Healthy Pistachio Muffins (with Bananas & Matcha!)

12 Ingredients | 45 Minutes | Delicious pistachio banana muffins with matcha. Perfect for breakfast, or add a sweet matcha glaze to make this a perfect dessert!

Have you ever bought a bunch of bananas, forgot about them until they got super ripe and them scrambled around to figure out what to do with them Yep. Been there, done that. Except, I officially now have a favorite “thing” to do with them – pistachio muffins! And this particular recipe is more special because it also has matcha (just happens to be made with ripe bananas!)

🥗 Ingredients and variations

My pistachio muffins use up three ripe bananas, some ground up pistachios in the flour, whole wheat flour, a tidge of matcha and some roasted, lightly salted pistachios for the crunch. I’ve swapped milk for almond milk already, but you can swap sugar for brown sugar or maple syrup or honey.

Its fairly easy to make them vegan – you’ll need to use a “flax egg” – i.e. mix 1 tbsp of flax meal (i.e. ground up flax seed, and not the whole seeds) with about 3 tbsp of water. Let this mixture rest for at least 15 minutes (and preferably in the fridge). You can substitute this for 1 large egg (~60 grams).

How do you ripen bananas?

The trick behind banana muffins is to have ripened bananas – just pop unripe or semi-ripe bananas in the oven at 350F for about 10 minutes. The outside will turn black, that’s okay – this just speeds up the ripening process. Be careful when you peel them though – they’re scalding hot inside!

What flavors go well with pistachio?

Matcha is an excellent complement to pistachios. The first time I made these muffins, I accidentally dropped matcha into the mix. But they turned out so delicious, I decided to test them again … this time intentionally. The lingering sweetness of the matcha pairs really well with the slight saltiness of the pistachios and the softness of the bananas. It’s delightful all around. Pistachios also go well with cheese – so if you want to make these a bit savory, skip the sugar and have a bite with some goat cheese or chevre.

How do you prepare matcha glaze?

All you need is a tablespoon of matcha powder, 2 cups of powdered sugar, and some water. Whisk them all together, adding the water slowly, to form a sauce like consistency. It’ll take about 3-4 minutes to be properly whisked by hand (or you can use a stand mixer!)

How do you store / freeze muffins?

The best way to store these muffins is to lay down a paper towel at the base of a long but shallow airtight container and then arrange the muffins in a single layer. To freeze them, do the same thing and pop them into the freezer. When you want to eat them, just pop them in the microwave and warm them for about 45 seconds. Good to go!

If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag a photo #urbanfarmie on Instagram or @urbanfarmie on Pinterest!

Pistachio Muffins (with Bananas & Matcha!)

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• Author: Shruthi
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 12 muffins 1x
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

Healthy, delicious pistachio muffins that pack a punch. The sweetness of match, saltiness of pistachios, and the softness of bananas? You’re in for a treat!

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

For the muffins:

• 3 medium bananas, ripe (if unripe, pop them in the oven at 300F for 10 minutes) – mashed 
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup of vegetable oil (save 1 tsp for greasing muffin tray)
• 1/4 cup of sugar (use ~1/4 cup if you prefer your muffins sweeter)
• 1/4 cup of almond milk
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 2 tsp of matcha powder
• 1 cup of white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup of pistachios (pulsed in food processor) 
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• 1/2 tsp of baking soda
• 1 tbsp of olive oil or greasing spray for the muffin tray
• 1/4 cup of pistachios (roasted and lightly salted) 

Optional matcha glaze:

• 2 cups of powdered sugar 
• 1 tbsp of matcha powder 
• 3 tbsp of water (add more as needed) 

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Instructions

For the muffins:

• Preheat the oven to 400F
• Ripen the bananas if needed. Then, smash the ripe bananas with a fork in a mixing bowl 
• Add the vegetable oil, almond milk, egg, sugar, vanilla syrup and matcha powder to the bananas and mix well (either by hand or in the stand mixer)
• Once mixed well, add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and pulsed pistachios
• Mix this until it forms into a batter like consistency – typically, once the white splotches of flour are gone, the batter is ready
• Grease a 12 muffin tray with some olive oil or greasing spray
• Scoop batter evenly into all the cups, taking care not to fill more than 2/3 the height
• Bake for 5 minutes, turn the oven down to 350F and then bake for another 15 minutes – slip a fork into one of the muffins. If it comes out clean, you’re good to go. If it sticks, bake for 2-4 more minutes until a fork inserted into the muffin comes out clean!
• Enjoy your delicious muffins as breakfast or dessert!

For the optional matcha glaze:

• Add 1 tbsp of water to 1 tbsp of matcha and mix well till it forms a smooth mixture 
• In a small mixing bowl, add the powdered sugar, the matcha mixture and the remaining water 
• Continue whisking until it forms a sauce like consistency – typically 3 minutes or so (if it clumps, add more water to think it down a bit) 
• Glaze your muffins with this glaze, let them stand for 5-10 minutes and enjoy! 

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Notes

• Be careful not to over mix the batter – this can make the muffin really hard!
• You can serve this with a dollop of whipped cream if you want to make it even more of a dessert (or with vanilla bean ice cream, oh yum!)
• You can totally leave out the matcha if you don’t want that flavor or don’t have it on hand – the pistachio muffins are delicious without matcha too.

• Category: Simple Desserts
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: pistachio muffins, healthy muffins, banana muffins, matcha muffins