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Do you love pistachios? Then you’ll love this pistachio bread recipe! This quick bread is made with real pistachios, and is lightly sweetened, making it the perfect accompaniment for coffee or tea! Plus, you won’t find any cake mix, pudding, dyes, or artificial flavors in this recipe! Making it a healthy pistachio loaf, you can feel good about eating it. Not to mention quick bread is the perfect way to show off your baking skills and impress your friends and family.
The Lebanese in me is partial to anything and everything pistachio! You’ll find so many desserts with ground pistachios as a nut filling or a topping like Pistachio Cookies, Pistachio Butter Cups, and Homemade Lebanese Kanafa. And there’s something about this loaf, whether it’s the lemon zest, olive oil, or the full cup of roasted pistachios, that just screams Lebanese dessert!
why you’ll love this pistachio bread with real pistachios
- Real pistachios. Need I say more? Yes, yes, I do! You can absolutely taste the difference between artificial flavorings like pudding and extracts and the real pistachios in this bread. Real pistachios have a more nutty, earthy flavor that really comes through in this loaf. This is an all-natural quick bread recipe made with simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry.
- Easy clean-up. This quick bread really speaks to its name in more ways than one. All the ingredients are combined in the food processor, so you only have one dish to wash!
- Well-rounded. Pistachio bread can be eaten for breakfast, as a snack, or even for dessert. It’s versatile and can be enjoyed at any time of day.
- Freezer-friendly. You can make several loaves and freeze them for later, making them the perfect quick snack for unexpected guests or when you need a last-minute gift.
Ingredients to make pistachio quick bread
- Pistachios: Look for unsalted, roasted pistachios. You can find them shelled or in the shell. I prefer to buy them shelled, but either will work fine. Shelled could be a good idea if you want to get the kids involved. If you can’t find them roasted, you can roast them at home. Just spread them on a baking sheet and roast at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes making sure to toss/check every 5 minutes.
- Lemon: For this recipe, you’ll only need to use the zest of the lemon. This adds a little brightness to the loaf.
- Dry Ingredients: Flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt make up your dry mixture. You can use brown sugar instead of granulated sugar for a little more depth of flavor with the molasses.
- Wet Ingredients: You’ll need some olive oil, eggs, and milk for the wet ingredients. I used whole milk, but you could use almond or any other type of milk.
How to make pistachio bread
You will need a good food processor for this recipe. You want to grind the pistachios into a mealy texture to combine with the flour, and unless you’re working with a high-end blender, you won’t get the same consistency.
Mix batter in food processor
- In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the pistachios until coarsely chopped. Remove two tablespoons of the coarsely chopped pistachios and set aside.
- Then pulse the remaining cup of pistachios until finely ground.
- Add the sugar, lemon zest, and salt, and pulse until combined.
- Add the eggs and process until smooth. Stream in the olive oil and milk. Finally, add the flour and baking powder and process just until the flour has disappeared.
Bake Bread
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle reserved coarsely chopped pistachios down the center of the loaf.
- Bake for until golden-brown and firm to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Tips for making a pistachio loaf
- Use a blender if you don’t have a food processor. One of the reasons I love this bread is that everything is made in the bowl of the food processor, so you don’t have to chop the nuts using a cutting board; use a bowl for the wet ingredients and another for the dry ingredients. The same idea applies to a blender, but you may need to stop and scrape down the sides more often, and as mentioned above, you might have a hard time getting the pistachios broken up.
- Add some green food color. For me, this pistachio bread is really more about the taste than the green color, which is very common with this recipe. However, the green color makes it more festive if you prefer to add that. I recommend looking for a natural dye if possible.
- Cover the loaf if needed. Depending on the heat distribution of your oven, you might need to tent your loaf with a piece of aluminum foil during the last ten minutes of baking, so the top doesn’t brown too much before the bread is baked through.
- Use parchment paper for easy loaf removal. Line your loaf pan with parchment tucked in both length and widthwise before adding the batter. This will help the bread release easily and prevent sticking.
- Let it cool completely before slicing. I know it’s hard, but wait! If you slice into hot bread, it can cause the loaf to fall apart. Let it cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing into it.
popular substitutions & additions
- Use applesauce instead of oil. Applesauce is a great way to cut down on the fat in baked goods without sacrificing flavor or texture. You could also use mashed banana, but I find that applesauce works best in this recipe. It’s a 1-to-1 ratio, so you’ll need ¾ cups of applesauce to replace the oil.
- Add some spices. If you want to give your loaf a little extra flavor, consider adding a teaspoon or so of cinnamon, nutmeg, or allspice.
