Avocado, cream cheese and feta combine with spring onions, lemon and pistachio nuts to bring this Avocado Pistachio Pate to life. The perfect snack to make when avocados are in season. It is creamy, delicious and made in under 10 minutes. All the ingredients are simply blended together in a food processor. Serve this pate on its own with crackers or as part of a grazing platter alongside other snack items like smoked salmon, prawns, tomatoes, for effortless entertaining.
This recipe makes 2 cups of pate which can be set in one large mould or as I have suggested, in 2 x 1 cup capacity moulds/bowls.
The pate is made up of only 7 ingredients that are readily available. They are all added to a food processor and blended to a smooth consistency. The mixture is then placed into two small bowls or moulds lined with cling wrap and refrigerated for 4 hours to set (or even overnight). A very quick and easy process. The pate is delicious on its own served with crackers, crostini or pita chips. It can also be served on a grazing platter alongside other items such as smoked salmon, prawns, tomatoes and even crudities (carrot and cucumber sticks) making this pate perfect for entertaining family and friends.
This recipe comes from my mother who has been making this for family get-togethers for years. She lives in a part of New Zealand where avocados are grown and obtained this recipe from one of the growers there. I have tweaked the original recipe to include feta cheese as it works so well with avocado and I love the saltiness it adds. If you don’t like feta, you can just add more of the cream cheese. I have also increased the amount of spring onions and pistachios used in the recipe as they add great flavour. The pistachios add great crunch and texture to this otherwise creamy pate. For garnishing, I like to sprinkle extra chopped spring onions and pistachios around the pate when I serve it (see photos).
Let’s take a look at the ingredients needed to make this recipe.
Ingredients to make the Avocado Pistachio Pate
- Avocado – this recipe uses approximately 3 avocados
- Cream Cheese – make sure to bring the cream cheese to room temperature as it is much easier to blend. I use full-fat cream cheese
- Feta cheese – I use either Danish feta or a creamy style feta. You can leave the feta out and just use more of the cream cheese if you are not a feta fan
- Spring Onions – Use both the white and green parts for this recipe
- Lemon or Lime Juice – use whichever you prefer
- Chilli powder – the Chilli powder is very subtle. It can be left out if you prefer
- Pistachio Nuts – use unsalted nuts for this recipe. I use a mini blender to crush them.
Here are some photos showing the steps on how to make it.
Equipment
- food processor
- 2 small bowls or moulds (1 cup capacity) – this recipe makes two cups
Ingredients
- 1.5 c mashed avocado (approximately 3 avocados)
- 100 g cream cheese room temperature
- 25 g feta cheese
- 1 c chopped spring onions white and green parts (approx 4 spring onions)
- 2 tsp lemon or lime juice
- 1/4 tsp chilli powder
- 4 tbsp finely chopped pistachios unsalted
- salt and pepper to season
- extra spring onions for garnishing finely chopped
Instructions
- Line two bowls or moulds with a piece of cling wrap allowing an overhang.
- Add the first six ingredients (avocado, cream cheese, feta, spring onions, juice and chilli powder) to the bowl of a food processor and blend until avocado is smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add more lemon juice if required (the acidity of lemons can vary, so you may need a little more juice).
- Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of chopped pistachios into each bowl/mould to cover the bottom. Reserve a few of the nuts for garnishing.
- Carefully spoon the avocado mixture over the nuts and fill each bowl/mould. Smooth out the top and cover each mould with the cling wrap overhang. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until set (see note 1). This can be made a day ahead and refrigerated overnight.
- Unwrap moulds and invert onto a serving plate. Garnish with remaining pistachios and extra finely chopped spring onions (optional) scattered around the plate. Serve with crackers or as part of a grazing platter. See notes for suggestions.
2 Comments
GAY VARLEY
March 20, 2021 at 2:32 pmIt was my turn to host my cards group and I made this mousse yesterday for my friends. They were very impressed. I made it with lemon juice. I’m going to try it with lime juice next time. It was really easy to make and would highly recommend you try it.
Katrina
March 20, 2021 at 2:45 pmThank you Gay. I am so pleased to hear that it was enjoyed by your friends and that you found it easy to make. It is always a hit when I make it too ?