Pistachio Muffins

If you like pistachios, you will love these delicious bakery-style pistachio muffins! This easy muffin recipe uses 100% natural ingredients and combines oil and butter to make the most flavorful, moist, and fluffy muffins, they are then topped with homemade pistachio butter. Pistachio muffins without pudding or artificial flavors and color!

Jump to:

• 🌟 Why this is the best Pistachio muffin recipe
• 📝 Ingredient notes
• 👩‍🍳 How to make this recipe
• ✨ Flavor variations and substitutions
• 🎓 Expert tips
• 🥣 Equipment notes
• ❓Recipe FAQs
• 🧁 More Muffins & Breakfast Recipes
• Pistachio Muffins

🌟 Why this is the best Pistachio muffin recipe

1. It is 100% all natural - Unlike some pistachio muffins recipes, I do not use pistachio instant pudding mix or artificial ingredients or flavors. This recipe uses real pistachios for the flour, pistachio butter, and the highest quality ingredients.
2. It is a simple recipe - This pistachio muffin recipe is easy to follow, takes little time (30 minutes!), and does not require any hard-to-find ingredients or fancy equipment.
3. It is versatile - There are many ways to enhance the flavor of these delicious muffins. See my Variations and Substitutions section below for several ideas!
4. They are great for batch baking - These muffins are refrigerator and freezer-friendly, making them easy to make in advance.
5. It uses the best technique - This recipe uses both oil and butter to make the muffins super light and fluffy. I also use a signature baking hack with baking soda and vinegar to make them super spongy and moist.

📝 Ingredient notes

1. Sugar - This recipe uses white granulated sugar. To learn more about the different types of sugar and how to use them in baking, refer to my sugar guide.
2. Butter - You will need unsalted butter, which gives you full control of the amount of salt in the recipe. You can also make your butter at home! The butter should be at room temperature but not melted. For best results, use butter with at least 82% fat. 
3. Oil - Oil gives the muffins moisture. I recommend vegetable oil or neutral, flavorless oil.
4. Egg - The egg needs to be at room temperature to properly emulsify.
5. Vanilla extract - For the best taste, use pure vanilla extract. Avoid using imitation vanilla extract. You can also make DIY vanilla extract at home!
6. Flour - This recipe uses plain, all-purpose flour. See my flour guide to learn about the different types of flour in baking.
7. Pistachios - For ease, buy pistachio nuts without shells. Some of the pistachios will be placed in a food processor or blender. The others will need to be finely chopped.
8. Baking powder - Baking powder helps the muffins rise. You can also try one of these baking powder substitutes.
9. Salt - Salt is a required ingredient that balances the sweetness.
10. Milk - Use whole milk with high-fat content for the best taste and texture. All of my recipes use whole milk with 3% fat. Like the butter and the egg, the milk must be at room temperature.
11. Baking soda and vinegar - The combination of baking soda and vinegar intensifies the moisture and sponginess of the muffins. Do not skip these ingredients!
12. Pistachio butter - Check my easy homemade pistachio butter recipe for a delicious DIY option.

🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post

👩‍🍳 How to make this recipe

1. How to make pistachio muffins

1. Preheat your oven to 175C / 347F. Do not use the fan. As the oven preheats, prepare your muffin tin with paper muffin liners or lightly grease the tin with butter.
2. Using a food processor or blender, process or blend the flour with the pistachios for approximately one minute until the pistachios reach a flour-like texture. Do not overprocess, or the pistachios will start to release oil and make the dry ingredients too moist.
3. Cream the room-temperature butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer for a few minutes until the texture is light and fluffy. Slowly whip in each egg one by one, then add the vanilla extract.
4. Slowly pour in the oil while whipping the pistachio muffin mix. Then, slowly pour in the room-temperature milk while continuing to whip the batter.
5. Sift in your dry ingredients (flour and pistachio mixture, baking powder, salt). Then, using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined. Do not overmix.
6. In a small bowl, mix the vinegar with baking soda. The mixture will be very bubbly. Immediately fold the vinegar mixture into the muffin batter until combined. Do not overmix.

💡 Top Tip: To prevent overmixing the ingredients, use the equipment exactly as listed in the recipe (i.e., do not use an electric hand mixer for the steps that call for a rubber spatula).

2. How to bake

1. Equally, distribute the batter into the muffin cups until approximately ¾ full. Lightly sprinkle the top of the muffin batter with the smaller 70g / ½ cup portion of roughly chopped pistachios.
2. Bake for approximately 20-22 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick in the center and have it come out clean. Do not overbake, as it will dry out the muffins.
3. Once the muffins have cooled, decorate them with pistachio butter and top them with more chopped pistachios.
4. Serve fresh, or store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.

💡 Top Tip: Use a spoon, ice cream scoop, or piping bag to distribute the pistachio muffin batter into the muffin tin cavities for an easy and mess-free experience!

✨ Flavor variations and substitutions

These pistachio muffins are delightful as-is. However, to take your pistachio muffins taste to the next level, there are several ways to do so:

Lemon pistachio muffins - For a citrusy twist, add grated lemon zest or a small amount of freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Berry pistachio muffins - Add fresh or dried cranberry, strawberries, raspberries, or cherries to make fruity muffins perfect for breakfast.

Pistachio chocolate chip muffins - Chocolate and pistachio are a delicious combination. Try these muffins with dark chocolate or white chocolate chips or chunks. Or, add cocoa powder to the batter for decadent chocolate pistachio muffins!

With nuts - Mix in crushed pecans or walnuts for additional crunch and protein. Or replace the pistachios altogether with a different type of nut butter, such as cashew, pecan, walnut, or hazelnut butter.

With spices - Warm up the flavor by sprinkling in cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, or a combination of each! Or sprinkle in chai masala for chai pistachio muffins.

Different base flavors - Replace the vanilla extract with almond extract for a nutty base flavor. Or, use a combination of both!

With different toppings - Swap out the pistachio butter topping for decorating sugar. Or, drizzle them with a sweet glaze made from powdered sugar and water. 

Egg-free muffins – If you prefer egg-free muffins, try one of these many egg substitutions.

Gluten-free muffins – For gluten-free muffins, swap out the all-purpose flour with one of the alternatives in my flour guide.

And if you really love the pistachio flavor, be sure to check out my list of pistachio desserts!

🎓 Expert tips

1. For the best flavor, avoid the pistachio pudding mix with artificial flavors and colors. Instead, opt for fresh green pistachios and natural pistachio butter.
2. Always bake in a preheated oven to ensure consistent, high-quality results.
3. Always use room-temperature butter, eggs, and milk to prevent the batter from breaking. Set the eggs in a bowl of warm water for five minutes to speed up the process.
4. Whip the eggs, oil, and milk into the batter slowly to prevent the batter from breaking and curdling. Do not pour them in all at once.
5. For even distribution, whisk together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl before folding them into the batter.

🥣 Equipment notes

Using a digital scale to measure the ingredients will help you achieve the most accurate and consistent baking results. Likewise, a digital oven thermometer will ensure consistent results, as some oven models may vary by a degree or two.

You will need a food processor or high-speed blender to turn the pistachios into a flour-like powder. An electric hand mixer is necessary to whip the sugar with the wet ingredients. To prevent overmixing, use a rubber spatula to fold the wet and dry ingredients together gently. 

You will need a 12-cup muffin pan for baking the muffins after you prepare the batter.

❓Recipe FAQs

🧁 More Muffins & Breakfast Recipes