bars are completely frozen, toast the Kataifi pastry. Melt 1/2 tablespoon of unsalted butter in a medium frying pan on medium heat and add the Kataifi pastry (Image 5). Break it up and stir often to toast. Toast until the pastry is golden (Image 6), remove it from the pan, and set it aside to cool.
STEP 4: Add the chocolate chips to a bowl or cup along with 1 to 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. Microwave the chocolate for 30 seconds and stir it. Microwave in 10-second increments, stirring in between each time until the chocolate is fully melted and smooth. You’ll want to make sure the chocolate is completely liquid and smooth, so add a little more coconut oil if needed.
STEP 5: Add the toasted Kataifi to the melted chocolate and mix to combine (Image 7).
STEP 6: Dip each frozen bar into the melted chocolate and place the dipped bars onto a parchment paper-lined pan (Image 8). Sprinkle with crushed pistachios if desired.
Storage Instructions
Place the dipped bars back in the freezer for 10 minutes so that they fully harden. Once hardened, store the bars in an airtight, freezer-safe container to prevent freezer burn. I recommend placing some parchment paper between the bars (or wrapping them separately in parchment paper) to prevent sticking. Let the bars sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving.
Tips For Success
- Make sure to use full-fat, whole milk Greek yogurt and not low-fat Greek yogurt so that the bars are creamy when frozen and not icy in texture.
- Use a high-powered blender to make sure that the nuts are fully blended and smooth. I love using this nutribullet blender.
- If your pistachios are more on the brown side and the pistachio filling isn’t as green as you’d like, feel free to blend in a few leaves of spinach to help with the color.
- Make sure that the bars are completely frozen in the ice cream molds before dipping them into the chocolate mixture. If the bars are melted, the chocolate will not stick properly to the bars, so keep them in the freezer right until you’re ready to dip.
- If you prefer to use less chocolate, you can either dip the bars halfway or drizzle a little chocolate on top of the bars.
Recipe FAQs
I find that low-fat Greek yogurt freezes into an icy texture that isn’t as creamy to bite into, so for that reason, I recommend using full-fat whole milk Greek yogurt. For a dairy-free option, opt for a thick, Greek-style dairy-free yogurt or swap it with unsweetened coconut cream.
Chopped nuts are a great swap for kaitafi to mix into the chocolate for dipping! You can also omit add-ins completely and dip the bars into plain melted chocolate for a smooth chocolate coating.
Other Frozen Treats You’ll Love
Healthy Watermelon Popsicles
Healthy Acai Bowl
Baby Yogurt Melts (With Freeze-Dried Fruits!)
Banana Mango Ice Cream
If you tried these Pistachio Ice Cream Bars, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below! I love hearing from you!
Pistachio Ice Cream Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk, full-fat Greek yogurt, see notes for yogurt
- ⅔ cup lightly salted, roasted pistachios
- 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1-2 tbsp coconut oil
For Optional Kataifi Coating
- ⅓ cup kataifi dough
- ½ tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
- Add the Greek yogurt, pistachios, and maple syrup to a high powered blender and blend until completely smooth. You'll want to blend it well to ensure that all of the pistachios are fully broken down and smooth.
- Place ice cream molds on top of a baking tray for easy transferring and pour the pistachio filling evenly into ice cream molds. Place the molds in the freezer for 2 to 3 hours, or until the bars are completely frozen
- Once the bars are completely frozen, toast the Kataifi pastry. Melt 1/2 tablespoon of unsalted butter in a medium frying pan on medium heat and add the Kataifi pastry. Break it up and stir often to toast. Toast until the pastry is golden, remove it from the pan, and set it aside to cool.
- Add the chocolate chips to a bowl or cup along with 1 to 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. Microwave the chocolate for 30 seconds and stir it. Microwave in 10-second increments, stirring in between each time until the chocolate is fully melted and smooth. You'll want to make sure the chocolate is completely liquid and smooth, so add a little more coconut oil if needed.
- Add the toasted Kataifi to the melted chocolate and mix to combine
- Dip each frozen bar into the melted chocolate and place the dipped bars onto a parchment paper-lined pan. Sprinkle with crushed pistachios if desired.
Notes
- Make sure to use full-fat, whole milk Greek yogurt and not low-fat Greek yogurt so that the bars are creamy when frozen and not icy in texture.
- Use a high-powered blender to make sure that the nuts are fully blended and smooth. I love using this nutribullet blender.
- If your pistachios are more on the brown side and the pistachio filling isn’t as green as you’d like, feel free to blend in a few leaves of spinach to help with the color.
- Make sure that the bars are completely frozen in the ice cream molds before dipping them into the chocolate mixture. If the bars are melted, the chocolate will not stick properly to the bars, so keep them in the freezer right until you’re ready to dip.
- If you prefer to use less chocolate, you can either dip the bars halfway or drizzle a little chocolate on top of the bars.
