Easy, bakery-style pistachio muffins have tall, crunchy sugared pistachio muffin tops with moist, fluffy insides. Using pistachio pudding mix (just like the bakery versions), these pistachio nut muffins use only two bowls, are ready in 30 minutes, and can be made jumbo or regular-sized.
Bakery-style muffins are the best kind of muffins, in my opinion. They have high, craggily tops, crunchy sugar and toppings, and feel like such a treat to make and enjoy at home.
These pistachio pudding muffins follow my fool-proof method of creating domed muffin tops, just like in these gingerbread muffins, homestyle blueberry muffins, cinnamon crunch muffins, banana nut muffins, butter rum muffins, and pumpkin muffins!
These are the BEST pistachio muffins! Readers love this tried and true recipe. Especially because they're made with mostly pantry staples you'll already have on hand. And, if you're looking for a fun way to celebrate with kids, call them St. Patrick's Day muffins and add a rainbow topper to the dome!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Easy to make - using two bowls, these pistachio muffins come together in 10 minutes, and bake for less than 20! They'll be on your table in 30 minutes, and are best enjoyed warm straight out of the oven.
Crispy and fluffy - The crunchy pistachio pieces and coarse sugared tops give the perfect crispy contrast to the moist, spongey insides. Isn't that what a bakery-style muffin is all about?!
Flavor-packed - Thanks to the pistachio pudding mix, almond extract, and chopped pistachios, these muffins have tons of flavor, are the perfect amount of sweet, and leave you longing for another bite!
We really love pistachio baked goods at TCP, so you should also try your hand at baklava cookies, pistachio babka, baklava cheesecake bars, and baklava cake!
Ingredients
Most of these ingredients are household staples you'll already have at home!
- Pistachio instant pudding mix. This is what provides the expected color and flavor, and also helps to thicken the batter and keeps them super moist from the milk powder! Instructions are included to omit this ingredient.
- Baking powder. This is the main ingredient to get those tall muffin tops, so be sure it's not expired!
- Dairy. Sour cream and whole milk are needed and should be at room temperature for best results. Use full-fat versions of both.
- Fats. Both butter and a neutral oil (canola or vegetable) are used. The butter adds flavor, while the oil add moisture.
- Extracts. Both vanilla and almond extract are used to help bring out the pistachio flavor.
- Coarse sugar. Turbinado or Demerara sugar will work. This addition is crucial to recreating the bakery style version!
- Pistachios. They can be salted or unsalted, and given a rough chop.
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- To make the pistachio muffins without pudding mix, simply omit the mix and add an extra two tablespoons of flour. Additionally, add 1 teaspoon of almond extract and up to ⅔ cup of very finely chopped pistachios.
- Substitute full-fat greek yogurt (unflavored) for the sour cream.
- Add up to ½ cup dried cranberries, chopped walnuts, white chocolate chips or chocolate chips to the batter.
- Rub 2 tablespoons of lemon zest into the sugar before mixing in the ingredients for a lighter, brighter version.
- Substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour for extra-tender muffins.
- For a gluten free version, use Bob's Red Mill 1-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour in place of all-purpose flour.
- Mix together 1 cup of powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of milk, and ¼ teaspoon of vanilla to make a vanilla glaze for the pistachio pudding muffins.
How to Get Domed Muffin Tops
- Rest the batter while you preheat the oven. Because this recipe uses baking powder, the first activation of the rise happens when it's combined with liquid. The extra rest time allows it to give a bit of lift before adding it to the oven.
- Use two muffin tins and alternate the openings. For example, fill the top middle hole, fill the outer two holes on the second row, the middle hole of the third row, and the outer two holes of the bottom row. This allows air to circulate and give the muffins extra rise.
- Fill the batter to the top! For cupcakes, you never want to fill the batter past ¾ full, but for muffins, we want to go the whole way to the top!
- Start the muffins at very high heat, then reduce it for the rest of the baking time. The second activation of baking powder happens from heat. Adding the muffins to a very hot oven gives them an initial spring and nice crunchy top.
How to Make This Recipe
One: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
Two: In another large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, butter, and oil.
Three: Add the sour cream, milk, and vanilla and almond extracts and whisk to combine.
