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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.
Hi, can we use gluten-free mix for this recipe?
I have never tried using it before, but it may work? You’ll have to let me know if you use it and how the bread turns out.
Hi, Looking forward to making this! Do you think this recipe could be used to make baked donuts?
Thanks!
I haven’t ever tried them in a donut form, but you certainly could give it a try! If you do, you’ll have to let us know how they turn out.
Just made baked donuts with this recipe and they came out great! I recommend only filling the donut pan about one third of the way, as they really expand. Also make sure to use a large pastry bag to fill the pan.
That’s so awesome! So glad to hear they worked well as donuts… and thanks for sharing what you did.
What could you use instead of sour cream? Any ideas? Thanks!! I can’t wait to make this!
You could swap for plain greek yogurt. Hope you enjoy the bread!
Perfect. A true keeper.
Okay, I was truly worried that this batter was too thick and would not turn out. My apologies. I just took out of oven, cooled and ate a piece. It is delicious. My apologies again.. Yes, this recipe is a keeper. Thank you.
This is so thick that I am sure something has to be wrong. Maybe just 1 box of pudding. Does not want to come out of bowl it is so thick. I will bake it any way for a brunch, but just have fingers crossed.
This turned out perfect. Apologies that I didn’t feel it would be ok. It is perfect. Recipe is a keeper.
I’m so glad it turned out so well! Thanks so much for trying it!
Would this still be good without the top glaze? Has anyone tried it that way?
I’m sure it would be! We love the glaze, but the bread/cake itself is super good!
Are nutrition fact per loaf, per slice? what is serving nutrition? Can I substitute Stevia? The nutrition facts listed, if per slice, would allow most people to eas 1 slice and nothing else for a day!
Yes – the nutrition facts are per loaf. You can substitute Stevia for the sugar but if you are using the Stevia powder the conversion rate is not the same and you will need a lot less Stevia to replace the sugar the recipe calls for. Usually that ratio is 8 to 1. But if your are using Stevia in the raw than the ratio of Stevia to sugar would be 1:1 (or the same). Hope this helps!
Is the nutrition right on the pistachio bread or is that for both loaves?
It’s for both loaves. Thanks for catching that! 🙂
Is the recipe correct that you use 2 boxes of the instant pudding mix?
Yes that’s correct. If you try the recipe let me know how it turns out. I would love to hear!
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
This would be so fun to make for St. Patrick’s Day. Its not only beautiful, but its so yummy too. They flavor is perfection.
Next time list all the ingredients, including the ingredients for the glaze.
The ingredients are all listed in the post. If you scroll to the bottom (or click on “Jump to recipe” up at the top), the ingredient list as well as baking instructions are there. The glaze ingredients are in the instructions too. Hopefully that helps!