Product facts
Pistachio paste for professional kitchens — what it is and how it is used
Henki supplies 100% stone-ground pistachio paste to Finnish pastry shops, bakeries and professional kitchens. This page collects the product's facts and the questions professionals ask first.
The product in short
- Product
- Pistachio paste, stone-ground
- Ingredients
- Pistachio 100%
- Contains no
- Added sugar, vegetable oil, colouring, flavouring, emulsifier
- Texture
- Smooth, not grainy
- Shelf life
- 12 months unopened
- Storage
- Cool, dry and away from light; refrigerate after opening
- Separation
- Oil may rise to the top — stir before use
- Pack sizes
- 1 kg and 5 kg resealable tubs
- Delivery area
- All of Finland; elsewhere in Europe by agreement
- Delivery time
- 1–3 business days within Finland
- Shipping
- Free on orders above 5 kg within Finland
- Sample
- Free, you only cover the shipping
- Customers
- Professional kitchens, no consumer sale
- Allergen
- Tree nut (pistachio)
Why unsweetened
A sweetened pistachio paste is easy to buy and hard to adjust. Once the sugar and the fat are already in the mass, they arrive in every recipe at the same ratio — the ice cream, the filling and the glaze all get the same proportion, even when each one wants a different one.
With an unsweetened paste that decision stays yours. One tub works in an ice cream base, in a pastry filling and in a glaze, and you set the sweetness and the texture separately in each. You are also paying for pistachio rather than for sugar.
Why stone-ground
A stone mill grinds slowly. Slow means less heat, and less heat means the pistachio's own flavour and colour survive instead of roasting away in the mill. It also brings the mass down to a smooth texture — closer to a praline paste than to a coarse nut butter, which matters when the paste goes into a glaze or a filling and must not stay grainy.
Pistachio varieties and origin
Pistachio is not one ingredient. Variety, growing region and handling change the colour, the flavour and the price more than most people expect — and colour is what a pistachio product is usually judged by.
Iran (Kerman and around it)
The largest pistachio region in the world. The common varieties are the round Fandoghi, the large Kalle-Ghouchi, the elongated Ahmad Aghaei and the most prized Akbari. Iranian green peeled kernel is the raw material most of the world's green pistachio paste is made from.
Turkey (Gaziantep and Siirt)
The Antep pistachio is small but intense in flavour and dark green in colour. Turkish pistachio is traditionally used in baklava and other filo pastries precisely because the flavour holds its own against sugar syrup.
Sicily (Bronte)
Europe's most prized and by far most expensive pistachio: deep green, aromatic and produced in small quantities. It costs a multiple of Iranian or Turkish pistachio, which in practice limits it to small speciality batches.
California
Large and very consistent, but paler in colour and milder in flavour than Middle Eastern pistachio. Excellent as a snack, less often the raw material for a strongly green paste.
What “high green” means
A pistachio kernel is wrapped in a thin brownish skin. When that skin is removed — this is called peeling or blanching — a bright green kernel appears underneath. Peeled kernels are then graded by colour, and the greenest grade is called high green. The colour therefore comes from the variety, from peeling and from not roasting the nut far — not from colouring.
We always state the origin of the batch with the delivery.
How pistachio paste is made
The journey from nut to paste is short, but every step shows up in the result.
1. Peeling
The shell comes off, the kernel is separated and the skin is peeled away. The skin is brown and slightly bitter, so removing it both lightens the flavour and releases the green colour.
2. Roasting, or not
Roasting brings out a nutty, faintly sweet flavour but darkens the mass. The greener the paste you want, the more lightly the nut is handled. This is a direct trade between colour and roast aroma.
3. Grinding
A stone mill grinds slowly between two stone faces. Steel mills and roller refiners are faster and cheaper but generate more friction heat, and heat eats both colour and delicate aroma. A paste made for professional use typically comes down to a few tens of micrometres — below that the tongue no longer detects any grain.
