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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.
Best recipe ever!!!! Making it for the second time this month!!!
Oh I’m SO glad to hear that!! So happy you enjoy the bread!
What could be used instead of sour cream??????
You could use plain greek yogurt!
Super easy and delicious! Not too sweet either. And I love the glaze! I was a little worried with how thick the batter is but it came out perfectly! Just wondering if I can freeze a loaf after it’s made?
I’m so glad you enjoyed the bread! Yes, you can freeze the loaf. I’d suggest freezing it without the glaze though, and then adding the glaze once the bread has defrosted.
What are the ingredients/amounts for the almond glaze?
2 cups powdered sugar, 2 TB melted butter, 1 tsp. almond extract, and 1 tsp. vanilla.
Hello! How come the recipe asks for 2 loaf tins?
Can we put the whole mixture in one loaf tin?
Thanks ! Jo
I would recommend baking in two loaf pans. If you did it in just one, it may be too full to bake properly.
To much cholesterol. Sounds yummy though
Can this be make into a Bundt instead?
I haven’t tried it in a bundt pan yet, but I imagine it could! You’ll have to let us know how it turns out if you do.
Can you tell me what coming time would be if this was made into muffins instead?
Ooh I haven’t tried these ones in muffin form yet, but I’d say around 20 minutes start to check for doneness, checking again every 2-5 minutes if they are still needing more time.
I made one loaf and was able to squeeze out 8 muffins from the leftover batter. 17 mins was the perfect time in case anyone wanted to try. I figure a perfect grab and go for mornings 🙂
Each time I make this, the center seems to sink. Has anyone else had this issue? It tastes fine and texture is good, but the slight crater isn’t pretty
There could be multiple reasons for it sinking in the middle. It could be a little underdone… maybe it needs a little longer of a bake time for your altitude/oven/etc. It could be that the batter was over mixed. With quick breads like this, you want to mix until just combined. Glad to hear you enjoy the flavor! Hope the loaf will stop sinking as you keep giving it a try. 🙂
What size loaf pan is best. It just says “regular “. Is that an 8” or 9”?
Honestly, it would work in either! I’d say the 8″ would work great, but if you have 9, that should work fine too.
Thank you
I just made this using one pan of each size. The 9” got done a couple minutes sooner but they both worked great!