Julie Clark
Updated:
Pistachio Bread with Streusel
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You’ll never believe this easy pistachio bread is made from box mixes! The recipe makes two loaves, so you can serve one for dessert and the other for breakfast.
This Pistachio Bread bakes up with a light and fluffy texture, with the flavor of a coffee cake: cinnamon, nuts, and a sweet glaze. Thanks to cake mix, pudding, and sour cream, it stays extra moist with a little crunch on top, and it comes together in just 15 minutes.
This Pistachio Bread Is Easier (and Better) Than You Think
I’ll be honest. I’m not a fan of eating a bowl of plain pistachio pudding. I don’t like the ground pistachios in my smooth, creamy pudding.
Pistachio jello and breads are a totally different story because I do like the pistachio flavor.
I found this delicious pistachio bread recipe in an old church cookbook and have been making it for years. It’s made so easily thanks to the cake and pudding mix shortcuts. These two ingredients give endless possibilities for this bread.
This Pistachio Bread with cinnamon streusel comes is perfect all year long. The light green color makes it ideal for St. Patrick’s Day and Easter, but you can easily make it during the holidays and call it grinch bread.
Love quick breads? Try my grandma’s best banana bread, pumpkin bread with chocolate chips and apple bread. And grab a copy of our quick bread cookbook!
Enjoy! -Julie
Ingredients
- Use any brand of cake mix you’d like, as long as it fits a traditional 9×13″ cake pan.
- Sugar free pudding will work as well as regular instant pudding.
- Don’t have sour cream? You can use Greek yogurt as well which ups the protein in this cake.
- There is no baking soda, baking powder or salt needed because that is all included in the cake mix.
Pistachio Bread Recipe
This cinnamon streusel pistachio bread is made from a cake mix and pudding mix. You’ll love the cinnamon sugar swirl in the middle and the cinnamon sugar topping.
Servings 20 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 package yellow cake mix Betty Crocker, 15.25 ounces
- 1/4 cup water
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 small box instant pistachio pudding mix 3.4 ounces
- 1 cup sour cream
Cinnamon Sugar Mixture:
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Powdered Sugar Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray two 9×5" loaf pans with cooking spray. Line the pans with parchment paper if you want to ensure they come out cleanly. You can also use Baker's Joy pan release.
- In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, water, eggs oil, dry pudding mix and sour cream. Beat until all of the ingredients are well blended into a thick batter. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Spread half of the batter into the two prepared loaf pans. 1 package yellow cake mix, ¼ cup water, 4 large eggs, ¼ cup vegetable oil, 1 small box instant pistachio pudding mix, 1 cup sour cream
- In a medium bowl, combine the ingredients for the sugar streusel. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon and sugar mixture over the batter (keep the other half of the streusel aside for the topping), dividing it between the two pans. 1 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- Repeat the layers, adding the remaining bread batter and the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture on top.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes. The exact time will depend on the size of your loaf pans. A toothpick inserted into the center of the bread should come out clean.
- Allow the bread to cool for at least 20 minutes before you remove it from the pans. Allow the bread to cool on a wire rack.
- If you'd like a simple glaze on top, combine 1 cup powdered sugar and a few tablespoons of milk or heavy cream in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth and until it is thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle the glaze over the bread, slice and serve. 1 cup powdered sugar, 3-4 tablespoons heavy cream
Notes
- Add a drop or two of green food coloring if you’d like a brighter green color.
- Store this cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- This loaf cake also freezes really well. Wrap leftovers in plastic wrap, then freeze in an airtight container or Ziploc freezer bag for up to 2 months. When you are ready to serve the bread, take it out of the freezer and allow it to thaw completely at room temperature before opening the container. This will help keep the bread fresh.
Nutrition
Serving: 79g | Calories: 249kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 211mg | Potassium: 71mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 160IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 1mg
How to Make Pistachio Bread: Step by Step
Prepare. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray two 9×5″ loaf pans with cooking spray. Line the pans with parchment paper if you want to ensure they come out cleanly. You can also use Baker’s Joy pan release.
Mix the cake batter. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, water, eggs oil, pudding mix and sour cream. Beat until all of the ingredients are well blended into a thick batter. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
Mix the streusel. In a medium bowl, combine the ingredients for the sugar streusel.
Assemble the bread. Spread half of the batter into the two prepared loaf pans. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon and sugar mixture over the batter (keep the other half of the streusel aside for the topping), dividing it between the two pans. Repeat the layers, adding the remaining bread batter and the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture on top.
Bake the bread. Bake for 40-45 minutes. The exact time will depend on the size of your loaf pans. A toothpick inserted into the center of the bread should come out clean.
Drizzle. Although some of my favorite powdered sugar glaze recipes have a handful of ingredients, this has simply two: powdered sugar and heavy cream. With all of the flavors in the pistachio bread, that’s all that is needed. Whisk together and drizzle!
Why does my pistachio bread sink in the middle?
- The main cause of quick breads sinking in the middle is that it is not baked all the way through. It can be hard to tell if a loaf cake is done inside. The easiest way to test is with a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake. It should be mostly clean or have a few moist crumbs. There should be no batter.
- Another reason the pistachio bread can fall in the middle is if you open the door to the oven during baking. Yes, you may have to check the bread when the time is up and the bread looks done through the glass window, but otherwise, keep the door to the oven closed to prevent uneven temperatures.
This bread was soooo good!! Moist and the topping was crunchy. Such two lovely textures melded together.