These pistachio muffins are loaded with pistachios, are fluffy and moist and are topped with a pistachio crumble topping.
These muffins are made with real pistachios, have a crispy top, use simple ingredients, and are incredibly fluffy and flavorful.
These muffins have a soft, moist base made from simple ingredients like flour, sugar, eggs, and butter.
The top is covered with a crunchy streusel, which is a mix of chopped pistachios, sugar, and butter. When baked, the muffins turn golden brown, and the streusel becomes crispy.
The green color of the pistachios makes these muffins look pretty and unique. They're perfect for breakfast, a snack, or even dessert.
Many people enjoy these muffins with a cup of coffee or tea, making them a popular choice in bakeries and cafes.
For more pistachio desserts, check out my pistachio baklava, pistachio cake, pistachio cheesecake with pistachio toppings, and pistachio cookies.
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Why this recipe works
- Pistachio flavor- these muffins are made with real pistachios and have a strong pistachio flavor that is added naturally!
- Texture- the texture of these muffins is light and airy with a soft and tender crumb that is topped with a crunchy and buttery nutty pistachio crumble topping that adds a delicious crunch.
- All natural- these delish muffins are made without a pudding mix and do not use artificial food coloring! It uses real pistachios that gives a strong and delish pistachio flavor.
- Pistachio crumble topping- each muffin is topped with a pistachio crumble topping that is crunchy and buttery and full of pistachio flavor!
- Time- these come together in under an hour from start to finish and are perfect when you are short on time but want to make a delicious muffin.
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
Butter- use unsalted butter for this recipe. Only butter will work for this recipe, no margarine, and no coconut oil. Margarine has a weird taste and can ruin the flavor of these delicious muffins.
Eggs- you will need eggs for this recipe. Make sure that your eggs are at room temperature.
Flour– we used all-purpose flour for this recipe. cake flour will work great as well.
Baking soda and baking powder – baking soda and baking powder help the muffins rise and spread. Make sure that your levelers aren't expired.
Granulated sugar– we like to use granulated sugar, also the most common sugar used in baking. Caster sugar will work great as well.
Brown sugar- you can use light or dark brown sugar.
Buttermilk- we make our homemade buttermilk (1 cup of milk plus 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar).
Sour cream- use full-fat sour cream for this recipe. It is important to get your sour cream to room temperature.
Vegetable oil – we used vegetable oil for this recipe. canola oil will work great for this recipe.
Vanilla extract- Vanilla extract adds extra flavor. For extra vanilla flavor, use vanilla bean extract or an actual vanilla bean!
Kosher salt- you will need about ½ teaspoon of kosher salt for this recipe.
Pistachios- use unsalted pistachios for this recipe. Salted pistachios have a strong salty flavor that will make your muffins very salty.
I like toasting pistachios to release their delicious flavor and release their natural oils.
Instructions
Preheat an oven to 180c (350f) and prep a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
Into a large mixing bowl, add the melted butter, eggs, sour cream, kosher salt, vanilla extract, buttermilk, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vegetable oil, and mix until combined.
Add the chopped pistachios, flour, baking powder, and baking soda, and mix until just combined. Do not overmix them so they will turn out moist and not dry!
Let the batter sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. This step creates the signature domed tops that the best muffins have!
Meanwhile, make the pistachio crumble topping. In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, chopped pistachios, and kosher salt. Mix with a spoon until the mixture is well combined.
Add the melted butter and mix until it's well combined.
Scoop the batter with a large ice cream scooper into the muffin tins, filling them almost completely.
Top the muffins with about 1 tablespoon of the streusel topping and press the streusel topping onto the muffin batter so it sticks and does not fall off while baking.
Bake in a 200c (400f) preheated oven for 5 minutes, and then bake for another 10-12 minutes at 180c (350f) or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Expert Tips
- Use a blender or food processor to ground the pistachios for the muffin filling. For the crumble topping, I like chopping them into larger pieces to get an extra crunch.
- Toast your pistachios before chopping them and adding them to the batter. This will add a delish strong nutty flavor to the muffins.
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and milk. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist muffins and not dense and dry muffins.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Don't skimp on the streusel. Be generous when sprinkling the streusel topping on each muffin. Press it gently into the batter to ensure it sticks during baking.
- Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to fill each muffin cup about ⅔ full. This allows room for the muffins to rise without overflowing.
- Avoid overbaking! Check your muffins a few minutes before the recommended baking time. They're done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
- Make sure that you are using fresh ingredients! One of the most common mistakes in baking and making muffins is not noticing that your baking powder or baking soda is expired.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to eat these muffins as they are pulled out of the oven, but let these muffins cool for at least 15 minutes so they will be firmer and won’t crumble up.
Faq's
You can use peeled toasted or not toasted unsalted pistachios. Using salted pistachios will affect the flavor of these muffins.
My biggest tip for getting muffins light and fluffy with a domed top is to let the muffin batter rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. This step allows the gluten to rest and activates the leaveners.
Yes! Simply combine 1 cup of powdered sugar with 1-2 tablespoons of milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or vanilla paste.
Pistachio muffins are usually green because they use pistachio pudding mix which contains green food coloring. I use natural ingredients in this recipe, but if you want a greener color, you can add 1-2 drops of green food coloring.
