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.
Yes. This was exactly what I was looking for. I followed the less flour route of 1 1/3c vs. 2c and the batter was still a thicker paste. I also went half vanilla extract, half almond extract. Lastly, I skipped the heat blast but definitely made sure these were slightly golden on top for a perfect texture. Yum. Thank you for the recipe!
These are very good. I added pistachio extract for that little extra taste. I am wondering though, is there anything that can be added to make the muffins more “moist”? They seem a little dry and I only cooked them for 7 minutes at 425 and 7 at 350.
Add a bit of sour cream or buttermilk. I use 1/4 to 1/2 cup of either, whatever I have on hand. Additional fat makes them more moist.
Omg this recipe was amazing. Such a great fall scent here in my New Hampshire kitchen.. My boys & I are such fans of pistachios. My teen age boys loved these. I crushed up more pistachios , cuz who doesn’t love more of them in a muffin?😀 my son’s suggested we use melted pistachio ice cream for added pistachio flavor. Mmm such a great idea. I made a dozen regular n a dozen jumbo sized muffins. I managed to freeze some before they all disappeared. I’d give 10 🌟 but the most offered is 5..
Your awesome. I just love your style of cooking so very simple . If you can’t cook, you make it simple. Step by step.
Our favorite dish is
‘Cheesy chicken spaghetti’ I had enough to share dinner with my neighbor and put three dishes in the freezer. Two I use for some friends that are homeless and living in a tent.
I see the passion you put in your cooking. I grateful I found you and looked you up. Keep up the awesome work. As my granddaughter says ‘I have confidence and no one will take it away. She always says people are just jealous of me. Keep up the good work. God has gave you so many blessings. Oh by the way my passion is cooking.
I’ve made these twice before, once regular size and once jumbo. we all loved them, although I wasn’t sure how much time to add for the larger muffins, so I guessed and checked. Do you have a time for 6 jumbo muffins, same instructions for the higher temperature at the beginning of the bake?
I’m curious as to why salted butter is used if salt is an ingredient. I usually only have unsalted butter, have you ever made them with unsalted butter?
I’m so happy to have tried recipe!!
These muffins were good but lacked flavor. I added some chopped pistachios to the batter and increased the milk to 1 cup because the batter was really thick. Next time I will add almond extract and decrease baking time to 8 minutes since the outside of the muffins were too dark for my liking.
These were just what I wanted! So simple. I made them vegan by using earthbalance butter, two flax eggs, and soy milk. Delicious.
Made these and added chopped pistachios to the batter and on top with the sugar before baking. I made 6 large muffins and had to adjust the baking time. They were very good but a tad dry. Next time I will either add 1/4 C sour cream or 1/4 vegetable to make them more moist. Great recipe! My son is a big fan of pistachio muffins and he loved these!
I love anything with pistachio pudding and was excited for these. As others mentioned the batter was so dense so I poured in extra milk… maybe a half cup or so. They turned out to be a great consistency with that, however it didn’t have that “pistachio almond” punch I was hoping for. I wish I would have added 1/2tsp almond extract. I’ll try again with that and I imagine they’d be great! Maybe I’ll make a quick glaze in the morning with some almond extract. 😊