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Easy and delicious Pistachio Bread is especially sweet. The best part is it’s glazed and involves no yeast!!
Although it’s an uncommon flavor, we love pistachio around here! If you do too, try Pistachio Salad and our layered Pistachio Dessert.
Pistachio Quick Bread
My husband loves Pistachios! His favorite pudding is pistachio. His favorite nuts are pistachios. If it has Pistachios, he LOVES it!!
Today’s bread recipe also includes pistachios—both a sweet pistachio flavor for the base, as well as crushed up pistachios on top.
We really can’t call this a bread since it’s more like a cake (a cake mix is used as a shortcut for this recipe). But for kicks and giggles, let’s call it bread since it’s made in a bread pan. 😉
Because of the green color of the bread, we actually like to serve this for St. Patrick’s Day, but trust me, it’s perfect for any holiday or time of year!
We have a feeling you will love this delicious sweet, quick bread.
how to make Pistachio Bread
MIX. In a large bowl, whisk cake mix, pistachio pudding mix, eggs, oil, water, and sour cream together until well combined. Set aside.
BAKE. Grease 2 regular size loaf pans and sprinkle some cinnamon sugar (I use 2 TB sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon) on the inside. Pour half the batter into each pan. Bake in the oven at 350 for 45 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.
GLAZE. Combine 2 cups powdered sugar, 2 TB melted butter, 1 tsp. almond extract, and 1 tsp. vanilla to make a glaze. Add a few tablespoons of milk, until it’s the consistency that you like.
ENJOY! Drizzle glaze over bread and sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Serve and enjoy!
RECIPE TIPS
Of course we love this bread any day of the year, but it is especially fun to serve for Christmas or St. Patrick’s Day! Here are a few tips to make it extra special:
- Add a few drops of green food coloring to the batter to make the bread even more green. Even the Grinch himself would approve!
- Add some crushed up pistachios to the batter if you’d like for some extra crunch.
- Loaves of this bread would make perfect gifts for friends and neighbors! Simply bake them in disposable foil pans, cover with plastic wrap when cooled and finish off with a festive bow.
- Make mini-loaves of bread make sure to fill your pans no more than ½ way full and check on them every 5 min after 25 min of cooking. Insert a toothpick into the bread and if it comes out clean you are good to go.
FAQ
Can this bread be made ahead of time? Yes. This bread can be made ahead and stored in the freezer for up to 6 months.
How to store? To store, make sure to cool the loaf first, then wrap tightly with plastic wrap and cover with some aluminum foil or pop the wrapped bread into a Ziploc freezer bag.
How to freeze? To freeze, wait to add the glaze to the top of the bread after it has defrosted.
For more Quick bread recipes, check out:
- Snickerdoodle Bread
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- Glazed Lemon Zucchini Bread
- Blueberry Bread
- Banana Bread
- Almond Poppy Seed Bread
Pistachio Bread
Ingredients
- 1 (15.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix
- 2 (3.4-ounce) boxes instant pistachio pudding mix
- 4 eggs
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ⅛ cup water
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 tablspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½-1 cup chopped pistachios
Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, mix the dry cake mix, dry pudding mix, eggs, oil, water, and sour cream until well combined. Set aside.
- In a small bowl mix the sugar and cinnamon. Grease 2 regular-size loaf pans and sprinkle the suagr mixture evenly on the bottom and sides of the pans.
- Pour half the batter into each pan. Bake for 45 minutes. Let cool.
- Combine powdered sugar, melted butter, almond extract, and vanilla. Add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it's the consistency that you like.
- Drizzle glaze over bread and sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe adapted from HERE.
Can you use a white cake mix?
Definitely! Hope you like it!
Hi: I don’t use boxed cakes. Too many toxic ingredients. Would a basic yellow or white homemade cake recipe be a good substitute for this recipe? Thanks. Can’t wait to make. Looks delish. My hubby love pistachios also!
It should, though I never have, so I am not sure about the other ingredients or amounts. It would be playing around with that, to figure the other amounts out. If you try, I’d love to know what you did & how it turns out 🙂
This is my family fav!
That makes me so happy to hear! Thanks so much for sharing that!
Loved the glaze with lightly salted pistachio nuts on top. The bread was delicious and moist. Was a hit as a desert for Easter dinner. Thank you for sharing!
Happy to share! I am so glad you like it & that it was a hit! Thank you!
I love this recipe. Very moist. I make a loaf for my family’s households every St. Patrick’s Day!
I used 2 boxes of sugar free pudding mix and the batter was very thick. Should I have added more liquid? I made this bread last year and it was delicious, but my son=in-law has diabetes so I thought I would try it with the sugar free pudding – – probably was a big mistake! It’s in the oven, we shall see.
How did the bread turn out? The batter is actually quite thick, so it sounds like you might have been spot on.
I am planning on making this recipe. I see that it makes 2 loaves. Is that bread size loaves? I would like to make mini loaves to give away. My mini loaf bread pan measures approx. 3-1/8 inches wide by 6 inches long by 2 inches deep. Do you know how many mini loaves the recipe would make using the smaller loaf pan? Thank you.
I haven’t made this in the minis, but I would imagine it would probably fill about 4 mini loaves. You’ll have to let us know how they turn out. The mini size bread loaves are so fun!
Excellent. I have made it a number of times. Always a hit.
Hi! Love this recipe! Any particular way to thaw a frozen loaf as not to disturb the integrity of the loaf? Thanks!