Pistachio St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes

St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes . . . these tasty pistachio cupcakes have been a tradition at my house since I was a little girl. Pistachio pudding gives them great flavor as well as a fun green color. They are some of the tastiest cupcakes you will ever taste!

 

WHY YOU NEED TO MAKE THESE PISTACHIO CUPCAKES:

• Everyone loves them! I’ve had a few people tell me they are the best cupcakes they’ve ever tasted.
• You don’t even need a mixer, just a whisk.
• They call for simple ingredients that you can find in any grocery store.
• Using mini chocolate chips makes sure that you get a pop of chocolate flavor in every single bite.
• They are incredibly soft and moist. Seriously, cupcakes with pudding mix are just magical!
• Homemade cream cheese frosting – slightly sweet, slightly tangy, the frosting tops these cupcakes off just perfectly!

A FAVORITE ST. PATRICK’S DAY DESSERT

I love making cute St. Patrick’s Day foods like these pistachio pudding cupcakes to surprise my kids when they get home from school. And of course they are fun to share with friends and neighbors!

These St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes have been a favorite since I was a little girl. We used to frost them with a tub of store bought cream cheese frosting. It was the only time my mom used store bought frosting, so that’s how I remember them.

Pistachio pudding gives these green cupcakes amazing flavor, and also makes them extra moist and yummy. They are a light green color, but you can add food coloring for a deeper green if you prefer.

However, now I prefer them with homemade cream cheese frosting. Really, does any frosting beat it? The creamy tangy flavor is a perfect compliment to these pistachio cupcakes!

The frosting recipe makes enough that you can generously pipe frosting on top of the cupcakes. If you don’t have piping bags and tips, don’t worry. You can cut the frosting recipe in half and just spread frosting on the cupcakes with a knife.

To make your cupcakes even more cute, you can print out my St Patrick’s Day Cupcake Toppers. They come in four different colors!

 

Of course, you don’t have to wait for a holiday to make these pistachio pudding cupcakes. Instead of using green sprinkles, just top them with chopped pistachios. Yum!

 

HOW TO MAKE PISTACHIO CUPCAKES

Ingredients needed: (To see the full recipe card, scroll to the bottom of the post.)

• all purpose flour
• box of instant pistachio pudding mix (just the dry mix)
• mini chocolate chips (Regular sized chips tend to sink to the bottom of the cupcakes.)
• granulated sugar
• baking powder
• salt
• large eggs
• milk (I used 2%, but any kind should work.)
• canola oil (or another oil that is liquid at room temperature)
• vanilla extract

1. PREP WORK: Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. DRY INGREDIENTS: Whisk together the flour, dry pudding mix, chocolate chips, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
3. WET INGREDIENTS: In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla.
4. BAKE: Pour wet ingredients into the flour mixture and stir just till combined. Pour batter into muffin tins and bake at 375° for about 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
5. FROST: Cool cupcakes completely, then frost with cream cheese frosting. Add sprinkles or chopped pistachios if desired.

FOR CREAM CHEESE FROSTING: Beat together the butter and cream cheese till creamy. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Beat till smooth and creamy, scraping the side of the bowl occasionally.

PRO TIPS FOR MAKING PISTACHIO CUPCAKES:

• You will get best results with mini chocolate chips. They spread evenly throughout the cupcakes, while larger chips tend to sink to the bottom.
• Don’t overbake, or your cupcakes will be dry. 
• For the smoothest frosting, let the butter and cream cheese soften on the counter at room temperature. Softening in the microwave causes uneven heating, so you can end up with melted spots and cold spots, which make for lumpy frosting.
• If you are piping on the frosting, it’s a good idea to chill it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to firm it up a bit. 

VARIATIONS:

• We love these cupcakes with the chocolate chips, but you can omit them if you prefer.
• For extra crunch, add some chopped pistachios to the batter.
• If for some reason you can’t find pistachio pudding mix, you can substitute a box of instant vanilla pudding.

 

Looking for more St. Patrick’s Day Recipes? Try these:

Green Cookies/Shamrock Cookie Cups/Shamrock Cookies

Mint Brownies/S’more Snack Mix/Chocolate Cookies with Mint Frosting

Chocolate Dipped Chocolate Chip Cookies/Pistachio Bars/St. Patrick’s Day Cookies

MORE CUPCAKES:

• Peanut Butter Cupcakes
• Oreo Cupcakes
• Red Velvet Cupcakes
• Butterscotch Cupcakes

(originally published Mar 16, 2010, updated February 2021)

No one can resist these pistachio cupcakes! If you love making green desserts for St. Patrick’s Day, you need to add these to your list!