Four: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and use a rubber spatula to carefully fold it together.
Five: The finished batter will be very thick. Allow it to rest while the oven preheats.
Six: Add liners to a muffin tin and fill each cup the whole way to the top.
Tip #1 - Use a large cookie scoop to easily and cleanly add the muffin batter to the openings.
Tip #2 - For extra tall, domed muffin tops, use two muffin tins, only filling 6 of the openings (leaving an opening in between each muffin). Bake on two different racks, and switch at the halfway mark.
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Seven: Sprinkle the tops with chopped pistachios and coarse sugar, then bake.
Eight: Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack so the bottoms don't get soggy. Enjoy!
How to Make Jumbo Muffins
To make these pistachio muffins jumbo size, follow all the same instructions to mix up the batter, as well as the same heating instructions.
Fill 6 holes of a jumbo muffin tin with the batter, sprinkle with pistachios and sugar, then bake for the 5 minutes at 425℉. Reduce the oven temperature and continue baking for another 23-25 minutes.
Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center. It should come out with a few moist crumbs, but no wet batter.
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients (eggs, milk, sour cream). This allows the batter to mix up very smooth.
- Measure the flour using a digital scale or with the fluff, spoon, and level method. This is a thick batter, so adding too much flour will make them dense.
- Don't over mix the batter. It's ok for muffin batter to have some lumps! Over mixing can cause dry, rubbery muffins.
- Rest the batter while you preheat the oven. This helps get tall muffin tops.
- Fill the muffin openings to the top - every last bit of batter gets used!
- If you're not using paper liners, be sure to grease each muffin hole well with nonstick cooking spray.
Recipe FAQs
The key to this is to fold the batter just until the flour is barely combined (don't whisk!). Over mixing the batter can lead to dense muffins. Additionally, using the correct amount of flour is very important. Too much flour will also lead to dry, dense muffins.
This is due to the added color in the pistachio pudding mix. If you're not using the mix, you can just add a touch of green food coloring, or add up to ½ cup of very finely ground pistachios.
Pistachio muffins are actually flavored like almonds. Most commercial pistachio items actually contain almond flavoring over pistachio flavoring, which is why most pistachio ice creams taste like almond!
Either raw or roasted pistachios can be used. There are also salted and unsalted versions, but there's not too much salt on them, so use whatever you can find!
Just be sure to make sure they don't have shells on, or you'll have to shell them yourself.
Nope! You can simply grease the muffin wells with nonstick spray. However, I like to use liners for ease of cleaning, they protect the muffin from drying out, and they help keep the structure if you're transporting them to friends or family.
Not in this recipe. Cook and serve pudding is exactly as it sounds - you have to cook it, first! The instant variety allows you to mix it right into the batter.
Storage
Store the muffins lightly covered at room temperature for up to four days. You want to leave them partially uncovered so the air can circulate...otherwise the tops get soggy!
The tops will remain crispy for about two days. After that, you'll want to pop them in a 357℉ oven for about 5 minutes to re-crisp the tops.
Freezing
To freeze the muffins, allow them to cool fully then wrap each muffin in plastic wrap and place in a zip top bag and remove all the air. Freeze the muffins for up to two months. Allow the muffins to thaw at room temperature completely uncovered and unwrapped.
To reheat the muffins, add to the microwave for 20-30 seconds or to a 375℉oven for about 5 minutes. I prefer the oven method to re-crisp the top.
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What to Know When Cooking with The Cozy Plum
- All recipes are created with Diamond Crystal kosher salt, the least salty variety of kosher salt. If using Morton's, you'll need to cut the amount of salt in half as it's 2x as salty. This will be the same for sea salt. Please do not use table salt.
- Switch between Cups vs Metric using the toggle on the recipe card. Baking by weight using a digital scale will always produce the most accurate results.
- Scale the recipe using the '1X' '2X' '3X' buttons on the recipe card. Note that this does not make an adjustment for baking times, only quantities.
- If you'd like to make the recipe in a different pan, use the pan size converter.
