These pistachio cupcakes with strawberry buttercream are a go-to when I want something a little different from the usual cupcake flavors. They’re always a crowd-pleaser! Many readers have even used this same batter to make a 6-inch cake, too. The buttery pistachios blend beautifully with hints of vanilla and almond, all wrapped up in a soft and fluffy cake crumb.
I originally published this recipe in 2017 and have since added new photos and more success tips.
One reader, Katie, commented: “The strawberry/pistachio combination is brilliant. I’ve made these two years in a row for my husband’s birthday and they are our favorite cupcakes ★★★★★”
Pistachio is an underrated flavor in the dessert world. The nuts are certainly delicious cracked open and eaten on their own, but even better when they shine as the main flavor in ice cream. Or pistachio cake, or pistachio cookies! Or, best of all, cupcakes.
By the way, did you know that pistachio ice cream is usually flavored with almond extract? It complements the pistachio flavor.
Tell Me About These Pistachio Cupcakes
- Flavor: The pistachio flavor isn’t super strong and that’s because we’re relying on the actual nuts and not artificial pistachio flavor. You can certainly add artificial flavor if you’d like, but I love the light pistachio, delicious almond, and strong vanilla flavor balance in the recipe as written below. Add the intensity of the real strawberry flavor and your tastebuds will certainly thank you!
- Texture: I used my vanilla cupcakes as the starting point for this recipe, and if you’ve ever tried those before, you know today’s pistachio-flavored version will taste extra buttery and soft. You’ll add ground pistachios to the batter, but don’t get nervous about that texture—the tiny pistachio pieces taste creamy and chewy in the cupcake when baked.
- Ease: This is a basic cupcake recipe—whisk dry ingredients; beat sugar, butter, egg whites, and extracts. The extra step here will be processing the pistachio nuts, which takes a few seconds. Same applies to the frosting, where you’ll pulse the freeze-dried strawberries first.
Choosing the Right Ingredients
- Pistachios: We’ll grind shelled (out of shell), unsalted pistachios into fine little crumbs and pour those into the dry ingredients. This is how we start pistachio cookies, too. After grinding, you’re looking for a powdery consistency with a few small chunks.
- Cake Flour: Cake flour helps promise an extra soft and cake-like crumb. I use it in a lot of cake recipes because it keeps everything light and airy. If you can’t find it, use this easy cake flour substitute.
- Egg Whites + Sour Cream: These two power ingredients, along with cake flour, attribute to the cupcake’s light and fluffy texture. Egg yolks weigh the crumb down, so you’ll use only the egg whites. And sour cream adds pure moisture, which is key in a batter with lots of powdery nuts. I promise you’ve never tasted a cupcake like this.
Can I Use Salted Pistachios? Yes, salted pistachios are perfectly fine and will add a lovely sweet/salty flavor. Roasted pistachios work as well, but those are usually browner than raw pistachios, which will affect the color of the batter.
Grind the pistachios down to a crumbly powder, like this:
They’ll turn the cupcake batter a lovely shade of muted green.
Do I Add Food Coloring?
You don’t have to. The pictured cupcake batter did not include green food coloring, which is why it’s a bit yellow. If you want a more vibrant shade of green, add a small drop of green gel food coloring.
Fill the cupcake liners only 2/3 of the way full, to prevent the cupcakes from spilling over the sides. This recipe yields about 15 cupcakes.
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
This colorful cupcake features one of my favorite frostings on the planet: strawberry buttercream. It’s made with strawberry dust aka freeze-dried strawberries ground up into a powder. It’s incredible!
- If you’re not into strawberry, cream cheese frosting is a fantastic choice; I pair these flavors together in my pistachio cake recipe.
I knew this strawberry frosting would be perfect for these pistachio cupcakes because you need a food processor for the nuts anyway. The reason we’ll use freeze-dried strawberries in this strawberry frosting is because they deliver the most intense (and natural) strawberry flavor while, at the same time, do not alter the texture of the actual frosting. Real strawberries can end up curdling your pretty frosting.
Where to buy freeze-dried strawberries? I always find them at major grocery stores in the dried fruit section or you can try Target, Trader Joe’s, or online here or here.
