Easy Pistachio Muffins Recipe

These easy pistachio muffins are made in one bowl with a 3.4 ounce box of instant pistachio pudding mix, yogurt or sour cream, oil and chopped roasted pistachios. The recipe makes 12 muffins and bakes at 375°F for 18 to 22 minutes, about 30 minutes start to finish. No mixer needed.

The pudding mix does most of the work. It gives the crumb its soft, moist bite, the pale green color, and that sweet almond-like flavor people expect from pistachio desserts. The chopped nuts on top add the crunch.

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How the Pudding Mix Works in These Muffins

Use one 3.4 ounce box of instant pistachio pudding and stir it in dry, straight from the packet, with the flour and sugar. Do not make it up as pudding first. The starch in the mix holds on to moisture while the muffins bake, which is why they stay tender for a few days instead of drying out by the next morning.

The same box goes into my pistachio pudding cookies and pistachio bread. The green color comes from the mix, not from food coloring, which is why the inside is a soft green rather than bright.

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What Goes Into a Dozen Pistachio Pudding Muffins

• Dry: 1½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour, ½ cup (100 g) sugar, the pudding mix, ½ teaspoon baking soda and ½ teaspoon salt
• Wet: 2 large eggs, ½ cup (120 ml) vegetable oil, ¾ cup (180 g) plain yogurt or sour cream, ¼ cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla and ½ teaspoon almond extract
• Nuts: ½ cup chopped roasted pistachios, plus a little more for the tops
• Pan: one 12 cup muffin tin, lined or greased

The almond extract is optional, but I find it makes a big difference in rounding out the pistachio flavor. Use unsalted roasted pistachios if you can. If yours are salted, cut the salt in the batter to ¼ teaspoon.

Plain Yogurt or Sour Cream in the Batter?

Both work at the same ¾ cup. Yogurt gives a lighter muffin with a mild tang. Sour cream makes a richer, slightly denser crumb, a firmer dome and a little deeper color, closer to a snack cake. Use full-fat of either for the softest texture.

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Mixing the Batter in One Bowl

Heat the oven to 375°F and line the tin before you start mixing. That matters here. The baking soda begins to react with the yogurt as soon as the wet ingredients go in, and batter that waits on the counter loses some of its lift and bakes flatter.

Whisk the flour, sugar, pudding mix, baking soda and salt in a large bowl until even. Add the eggs, oil, yogurt or sour cream, milk, vanilla and almond extract all at once and stir with a spatula. About 15 to 20 strokes is enough. Stop when no dry flour shows. The batter is thick, a little lumpy and light green.

Fold in the chopped pistachios and scoop the batter straight into the cups, about three quarters full. A cookie scoop gives even domes. Sprinkle a few more chopped pistachios on each one.

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Bake Time and the Spring-Back Test

Bake for 18 to 22 minutes and check at 18. The tops should be lightly golden and spring back when you press them gently, and a toothpick in the center of a middle muffin should come out clean. Leave them in the pan for 5 minutes, then move them to a rack. They firm up a little as they cool.

• Dense or full of tunnels: the batter was stirred too long. Mix only until the flour disappears.
• Dry crumb: they baked past 22 minutes or the oven runs hot. Check early and use an oven thermometer if you are unsure.
• Flat tops: the batter sat before baking or the cups were underfilled. Scoop and bake right away, three quarters full.
• Stuck liners: they were peeled while hot. Let the muffins cool before unwrapping.

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Serving, Storing and Freezing

Keep the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. After that, the pistachios on top start to soften. To freeze, wrap them one by one or layer them with parchment in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature, or warm them in a 300°F oven for about 5 minutes.

They are good plain with coffee or a pistachio latte, split and spread with homemade pistachio butter, or served with a spoonful of pistachio cream for dessert. For a frosted version, pipe pistachio mascarpone frosting on top and you are halfway to pistachio cupcakes. If you want a crisp bake next to them on a brunch tray, try cranberry pistachio shortbread cookies or classic pistachio cookies.