We can’t resist those beautiful green pistachio muffins when we pass by them at the grocery store bakery. These home-baked pistachio muffins are just as good and full of that nutty, slightly sweet pistachio flavor we all love Pistachio pudding mix adds amazing taste, but it also keeps the muffins perfectly moist.
Why Our Recipe
- Pistachio pudding mix makes these muffins extra moist and gives the perfect pistachio flavor.
- That bakery-style dome? We’ve got the trick to make it happen at home.
- Super simple ingredients and no fancy tools or special skills required!
If you’ve ever wondered how bakeries get their muffins to rise tall and fluffy, we’ve got the trick for you. You don’t need any special equipment or hard-to-find ingredients. Just mix, bake, and enjoy!
Ingredient Notes
- Salted Butter: If using unsalted butter, add an extra pinch of salt to the batter.
- Pistachio Instant Pudding Mix: The key ingredient for flavor and moisture. Be sure to use instant pudding mix, not the cook-and-serve kind.
- Baking Powder: Make sure yours is fresh (not expired) because this is what makes the muffins rise.
- Milk: Whole, 2%, and 1% are our preferences for the fat content, but technically skim milk and plant-based milk also works.
- All-Purpose Flour: Be sure to use all-purpose or bread flour here. They both work.
- Extra Sugar for Topping: Creates a lightly crunchy, bakery-style top. You can also swap this for coarse sugar if you want a nice crunch.
Pistachio Pudding Mix
When developing this recipe, we tested so many different ways to get that perfect pistachio flavor—including using real pistachios and even pistachio paste. But no matter how much we used, the flavor just wasn’t strong enough. Using a pudding mix intensifies the pistachio flavor while also adding a little bit of moisture that makes these muffins extra soft.
You can still add chopped pistachios to the batter for some extra crunch, but the pudding mix is what makes these muffins truly shine.
High Heat: The Secret to the Perfect Dome
The secret to that perfectly domed muffin top is to blast the muffin batter with super high heat when you first place it into the oven, and then let it finish baking at a slightly lower temperature. The high heat causes the steam in the muffins to release quickly, making the muffins puff up and create that perfect dome on top.
We start our muffins at 425 degrees F. After about 7 minutes, reduce the heat in the oven to 350 degrees F. Watch your muffins closely as they finish baking. Ovens vary slightly so your cooking time may vary as some ovens will brown the muffins more than others. Pull your muffins out of the oven as soon as they are golden brown on top.
Keep Muffins From Sticking
You can bake muffins directly in a muffin tin, or use paper liners. To keep the muffins from sticking, use a nonstick pan and lightly grease the pan with nonstick cooking spray. If using liners, spray the liners themselves with a light coating of nonstick cooking spray to keep the muffins from sticking to the wrapper.
Thick Batter Ahead
If you’re used to thinner muffin batters, you might be surprised by how thick this one is—but don’t worry, that’s exactly how it should be! It’s a dense batter that bakes up into soft, moist muffins with a perfect crumb.
Because the batter is thick, resist the urge to overmix. Stir just until everything is combined—overmixing can make the muffins dense instead of light and fluffy. When scooping the batter into the muffin tin, a cookie scoop or two spoons will help make it easier to divide evenly.
Storage & Freezing Instructions
Store at room temperature in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days. If your kitchen is warm or humid, they’ll stay fresher longer in the fridge.
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Warm them up in the microwave for 10–15 seconds before serving for that fresh-baked feel.
To freeze, let them cool completely, then place them in a freezer-safe bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or pop one in the microwave for 20–30 seconds until warm.
More delicious muffin flavors…
Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
Ive made these muffins probably a dozen times. Turns out perfectly every time. Everyone loves them. I am gluten free so I sub the flour with half (1 cup) Almond Flour and half (1 cup) Gluten free all purpose and added 1 cup of oats. I highly recommend.
I followed the recipe exactly and it came out scrumptious… definitely what I was craving. Love this recipe and will use it over and over!! It is a keeper… thank you for sharing!
Can you use almond milk for this recipe or does it need to be normal dairy milk? Hoping to make these this week! Looks yummy.
Almond milk is an acceptable substitute.
Thank you for this great recipe! This morning I made it exactly as printed and the muffins turned out perfect. Beautiful color, great flavor, and the texture was so nice (I appreciated that they didn’t crumble apart as I ate them as many muffins do). My kids were a little nervous to eat green muffins, but everyone in my family loved them!
How can I make these without pudding mix?? I bake gluten free/non GMO so other than adding almond flavoring and a little green food coloring… how would I change the recipe?
We tried many options for using pistachio paste and none of them produced results that we could stand behind.
I was a bit pessimistic at the beginning, since the batter is very dense and I smell something burning the first few minutes after I put them into the oven. But as soon as I lower the temp down, they start rising and blossoming beautifully. Thank you for the recipe, and though I reduce the sugar a little bit, it’s still one of the best pistachio muffin I have ever tasted. Thanks again!
The batter is very dense or maybe its too much flour. I used more milk and also buttermilk to compensate it. And i also added real ground pistachios and pistachio extract. They turned out delicios…
Great recipe. For an added crunch and some flavor I put about an ounce of pistachios in a food processor along with a little chili powder, cinnamon, and sugar to make a little crumble for the top.
I made these for breakfast this morning… Delicious!!! I love the texture. I did make one alteration to the recipe. I do like nuts in my baked goods so I ground up some pistachios in the food processor and mixed some into the batter. Then I sprinkled some on top with the sugar. Great recipe!
I made these muffins on the weekend. They are delicious. I was very intrigued by the green shade in it. They smell wonderful too. I shared them with my neighbor and my colleagues and they loved it too. I never tasted pistachio pudding before, now I am tempted to try it. I have tried quite a few of your recipes and they have all been hits.
Hi, Can I use another pudding mix? I don’t think the kids would like pistachio pudding.
Thanks.
You can use any pudding mix, just make sure it is the same size and instant. But so you know, pistachio is more of an almond flavor, and it is a light flavor. You should try it and see.
These muffins are absolutely wonderful for brunch or a snack!!!