Pistachio Bread
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Pistachio bread is tender and sweet with just the right amount of nutty flavor, and a gorgeous color. Serve for dessert, a sweet breakfast treat, or a snack, this delicious pistachio bread recipe also makes a great gift that feels special.
Table of Contents
Why We Love Pistachio Bread
- Great Flavor – The flavor of this bread is mild, buttery,and nutty, with a fun green color. The crumb is so moist with just the right amount of sweetness, you’ll love this pistachio bread.
- Feels Special On The Table – This pistachio bread with its bright color and sweet frosting just feels a little extra special for a treat, holiday or you can even make this pistachio bread as a gift. The real pistachios on top of the glaze is even better!
Ingredients For Pistachio Quick Bread
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions below in the recipe card.
For The Quick Bread Loaf
- yellow cake mix
- instant pistachio pudding mix – this helps give it a true pistachio flavor
- eggs
- sour cream
- vegetable oil
- water
- vanilla
- almond extract
- green food coloring optional – This pistachio bread recipe is made with a few drops of green food coloring to make the color more vibrant, but you don’t have to add a few drops if you don’t want to. The loaf will be much more brown and the green which be very pale if you skip the food coloring.
For The Pistachio Loaf Glaze (optional)
- powdered sugar
- heavy cream – May need to adjust to get the right consistency to drizzle the glaze, could also use milk
- almond extract – you could swap this with more vanilla extract if you don’t have almond extract, but the almond extract gives this loaf a lot of good flavor.
- vanilla extract
- chopped pistachios – I like using roasted pistachios for more flavor. You can use salted pistachios or unsalted pistachios.
Cake Mix Note
This recipe was developed with a 15.25 ounce cake mix. Some of the cake mix brands have been decreasing the size to 13.25 ounces. If you use only 13.25 ounces of cake mix the recipe may not be as successful so check the box carefully.
You could also add 1/4 cup from a second box of mix to make up the extra missing 2 ounces from the smaller-sized box. Some readers have reported they have added 1/4 cup of flour extra to make up the difference. I have not tested this in every recipe here, so it may not be successful for every recipe on this site.
How To Make Pistachio Bread
For The Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 9×5 loaf pan or line with parchment paper and set to the side.
- Crack the eggs into a small bowl and beat until the yolks crack.
- In a large mixing bowl add cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, oil, water, vanilla, almond extract, and food coloring. Mix until well combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 65-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
An easy variation you can do is to pour half the batter in, then add some chopped pistachios down the center of the loaf before adding more batter. You could also just fold in chopped pistachios to the batter after mixing. Either way some crunchy pistachios in the bread give it great texture. You’ll still want top with chopped pistachios so leave some for the garnish at the end.
- Let the loaf sit in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.
For the Glaze (optional)
- To make the glaze add powdered sugar, almond extract, vanilla extract and 4 tablespoons of heavy cream to a medium sized bowl and mix until smooth with a whisk or a fork.. Add 1 tablespoon of heavy cream a little at a time if needed to get a thick but pourable consistency.
- Drizzle glaze over the cooled loaf. Don’t worry if the glaze goes down the sides of the cake some.
- Sprinkle the top of the loaf with chopped pistachios. Let glaze set fully before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
How Long Will Pistachio Bread Last?
This pistachio bread will last for 3 days on the counter in a covered airtight container or can be stored in the refrigerator for 6-7 days.
The glaze does start to seep into the loaf a little over time. It still tastes delicious but it starts to become a little more translucent with time. If serving this for a party or special occasion I recommend glazing the same day you serve for the prettiest slices and rave reviews on this quick bread recipe!
Can I Freeze This Pistachio Bread Recipe?
Yes, you can freeze this sweet bread. You can freeze this cake as a whole loaf or in individual slices, simply wrap in freezer paper or plastic wrap before placing in a freezer container or freezer zip-top bag.
More Recipes You’ll Love
Strawberry Bread (With Sweet Cream Glaze!)
Homemade Blueberry (Muffin!) Bread
Pineapple Banana Bread
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
Pistachio Bread
Equipment
- 1 loaf pan you can use a 9 x 5 or an 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan
- 1 parchment paper or oil like Crisco to oil the pan. I find parchment paper the easiest.
- 1 Small bowl
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl
- 1 Silicone spatula
- 1 Medium sized mixing bowl
- 1 Toothpicks
- 1 Whisk or fork
Ingredients
For The Bread
- 15.25 ounces yellow cake mix boxed
- 6.8 ounces boxes instant pistachio pudding mix two 3.4 ounce boxes is 6.8 ounces
- 4 large eggs
- ¾ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2-3 drops green food coloring optional
For The Glaze (optional)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 4-5 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup pistachios chopped
Instructions
For The Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 9×5 loaf pan or line with parchment paper and set to the side.
- Crack the eggs into a small bowl and beat until the yolks crack.
- In a large mixing bowl add cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, oil, water, vanilla, almond extract, and food coloring. Mix until well combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 65-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the loaf sit in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.
For the Glaze (optional)
- To make the glaze add powdered sugar, almond extract, vanilla extract and 4 tablespoons of heavy cream to a medium sized bowl and mix until smooth with a whisk or a fork.. Add 1 tablespoon of heavy cream a little at a time if needed to get a thick but pourable consistency.
- Drizzle glaze over the cooled loaf. Don’t worry if the glaze goes down the sides of the cake some. Sprinkle the top of the loaf with chopped pistachios. Let glaze set fully before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Did You Make This?
I would love to see it! Share your thoughts with me in the comments below!
