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Pistachio Cardamom Cheesecake
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Pistachio Cardamom Cheesecake

A baked cheesecake with a spiced pistachio crust and a silky cardamom filling

❄ Freezer Friendly

17 May 2026

This is a showstopper of a cheesecake — a buttery, crunchy pistachio and ginger nut biscuit base, a silky cream cheese filling warmly spiced with cardamom, and a swirled pistachio paste topping scattered with roasted chopped pistachios. Baked low and slow until just firm to the touch, it has the most beautiful pale green hue and an elegant, almost tart-like appearance. Serve with pistachio gelato, fresh raspberries, and a raspberry coulis for a dessert that looks as good as it tastes.

Ingredients

20 serves
  • Base
  • 2 x 250g ginger nut biscuits, crushed
  • 80g pistachios, finely chopped
  • 200g butter, melted
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • Filling
  • 750g cream cheese, softened
  • 4 eggs
  • ⅔ cup sour cream
  • 1½ cups caster sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla paste
  • 2 tsp cardamom
  • Topping
  • 200g pistachio paste
  • 80g pistachios, chopped and roasted

Method

  1. 1

    Preheat the oven to 150°C. Grease a 32cm round flan tin.

  2. 2

    Combine the crushed ginger nut biscuits, finely chopped pistachios, melted butter, and salt. Mix well until the mixture resembles wet sand. Press firmly and evenly into the base and up the sides of the prepared tin. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to set.

  3. 3

    In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the caster sugar and beat until combined.

  4. 4

    Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the sour cream, vanilla paste, and cardamom until the filling is smooth and well combined.

  5. 5

    Pour the filling into the chilled biscuit base and smooth the surface.

  6. 6

    Drop spoonfuls of pistachio paste over the surface of the filling and use a skewer or the tip of a knife to swirl gently through the filling to create a marbled effect.

  7. 7

    Scatter the chopped roasted pistachios evenly around the edge of the cheesecake.

  8. 8

    Bake at 150°C for approximately 40-50 minutes, or until the cheesecake is just firm to the touch (the outer should look set) with a very slight wobble in the centre.

  9. 9

    Allow to cool completely in the tin, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.

Kitchen Notes

Don’t overbake — the cheesecake should still have a very slight wobble in the centre when you take it out. It will firm up as it cools. The pistachio paste swirl is easiest to do when the filling is freshly poured and still level. For a cleaner slice, run a warm knife under hot water and wipe dry between cuts. This cheesecake freezes perfectly — allow to cool completely, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.

What I'd serve with this

With pistachio gelato, fresh raspberries, and a raspberry coulis. The combination of the warm spiced cheesecake, cold gelato, and tart raspberries is absolutely stunning.

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