Chocolate Pistachio Muffins

Extra chocolatey pistachio muffins with chocolate chips are soft and moist, with a dreamy flavor combination. They have chopped pistachios mixed into the batter and sprinkled on top. It’s chocolate for breakfast, elevated to a whole new level!

These double chocolate muffins are easy to make, too. You don’t need an electric mixer – just a whisk, spatula, and muffin tin, plus optional muffin liners for easier cleanup.

Why You’ll Love These Double Chocolate Muffins

Here are just a few of the many reasons you should try these muffins:

• delicious chocolate and pistachio flavor combo
• simple ingredients (no pistachio pudding mix needed)
• easy to make – no mixer needed
• easy to customize with your favorite mix-ins
• perfect for chocolate lovers (double the chocolate means double the fun!)

Ingredient Notes

A few notes on the ingredients in these pistachio muffins:

• Chopped pistachios are the star of the show here! I recommend buying roasted and unsalted pistachios. If you need to use salted pistachios, just omit the added salt in this recipe. To save time, buy shelled pistachios (but I will share some tips later in this post for how to shell pistachios quickly!).
• You’ll also need unsweetened cocoa powder to give the muffins their chocolatey flavor base. Any brand should work!
• Either chocolate chips or chopped chocolate chunks get mixed into the batter for pools of melty chocolate. I prefer semisweet or dark chocolate, but you can use milk chocolate (or even white chocolate) if you prefer.
• Plain Greek yogurt keeps these muffins moist and enhances the flavor. You can replace this with sour cream if you want!
• I like using light brown sugar here for extra moist muffins, but white granulated sugar works too.

You might also enjoy this pistachio panna cotta or this double chocolate sweet potato bread! If you have extra chocolate chips, try these chocolate chip baked oats for breakfast.

How to Make Chocolate Pistachio Muffins with Chocolate Chips

Step 1: Start by whisking the dry ingredients in a bowl (flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt). Set it aside for now.

Step 2: In a separate large bowl, whisk together melted butter and brown sugar. Whisk in eggs, Greek yogurt, milk, and vanilla extract until the mixture is combined and smooth.

Step 3: Sift the dry ingredients you combined earlier into the wet mixture. Stir with a spatula until just combined. (Don’t over-mix, or your muffins might turn out tough!). The batter will look a little lumpy – that’s ok!

Step 4: Pour chocolate chips/chunks and chopped pistachios into the batter. Gently fold them in.

Step 5: Use a cookie scoop to fill lined muffin cups all the way to the top. Sprinkle more chocolate chips (of course) and chopped pistachios on top. I just love that glorious bright green color!

Step 6: Bake your muffins! We start at a higher temperature (400 degrees Fahrenheit) to help give the muffin tops some extra rise, then the temperature gets reduced (to 350 degrees Fahrenheit) until the muffins are baked through.

The muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean, with a few crumbs. (Be sure to check multiple spots, in case you hit a melted chocolate chip!)

Step 7: Let the muffins cool for 10 minutes in the muffin tin, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. (Doing this helps keep the muffin bottoms from getting soggy).

You can definitely enjoy these muffins warm, just be aware the muffin liners may stick to the muffins more if they aren’t fully cooled.

Baking Tips

Some tips for this pistachio muffin recipe:

• Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients (this removes any flour/cocoa powder lumps)
• The eggs and Greek yogurt should be at room temperature before you add them to the batter. This helps the mixture combine evenly.
• Avoid over-mixing once you add the flour. (This makes the texture tough and rubbery.) It’s ok if the batter looks a little lumpy, or if there are a few flour streaks left before you fold in the chocolate chips and pistachios.
• Fill the muffin cups all the way to help get that domed muffin top. (The double-temperature baking method used in the recipe also gives the muffin tops a boost!)
• Use a large cookie scoop or ice cream scoop to help fill the muffin cups evenly.

Looking for more easy muffin recipes? Try these white chocolate blueberry muffins or these banana Biscoff muffins!

How to Store Chocolate Pistachio Muffins

Once these double chocolate muffins have cooled fully, store them on the counter in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

When you’re ready to enjoy one, just warm it up in the microwave for 10-15 seconds (for extra melty chocolate chips!).

Can I freeze pistachio muffins?

Yes! Either wrap them individually in foil or plastic wrap, or place them in a zip-able freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.

Just thaw them on the counter for 1-2 hours, then reheat them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds before you’re ready to dig in!

Which type of pistachios should I buy?

The ideal type of pistachios for this recipe are unsalted, roasted, shelled pistachios. But, any kind can work – you just may have to do a little extra work (roasting and/or shelling pistachios) or omit the salt if using salted roasted pistachios.

How to Shell Pistachios

Here are some tips for easily and quickly shelling pistachios:

• Place all unshelled pistachios in a bowl, and move them to another bowl or container as you shell. (It’s quicker to remove them from a bowl than a bag!)
• If you don’t want to use your thumb, you can use an empty pistachio shell half to pry the pistachios open.
• Rinse the shelled pistachio kernels in cold water, then place them in a kitchen towel. Fold the kitchen towel around them and rub to remove the skins.

More Mix-In Ideas

Here are some easy muffin mix-ins and recipe variations to try:

• Replace the pistachios with chopped or sliced almonds (or another type of nut)
• Replace the chocolate chips with dried fruit (like cherries, cranberries, or figs)
• Drizzle raspberry icing on top, or smear with strawberry or raspberry jam
• Replace 1-2 tablespoons of the melted butter with pistachio butter (whisk it with the melted butter, then whisk in the sugar)

If you make these double chocolate pistachio muffins, I’d love if you shared your thoughts with a rating and comment below!

More delicious treats & desserts with nuts to try:

• Hazelnut Banana Bread Bars with Nutella Swirl
• Pecan Sweet Potato Blondie Bars
• Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge
• Blueberry Walnut Blondie Bars