I decorated the cupcakes with a tall swirl using Ateco #849 piping tip. If you’re new to cupcake decorating, here’s my piping tips tutorial with a video tutorial and lots of visuals.
You can instead, of course, spread it on with an icing spatula or knife. Delicious any which way you top them with this colorful frosting!
Exciting Cupcake Flavors
- Margarita Cupcakes
- Peanut Butter Hi-Hat Cupcakes
- S’mores Cupcakes
- Chai Latte Cupcakes
- Snickerdoodle Cupcakes
Pistachio Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 15 cupcakes
- Category: Cupcakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These light and fluffy pistachio cupcakes topped with creamy strawberry frosting are bursting with sweet, nutty, and fresh flavor in every bite! See recipe Notes for tips on the best pistachios to use, and how to turn the batter into a 6-inch cake.
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 cup (130g) unsalted pistachios (out of shell)
- 1 and 3/4 cups (207g) cake flour* (spooned & leveled)
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
- 1/2 cup (120g) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature*
- 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk, at room temperature*
- optional: 1 tiny drop green gel food coloring
Strawberry Buttercream
- 1 cup (about 25g) freeze-dried strawberries
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups (360g) confectioners’ sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml) heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- optional, to taste: pinch of salt
- optional, for garnish: fresh strawberry slices; pistachio crumbs
Instructions
- Pulse the pistachios in a food processor until ground into fine crumbs. See photo above for a visual. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners. Line a second pan with 3 liners—this recipe makes about 15 cupcakes. Set aside.
- Make the cupcakes: Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 3/4 cup of pistachio crumbs together. Reserve the rest of the pistachio crumbs for garnish.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Add the egg whites, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Beat on medium-high speed until combined, then beat in the sour cream. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the dry ingredients and then, with the mixer running on low speed, slowly pour in the milk (and the food coloring, if using). Beat until just combined—do not over-mix. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick.
- Pour/spoon the batter into the liners, filling only 2/3 full to avoid spilling over the sides.
- Bake for 19–22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. For about 36 mini cupcakes, bake for about 11–13 minutes, same oven temperature. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
- Make the frosting: Using a blender or food processor, process the freeze-dried strawberries into a powdery crumb. You should have about 1/2 cup. In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, strawberry powder, cream, and vanilla. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. Taste. Add a pinch of salt if desired.
- Frost cooled cupcakes and decorate with remaining pistachio crumbs (and strawberry slices, if desired). I used the Ateco #849 piping tip.
- Cover leftover cupcakes tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I recommend a cupcake carrier for storing and transporting decorated cupcakes.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Cupcakes can be made 1 day in advance, covered, and stored at room temperature. Frosting can also be made 1 day in advance, covered, and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. Unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then make the frosting and decorate.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Food Processor | 12-count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack | Freeze-Dried Strawberries (like these or these) | Piping Bags (Disposable or Reusable) | Ateco #849 Piping Tip | Cupcake Carrier (for storage)
- Cake Flour: If you can’t find cake flour, you can make this homemade cake flour substitute. I suggest doing this twice, mixing it all up in 1 bowl, and then removing 1/4 cup since you need 1 and 3/4 cups in this recipe.
- Whole Milk & Sour Cream: Whole milk and sour cream are strongly recommended for the best taste and texture. A full-fat plain yogurt would work instead, though the cupcakes may not be as light. Same goes with a lower-fat milk. Nondairy milk works in a pinch. You can replace both the whole milk and sour cream with buttermilk (1 cup; 240ml) if needed.
- Amount of Batter: This recipe yields between 3–4 cups of batter, which is helpful if you’re reviewing the Cake Pan Sizes & Conversions page.
- Leftover Egg Yolks? I have some recipe ideas for you!
- Food Coloring: The pictured cupcake batter did not include green food coloring, which is why it’s a bit yellow. If you want a more vibrant shade of green, add a small drop of green gel food coloring.
- Pistachio Cake: Here is my pistachio cake recipe. For a smaller 6-inch cake, use the same batter as these cupcakes and follow my instructions for a 6-inch cake.
- Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking the BEST cupcakes before you begin.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi sally, this recipe looks great, love the look of the strawberry buttercream. I was wondering what the difference is in texture/flavour between this cupcake recipe and the pistachio cake recipe? It doesn’t seem to be a scaled up recipe, eg there’s a higher nut:flour ratio in that recipe. Wondering which one to half so I can make a small size cake.
Hi Nadia, the two recipes are certainly a bit different in terms of ratio. You could absolutely make this cupcake recipe as written and simply add some more pulsed pistachios– perhaps grind down 1 and 1/2 cups (195g) whole shelled pistachios– this shouldn’t affect the texture much. Whichever one you choose to halve for your smaller size cake, let me know how it goes!
Hi Sally!
Any other buttercream or frosting suggestions other than strawberry?
Thank you!!
Hi Hope! Here’s our vanilla buttercream recipe or a less sweet whipped frosting. You may also enjoy the cream cheese frosting we use on our pistachio cake as well.
Could I make this recipe in a mini-donut pan?
We haven’t tested it that way but it would likely work. We are unsure of the bake time you would need. Let us know if you give it a try.
Do you have a recipe for just plain icing on top?
Hi Zen! Here’s our vanilla buttercream recipe. Or you may enjoy the cream cheese frosting we use on our pistachio cake as well.
Thanks so much! I have self raising cake flour. Should I omit the baking powder and salt as it is in there already?
Made these for my birthday for a few friends and they were a huge hit! Came out perfect and even friends that weren’t big on sweets went back for seconds! Unsalted unshelled pistachios were impossible to find were i live had to unshell a bag by hand ( thank you amazing husband!). Would suggest buying online before hand.
hello! can you ice the cupcakes the day before?
Hi Janel, yes! Cupcakes can be made ahead 1 day in advance, covered, and stored at room temperature. Enjoy!
These cupcakes taste amazing……Once again Sally, your recipes never disappoints!
Hi Sally,
I’d like to make this as a 2 layer 9 inch cake for my anniversary. How could I adjust the cupcake recipe/cooking instructions for that? And would you suggest making more icing?
Thanks!!
Edit to the above – I’m trying to make the naked cake (https://route-span.live/vanilla-naked-cake/) but with the pistachio cake and strawberry buttercream, so I guess that would be 3 layers!
Hi Carli! You can follow our Pistachio cake recipe for the cake portion and a 1.5x batch of our strawberry buttercream should be enough for a naked cake. Or, you could also use the cream cheese strawberry frosting recipe from our strawberry cake as well. Let us know what you try – the pistachio cake is a favorite 🙂
Hi there, in my country I do not have freeze-dried strawberries, can I use anything else?
I do want to keep the strawberry frosting. Please let me know. THANK YOU.
Hi Andi, Unfortunately freeze dried strawberries don’t have a great substitute available for the frosting. If you’re unable to find some in the store or online, you can try using strawberry extract for the strawberry taste.
Hi, Sally! I see that there is powdered, freeze dried strawberries that can be purchased instead of buying the solid and processing into a fine powder. Is this acceptable, and if so, do you know how much powder to use?
Hi Heather! That should work – you’ll need about 1/2 cup for this frosting recipe.
hi sally, can i bake this in a 8×4 loaf pan instead?
Can this cupcake recipe be baked in one 8 or 9 inch round pan?
Hi Vicky, this would be too much batter for one 8 or 9 inch pan. You could fill your cake pan 2/3 full and use the rest of the batter for some cupcakes!
Is there any way to use fresh strawberries vs freeze dried?
Hi Victoria, freeze dried strawberries are imperative to the taste and texture of the buttercream – we recommend sticking with the recipe for best results!
I tried these and they were amazing! My family loves them. Quick question tho, would I be able to use dried strawberries instead of freeze dried ones? I got the wrong ones by accident. Thanks in advance
Hi Danielle! Freeze dried (not dried) strawberries are imperative in this strawberry frosting. Hope you can find them and love these cupcakes!
I am making these next week, but want to make the mini cupcakes. How do I adjust the baking time for this?
Hi Annie, for mini cupcakes, bake at the same temperature for about 11-13 minutes.