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📖Recipe
Bakery Style Pistachio Muffins
Equipment
- Whisk
- Standard muffin tin
- Cupcake liners optional
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 pack instant pistachio pudding mix 3.4oz
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup full-fat sour cream room temperature
- ⅓ cup whole milk room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ⅓ cup turbinado sugar for tops
- ½ cup pistachios shelled and roughly chopped
Instructions
- Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners (or lightly grease the openings).
- Whisk together the flour, pistachio pudding, salt, and baking powder in a bowl and set aside.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 pack instant pistachio pudding mix, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, 2 teaspoons baking powder
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, and butter until combined.¾ cup granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, ⅓ cup vegetable oil, ¼ cup unsalted butter
- Pour in the sour cream, milk, and extracts, and whisk to combine.½ cup full-fat sour cream, ⅓ cup whole milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon almond extract
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and use a rubber spatula to slowly mix and fold the batter together. Be sure to scrape down to the bottom to get any flour that has sunk. Don't over mix - the batter will be quite thick.
- Allow the batter to rest while you preheat the oven to 425℉.
- Scoop the batter evenly between the liners and top with coarse sugar and chopped pistachios.⅓ cup turbinado sugar, ½ cup pistachios
- Bake at 425℉ for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375℉ and bake for an additional 13-15 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center with come out with moist crumbs, but no wet batter.
- Transfer the tin to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes, then remove the muffins from the tin to finish cooling.
Jackie says
I can’t wait to try these! Would I have to make any changes if I want to add chopped pistachios into the batter and not just on top? Also I want to make large muffins. Do I change the heat or just bake them longer? I will update a review and comment after I make them. TIA!
Callan Wenner says
Hey Jackie! No changes for adding pistachios to the batter, you can just add about 1/2 cup to the batter and leave about 1/4 cup to sprinkle on the top. For jumbo muffins, you'll still bake at the higher temp for 5 minutes and drop it down, but you'll just bake them closer to an additional 23-25 minutes give or take a few! Use the toothpick method to check for doneness.
Jacqueline says
Just made these. I added a 1/2 cup of pistachios to the dry mix before adding to the wet (sprinkled a few chopped pieced on top too)
Also, I didn't have almond extract. I don't think it was missed.
Delicious! Saved recipe. Will definitely make them again!
Callan Wenner says
Great to know about the almond extract! I bet the pudding mix gave enough of the necessary flavor. So happy you enjoyed them!
Kayla hritz says
One of my absolute favorite Recipes! Even my picky eaters love them!
Callan Wenner says
I always love to hear this! So glad they enjoy them 🙂
Al says
Very good muffins, but not quite sweet enough for my taste. I'll try to increase sugar to 1 cup next time. Otherwise they are moist and delicious. I added some finely chopped pistachios to the batter (about 1/4 cup) and to the top (also 1/4 cup). Thank you for the recipe.
Helena Rosa says
Can you use regular pistachio pudding mix instead of instant pudding mix??
Callan Wenner says
Hi Helena, I haven't tried this, but I suspect it would work out ok. I would suggest resting the batter in the fridge for about 30 minutes before scooping into the muffin tins to allow the pudding mix to set up a bit (the batter is intended to be thick). Please report back if you try it!
Shelby says
These muffins were delicious! They reminded me so much of the ones I get from the bakery...if not even better! I was out of AP Flour (how is that even possible? Haha) and used cake flour. It didn't disappoint! Thank you for sharing a recipe that didn't call for a cake mix. Will definitely make again!
Marie Pearson says
Can you give adjustments for baking the pistachio muffins in a high altitude location?
Thank you!
Callan Wenner says
Hi Marie, you'll want to increase the temperatures by 25 degrees F, and then decrease the bake time by about 3 minutes (but I'd start checking a bit sooner just to be safe)!
Sue says
These muffins are great! I just made a double batch so I can freeze them. I cut back on the sugar just a little, and skipped the Turbinado sugar on top. These are a favorite!!
Callan Wenner says
Great idea on the freezing! Glad the reduction didn't change the deliciousness for you!
Nicole says
Tasty!
Claire says
Easy to make, moist, definitely got that bakery style look and delicious! I'm excited for my kids to try this!
Callan Wenner says
Yay! So happy to hear this. I hope the kids enjoyed.
