Pistachio Muffins

Calling all pistachio lovers! This is an easy pistachio muffin recipe. These muffins are made with real pistachios, a little almond extract, and mix up in minutes! No mixer needed.

 

If you’re a pistachio lover like I am then you are going to fall in love with these bakery style pistachio muffins. I love pistachio desserts and baked goods, like my no bake pistachio cheesecake or my pistachio raspberry cookies, or my easy pistachio cake recipe. And so it’s no surprise I stirred some of these tasty nuts into a muffin batter.

I make them with buttermilk so they are wonderfully tender (like my buttermilk blueberry muffins or my buttermilk banana bread), and there’s no instant pudding mix needed. I rely on stirring in real pistachio nuts and a little almond extract (my secret ingredient!) to up the pistachio nutty flavor. 

And for bakery style muffins I recommend letting the batter rest before baking, filling the batter up to the top of the muffin liners, and baking only every other muffin well. These three tricks is what makes for a really tall muffin. And make sure to bake the muffins at a high temperature for the first five minutes, then lower the heat. This initial high heat will help give the muffins a big spring, so you get nice tall muffins.

I love making these muffins for St. Patrick’s day when a fun, easy green breakfast treat is needed. But you could make delicious pistachio muffins any time you want! 

Why this recipe works

• Quick to prep – This pistachio muffin batter take about 15 minutes to mix up!
• No mixer needed – You only need a spatula and whisk to mix up the batter.
• Great to freeze – You can freeze these muffins before they are baked, and after they are baked!

Ingredients Needed

• All purpose flour – Be sure to measure your flour correctly or you will end up with dry muffins. you can also use a 1:1 gluten free flour blend instead.
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Granulated sugar
• Buttermilk – If you don’t have any on hand, you can make your own homemade buttermilk using regular whole milk with a little bit of lemon juice! You can also use a tablespoon of white distilled vinegar. You could also use almond milk to make a homemade buttermilk to keep it dairy free.
• Egg – Use room temperature eggs. Place them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes before starting. Here is my full tutorial on how to bring eggs to room temperature fast. 
• Oil – Use a neutral-tasting oil like vegetable oil or canola oil. You could also use melted butter but your muffins might a bit more dense. Read more here on oil vs. butter in quick breads.
• Vanilla extract
• Almond extract – This really brings out the flavor of the pistachios.
• Pistachios – I used roasted, unsalted pistachios that I roughly chopped. 
• Green food coloring – Optional to make the muffins a green color!
• Coarse sugar – For sprinkling on top. I sprinkle on a little turbinado sugar on top of each muffin before baking.

How To Make Pistachio Muffins

Preheat and prepare pan. Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 425^oF. Line a muffin pan with paper liners. I line two muffin pans, and line every other well (this helps for tall muffins).

Combine dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Combine wet ingredients. In a second mixing bowl, whisk together egg ,buttermilk, oil vanilla and almond extract.

Combine wet and dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together with a spatula or wooden spoon just until just combined.

Fold in chopped pistachios. Stir in food coloring if using. Do not overmix. I like to let the batter rest for 20 minutes before baking to ensure for taller muffins. 

Bake the muffins. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tins. Fill the muffin cups up to the top (even slightly mounded). Top with a sprinkle of turbinado sugar or sparkling sugar (optional). I like to skip every other muffin well so more heat can get to each muffin helping them bake up taller.

Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then, keeping the muffins in the oven (do not open the oven door!), reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C) and continue to bake for 15 minutes or until the tops are lightly golden brown and centers are set. Stick a toothpick in the center of a muffin to test for doneness. If it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs the muffins are done.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the muffin tray then remove and allow to cool on a wire rack. 

Recipe Tips

• Do not overmix. Mix the batter just until the dry ingredients are incorporated so you end up with a tender muffin. Yes there will be lumps left but thats ok. If you continue stirring you will create tough strands of gluten which result in a very chewy muffin. 
• Fill the muffin cups up to the top. To get tall muffins with high muffin tops, you want to fill the paper liners up to the top so they have a domed top. This gives you that beautiful muffin top when it bakes!
• Get shelled pistachios. You need quite a few pistachios and this makes this muffins easy to make. You can chop them finely by hand or place them in a food processor and grind down. 
• Skip every other muffin well. I like to line every other muffin well so each muffin tin only makes six. That way more heat gets to each muffin and makes for taller bakery-style muffins.
• Use a large ice cream scoop. This will ensure even scooping and same sized muffins.

Recipe Variations

• Add a little lemon. Try stirring in a little lemon zest and lemon juice!
• Add a streusel topping. You can sprinkle on a little brown sugar crumb topping before they bake. You can use my blueberry streusel muffins recipe for the streusel!
• Use gluten free flour. Swap the all purpose flour and use gluten free flour to make gluten free pistachio muffins.
• Make them whole wheat. You can swap some of the all purpose flour and use whole wheat flour.
• Add chocolate chips – You could always stir in some chocolate chips before baking. 

Storage Instructions

I store my muffins, on cooled at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days (but they usually can last a couple more) but I find they’re best if eaten within a couple days. Just make sure they are cooled and covered. I like to wrap in plastic wrap and place in a large freezer bag.

You can freeze them baked or unbaked. If baked already, I store them in a sealable plastic bag for 3 months and thaw at room temperature before enjoying. If unbaked, you can freeze them solid in the cupcake liners and take them out of the pans (so you can re-use your muffin tin) and pop in a bag to freeze for up to 3 months. And bake frozen, do not thaw, as normal but add a few minutes more of baking time.

Recipe FAQs

More Recipes To Try

For more easy breakfast recipes be sure to try my perfect buttermilk biscuits. I love topping them with a cinnamon honey butter.

Or if you’re looking for a yeasted treat try my kolaches made with different fillings or chocolate frosted donuts. I also love making and serving monkey bread for a brunch treat!