Easy no bake dessert! No Bake Pistachio Bars are a recipe that requires no baking and comes together quickly. Great for a crowd or as a special treat!
As a kid, box mix anything was a luxury. My mom would take me grocery shopping with her, and I would spend the whole time asking her to buy brownie mix, cookies, and any other sugary treats we passed.
My mom’s response was always the same – “No, we can make it better at home”. I was always so disappointed about that because everything that came in a box seemed so much cooler than what we could make at home.
Now, I find myself telling my kids the same thing – with a few exceptions. Pistachio pudding mix is one of my favorite box mix items. There’s something about the green color and little bits of pistachio in it that I love.
And it makes a great, frosting-like filling in these No Bake Pistachio Bars! Even though there are quite a few steps, these bars come together quickly.
These no bake bars are a great make-ahead option. They’re also incredibly rich, and so a little goes a long way.
How to make no bake pistachio bars
Step 1: Line a 9-inch baking pan with foil, allowing for an overhang at the edges. Lightly grease the foil
Step 2: For the crust, cook egg, butter, cocoa powder, sugar, and vanilla together in a saucepan over medium-low heat just until it starts to bubble.
Step 3: Remove from heat, and stir in graham cracker crumbs.
Step 4: Stir in pistachios until combined.
Step 5: Press mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking pan.
Step 6: To make the filling, beat butter, pudding mix, and milk together until well-combined.
Step 7: Add the powdered sugar, and beat in until combined.
Step 8: Spread pudding mixture over crust.
Step 9: Cover, and chill for about 1 hour, or until firm.
Step 10: To make the topping, melt chocolate and butter together over low heat, stirring frequently.
Step 11: Once mixture had melted and is combined, spread over pudding.
Step 12: Sprinkle pistachios over chocolate.
Step 13: Cover, and chill until firm, about 2 hours.
Step 14: Cut into bars, and serve.
Recipe Tips!
- Butter: I use salted butter in this recipe.
- Milk: Any milk, from skim milk to whole milk will work.
- Bittersweet chocolate: You can use chopped baking chocolate or good-quality bittersweet chocolate chips.
- This recipe is a great make-ahead recipe. You can make the complete recipe an let it chill until ready to serve or make it through step 9 and then finish it off when you’re ready to serve.
Storage
Store any leftover pistachio bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The bars will keep for about 3 days when properly stored in the fridge.
More no bake treats!
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No Bake Pistachio Bars
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- ½ cup butter
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups finely crushed chocolate graham crackers
- ½ cup finely chopped pistachios
Filling
- ¼ cup butter softened
- ½ cup pistachio instant pudding and pie filling mix
- ½ cup milk
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
Topping
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped
- ¼ cup butter
- ½ cup coarsely chopped pistachios
Instructions
- Line a 9-inch baking pan with foil, allowing for an overhang at the edges. Lightly grease the foil
- For the crust, cook egg, butter, cocoa powder, sugar, and vanilla together in a saucepan over medium-low heat just until it starts to bubble.1 large egg, ½ cup butter, ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Remove from heat, and stir in graham cracker crumbs.2 cups finely crushed chocolate graham crackers
- Stir in pistachios until combined.½ cup finely chopped pistachios
- Press mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking pan.
- To make the filling, beat butter, pudding mix, and milk together until well-combined.¼ cup butter, ½ cup pistachio instant pudding and pie filling mix, ½ cup milk
- Add the powdered sugar, and beat in until combined.1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- Spread pudding mixture over crust.
- Cover, and chill for about 1 hour, or until firm.
- To make the topping, melt chocolate and butter together over low heat, stirring frequently.6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, ¼ cup butter
- Once mixture had melted and is combined, spread over pudding.
- Sprinkle pistachios over chocolate.½ cup coarsely chopped pistachios
- Cover, and chill until firm, about 2 hours.
- Cut into bars, and serve.
Notes
- Butter: I use salted butter in this recipe.
- Milk: Any milk, from skim milk to whole milk will work.
- Bittersweet chocolate: You can use chopped baking chocolate or good-quality bittersweet chocolate chips.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition
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Adapted from Better Homes & Garden’s 100 Best Cookies.
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Comments & Reviews
Tiffany says
I can’t find chocolate graham crackers anywhere, what else can be used for the crust
Kate says
Hi! I’ve had difficulties finding chocolate graham crackers more recently, too. I’m not sure what stores you have nearby, but I have been able to find them in the Kroger store brand and at Winco.
If you can’t find them, you can try either chocolate animal crackers or Oreos (I like to use Oreo thins). Unfortunately, neither is an exact match, but they’re the closest that I’ve found to use as a sub for chocolate graham crackers.
MaryBeth says
Are these made in a 13×9 inch pan?
Kate says
No, they’re made in a 9-inch (9×9) baking pan.
Linda says
Wonderful cookies! Thanks for the recipe
Patty says
On step no. 10 on the recipe do you mean to make the topping? These look awesome by the way.
Kate says
Yes! Thank you! I think I had pudding on my mind when I was writing that. =)
monika says
For the 1/2 c. pistachio instant pudding and pie filling mix – you just mean the powder, right? Not prepared-already pudding? Thanks!
Kate says
Yes, thank you for asking! It’s 1/2 cup of the dry mix (just a bit less than a 3 oz.) package.