4. What is added to the mass — or left out of it
At this stage many producers add sugar, vegetable oil and an emulsifier that stops the oil from separating. Some also add colouring so that a paler mass looks greener than it is. Nothing is added to Henki's paste: the tub holds ground pistachio and nothing else.
5. Packing and storage
Light and oxygen fade the green and oxidise the fat, which is why the paste is packed in a resealable tub and stored cool and dark. Without an emulsifier the oil rises to the top over time — stirring brings the texture back.
Allergens and how we choose a supplier
Pistachio is itself one of the fourteen allergens the EU requires to be declared, and it is stated plainly on the product. For a professional kitchen, though, the more important question is a different one: what else has been handled on the same production line. That is what determines what you have to declare on your own finished product — and responsibility for those declarations sits with the kitchen, not with the supplier of the ingredient.
So we work through this with every supplier before buying. These are the methods we use and assess:
Allergen mapping
The first question to a supplier is a simple one: which other allergens are handled on the premises at all. If no milk, gluten or sesame moves through the same facility, the risk does not arise and does not need managing.
Line separation and production sequencing
The best case is a dedicated line for pistachio alone. If the line is shared, the next best is a production sequence in which allergen-containing products run at the end of a shift and the line is fully cleaned before the next raw material.
Validated cleaning
A cleaning instruction means nothing unless it has been proven to work. Validation demonstrates by measurement that this specific clean, on this specific line, removes the allergen residue — and after that every clean is simply verified against the same procedure.
Surface swabs and rapid tests
Cleanliness is verified with swab samples taken from the line. Allergen-specific lateral flow tests give an answer in minutes alongside production; a laboratory ELISA gives a precise concentration when a number is needed rather than a yes or no. A genetic PCR method identifies the raw material even when the protein has been altered by processing.
Third-party certification
Food safety certificates — BRCGS, IFS Food and FSSC 22000 — mean an outside auditor has been through the plant's allergen management, so it does not rest on the supplier's own word. We check that the certificate is valid, not merely that it exists.
Certificate of analysis per batch
A certificate of analysis is requested for every batch, showing measured values rather than an assurance. The certificate is tied to a batch number, so it traces back to the batch that is in your tub.
Aflatoxins
Pistachio is a product for which the EU has set its own limits on mould toxins. In pistachios intended for direct consumption or as a food ingredient, aflatoxin B1 may not exceed 8 µg/kg and the sum of aflatoxins may not exceed 10 µg/kg; for pistachios to be sorted before use the limits are 12 and 15 µg/kg. This is the single most important quality question in the pistachio trade, and it is confirmed from the batch certificate.
Traceability and goods-in checks
Every batch is recorded with a batch number, and an arriving batch is checked on both its documents and a sensory assessment: colour, aroma and texture tell you quickly whether the batch matches the last one.
“May contain” labelling
A precautionary label says that a risk could not be ruled out. It is neither a voluntary decoration nor an automatic guarantee: if a supplier uses one we ask why, and if they do not, we ask on what basis it was left off.
We do not make a blanket promise on this page about what has never been handled on some production line. Instead we supply the batch-specific allergen statement and certificate of analysis on request, so that you can get your own labelling right.
Batch consistency
A standardised recipe stays standardised only if the ingredient does. When the paste's colour, texture and flavour are the same batch to batch, the recipe does not need re-tuning after every delivery — including on the shift you are not there for.
Applications
- Cookies
- Ice cream bars
- No-bake cakes
- Drinks and shakes
- Baklava
- Filo pastries
- Doughnuts
- Tiramisu
- Croissants
- Gelato pops
- Ice cream and gelato
- Filled chocolate
- Glazes and sauces
How ordering works
- You tell us through the form what you make and how much you need.
- You get a free sample — you only cover the shipping — and the price list the same business day.
- You pick 1 kg or 5 kg tubs and a delivery rhythm.
A person answers, not an autoresponder.
