Quick bread made with fresh cranberries and pistachios is a festive holiday treat that’s easy to make from scratch and is the perfect handmade holiday gift for sharing this season.

This homemade cranberry pistachio bread comes together quickly for an easy Christmas morning breakfast or dessert treat–or give it as a gift!

two slices of cranberry pistachio bread served on a white plate, with Christmas decor in the background.

UPDATED October 3, 2025 with new photographs and clarified instructions.

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My original Holiday Pistachio Bread has been both a family and reader favorite for years.

It’s moist and flavorful and looks like Christmas on a plate.

But some of my readers were looking for something that didn’t use a boxed cake mix. Something that felt a little more homemade.

I’ve heard your requests and developed this pistachio bread recipe without cake mix. It’s just as easy to make, tastes amazing, and is beautiful enough to give as a gift.

This cranberry pistachio quick bread is going to be your new favorite edible gift! There’s good reason why it made it onto my list of the best pistachio desserts!

It’s moist and tender, perfectly sweet, and chock full of chopped pistachios and tangy cranberries.

Interior of a loaf of the best pistachio cranberry bread, showcasing the nuts and cranberries inside.

From-Scratch Pistachio Loaf with Cranberries

The cake-mix version of this recipe was popular because it was so effortless.

But I’m happy to report that making pistachio bread from scratch is just as simple.

As a bonus, you probably have most of these ingredients in your pantry.

In just over an hour, you can be enjoying a warm slice of lovely pastel green pistachio bread studded with fresh sweet cranberries for breakfast, dessert, or an anytime treat.

Plus, it’s just so pretty! It has a pale green hue to it (from the instant pistachio pudding mix), but you can add a little bit of green food coloring if you want a more intense color, as seen below.

three slices of pistachio nut bread with cranberries, made from scratch and served on a white plate

More Pistachio and Cranberry Recipes You’ll Love:

close-up view of two slices of scratch-made cranberry pistachio bread on a white plate.

How to Make Cranberry Pistachio Nut Bread

It’s really easy to make cranberry pistachio bread from scratch!

Ingredients You’ll Need:

Butter
Sugar
Eggs
Vanilla extract
Whole fresh cranberries
Milk
All-purpose flour
Baking powder
Salt
Instant pistachio pudding mix
Chopped pistachios

sliced loaf of pistachio cranberry bread made without cake mix, displayed on a cutting board.

How to Make It:

(Full printable recipe card is available below)

Cream butter and sugar. First, you’ll use your electric mixer to cream together the butter and sugar with the paddle attachment.

When light and fluffy, add in the eggs and vanilla extract.

two photos; one shows butter and sugar in a white mixing bowl; the other shows eggs and extract added to the bowl.

Chop the cranberries. Next, you’ll combine the whole cranberries with 1 TBSP of sugar in a food processor.

Pulse the berries until just roughly chopped and stir them into the butter and sugar mixture.

Alternatively, you can chop the berries by hand, or even leave them whole if you prefer! It will taste great either way–the only difference is the size of the berries in the finished loaf.

Finish the batter. Then, you’ll start adding about half of the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, and pistachio pudding mix) to the batter.

Mix in 1/2 cup of milk, followed by the remaining dry ingredients and the chopped pistachios.

two photos; one shows chopped cranberries added to bread batter; the other shows the dry ingredients being added to the mixing bowl.

Bake. Pour the batter into a prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top.

Bake in preheated oven until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

two photos; one shows pistachio cranberry bread batter in a loaf pan; the other shows the loaf in the pan after baking.

Notes and Adaptations:

To make this bread even prettier, you can sprinkle the top with more chopped pistachios just before baking.
The bread will slice easier once it’s completely cooled. Use a serrated or electric knife for the best results.
This pistachio cranberry bread freezes well. Wrap cooled loaf in two layers of plastic wrap before freezing, and be sure to eat it within two or three months for the best taste.

overhead view of two slices of pistachio bread with cranberries, served on a white plate. In the background is Christmas decor and a sliced loaf of cranberry pistachio bread on a cutting board.

