These pistachio cupcakes are full of real pistachios! There are pistachios in both the cupcakes and the buttercream, giving them their beautiful color and great nutty flavor. They are moist, tender, and a true treat for any pistachio fan.
If you’ve tried my pistachio cheesecake, these pistachio cupcakes are next up. With a hint of almond flavor to complement the pistachio flavor, these are such a yummy treat. The almond both complements the pistachio flavor and sweetens the nuttiness a bit.
We did a good bit of testing with these pistachio cupcakes to see what method worked best for both flavor and texture, while also keeping in mind the ease of making these. I go further in-depth on that testing below, but we did end up using pistachio crumbs in the cupcakes and pistachio paste in the buttercream.
While using both adds an extra step, which I was trying to avoid, I can promise you that it gives you the best flavor and texture that you’re looking for in a pistachio cupcake. Everyone loved them, so I hope you do too!
Why These Pistachio Cupcakes Are So Good
- Made with real pistachios. There’s no pistachio pudding mix in these cupcakes! While I appreciate the ease of pudding mix, I wanted these cupcakes to have real pistachio flavor from real pistachios.
- Sweet, nutty flavor. The touch of almond extract in these cupcakes helps add a bit of sweetness to these cupcakes, and it compliments the pistachio flavor perfectly.
- Moist, tender cupcakes. There was a lot of the testing to ensure the perfect texture. I’m happy to report that these cupcakes have a moist, tender crumb that’s not too dense.
- The frosting! The pistachio frosting piped onto these cupcakes is a game-changer. It’s a simple buttercream frosting, but some of the butter is replaced with pistachio paste, which gives it a lovely nutty flavor and some color. Yum!
Ingredient Notes
These cupcakes are made with lots of pistachios plus a handful of pantry staples. Here’s an overview of everything you’ll need and why; the exact measurements can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Pistachios – Be sure to use raw pistachios, both for the crumbs in the cupcakes and the paste. While you can use others, raw pistachios grind and puree more easily.
- All-purpose flour – I know I sound like a broken record, but be sure to measure the flour correctly with a food scale or the spoon and level technique. See my post on How To Properly Measure Flour for more. Too much flour = dry cupcakes!
- Baking powder – Ensures the cupcakes rise and have a soft crumb.
- Butter – Unsalted butter adds richness, flavor and moisture to the cupcakes and is also the base of the buttercream. Be sure it’s room temperature.
- Vegetable oil – A small amount of vegetable oil in the cupcakes adds extra moisture.
- Vanilla & almond extracts – I like to use both extracts for the best flavor in these cupcakes. The almond really helps balance the nuttiness of the pistachios.
- Eggs – Be sure to use large eggs.
- Milk – Adds more moisture and a bit of fat to the cupcakes.
- Powdered sugar – Sweetens, stabilizes, and adds volume to the buttercream. You can always reduce the amount, but keep in mind you’ll have less buttercream and it won’t hold shape as well, depending on how much you reduce it.
- Heavy whipping cream – Adds creaminess to the buttercream and helps thin it, if needed.
Pistachio Crumbs Versus Paste In These Cupcakes
As I mentioned above, we did quite a bit of testing on the cupcakes and the buttercream to see what worked best in terms of flavor and texture, while also trying to keep them easy to make.
Cupcake Testing
First, we worked on the cupcakes. We started with pistachio paste, but the flavor got quite lost without adding a lot of it. We didn’t want to sacrifice the texture of the cupcakes, so we gave pistachio crumbs a try. Those added great flavor without sacrificing texture, so that was the winner.
Buttercream Testing
We then moved on to the buttercream. Since we were using crumbs in the cupcake, it seemed ideal to try and make that work for the buttercream, so that you wouldn’t have to use both. But while the crumbs gave the buttercream good flavor, pistachios don’t really grind finely enough, so it was quite textured. It bothered some of our taste testers, so we decided to try out the paste.
Initially the paste was added at the end of making the buttercream, similar to how you may add flavoring. But again, the flavor wasn’t very strong without adding a lot, which then altered the buttercream texture too much. Plus, the thick paste had a hard time fully incorporating and not leaving chunks of paste. So, instead we replaced some butter with the paste (and used more of it) and combined those first. That got the paste to be completely smooth, so I then proceeded with the buttercream from there. It worked beautifully and had great flavor.
So we had a winner! The best in terms of taste and texture for both parts of this cupcake. Unfortunately, that does mean using both paste and crumbs. I did decide to simplify the paste process a bit, to at least save a little time and effort there. I normally boil my pistachios before making pistachio paste, but I decided to try skipping that step. It worked well and while it’s not quite as smooth, it still works great for the buttercream.
How To Make Pistachio Cupcakes
These cupcakes have a few extra steps, but they’re worth it! The printable instructions can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.
Make the cupcakes
To begin, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the cupcake pan with liners.
Grind the pistachios into crumbs in the food processor.
Whisk the crumbs, flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
Beat the butter, sugar, oil, and extracts until light and fluffy.
