These Pistachio Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream Frosting are made with real ground pistachios and fresh raspberries for a truly delicious vegan dessert!
The flavor of these cupcakes was born from an intense love of olive oil desserts and knowing just how well pistachio goes with them (learned via my very own Olive Oil Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies).
I knew a berry-flavored frosting would add the perfect fresh flavor to these cupcakes, too- and I chose to cook down frozen raspberries for the most vibrant color and flavor!
Ingredients:
Ingredient & substitution notes:
- Pistachios: For this recipe, I used Wonderful Roasted Unsalted Pistachios and ground them myself in a food processor.
- You can also use salted pistachios in this recipe, but make sure to reduce the salt to ¼ teaspoon to accommodate the extra salt.
- Olive Oil: Gives these cupcakes a fruity and earthy flavor and complements the pistachios PERFECTLY!
- I really don't recommend substituting this, but if you have to, a neutral oil or even melted vegan butter can work.
- Frozen Raspberries: I prefer frozen for making the frosting for the most vibrant color. However, you can substitute fresh berries 1:1.
- Lemon Juice: We are just using a small amount in the cupcake batter as we need an acidic ingredient to interact with the baking soda and help the cupcakes rise.
- Can be substituted 1:1 with apple cider vinegar.
How to make vegan pistachio cupcakes
Grind pistachios into flour
Pulse the dry pistachios in a food processor using short, quick pulses to avoid creating paste. Mix halfway and continue pulsing so you get a fluffy and consistent texture.
P.S.: It's totally okay if the ground pistachios aren't perfectly even!
Make the cupcake batter
First, add the oat milk and lemon juice to a bowl and mix together to make a vegan buttermilk.
Then, mix in the olive oil, cane sugar, and vanilla.
Next, add in the dry ingredients, including the all-purpose flour, ground pistachios, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix together until you have a thick pistachio cake batter.
Add to muffin pan & bake
Fill a muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners. Then, add the batter to the muffin liners JUST until they are ⅔ full.
Do not fill them all the way to the top, or your cupcakes may sink.
Then, add the muffin tin to the oven and bake the cupcakes at 350F for 20 minutes. Move the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool and then make the frosting.
How to make raspberry buttercream frosting
Make the raspberry jam
Before making the cupcakes, make the raspberry jam. Add the frozen raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice to a small saucepan and cook over medium heat.
While cooking, use a fork to mash up the berries and help them release their juices. Once bubbling, remove the jam from the heat and place it in a small bowl.
Then, add it to the fridge to cool completely before using it in the frosting.
Whip the frosting
To make the frosting, cream together the vegan butter and raspberry jam. Once creamed, gradually whip in the powdered sugar until you have a smooth and thick frosting.
Continue whipping the frosting for a few more minutes to get the best fluffy texture. Then, add it to a piping bag and get ready to frost the pistachio cupcakes!
Assemble the pistachio raspberry cupcakes
Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, it's time to add the frosting! Pipe it onto the cupcakes.
Then top the cupcakes with extra crushed pistachios and an optional fresh raspberry on top. Serve & enjoy!
FAQ & Tips:
Can I make these pistachio raspberry cupcakes gluten-free?
While I have not personally tried it, it should work. Just make sure to use a gluten-free all-purpose flour mix like this one from Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking flour.
Please keep in mind that flour alternatives like coconut flour or almond flour will not work in this recipe as it's not a 1:1 substitution.
How do I store these vegan pistachio cupcakes?
Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored at room temperature in a closed container for 2-3 days. However, once frosted, they should no longer be stored at room temperature.
Frosted cupcakes can be stored in a closed container in the freezer for up to 1 month. Just defrost at room temperature for about 1 hour before enjoying.
Frosted cupcakes can also be stored in the fridge for around 24 hours. Any longer than that, and it tends to dry them out. That's why I always recommend storing chocolate cupcakes in the freezer, as it keeps the texture.
P.S.- I also don't recommend storing with fresh berries, so remove them from cupcake tops before!
I can't wait for you to try these moist & delicious Pistachio Olive Oil Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream Frosting. They truly are the perfect cupcake to ring in Spring. Enjoy!
-TSG
More vegan cupcake recipes you will love:
If you loved this recipe, please leave a 5-star review in the recipe card. I always appreciate your feedback and support! You can also follow along on my Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Pinterest or sign up for our newsletter!
Pistachio Cupcakes with Raspberry Frosting
Ingredients
Raspberry Jam:
- ¾ cups frozen raspberries
- 3 Tablespoons cane sugar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Pistachio Cupcake Batter:
- ¾ cups unsalted roasted pistachios ground into a flour
- ¾ cup oat milk
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup cane sugar
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt reduce to ¼ teaspoon if using salted pistachios
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
Raspberry Buttercream Frosting
- ¾ cups vegan butter
- ¼ cup raspberry jam *made above
- 1 ½-1 ¾ cups powdered sugar start with 1 ½ cups and add more if a sweeter frosting is desired
Instructions
First, make the Raspberry Jam:
- Add the frozen raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice to a small saucepan and turn on the heat.
- Stir the raspberries and cook over medium heat until the berries begin to break down and form a jam (about 5 minutes). You will need to use a fork to help break down the raspberry pieces as they warm up.
- Once bubbling and thick, cook the jam another 1-2 minutes, then remove from the heat. Pour the jam into a jar or bowl and place in the fridge to cool while you make the cupcakes.
Make the pistachio cupcake batter:
- Preheat the oven to 350F and grind the pistachios into a powder. To do this, add them to a food processor and pulse them until they are ground into small pieces, but not too long, or they can turn into a paste.
- First, add the oat milk and lemon juice to a bowl and mix together. Let sit for 1-2 minutes to curdle to make the vegan buttermilk.
- Then, add in the sugar, olive oil, and vanilla. Whisk the wet ingredients together.
- Next, add in the dry ingredients, starting with the all-purpose flour then layering the ground pistachios, baking powder, salt, and baking soda on top.
- Mix into a thick batter. I recommend starting with a whisk and then switching to a spatula so the batter does not get over-mixed.
Bake the cupcakes:
- Fill a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners. Then, fill each cupcake liner ⅔ of the way full with batter.
- Place the tin of cupcakes into the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through. You can use a toothpick to check that the centers are fully cooked before removing.
- Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them cool in the baking tray for 5 minutes. Carefully move the cupcakes to a wire rack and let them cool completely before frosting.
Make the Raspberry Buttercream Frosting:
- Remove the raspberry jam from the fridge and add it to a large bowl with the vegan butter. Use an electric mixer to cream together until light and fluffy, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.
- Turn down the speed of the electric mixer and slowly add the powdered sugar ½ cup at a time, until a smooth frosting forms. I like to start with 1 ½ cups of powdered sugar and add more if I want a sweeter frosting.
- Add the frosting to a piping bag and pipe it onto the cooled pistachio cupcakes.
- Sprinkle the frosted cupcakes with extra crushed pistachios and top each with a fresh raspberry if desired. Serve & enjoy!
Notes
- Please see the blog post for recipe tips & substitution ideas.
- Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored at room temperature in a closed container for 2-3 days. However, once frosted, they should no longer be stored at room temperature.
- Frosted cupcakes can be stored in a closed container in the freezer for up to 1 month. Just defrost at room temperature for about 1 hour before enjoying.
- Frosted cupcakes can also be stored in the fridge for around 24 hours. Any longer than that, and it tends to dry them out. That's why I always recommend storing chocolate cupcakes in the freezer, as it keeps the texture.
Leave a Reply