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
Can I sub buttermilk for the sour cream? My wife will NOT eat anything with sour cream in it.
Hi Steven, 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!
Sally, just wanted to let you know the cake ( two 6 inch) and the pistachio cookies came out perfectly with no alterations at 9,272 ft!!! Go Rocky Mountains!!!
I can’t wait to make these! But, I have a question about the frosting. Do you think there’s a quality difference in freeze-dried strawberries? I once made a strawberry frosting, basically the same as this recipe, and it was nasty. It didn’t have that much of a strawberry flavor and the powder made the frosting all grainy and weird. The only difference was that I bought freeze-dried strawberry powder, not whole strawberries. (And, it was a good brand, with many positive reviews.).
Could that really make a difference, since it’s basically the same thing as making a powder out of the whole ones?
I really want to try this again with these cupcakes but I don’t want to make another batch of bad frosting. Adding freeze-dried fruit powder to frosting seems like an excellent way to flavor it, so I don’t know why mine was so bad. Thanks!
Hi Jeff, We have tried many different brands of whole freeze dried berries and have never had a problem when we use them to make our own powder. But before you make the frosting you can always try tasting the strawberries (or powder if still have that) and if you like the way they taste on their own, the frosting should be ok!
Can I make this in a 8 x 8” pan rather than in cupcakes?. Thank you!
Hi Jill, here’s everything you need to know about cake pan sizes and conversions.
Thank you so much!
Hello, I saw one comment saying that you can use either raw or roasted pistachios but is there a preference? Which does this recipe use? Thank you!
Hi Franny, we make this recipe both ways, so it’s really up to your personal preference. Hope you enjoy the cupcakes!
The pistachio cupcakes were okay, though a little dense for cake. The star of the show was the strawberry frosting. WOW!
Can I replace the almond and vanilla extract with pistachio flavored essence? If yes, how much would I need to use?
Hi AA, we’re unsure how much you would need, though essences can be quite strong. You’ll likely need less. We would still add the vanilla extract. Let us know what you try!
I made this recipe last year for my husband’s birthday and I want to make it this year for my 40th! I want to bring these to work and need closer to 20 cupcakes today. How would you suggest increasing the yield?
Hi Kristi, since this recipe yields about 15-16 cupcakes, we’d 1.5x the recipe to yield enough. You’ll have a few leftover, but you can freeze them for a later date if you wish. Hope they’re a hit!
The flavor here is DIVINE! My frosting was too thick to pipe though! I’m fairly green…did I cream the butter too long?
Hi Molly, if your frosting is too thick to pipe, you can beat in a little more milk, a Tablespoon at a time, to get the right consistency.
I’m going to try this recipe next week. I have a Wilton 2D tip. Is it the same or a different size? I’m wondering if I need to buy the Ateco one.
I love your recipes so much!
Hi Cassie, they are different tips but will give you a similar design. Hope you enjoy the cupcakes!
I went ahead and bought the Ateco tip. These turned out beautiful (and delicious!) and impressed everyone at our family lunch today. Thanks for all the amazing recipes!
Too sweet. I had a gut feeling I shouldn’t put that much sugar in my cupcakes but decided to follow a recipe. Gosh it was a mistake, sorry but even after eating I am not feeling well after this crazy amount of sugar
I made this recipe today and it turned out so well! I wanted a smaller version of the 9-inch Pistachio Cake Recipe and Sally suggests using this recipe instead (it fit in 2 6-inch tins and baking time was about 35 mins). Yet another A+ recipe from this blog. Love it!
Hi Sally,
If I don’t have freeze dried strawberries, can I use reduced strawberry puree instead of the cream in the frosting?
Hi Saba! 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.
Would you recommend doubling this recipe to make 2, 9 inch rounds? Or is that too much batter for 9 inch rounds? I know there is a different recipe for a layered pistachio cake but 3, 9 inch rounds is a lot of cake. Thanks!
Hi Kash, that should be just about right (we do recommend making two separate batches rather than doubling, though, to prevent overmixing). If you have any leftover batter after filling your cake pans half way, you can make a few cupcakes on the side.
Hi there,
If I want to slightly augment the pistachio flavour with some emulsion, should I reduce the amount of vanilla in the recipe or simply add however much pistachio emulsion as desired on top of what’s already written into the recipe?
Hi Jess, we haven’t tried this with pistachio emulsion, but don’t recommend leaving out the vanilla completely. If you try reducing the vanilla, let us know how it turns out!
Hi Sally Just checking. is the 1 cup of freeze dried strawberries after you throw them in food processor or before?
25g of the strawberry ‘dust’?
Yes! You should have around 1/2 cup of the powder after blending them.
Hi I am wanting to make this recipie to practice for my boyfriends birthday cake, I live in the UK and we don’t use cake flour here, what can i use instead?
Hi Chloe, If you can’t get your hands on cake flour, you can make this homemade cake flour substitute. We suggest doing this twice, mixing it all up in 1 bowl then removing 1/4 cup since you need 1 and 3/4 cups in this recipe.
hi! is it possible to make the batter without a food processor or blender?