Storing
These muffins will last for up to 3 days stored at room temperature. Cover the muffins with plastic wrap or foil to prevent them from drying out.
Reheating
In a toaster oven:
For best results, use an oven or toaster oven set to 350°F (175°C). Wrap the muffin in aluminum foil to prevent it from drying out, and heat for about 10-15 minutes.
In a microwave:
Place the muffin on a microwave-safe plate and heat for 15-20 seconds. To maintain texture, consider adding a damp paper towel over the muffin before microwaving.
Freezing
To freeze these muffins, first allow them to cool completely at room temperature. Once cooled, wrap each muffin individually in plastic wrap or aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn.
Place the wrapped muffins in a freezer-safe container or resealable plastic bag, removing as much air as possible before sealing. Label the container with the date and type of muffin for easy identification.
When stored properly, muffins can last in the freezer for up to three months.
To thaw, simply remove the desired number of muffins from the freezer and let them sit at room temperature for about an hour, or microwave them for a quick defrost.
Substitutions
Gluten-free - if you want to make this recipe gluten-free, simply replace the flour with gluten-free flour. I never tried it, but it should work just fine!
Sour cream- if you don't have sour cream, you can use full-fat yogurt or Greek yogurt instead.
Dairy-free- you can make these muffins dairy-free by replacing the butter with vegan butter, the sour cream with vegan sour cream, and the buttermilk with vegan buttermilk.
Variations
Flavoring- you can add 1 teaspoon of pistachio extract for an extra pistachio flavor.
Green food coloring- if you want to make these muffins extra green, add a drop or two of green gel food coloring.
Cranberry- fold ⅓ cup of dried cranberries into the batter for bursts of tartness that balance the sweet, nutty flavors.
Honey drizzle- brush warm honey over the muffins right after baking for a sweet, glossy finish that enhances the nutty flavor.
Cinnamon sugar middle- add a layer of cinnamon sugar in the middle of the muffins as I did for my coffee cake muffins.
Cream cheese glaze- top these muffins with a delicious cream cheese glaze. Use the recipe from my cinnamon roll muffins.
Orange zest- add orange zest to both the batter and the streusel for a citrusy twist that brightens the cinnamon flavor.
Chocolate chips- semi-sweet chocolate chips are scattered throughout the batter, adding rich, melty pockets of chocolate to the muffins.
Equipment
- Mixing bowl (set of 3)
- Whisk Set (pack of 3) to whisk the ingredients together
- Muffin pan
- Rubber spatula
- Cookies scoop set of 3 (the best cookie scoop we used)
- Muffin liners
More muffin recipes
Vanilla muffins- They are filled with vanilla flavor and are the perfect base muffin recipe so you can add many flavors and fillings!
Cinnamon roll muffins- These cinnamon roll muffins are soft and tender, and are filled with cinnamon flavor and are topped with a cream cheese glaze.
Blueberry banana muffins- These blueberry banana muffins are extra moist and melt in your mouth. They are made with ripe bananas and blueberries.
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If you liked this recipe
📖 Recipe
Pistachio Muffins With Pistachio Crumble Topping
Ingredients
- ½ cup Butter melted and cooled
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 Eggs
- ½ cup Brown sugar dark or light brown sugar
- ⅔ cup Granulated sugar
- ½ cup Sour cream full fat
- ⅔ cup Buttermilk
- ¼ cup Vegetable oil or canola oil
- 1 cup Pistachios toasted and chopped, unsalted
- 3 cups Flour
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
Crumble topping
- ½ cup Flour
- ⅔ cup Pistachios chopped
- ⅓ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ⅓ cup Granulated sugar
- ¼ cup Butter melted, unsalted
Instructions
- Into a large mixing bowl, add the melted butter, eggs, sour cream, kosher salt, vanilla extract, buttermilk, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vegetable oil, and mix until combined.
- Add the chopped pistachios, flour, baking powder, and baking soda, and mix until just combined. Do not overmix them so they will turn out moist and not dry!
- Let the batter sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. This step creates the signature domed tops that the best muffins have!
- Meanwhile, make the pistachio crumble topping. In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, chopped pistachios, and kosher salt. Mix with a spoon until the mixture is well combined.
- Add the melted butter and mix until it's well combined.
- Preheat an oven to 180c (350f) and prep a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
- Scoop the batter with a large ice cream scooper into the muffin tins, filling them almost completely.
- Top the muffins with about 1 tablespoon of the streusel topping and press the streusel topping onto the muffin batter so it sticks and does not fall off while baking.
- Bake in a 200c (400f) preheated oven for 5 minutes, and then bake for another 10-12 minutes at 180c (350f) or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Notes
- Use a blender or food processor to ground the pistachios for the muffin filling. For the crumble topping, I like chopping them into larger pieces to get an extra crunch.
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and milk. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist muffins and not dense and dry muffins.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Make sure that you are using fresh ingredients! One of the most common mistakes in baking and making muffins is not noticing that your baking powder or baking soda is expired. This can ruin your muffins and waste your time and money on the ingredients. So every time you bake anything, make sure that the ingredients are not expired.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to eat these muffins as they are pulled out of the oven, but let these muffins cool for at least 15 minutes so they will be more firm and won’t crumble up. These muffins are extra moist and melt-in-your-mouth delicious, so it will be worth it to wait for the wait.
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