Pistachio muffins are a delicious treat that everyone will love! These bakery-style muffins are super moist and flavorful. This recipe uses pistachio pudding in the batter, and the muffins are topped with a crunchy crumble topping that adds texture and sweetness.
These muffins are some of the best, so moist and easy to make. You can also try our cranberry orange muffins and monkey bread muffins too!
Why You’ll Love These Muffins
Table of Contents
- This easy-to-follow recipe makes it simple to prepare these mouthwatering muffins.
- Enjoy them as a sweet snack or breakfast treat any day of the week!
- They have a super moist texture and are full of sweet pistachio flavor.
- They are bakery-style pistachio muffins and look beautiful in these muffin liners.
How to Make Pistachio Muffins
We’ll cover everything you need to know, answer questions and share our expert tips. If you want to skip to the recipe, scroll to the bottom of this post where you’ll find the recipe card.
Supplies
Here are a few baking tools you’ll need to make this recipe:
Ingredient Notes
All-Purpose Flour – This acts as a stabilizer for the muffins. Make sure you measure the flour properly when baking.
Pistachio Pudding – The pudding gives these muffins a super moist texture, green color, and pistachio flavor. Use an instant pistachio pudding mix.
Baking Powder – This helps the muffins rise and acts as a leavening agent.
Salt – Salt helps to enhance the flavors in baked goods.
Granulated Sugar – Adds sweetness and also helps to tenderize the muffins.
Cardamom – This ground spice goes really well with pistachio. It adds more flavor and scent, it’s a little secret ingredient we add to recipes when we can!
Orange Zest – Another wonderful flavor combination is orange and pistachio. Orange zest adds more of a subtle citrus flavor.
Melted Butter – The butter gives the muffins a rich flavor and moisture that makes them extra delicious.
Eggs – Use large, organic eggs when possible. They are used in baking to add structure and bind ingredients together.
Oil – Vegetable oil or canola oil both work well in this recipe. The oil helps to make the muffins extra moist.
Buttermilk – This provides moisture and tenderness to the muffins. You can also make your own buttermilk if you don’t have any on hand.
Vanilla Extract – Adds flavor depth to the muffins. Use pure vanilla extract when baking.
Crumble Topping
These muffins must have a topping! This is where we have real pistachios and it gives the muffins a crunch and buttery, sweet flavor.
All-purpose Flour – Gives the topping structure and texture.
Granulated Sugar – Adds sweetness to the topping.
Brown Sugar – Adds more sweetness and flavor to the topping.
Pistachios – Gives the topping a nutty flavor. Roughly chopped them.
Melted Butter – Adds richness and helps to bind the ingredients together.
5 Steps to Make Muffins
1: Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a muffin tin with tall paper liners.
2: In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients, including the sugar and pudding mix.
3: In a separate bowl, mix together wet ingredients and zest.
4: Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold until just combined. Do not over-mix the batter.
5: Divide the muffin batter evenly between the muffin tin. This recipe makes 9 giant muffins. Sprinkle with the crumble topping and bake for 15-20 minutes.
Tips for Making Delicious Pistachio Muffins
- Read the recipe ingredients and directions before you start.
- If you’re using standard muffin papers, the cooking time will be cut in half. The cooking time for these muffins is for large, bakery-style muffins.
- Measure the ingredients correctly. Remember, baking is a science, and accuracy is important for successful baking.
- Preheat your oven before you start mixing the ingredients. This will help to ensure that the muffins cook evenly in the oven.
- Don’t over-mix your batter. Over-mixing can cause the muffins to be tough and dry.
- Let the muffins cool completely before serving. This will help to ensure that the muffins are moist and delicious.
- Use large muffin papers to make bakery-style muffins.
Recipe Variations and Substitutions
- You can use gluten-free flour to make these muffins.
- If you don’t have pistachio pudding on hand, you can use vanilla pudding or even coconut pudding. However, they will lose their green color and some flavor.
- You can add some dried fruit to the muffins such as cranberries or raisins for a surprise burst of flavor.
- Use coconut oil as a substitute for vegetable oil.
- Add chocolate chips for a chocolate chip pistachio muffin
- Add almond extract instead of vanilla for a nutty flavor.
How to Store Muffins
It is best to store muffins at room temperature in an airtight container or zipper-lock bag. The muffins will stay fresh for up to 5 days.
Refrigerate
If you want to store the muffins longer, you can refrigerate them for up to a week.
How to Freeze Muffins
Muffins can be frozen for up to 3 months. Place the muffins in a freezer-safe container or zipper-lock bag and store them in the freezer. When ready to eat, let the muffins thaw before serving.
When to Serve
These are perfect for any occasion. Whether you’re serving them at breakfast, brunch, or a coffee break, these muffins are sure to be a hit. They also make great party snacks or gifts for friends and family. Here are some fun occasions to serve these muffins:
Frequently Asked Questions
The pistachio pudding gives the muffins their green color. The pistachio pudding also adds moisture and a pistachio flavor to the muffins.
Yes, you can use different types of pudding, such as vanilla or coconut pudding. However, the color and flavor of the muffins will vary.
There are a few reasons why the muffins will turn out dense. If you over-mix the batter or overcook the muffins, they may become dense and heavy. Try to avoid over-mixing the batter, and be sure to check the muffins after 15 minutes in the oven.
For this recipe, we use a combination of both which produces the best flavor and texture. The oil helps to keep the muffins moist while the butter adds richness and flavor.
More Muffin Recipes You’ll Love
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Pistachio Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
Pistachio Muffins
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3.4 ounces instant pistachio pudding mix
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large organic eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
Crumble Topping
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 tbsp granulated sugar
- 6 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 cup pistachios, roughly chopped
- 4 tbsp melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a muffin tin with tall paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients, including the sugar and pudding mix.
- In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients and zest.
- Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold until combined. Do not over-mix the batter.
- Fill each tulip liner 3/4 of the way full.
- In another bowl, combine all of the crumble topping ingredients.
- Mix until the ingredients form a crumble.
- Add 1/8 to 1/4 cup over each muffin batter.
- Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for 20 minutes. Check the muffins after 15 to make sure they need more time.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
I made the Pistachio Muffins and loved the look and taste! As a note, the tulip muffin cups linked in the blog are standard sized and the recipe made exactly 12 muffins for me. Definitely will make again since the look of the tulip muffin cups, the dramatic puffy light green muffins and tasty golden crumble make a spectacular presentation for guests. I’d attach a picture if I could.
I made these today and they turned out amazing! The batter was a dream! It was my first time using tulip liners and these baked up so tall and pretty! Thank you for the recipe!
So happy to hear that Erin! You will love the tulip liners now, they’re the best!