Pistachio muffins are the underdog of muffins–not many people have tried them, but once you have, you have to agree they’re pretty great. This green pistachio muffin recipe is no exception.
This is a nice crunchy muffin with a great pistachio flavor. Though this was designed for St. Patrick’s Day, it is great every day. This is an easy muffin to put together but shelling all those pistachios takes a little time. Solve that problem by shelling them in front of the TV the night before.

But why are the muffins green?
Well, they’re not really green, but they are green enough for St. Patrick’s Day. You just add a touch of green food coloring to make the muffin match the nuts and be more festive for St. Patrick’s Day.
Besides, they are very good with pistachios in the muffins and topped on the muffins.
Green Pistachio Muffin Recipe

Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/2 cup pistachios, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon butter rum flavor or brown sugar flavor
- Electric Green Food Color Gel
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped (for topping)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Prepare the muffin tins by greasing them well.
- Combine the dry ingredients including the zest and finely chopped pistachios in a large bowl.
- Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat the eggs, one at a time, into the creamed mixture until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and desired flavor. Add green food color as desired.
- Starting with about 1/4 of the dry mixture, alternately add part of the dry ingredients and the milk, briefly mixing after each addition. Do not over-mix the batter.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared tins. Sprinkle the tops with the coarsely chopped pistachios. Place the muffins in the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 375 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes or until the muffins test done. After the muffins have cooled for five minutes, remove them from the tins to cool on a wire rack.
Makes ten large muffins.
Additional Resources
- How to Remove Muffins from the Tin: Learn how to remove your muffins from the tin without having them stick.
- How to Make High-Domed Muffins: Learn how to make muffins with high, crispy domes like the bakery.
(Updated from May 10, 2014)