- Replace some of the flour with whole wheat flour. For a healthier loaf, you could substitute up to half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. I haven’t tried it myself, but I’m sure it would work just fine.
- Glaze it. This bread is delicious as is and just sweet enough, but if you want to amp up the sweetness, try making a simple glaze with confectioner’s sugar, milk, and a little lemon juice. Start with a cup of confectioner’s sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk, and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. You can add more milk, a bit at a time, to thin out the glaze to your desired consistency.
how to store pistachio bread
Pistachio bread will last for about four days stored in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also store it in the fridge for a longer shelf-life.
how long will pistachio bread last in the fridge?
Pistachio bread will keep in the fridge for up to a week. Be sure to store it in an airtight container, so it doesn’t dry out.
Can I freeze pistachio bread?
Yes, you can freeze pistachio bread whole in loaf form or in slices. I recommend wrapping the loaf or slices in plastic wrap and then storing them in a freezer-safe bag. When you’re ready to eat it, just thaw the bread at room temperature or pop a slice in the microwave for a few seconds. Pistachio bread will last for about three months in the freezer.
Frequently asked questions
Since this pistachio loaf isn’t made with yeast, it’s considered a quick bread, meaning it doesn’t require time to rise. That’s why you can put it straight into the oven after mixing everything together.
Yes, you could use almonds, pecans, cashews, or walnuts in place of the pistachios. This base of this recipe lends itself well to other nuts, so feel free to experiment. Just be sure to adjust the number of nuts you use based on their size (almonds are larger than pistachios, for example, so you’ll need fewer). Also, use nuts without added salt, or your bread will come out too salty.
If your pistachio bread is grainy, it’s likely because the nuts were not ground up well enough. When you add them to the batter, they should be the consistency of almond flour, a tad bit mealy but not coarse.
There you have it! A delicious, homemade pistachio bread recipe that’s sure to please. Be sure to let me know how yours turns out in the comments below. And if you have any questions, I’ll be happy to answer them. Happy baking!
More sweet bread recipes:
- Sweet Avocado Bread
- Chocolate Lovers Banana Bread
- Banana Oatmeal Bread
- Zucchini Bread with Lemon
- Cinnamon Chocolate Banana Bread
- Carrot Cake Banana Bread
- Lemon Loaf
- Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Bread
- Banana Bread with Strawberries
- Pumpkin Bread
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Pistachio Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted roasted pistachios plus 2 tablespoons
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup 2% milk
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9” x 5” loaf pan and line with parchment paper, allowing the paper to hang over the sides for easy removal.
- In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the pistachios until coarsely chopped. Remove two tablespoons of the coarsely chopped pistachios and set aside, then pulse the remaining cup of pistachios until finely ground.
- Add the sugar, lemon zest, and salt, and pulse until combined, then add the eggs and process until smooth.
- With the food processor still running, slowly stream in the olive oil and milk. Finally, add the flour and baking powder and process just until the flour has disappeared.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle reserved coarsely chopped pistachios down the center of the loaf. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden-brown and firm to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before removing from the pan.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Fantastic! My husband loves pistachio bread and we live right in the heart of California pistachio country. We try to only eat foods without processed ingredients so this recipe was a fantastic find.
It was easy to assemble as it is all done in a food processor. As others have mentioned, the batter is thick and needed some help to get out of the processor and into the pan. It baked up beautifully.
My husband loves it and asked me to put it in my “special, favorite recipes” file.
Thank you!
Love this! Thanks for sharing.
100% WOW
I’m a beginner baker and this turned out better than anything I’ve made. Can’t wait to share it with friends.
Yay! So happy!
Hello 🙂
The loaf is baking at the moment and smells devine. I have one question, I followed the directions and I have a Cuisinart food processor. I noticed that the batter was very thick. Is the consistency of the batter suppose to be pourable because mine was more like a spread. It was more on the very thick side. Do u think I over pulsed it? I want to make sure I get the correct consistency. I did a quick pulse of the flour. I noticed it getting thick after streaming in the olive oil.
Thank you….I will update when done baking and cooled 🙂
The batter is thicker, as it’s a quick bread. How did it turn out?
Hello 🙂
The loaf rose beautifully. I was worried the batter was too thick. The loaf was very moist with a good texture. The texture looked like the photos you posted.
The loaf rose high and cracked on the top as it should, at least that’s what I am used to with my loaf cakes 🙂
The Pistachio flavor is great.
Next time i will add some spices like you suggested.
thank you so much for the recipe 🙂