Kristen says
I want to make these with almond flour, what would the ratio be compared to regular flour? i tried 1:1 and they didn’t hold together, or cook well. it was like soup.
Callan Wenner says
Hi Kristen, almond flour is a tricky ingredient since it doesn't actually have any gluten structure and cannot be substituted 1-1 with AP flour. Unfortunately, I have not tested this method, so I can't recommend how this would work. If this is an issue of the muffins needing to be gluten-free, I always suggest using Bob's Red Mill 1-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour as an equal flour substitute. I've found it works great as an equal swap in quantities up to 3 cups!
Deborah says
Greetings! Could you share instructions on how to convert this recipe to make it in jumbo muffin pans, as often sold at a bakery, please? I just got new jumbo muffin pans and liners. Thank you for sharing all of your wonderful recipes!
Callan Wenner says
Hi Deborah! So sorry I'm just getting back to you here. You'll want to bake for 5 minutes at 425℉, then reduce the oven temperature to 400℉ and bake for an additional 15 minutes or so, give or take a few minutes. I'd give them a peek at the 13-minute mark to see how they're doing. The batter will make 6 jumbo muffins!
June says
I made this recipe at the request of my daughter wanting Pistachio Muffins. 2 ingredients I did not have Whole Milk and Turbinado Sugar. I think the muffins could be sweeter. Turbinado may have helped that. They are moist but I wanted more. I used 2%. Can I use buttermilk? I am going to make these again. Next time Light brown sugar, buttermilk and I will have the Turbinado for the tops. Overall it is a good recipe. I think it can be better. I might even invest in a NEW cupcake pan. I baked them in my convection oven, using the same temps recommended.
The Cozy Plum says
Hi June, Thanks for trying these. I can't guarantee results if the recipe is not made as written. Whole milk in the recipe is used to aid with moisture - buttermilk is typically used as a substitute for sour cream, and would likely make the recipe less sweet since there is already sour cream in the recipe. Buttermilk also has less fat than whole milk. If you have a kitchen scale, make sure to use that to measure the flour (or use a spoon to stir the flour and scoop it into the measuring cup if you don't have one) to be sure there isn't too much in there!
I'd suggest trying it as written (though you definitely could use the brown sugar in place of the granulated sugar if you want to try that) and adding the Turbinado sugar to see if that helps! I find the muffins are sweet enough, but sweetness is always a personal preference and can be different for everyone! Let me know if you try again!
Aubrey W. says
YES. Just yes. These were just so moist and delightful. The crunchy topping is a must - don't skimp on the sugar! Will make again soon!
Kim says
These were amazing! Will have to remember next time to push the nuts into the batter a little after sprinkling them on top.
The Cozy Plum says
So glad you enjoyed them! Good tip on the nuts on top!
Anne Levine says
Any suggestions if I were to use sugar free pudding?
Callan Wenner says
Hi Anne, while I haven't tried this, my guess is that the sugar-free pudding replacement would still work in the recipe, but it may be slightly less sweet overall. I would not suggest adjusting any other amounts of sugar, as this is necessary for the structure and moisture in the recipe. Let me know if you try it!
Karen Simonsen says
Ok. Soooo, they just came out of the oven! Being diabetic, I used sugar free pudding and stevia. Of course I didn't add the yummy, crunchy, sugar topping, which is of course the best part in my book! I didn't have pistachios on hand, but I did have a small handful of slivered almonds that I broke up an added. Which I'm glad I did. All in all, they really weren't too bad! None of that fake sugar taste when eating them, but a slight aftertaste when you were done ( I just ate a warm one!). I will make them again, but next time will definitely add the pistachios and almond extract. Maybe a little of the green food color. Oh, and the batter was extremely thick, more like cookie dough. This is a love/hate relationship! I love the fact that they were good and actually eatable being converted to sugar free. I hate the fact that they ARE sugar free and I don't get the good crunchy topping! Especially since I can't have the yummy stuff anymore, and I made my living when I was younger baking cakes, cookies, dessert breads, candies, pies......😭
Callan Wenner says
I'm glad the sugar substitutes worked for you, but I do recommend the crunch sugar, nuts, and almond extract as it really adds to the experience!