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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.
This was good, didn’t come out as green as the picture and needs more pistachio flavor. I could taste the yellow cake mix. Will try again but am adding pistachio extract.
Thanks for the feedback and for giving the recipe a try!
I made these last night. Delicious..!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the bread!!
This bread sounds delicious BUT the nutrition chart looks off – over 1,000 calories per serving! Is this correct?
The nutrition facts are for the full recipe… so both loaves together. The individual serving size would be different depending on how thick you slice your loaves.
Found this delicious looking recipe and threw it at my 11 year old to make.
It’s so easy, fun and delicious!
We subbed Greek yogurt for sour cream, too!
Thanks!
If you are going to use pistachios in the batter, how much should you use?
Do we really think the calories are correct? How many servings to a recipe?
Nutrition facts will be for the recipe as a whole. A serving size honestly depends on how large/thick you cut your slices of bread. But both loaves together is what the nutrition facts are calculating. Hope that helps a bit!
Sounds delicious can’t wait to make it let you know how it turns out thanks again
Yes, you’ll have to let us know how you liked the bread!
I’m going to make this for my sister in law she loves pistachios
Hope she enjoys the bread!!
This recipe is 5 stars!!I would say is more like a pound cake! I have made this recipe so many times! It’s delicious and so easy! I have also made it with lemon pudding instead of pistachio and lemon extract instead of almond for the glaze. You can also use sugar free pudding.
I’m so glad you enjoy the bread!! And those substitutions sound yummy as well. Thanks for sharing!
I made this last night for a dozen guests and everyone loved it. It is unique; the almond extract in the glaze made it sooooo good.
Oh I’m so glad that it was a hit! We love the almond in the glaze too. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
I used a gluten free cake mix and it turned out great. Delicious!
Ooh thanks for sharing what you did! So glad you enjoyed the bread!
Can this be made into cupcakes/muffins? How many? What temperature to bake? How long?
Yes, you could certainly give it a try! I imagine it’d make about 24 cupcakes/muffins (maybe a little less?) Bake at 350 for 15ish minutes. I haven’t made them in that form yet, but they should totally work. You might just have to play around a little with the baking time.