Frequently asked questions
What is in Henki pistachio paste?
Pistachio, and nothing else. The ingredient list is one line long: pistachio 100%. There is no added sugar, no vegetable oil, no colouring, no flavouring and no emulsifier.
What does stone-ground mean?
The nut is ground slowly in a stone mill rather than pushed through a fast steel one. Slow grinding keeps the heat down, so the pistachio's own flavour and colour survive, and the mass comes out smooth — closer in texture to a praline paste than to a coarse nut butter.
How is this different from the pistachio paste I buy now?
Most pistachio pastes sold to kitchens are sweetened, carry vegetable oil and often colouring. That means the sugar level has been decided for you and you are paying for weight that is not pistachio. With an unsweetened paste you set the sweetness and the fat yourself.
How much do I need in a recipe?
Less than a sweetened paste, because the flavour has not been diluted with sugar and oil. The exact amount depends on the recipe, so start from a sample and dial it in against your own base.
What can it be used for?
Fillings and glazes, ice cream and gelato, cookies, croissants, doughnuts, baklava and filo pastries, tiramisu, no-bake cakes, filled chocolate, and drinks and shakes.
What sizes does it come in?
Resealable 1 kg and 5 kg tubs. We do not make custom pack sizes yet.
What does delivery cost?
We deliver across Finland. Shipping is free on orders above 5 kg.
Can I get a sample?
Yes. The sample is free and you only cover the shipping. Request it through the form on the site; the price list follows the same business day.
Where can I see the price?
The price list is sent on request, because the price depends on volume and delivery rhythm. It is not published on the site.
Who does Henki sell to?
Professional kitchens: pastry shops, bakeries, ice cream makers, restaurants, cafés and catering. There is no consumer sale.
Does the product contain allergens?
The product is a tree nut (pistachio), one of the fourteen allergens the EU requires to be declared. For other allergens what matters is the production line, so we supply the batch-specific allergen statement and certificate of analysis on request — those are what you base your own labelling on.
How is allergen risk verified with the supplier?
We go through which other allergens are handled at the plant, whether the line is dedicated or shared, whether the cleaning has been validated, and how it is verified with surface swabs and allergen tests. We also check third-party certificates and request a certificate of analysis per batch.
Where do the pistachios come from?
Green peeled pistachio typically comes from Iran or Turkey; Sicilian Bronte is considerably more expensive and Californian is paler. We always state the origin of the batch with the delivery.
Is the product tested for aflatoxin?
We request a certificate of analysis for every batch. The EU limits for pistachio used directly are aflatoxin B1 at most 8 µg/kg and the sum of aflatoxins at most 10 µg/kg.
How long does the paste keep?
Twelve months unopened, stored cool, dry and away from light. Once opened, keep the tub refrigerated and always use a clean utensil — that is how the flavour and colour last longest.
Why does oil rise to the top?
Because there is no emulsifier in it. In a 100% nut paste the nut's own oil separates over time, and that is precisely the sign that the mass has not been bound with additives. Stir the tub before use and the texture comes back.
Are the pistachios raw or roasted?
A strong green colour survives only light handling: the further a pistachio is roasted, the darker and browner the paste turns. A green paste is therefore made from raw or very lightly handled nuts.
How fast is delivery?
Within Finland an order usually arrives 1–3 business days after dispatch. Posti's standard parcel is often there the next business day.
Do you deliver outside Finland?
Finland is the main delivery area. Deliveries elsewhere in Europe are agreed case by case: through Posti, 3–5 business days to the Nordics and 2–7 business days to the rest of Europe. Free shipping above 5 kg applies to deliveries within Finland.
Where is Henki based?
Henki operates from Tikkurila in Vantaa and delivers across Finland.
Contact
Henki Food, Tikkurila, 01300 Vantaa, Finland. Email sales@henkifood.fi, WhatsApp +358 44 928 3688. Sample requests through the form on the site.