Mix in the eggs one at a time.
Add half of the dry ingredients. Slowly add the milk, then add the remaining dry ingredients.
Fill the liners a little more than 3/4 full.
Bake for 15-18 minutes. Cool on the cooling rack.
Make the buttercream and decorate
To make the pistachio paste, add the pistachios to a food processor and begin to process/puree the pistachios. It’ll first grind into crumbs, as with the cupcakes, then turn into moist crumbs. Add a tablespoon of water, if needed, then keep pureeing. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, as needed, to be sure everything is being incorporated and pureed.
Continue pureeing until it turns into a smooth paste, only adding as much water as needed.
Mix the butter and paste until smooth. Add half of the powdered sugar, then mix in 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and the almond extract. Mix in the remaining powdered sugar until combined and smooth.
Once the ideal consistency is achieved, transfer the frosting to a piping bag with an Ateco 808 tip. Pipe swirls of buttercream onto the cupcakes. Decorate with additional pistachio crumbs if desired.
Tips for the Best Cupcakes
- Cream the butter mixture fully. When mixing the butter, oil, sugar, and extracts, be sure to do it for the full 2-3 minutes. There should be a visible change in the color and texture to light and fluffy.
- Don’t over mix. When combining all of the cupcake ingredients, mix just until everything is combined. Over mixing leads to more gluten development, which can cause dense cupcakes.
- Fill the liners ¾ full. For these cupcakes, we want to fill the cupcake liners about ¾ of the way full. I also include the weight that I use for each cupcake, so if you have a food scale, that’s a great way to measure. It’ll give your cupcakes very consistent bake times and sizes.
- Have patience with the paste. Grinding the pistachios into paste takes several minutes. At first, it’s going to look like you just have pistachio crumbs. Keep going. With raw pistachios, it should take about 5 minutes or so.
- Add water as needed. The pistachios will release their natural oils during the process, but I did add about a tablespoon of water to help the process along. If, after 5 minutes or so, it still doesn’t appear to be turning into a paste, you can add a splash more. Just take care to only add what you really need, and only after processing them for several minutes.
- Get the right frosting consistency. Similar to the water in the paste, use only the amount of heavy cream needed to get the perfect frosting consistency. You want this pistachio buttercream to be thick enough to pipe on cupcakes. I talk more about getting the right consistency in this post.
Proper Storage
- Room temperature: These pistachio cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 48 hours.
- Fridge: For slightly longer storage, you can keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days. Keep in mind they’re best served at room temperature, so just pull them from the fridge 20-30 minutes before serving.
More Cupcakes To Try
Pistachio Cupcakes
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Ingredients
Cupcakes
- ¾ cup (90g) raw pistachios
- 1 ¼ cups (163g) all-purpose flour (measured correctly)
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons (84g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- ¾ cup (155g) sugar
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) vegetable oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (150ml) milk
Pistachio Buttercream
- 1 cup (120g) raw pistachios
- 1 tablespoon water (optional)
- ½ cup (112g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 4 cups (460g) powdered sugar
- 4-6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
Make the cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and prepare a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- Add the pistachios to a food processor and grind them into crumbs. There shouldn’t be any large chunks.
- Combine the ground pistachios, flour, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
- Add the butter, sugar, oil, vanilla extract and almond extract to a large mixer bowl and beat together until light in color and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until well combined after each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until mostly combined.
- Slowly add the milk and mix until well combined. The batter may look a little curdled, but that’s ok.
- Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Do not over mix the batter.
- Fill the cupcake liners a little more than 3/4 full (about 55g) and bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove cupcakes from the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.
Make the buttercream and decorate
- Add the pistachios to a food processor and begin to process/puree the pistachios. It’ll first grind into crumbs, as with the cupcakes. Then it will start to look like moist crumbs. Add a tablespoon of water, if needed, then keep pureeing. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, as needed, to be sure everything is being incorporated and pureed.
- Eventually, the pistachios will release their natural oils and it’ll begin to come together and look more like a paste. This should take about 5 minutes or so, if using raw pistachios. It could take a little longer if using roasted pistachios. If it doesn’t seem to be progressing to a paste, you can add another tablespoon of water. Be careful not to add too much. You only want enough water to help it turn into a paste.
- Continue pureeing until it turns into a smooth paste. It’s a process, so be patient and it’ll come together.
- Once you have your paste, add it to your mixing bowl with the butter. Mix until well combined and smooth.
- Add about half of the powdered sugar and mix until well combined.
- Add 2 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream and the almond extract and mix until well combined.
- Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth. Add additional heavy cream, if needed, to get the right consistency for piping.
- Add your frosting to a piping bag fitted with the Ateco 808 tip and pipe swirls of buttercream onto the cupcakes. Decorate with some additional pistachio crumbs, if you’d like, then serve.
- Store cupcakes in an airtight container. They can stay at room temperature for up to 48 hours, and then be refrigerated. Serve at room temperature. Best if eaten within 2-3 days.
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
