Vegan Pistachio Muffins (With Ground Pistachios Inside!)

These Vegan Pistachio Muffins are a must-try for pistachio fans! With finely ground pistachios folded right into the batter, they're perfectly moist and tender with a touch of sweetness. These healthy muffins make a great grab-and-go breakfast or afternoon snack. With crunchy bits of pistachios and chewy dried cherries in every bite!

Muffins with pistachios on top sitting on a cooling rack.

Pistachio is one of my husband's favorite flavors, so when he raved over these muffins during recipe testing, I knew we had a winner!

Not only are there pieces of crunchy pistachios throughout each muffin, but I also ground some up - basically making pistachio flour - to add to the batter. I also used oat flour to give the muffins structure, while keeping them gluten-free.

And like almond flour, the pistachio flour's natural fat content and buttery texture allows it to serve as a replacement for eggs and oil. In this recipe, pistachio flour and applesauce work together to provide moisture and keep the muffins egg-free and oil-free.

For more recipes with pistachios, check out my vegan pistachio ice cream, pistachio cookies, and pistachio pancakes next!

Jump to:

Why You'll Love Them
Ingredients & Substitutions
How to Make Vegan Pistachio Muffins
Serving Suggestions
Equipment
FAQs
Helpful Tips
More Vegan Muffin Recipes
Recipe
💬 Comments

Why You'll Love Them

Perfect Texture: These tasty muffins turn out moist and tender even without oil or eggs!
Lightly Sweetened: This recipe uses just ½ cup of maple syrup for the whole batch! Unsweetened applesauce and dried cherries also add a hint of natural sweetness.
Great for Different Dietary Restrictions: Made with oat flour instead of all-purpose flour, these healthy pistachio muffins are naturally gluten-free in addition to being vegan and oil-free, making them perfect for a variety of dietary needs.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Pistachios: You'll need shelled, unsalted pistachios. If you only have salted pistachios on hand, feel free to use them and just omit the added salt.
Dried Bing Cherries: Use unsweetened dried cherries to keep this recipe refined sugar-free. You can also substitute with raisins, dried cranberries, or dried apricots, or leave the fruit out entirely if you prefer.
Oat Flour: You can make your own by blending oats into a fine powder in a food processor or coffee grinder, or use store-bought oat flour. I haven't tested the recipe yet with any other type of flour. If needed, be sure to use certified gluten-free oats or oat flour to avoid cross contamination.
Leavening Agents: You'll need both baking powder and baking soda to help the muffins rise.
Flavor Enhancers: I used salt and vanilla extract. Feel free to swap the vanilla for almond extract if you'd like!
Applesauce: Helps keep the muffins moist and works as an oil and egg replacer. I used plain unsweetened applesauce.
Non-Dairy Milk: I recommend using a milk with a decent amount of fat, such as soy, almond, or coconut (the refrigerated, drinkable type) for this recipe. Be sure to use plain, unsweetened dairy-free milk.
Apple Cider Vinegar: Adds acidity to balance the sweetness, but also interacts with the baking soda to help the muffins rise.
Maple Syrup: Sweetens the muffins, adds amazing flavor, and helps keep them soft and moist.

See the recipe card below for amounts and step-by-step instructions.

How to Make Vegan Pistachio Muffins

Dried cherries soaking in a bowl of warm water.

Step 1: Rehydrate the cherries. Add the cherries to a small bowl and cover with warm water to soften and rehydrate them.

Pistachios ground into flour inside a food processor.

Step 2: Make the pistachio flour. Pulse half of the pistachios in a food processor until they're the texture of coarse crumbs.

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All of the wet and dry ingredients before combining into a batter.

Step 3: Make the muffin batter. Add the remaining dry ingredients to the food processor, and pulse to combine. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Drain and chop the cherries and the rest of the pistachios, reserving a handful of nuts to decorate the tops. Whisk the wet and dry ingredients together, then fold in the cherries and pistachios.

Muffin tin filled with pistachio muffin batter topped with pistachios.

Step 4: Bake. Scoop about ⅓ cup batter into each muffin cup. Top with the reserved pistachios, and bake in a preheated 375° oven for 17 to 19 minutes or until the centers are lightly firm and set.

Serving Suggestions

Enjoy your pistachio muffins with a generous spread of vegan cream cheese or oil-free vegan buttery spread.
Try some cashew yogurt or almond yogurt on the side with a sprinkle of oil-free granola and fresh berries on top!
Enjoy a muffin with a tall glass of homemade oat milk or a cup of coffee with a splash of oatmilk creamer.

Equipment

You'll need a food processor to make the pistachio flour and incorporate with the other dry ingredients. You'll also need a standard muffin pan and a cooling rack.

FAQs

Why causes oil-free muffins to be dry?

Overbaking and incorrectly measuring flour can lead to dry muffins. Be sure to check for doneness at the minimum time, and remove the muffins from the oven when the tops are firm. It's also best to measure the oat flour by weight to ensure accuracy. If you don't have a kitchen scale, use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup and level it off instead of scooping directly from the bag.

How do I store the muffins?

Store pistachio muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them for up to 2 months.

Pistachio muffins on a cooling rack with one broken in half to show texture.

Helpful Tips

Drain the cherries well and pat dry: Excess liquid from the soaked cherries can make the batter too wet.
Use the extra batter: You may end up with enough batter leftover to make a small 13th muffin. You can either pour the batter into an oven-safe ramekin or mug and bake it along with the other muffins, or microwave it for about 1 minute. If microwaving, allow it to cool for a few minutes before eating.
Leave the muffins in the pan for a few minutes: Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before storing.