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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 Recipe
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.
I doctored these up a little bit based on some of the comments (I added a tsp of vanilla and maybe a 1/2 tsp or so of cinnamon). I also made them in my cupcake pan baking them for 20 mins at 350, and omg these are so good!!! No need for glaze or frosting so I can call these muffins and eat them for breakfast 😂
I love it!! Thanks for sharing what you did!
This is my second time making this bread. It is sooo delicious that I’m sharing it with my Friday morning coffee girlfriends! So easy, so delicious and so pretty. What’s not to love!
I’m so glad to hear you love the bread!!
I have made this for multiple people, and they are going absolutely nuts over it! I don’t put the pistachios on, and I make it as a glaze rather than a frosting. Like I said, everybody’s going nuts! Thank you for the recipe.
Oh that makes me so happy to hear!! Thanks for sharing. So glad the bread is a hit!
Very easy and yummy! Do like she recommends and use a beater instead of a whisk or you’ll get a dome on top. Also if you’re new at making icing like I was be sure to sift your powdered sugar first. Mine was too runny no matter how much more sugar I added and I wish I had put it on while it was still in the pan.
Thank for sharing your experience. So glad to hear you enjoyed the bread!
Best bread I’ve ever made although I consider it more like a cake. Very simple and quick to make. Very delicious!!!
It definitely is more of a cake, but we like to call it bread since it is made in loaf pans. 😉
I recently made this recipe for a church potluck. It was a huge hit! I’m diabetic so I used my sugar free products. Sugar free yellow cake mix and sugar free pistachio pudding. Not one person said it tastes like a no sugar product. I’m making it again this week and I’m going to also make a lemon poppyseed bread with my sugar free products, using the same recipe. I hope it tastes just as good as the other.
Thanks for sharing what you did! I’m happy to know the sugar free products tasted delicious with this recipe too!
I also used the sugar free cake mix but not the pudding even though I’m sure it would have tasted the same
I am not sure if i have the correct size “box of cake flour”. Can you give me exact measurements. And Yes, the batter is super thick and pretty impossible to manually mix this. Any suggestions? Thanks.
Most cake boxes are 15.25 oz these days. So one of those should be the right size!
You should advise people to make sure they mix and over mix the ingredients, this batter is very thick because of the cake mix and the pudding. The first time I made it, I did not over mix the batter and the center of my cakes where cooked all the way through, but the centers did not rise up. The second time it was perfect, because when I thought it was completely mixed , I just kept on mixing for additional two to three minutes. I was using a hand mixer, maybe a stand mixer could do a better job. The batter is really thick, but it is a very moist bread . The cinnamon sugar in the pans With the oil makes the breads release easily. Yummo!
Thanks for the feedback!! I’m so glad you enjoyed the bread!
Absolutely delicious! I did add a teaspoon of vanilla and cinnamon to the batter. Honestly didn’t even need the glaze. That made it extra sweet. I’ll eat a slice tomorrow with a cup of coffee. My husband and son both loved it.
Thanks for the feedback! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I made this recipe but with one addition, I added salted and shelled pistachio’s and it’s amazing! Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome! That sounds delicious!