Hi Sally! Would Greek yogurt be appropriate in this recipe instead of sour cream?
Hi Victoria, yes, you can use full-fat plain Greek or regular yogurt in place of the sour cream. Enjoy!
Sally I’m about to make these in a few but I have a question. Are we not suppose to sift the cake flour? I’m asking because I was going to make the cake version. In that recipe it does say to sift it. I just want to be sure. Please answer as soon as possible. Thanks…
Hi Tammie! Sifting never hurts, feel free to sift the flour after measuring. Enjoy!
This recipe looks delicious; however, my sister is allergic to almonds. Is it possible to leave out the almond extract, or will that affect the flavor too much?
Hi Kayla, You can leave out the almond extract for a more mild flavor if needed.
Hi, is this batter enough to make an 8 inch cake? Or do i double the ingredients? This will be the first time i make this recipe
Hi Nataly, this cupcake batter makes the perfect amount for a 3 layer 6 inch cake. For an 8 inch cake we would follow this Pistachio Cake recipe instead (you can use 8 inch pans instead of 9 inch with a slightly longer baking time). You can certainly use strawberry buttercream with the cake recipe as well – you will need a double batch to cover the cake (or 1.5x for a light layer of frosting). Hope you love it!
Hi – These look beautiful!! I need to bake these with gluten free flour. Do you have any experience about gluten free flour replacement in this recipe?
Hi Henna, we haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour. If you try anything, let us know how it goes!
I had a lot of difficulty with my frosting coming out of the tip, did I not mix the butter enough? It wasn’t quite room temperature. Maybe I added too much icing sugar? Not sure. Never had this issue before. Please help!
Hi Patti! Make sure to pulse your freeze dried strawberries into a fine powder. If your frosting is too thick you can add more heavy cream 1 Tbs at a time (beating in between) until it thins out.
Hi, can I substitute oil for the butter? If yes, which kind and would it be 1:1?
Hi Mary! It’s not possible to cream oil. The creaming step is crucial to this cupcake’s texture. You’ll also lose a lot of flavor. You could try solid coconut oil instead, but we fear the texture will be greasy (and, of course, lacking butter flavor).
I made this recipe exactly as listed. I loved it and my family loved it. These are the most delicious cupcakes I ever made. One this for the icing. I wish I sifted the strawberry dust so it wasn’t so chunky. Also I couldn’t find freeze dried strawberries anywhere near me BUT if you have a Starbucks try them! I got a tall cup of just strawberry pieces for .54! Hope this helps someone in a pinch.
I made this as an 8″ layer cake and it was one of the best cakes I’ve ever made! I used some of the extra frosting to make swirly roses on top of the cake and their leaves were simply the green pistachios. The pink and green look beautiful together and the flavors are fantastic. I’m always making strawberry frosting this way from now-the flavor was so perfectly strawberry the color a bright pink.
The strawberry/pistachio combination is brilliant. I’ve made these two years in a row for my husband’s birthday and they are my favorite cupcakes!
Hi Sally!
May I replace the milk with buttermilk?
Hi Amy, you can use 1 cup (240ml) of buttermilk to replace BOTH the 1/2 cup of milk and 1/2 cup of sour cream. Hope that makes sense!
This recipe is amazing! I made this into a 3 layer, 6″ cake with cream cheese frosting and it was perfect! The pistachio flavour and almond extract was SO good and overall the cake was really easy to make. I thought the layers were thin intitially, but when I assembled the cake with the frosting, it was the perfect size. You could probably make it into a 2 layer cake as well if you wanted less frosting in the middle.
Hi can we half the recipe for smaller batches? Eg half each of the ingrrdients including baking soda, etc?
Hi Jane, that shouldn’t be a problem. Simply halve all the ingredients (use 1.5 egg whites). Enjoy!
I tried this with hazelnuts instead of pistachios, and it came out great! Thank you so much for your recipes!
I made these last week, but used all the pistachios in the cupcake because I didn’t want them for decoration. These were absolutely amazing. The pistachio flavor came through beautifully. I did a double batch and frosted half with rose buttercream and half with chocolate ganache, worked extremely well. If you’re looking for a pistachio cupcake recipe, use this one!