There are about 3.8 cups in a pound of Pistachios. Pistachios weighs 120 g per cup (spooned and levelled), so a pound — 453.59 g — divides to 3.78 cups. Shelled pistachio kernels, green and mildly sweet. Baklava, salads, pesto and ice cream. Every figure on this page is approximate, because a cup measures volume and the weight depends on how the ingredient settles and how it was measured; when the amount matters — a cake, a sauce that must set, a dough that must rise — weigh the Pistachios on a kitchen scale instead of trusting the cup. This page gives you the full table for a pound and beyond, worked examples from real recipes, the method behind the figure, and the mistakes that catch people out.
How many cups in a pound of Pistachios?
A pound of Pistachios is about 3.8 cups (3.78 cups, to be exact). The table below covers a quarter of a pound up to ten pounds, so you can read off whatever your recipe or your bulk buy calls for without doing the division yourself. If your recipe lists Pistachios in grams, the same table works in reverse: find the grams and read across to the cups.
| Amount | Cups | Grams | Tablespoons | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.25 lb | 0.94 | 113 | 15 | 224 |
| 0.5 lb | 1.89 | 227 | 30 | 447 |
| 0.75 lb | 2.83 | 340 | 45 | 671 |
| 1 lb | 3.78 | 454 | 60 | 894 |
| 2 lb | 7.56 | 907 | 121 | 1789 |
| 5 lb | 18.90 | 2268 | 302 | 4472 |
| 10 lb | 37.80 | 4536 | 605 | 8943 |
The tablespoons column is the useful one for small amounts: a pound of Pistachios is about 60 tablespoons, and a single tablespoon weighs about 7.5 g. Use the pounds to grams converter if your recipe lists a different weight, and the cups to grams converter if you need the figure for a single cup of pistachios.
Worked examples
The examples below use real recipes, with the cups and the grams side by side so you can follow the maths in context. Each one also notes where the cup is good enough and where the scale earns its keep.
Baklava for a party
Baklava for a party needs 1 cup of Pistachios — about 120 g — one cup finely chopped and layered with filo and honey. One cup is about 120 g; chop the pistachios fine for baklava, since coarse pieces tear the filo when you cut the tray.
A pistachio pesto for pasta
A pistachio pesto for pasta needs 3/4 cup of Pistachios — about 90 g — blended with basil, parmesan and olive oil. Three-quarters of a cup is about 90 g; pistachio pesto is greener and sweeter than the pine-nut version, and it costs far less.
Pistachio ice cream for a dinner party
Pistachio ice cream for a dinner party needs 1/2 cup of Pistachios — about 60 g — folded into a custard base before churning. Half a cup is about 60 g; toast and salt the pistachios lightly first, or the ice cream tastes flat against the sweet cream.
How the figure was measured
The weight figure on this page comes from King Arthur Baking: Pistachios weighs 120 g per cup, measured spooned and levelled, and that figure carries high confidence in CookScale's 120-ingredient table. All weights are per US cup (236.6 ml), and every cup-based result on this page is approximate, because a cup measures volume while the weight depends on how the ingredient settles, how fresh it is, and how it was measured. When the amount matters — a cake, a sauce that must set, a dough that must rise — weigh the Pistachios on a kitchen scale instead of trusting the cup. Read more about this ingredient on the Pistachios hub, which covers its weight, its measures, its storage and its substitutes in one place.
How the maths works
The conversion is a single division: one pound is 453.59 g, and one cup of Pistachios weighs 120 g, so 453.59 ÷ 120 = 3.78 cups. Going the other way, one cup of Pistachios weighs 120 g, which is 0.26 lb, and one tablespoon weighs about 7.5 g while one teaspoon weighs about 2.50 g. To get any number of cups, weigh that many times 120 g: two cups is 240 g, three cups is 360 g, and half a cup is 60 g. In volume terms, a pound of Pistachios is about 894 ml, since one US cup is 236.6 ml. Remember that the cup is a volume and the pound is a weight, so this maths only works because we know the density of Pistachios; the same pound of a different ingredient would be a different number of cups entirely.
Practical guidance
Nuts go rancid faster than almost anything else in the pantry because their oils are exposed to air. Airtight container in a cool place; refrigerate for longer. Buy shelled pistachios for baking; shelling them yourself costs more time than the price difference saves. Buy smaller bags more often rather than one huge bag that sits open, and taste one before baking with an old bag: fresh nuts taste sweet and clean, stale ones taste like old oil.
How to measure it
Spoon Pistachios into a dry cup measure and level it off — never pack them down, and never scoop the cup through the bag. Whole nuts, halves and chopped pieces all measure differently in the same cup, because the pieces settle differently and the air gaps change. If a recipe says '1 cup chopped', chop first and then measure; if it says '1 cup, chopped', measure first and then chop. When it matters, weigh: 120 g of Pistachios is 120 g however you chop them.
Why recipes ask for a pound of Pistachios
Pistachios are sold by weight — shelled or in the shell — while recipes call for cups of shelled kernels, so the conversion needs care: these figures are for shelled kernels, and a pound in the shell yields far less. A pound of shelled pistachios is about three and three-quarter cups.
Buying and storing a pound of Pistachios
A pound of nuts is the standard bag size, and the price per pound drops sharply in bulk bins and warehouse packs. Only buy the big bag if you have freezer space — nuts keep for a year in the freezer and for months in the fridge, but only weeks in a warm cupboard.
Frequently asked questions
How many tablespoons are in a pound of Pistachios?
About 60 tablespoons. A pound of Pistachios is about 3.78 cups, and there are 16 tablespoons in a cup, so 3.78 × 16 is about 60. A single tablespoon weighs about 7.5 g.
Do whole and chopped Pistachios measure the same?
No. Chopped Pistachios pack tighter, so a cup of chopped pieces weighs more than a cup of whole ones. The 120 g per cup figure is for Pistachios spooned and levelled as sold — weigh them if the recipe is a cake where the amount matters, and chop after measuring if the recipe says '1 cup, chopped'.
How many cups are in an 8 oz bag of Pistachios?
About 1.89 cups. An 8 oz bag weighs 227 g, and at 120 g per cup that divides to 1.89 cups. A full pound bag is double that, about 3.78 cups.
How long does a pound of Pistachios keep?
Airtight container in a cool place; refrigerate for longer. In practice, a pound lasts a few weeks in a cupboard, months in the fridge and up to a year in the freezer. Taste one before baking with an old bag — fresh nuts taste sweet and clean, stale ones taste like old oil.
How many pistachios are in a pound in the shell?
About 500 in the shell, but only about half that weight is kernels — a pound in the shell yields roughly half a pound of kernels, or about 1.9 cups. Buy shelled pistachios for baking unless you enjoy the shelling.