This chocolate chunk pistachio bread is a flavor bomb that requires no yeast, and not too much time. It’s a great snack loaf or a decadent breakfast slice.

When it comes to all things nuts, I am in the nuts in desserts fan camp. I know it’s a very hotly contested subject but if you want to put nuts in the brownies? Here for it. Adding walnuts to chocolate chip cookies? Sure! Cashews are my favorite nut, followed by pistachios. I got to thinking and that there are always walnuts or almonds in quick breads. Sometimes pecans but never pistachios. Let’s change that. So, I decided to make this chocolate chunk pistachio bread!

A lot of pistachio flavored baked goods use instant pudding, but I wanted the real stuff. You want to make sure you use unsalted pistachios though. While I didn’t try it with salted, I’d imagine this bread would just be way too salty.

It’s a quick bread, so no yeast is involved and start to finish baking, it only will take about an hour and a half. Less if you can find your pistachios already shelled. This took the longest for me. While I like big walnut chunks in my zucchini bread, for this bread I wanted to grind the pistachios pretty finely so there would be pistachio flavor in every bite. Then I decided to use chopped baking chocolate in lieu of chocolate chips so it would be more melty and create flecks, pockets and rivers of chocolate throughout.

Then just to make sure you get the full chocolate and pistachio flavor experience, I drizzled chocolate on top and sprinkled roughly chopped pistachios over that. It’s super good and your house smells amazing while it bakes. Plus, then you have delicious bread to eat.

Baking Notes & Tips

This chocolate chunk pistachio loaf can be baked in pretty much any size loaf tin. I would recommend either an 8.5x 4.5 or 9×5 inch pan which are typically the most common. The loaf’s bake time will be determined by the size of the pan so there is a large range in the recipe card for how long to bake for.

Make sure to let your bread cool before you slice into it. I know it feels terrible to wait even longer, but this will help create a better texture for your bread.

Chocolate Chunk Pistachio Bread Key Ingredients

Pistachios – Obviously you’re going to need some pistachios. You can buy pistachios with or without shells, either will work. Pistachios that have already been shelled for you will speed up the process but definitely cost more. If you can find lightly salted, I would opt for those.
Chocolate – Using chopped chocolate over chocolate chips is going to give the bread gooey pools of chocolate instead of chocolate chips which still mostly hold their shape when melting. When you chop the chocolate you will get little flecks so chocolate will feel like it’s in every bite.
Dark Brown Sugar – I almost always use dark brown sugar over light. It’s what my mom did, and I love the flavor when the two are compared. You CAN use light brown sugar though.

Chocolate Chunk Pistachio Bread

Rate this recipe!

Print Pin Rate

Prep: 30

Bake: 1

Total: 1 30

Servings: loaf

Ingredients

115 g Unsalted pistachios ~1 cup without shells
210 g AP Flour 1¾ cup
3 g Sea salt ½ tsp
2 tsp Baking powder
200 g Dark brown sugar 1 cup
42 g Unsalted butter 3 tbsp, room temperature
1 large Egg room temperature
1 tsp Vanilla extract
50 g Neutral oil ¼ cup
¾ cup 2% or Whole milk room temperature
4 oz Semi sweet chocolate chopped

Glaze

4 oz Semi sweet chocolate melted
Pistachios optional

Instructions

Lightly grease and/or line with parchment a 8.5"x 4.5" loaf pan. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350°F
Pulse your unshelled pistachios in a food processor until they are finely chopped. I personally don't mind a few bigger chunks but MOST should be like a rough sand.
115 g Unsalted pistachios
Combine flour, salt, and baking powder and pistachios in a bowl. Whisk to mix
210 g AP Flour | 3 g Sea salt | 2 tsp Baking powder
Mix brown sugar with butter, either by hand or mixer. I used a hand mixer over a stand mixer. The sugar will look like wet sand.
200 g Dark brown sugar | 42 g Unsalted butter
Add in the egg to the sugar and butter and combine well.
1 large Egg
Add in vanilla and oil to sugar mixture until homogenous.
1 tsp Vanilla extract | 50 g Neutral oil
Gently stir milk into wet ingredients until combined.
¾ cup 2% or Whole milk
Fold in your flour pistachio mixture into the wet mix with a spatula. Mix until just combined, no dry flour remaining. Do not overmix. Your batter will most likely not be smooth, depending on how finely chopped your nuts are.
Chop your chocolate to your desired level and fold into batter.
4 oz Semi sweet chocolate
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake on center rack for 50-70 minutes. Check loaf with toothpick starting at 50 minutes. Bake time is going to vary depending on pan size and color. It may bake closer to 50 minutes in a 9×5 pan and closer to 70 minutes in an 8×4 pan.
Bread is done when toothpick comes out cleanly.
Let bread cool in loaf pan for about 10 minutes before removing and letting cool on a wire rack.
While your bread is cooling, melt your chocolate and then drizzle over top of bread. You can also add additional chopped pistachios on top for added crunch. Enjoy!
4 oz Semi sweet chocolate | Pistachios

Notes

Dark chocolate or milk chocolate could definitely be swapped for semi-sweet.