These delicious pistachio muffins are made with a banana bread base, and have matcha as a complement to the sweetness. Perfect for breakfast, or 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!)
💭 Why you'll love this recipe
- Not your usual banana muffin: We use ground up pistachios and matcha in this recipe to make this super delicious and balanced.
- Comes together in 45 minutes: This recipe is super simple and comes together in under an hour, and even less active preparation time!
- Great for make ahead: The muffins stay great for up to a week when stored in an airtight container, so it's a great make-ahead breakfast or dessert option!
📋 Ingredients and notes
You'll need three over-ripe bananas, ground up pistachios, all purpose flour, vegetable oil, a tidge of matcha and some roasted, lightly salted pistachios for the crunch. You'll also need almond milk, sugar, egg, vanilla extract, baking soda and baking powder.
Notes and Variations
- Make it vegan: The only non-vegan component here is a "flax egg" - mix 1 tablespoon of flax meal (i.e. ground up flax seed, and not the whole seeds) with about 3 tablespoons 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).
- Make it healthier: You can substitute the sugar with honey, and also use whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour for a healthier variation!
📖 Step-by-step instructions
Preheat the oven to 400F. Ripen the bananas if needed. Then, smash the ripe bananas with a fork in a mixing bowl.
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!
Make the muffin batter by mixing all the ingredients
Add 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 until it forms into a batter like consistency - typically, once the white splotches of flour are gone, the batter is ready!
Pour the batter into a muffin tray and bake.
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 ⅔ 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!
Optional 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!)
🍴 Serving and storage suggestions
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 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 like this recipe, don't forget to check out my other breakfast dishes:
If you try this recipe, please consider leaving a comment and a star rating. Don't forget to tag #urbanfarmie on Instagram or @urbanfarmie on Pinterest!
Pistachio Muffins (with Bananas & Matcha!)
Ingredients
For the muffins:
- 3 medium bananas, ripe (if unripe, pop them in the oven at 300F for 10 minutes) - mashed
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil, save 1 tsp for greasing muffin tray
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp matcha powder
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour, can also use regular flour
- ½ cup pistachios, pulsed in food processor
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp olive oil, for greasing the muffin pan
- ¼ cup pistachios, roasted and lightly salted
Optional matcha glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp matcha powder
- 3 tbsp water, add more as needed
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 ⅔ 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!
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.
Nutrition
Note: This recipe was originally published on January 21, 2020 and it was updated on January 31, 2021 with detailed instructions and tips and tricks.
These pistachio muffins are literally out of this WORLD!!!! By far the best muffins I've ever made from scratch, the recipe was perfect and much simpler than you would expect. I can eat them for breakfast, snack and dessert (with glaze), which is amazing! Thanks a lot, Shruthi!