Hi Raegan, you need finely ground pistachios for the cupcake batter and a food processor is really the best way to achieve this. You could potentially chop the nuts instead, but that would take a lot of time and effort to get them to the correct texture – see blog post for a visual.
I’ve made these cupcakes 3xs and I don’t know why they come out a little dry eventhough I followed your recipe. I also leave them in the oven for 19 mins. Is there something I may be doing wrong?
Hi Gisella, we are happy to help troubleshoot. The first thing to check is how you’re measuring your flour. We always recommend weighing it for most accurate results, or spoon and level it. If that’s not the cause, check out this post on how to prevent a dry or dense cake for more tips.
Are the shelled pistachios roasted or raw?
Hi Greg, you can use either one!
Hi!
Could I add 8 ounces of cream cheese to the frosting to make it strawberry cream cheese frosting? And skip/reduce the cream? Thanks!
Hi Nav, we would follow this recipe for strawberry cream cheese buttercream instead. Cream cheese frosting isn’t as stiff for piping.
i was pleasantly surprised that this recipe yielded 60 mini cupcakes! i am making these for a party this weekend, so i haven’t frosted them yet. without the frosting, i would say i’d like a hair more salt– but i figure i can compensate for that with cream cheese frosting.
This was PERFECT. I did add about a tablespoon of pistachio paste and it came out wonderfully. I did use this frosting, but I am not a huge fan of buttercream frosting, so for the second time, I opted for a lighter frosting and it’s everything I wanted it to be. Thank you for this recipe!
I made this recipe in 3 6 inch cake pans as a layer cake and it was amazing. The flavor and texture were perfect. I made it exactly as described in the recipe except for the frosting. We are not fans of strawberry frosting, so used your Sunshine Citrus Cake whipped cream frosting and it was a hit. I added orange and lemon zest to the frosting and decreased the sugar in the frosting in half (we prefer a bit less sweet). Also, found that the baking time had to be a bit longer- 25 minutes, but may be my oven. Wow, this cake is tasty! The pistachio, almond, and citrus was really a great combo. It was a test- bake in advance of my sons’s BDay cake, and my husband and I scarfed it down!
I made these cupcakes for my coworkers to celebrate my last day at work. They were BLOWN away. One coworker said that they were wedding quality, which was very flattering! I have never considered myself a baker, but Sally’s recipes have had me trying new things and impressing my family and friends. I really appreciate all the delicious recipes you make available!
Thank you so much for your kind feedback and for making and trusting our recipes! We’re thrilled these pistachio cupcakes were such a hit.
I don’t have a food processor, so I’ve bought Pistachio Meal. How many grams should I use for those cupcakes?
Hi Klaudia, One cup of shelled pistachios is about 125 grams, so use the same weight for the ground pistachios.
Hi Sally, there’s no unsalted pistachio available in the island. Can I use salted pistacio and omit the salt in the recipe? Or can mix half cup almond four and half cup ground pistachio and also omit the salt in the recipe to reduce the saltiness in the cake batter?
Hi Pinky, You can certainly try the salted pistachios. Feel free to leave out the added 1/4 tsp of salt if you wish. Enjoy!
Hi! I am wondering if these could be made Gluten Free with a basic King Arthurs Gluten Free flour. Would anything need to change in the recipe? Thanks!
Hi Ally, we haven’t tested this recipe with GF flour but let us know if you do!
It worked out GREAT! Thanks!
I can’t wait to try this recipe! Question for Sally: if I am trying to make use of some nice pistachio flour that I had from making macarons recently, what would the substitution amount be in place of the pistachios being ground for this recipe? I assume it grinds up into less than a cup.
Hi Maisie, you use 3/4 cup ground pistachios in the cake batter (see step 3). Let us know how it goes!
I purchased Pistachios with the shell, and it says grind them, is that with the shell too?
Hi Stevie, you want to take the shells off first so you’re just grinding the pistachio nuts.
Hi there! I’m allergic to almonds and I was wondering what I could substitute the almond extract for! Thank you!
Hi Charley! You can skip the almond extract but you will lose that flavor. No need to replace with anything unless you want a stronger vanilla flavor or use another extract you have/love.
I used this recipe for a 6-inch cake. I only had two 6-inch pans, so I made a few cupcakes with the extra batter. Unfortunately, and it’s entirely my fault, the layers fell after removal from the oven (they needed more time). Luckily, when I assembled it, it was not noticeable. Best of all, it tasted divine! I paired the pistachio cake with a lemon cream cheese frosting, and the two flavors were fabulous together. Sally’s recipes never disappoint!
We’re thrilled you enjoyed this pistachio cupcake recipe, Naomi! Thanks so much for reporting back.
I’m excited for this to come out of the oven; I keep staring at my little cakes (opted for 3 6″ tiers, and I’m baking them a little lower at 325 to keep them from doming too much, so we’ll see how that goes…).
Though, I did wonder — are the pistachios meant to be toasted first? I realized when I put it in that it didn’t specify in the recipe, and I do wonder if the raw ones I used could’ve been improved by some toasting. What do you think? Does it matter that much?
Hi Aja, We do not toast the pistachios first but you certainly can if you want a more roasted flavor. Enjoy!