These muffins perfectly blend a nutty flavor with a soft, moist texture. The pistachio flavor is rich yet not overpowering. You can use regular-sized tins or make jumbo pistachio muffins. They keep well and can be frozen.
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An elegant muffin recipe
Pistachios are unique nuts, not only for their color but also for their flavor.
Though this recipe requires creaming soft butter (unlike most of our other muffin recipes that are a tad simpler), it's easy and you can whip up a batch fast. They are perfect for a weekend breakfast or brunch, a snack on the go or afternoon tea.
We realized that even though we adore these greenish nuts, we had few recipes featuring them besides the pistachio snowballs and Christmas fudge.
So we set out to remedy that and started with this buttery, crunchy pistachio muffin recipe, which uses a tiny bit of lemon to enhance the nutty flavor.
Troubleshooting common issues
Overmixing the batter can cause the muffins to become tough and dense. Combine the ingredients; don't beat or overmix.
Using cold ingredients can cause the batter to not mix well and be lumpy. Using ingredients at room temperature is essential unless otherwise specified in the recipe.
Not greasing the muffin tin properly can cause the muffins to stick to the pan and be difficult to remove. If not using paper liners, use baking spray or soft butter.
Overbaking the muffins can cause them to become dry and hard. Check the muffins a few minutes before the end of the suggested baking time with a cake tester or toothpick, and remove them from the oven as soon as they are cooked through.
Ingredients
Quantities are listed on the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
- Pistachios: they will be chopped. You can buy them shelled and save time.
- Baking powder and baking soda: make sure they aren't expired.
- Lemon juice and lemon zest: they pair wonderfully with pistachios.
- Sour cream: regular, full-fat for richness and texture.
Variations & substitutions
- Other nuts: use walnuts, pecans or almonds instead of pistachios.
- Enhanced lemon flavor: Use more zest and juice to make these lemon pistachio muffins.
- Chocolate chips: Pistachios pair wonderfully with white chocolate chips.
- Jumbo muffins: Use a pan for large muffins and divide the batter evenly. You'll get 6 muffins.
- Flavorings: to vary the flavor, add orange zest, a tablespoon of orange liquor or a spice like ground cardamom.
How to make pistachio muffins
- Electric mixer: I recommend it for creaming the butter with the sugar and eggs.
- Mix, but don't overdo it after you add the dry ingredients
- When adding the pistachios, the flour mixture doesn't need to be fully integrated. Use a spatula to integrate. Don't beat or overmix the batter as it will render tougher muffins.
- Final batter: is thick and creamy.
Baking muffins
Preparing the muffin pan
- Paper liners: also called paper cups or called muffin liners. This is the easiest way, but the muffin tops are the only part that will be crusty.
- Butter or baking spray: it's messier, and you have to wash the pan afterward, but the crust forms all around the muffins because the whole metal surface is in contact with the batter.
When are they done?
They will rise and be springy to the touch without feeling wobbly. A cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. As soon as this happens, remove them from the oven so they don't dry.
Storage
- Room temperature: they're best the day they're baked, but you can keep them out for a day or two, covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container, so they don't dry out.
- Freezing: cover in plastic wrap first and then foil, or use a freezer bag. Keep them frozen for up to a month. I defrost them directly in a medium oven, but you can let them come to room temperature first, unwrapped.
- I don't recommend the refrigerator as it will dry them out. Better to freeze them.
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Pistachio Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ¾ cup pistachios, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners (paper cups) or butter/spray them.
- Sift the dry ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder and ½ teaspoon baking soda together in a bowl, or have them measured and sift them directly over the batter when called for.
- Beat ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature and gradually add ¾ cup granulated sugar while you continue beating for 2-3 minutes.
- Add 2 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl regularly.
- Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon lemon zest and 2 teaspoons lemon juice and combine.
- Add them in 3 parts, alternating with 1 cup sour cream in 2 parts. That means you start and end with the dry ingredients. Mix and integrate well, but don't beat much at this point or it will toughen the baked muffins.
- Add ¾ cup pistachios, chopped. You add all of them to the batter or reserve some to sprinkle on top before baking.
- Scoop the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tins. I use a large cookie scoop, but you can use two spoons.
- Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until they rise, the tops crack a little and a tester inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean. The time varies depending on the size of your muffin tin and oven.
- Cool on a wire rack.
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