Recommended Equipment:

Yield: 1 loaf

Cranberry Pistachio Bread

Name: Cranberry Pistachio Bread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened; 1 cup + 1 TBSP sugar; 2 eggs; 2 tsp vanilla extract; 1 1/4 cup fresh whole cranberries; 1/2 cup milk; 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp salt; 3.4-oz box instant pistachio pudding mix; 1/4 cup chopped pistachios

This homemade cranberry pistachio bread is a delicious and lovely loaf of quickbread--perfect for the holidays!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup + 1 TBSP sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup fresh whole cranberries
1/2 cup milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3.4-oz box instant pistachio pudding mix
1/4 cup chopped pistachios

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9x5" loaf pan with cooking spray.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs and vanilla extract, beating well to combine.
In a food processor, combine cranberries and 1 TBSP sugar. Pulse to process just until roughly chopped (alternatively, you can chop the berries by hand, or simply leave them whole if you prefer). Add these into the sugar and egg mixture, mixing on low speed just until combined.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and pistachio pudding mix. Whisk to combine, breaking apart any lumps of pudding mix.
With the mixer on low speed, add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.
Add the milk, mixing to combine.
Add remaining flour mixture and chopped pistachios, mixing just until combined.
Transfer batter to prepared pan, smoothing out the top. Bake for 55-65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow to cool for a few minutes in the pan before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.

Notes

The pudding mix can be omitted if preferred, though I love the pale green hue and the hints of pistachio flavor it adds. You can also add some green food coloring if you prefer a more intense green color.
This loaf freezes well! Simply cool completely, then double-wrap with plastic wrap and freeze.
Don't have fresh cranberries? Frozen cranberries work just fine--there's no need to thaw them first. You can also omit the cranberries if you just want pistachio bread.
Not a fan of pistachio nuts? Try pecans or walnuts instead.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 234Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 242mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 5g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is not guaranteed for accuracy.

Be sure to save this recipe to your favorite board on Pinterest!

two photos; one shows two slices of cranberry pistachio bread on a white plate; the other shows a sliced loaf of cranberry pistachio quick bread on a cutting board.

a loaf of pistachio cranberry bread sliced on a cutting board, with two slices laying open.

three slices of cranberry pistachio bread on a white plate

Categories:

Breads, Breakfast, Desserts, Easy Recipes, Holidays, Pistachio Recipes,

29 Comments

Will I get a good enough pistachio flavor from 1 box in this recipe. As the recipe with yellow cake mix amd 3 boxes?
Also do you think Almond milk would be ok instead of regular milk?

Chrysti Benner says:

at

Hi Faith! This recipe only makes one loaf, whereas the recipe with cake mix and 3 boxes of pudding mix makes 2 loaves…so this one uses about half a box of pudding mix less (per loaf) than the other recipe. I think the pistachio flavor is pretty close, but maybe a tad less pronounced than the other recipe. You could always add more pudding mix if you’d like. And yes, I think almond milk would be fine! Enjoy! 🙂

Reply

Could I sub fresh whole cranberries with dried?

Chrysti Benner says:

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Hi Amy! Sure, that should work fine. Enjoy! 🙂

Reply

How long does the cranberry pistachio bread stay fresh?

Chrysti Benner says:

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Hi Christine! It’s freshest when eaten within 1-3 days. If you want to make it ahead of time, you can also freeze it. Enjoy! 🙂

Reply

Do I need to alter any of the recipe to use mini loaf pans? I want to give as gifts. I’ve already tried , and shortened the cooking time. They still came out dry. I don’t bake very often. So, I’m not sure what else I can change. Please help

Marv says:

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I make mini loaves and lower the oven temp to 330 and they cook in about 30 min. I keep checking about every 5 min.

Reply

Do I need to alter the recipe to use mini loaf pans? I want to give as gifts. I’ve already tried, and shortened the cooking time. They still came out dry. I don’t bake very often. So I’m not sure what else I can change. Please help

If I use dried cranberries, do I need to adjust the amount?

Chrysti Benner says:

at

Hi Marcy! I would probably keep it the same, but you could increase or decrease depending on your preference. You may want to decrease to 1 cup, since dried cranberries will be a little sweeter than fresh. Enjoy! 🙂

Reply

How long is baking time for mini breads?

Chrysti Benner says:

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Hi Sherri-Lynn! I haven’t tried it myself, but I think I’d start checking mini loaves around 30-40 minutes. Hope that helps–enjoy! 🙂

Reply

Can I use frozen cranberries? If so do I need to the them to chop them up?

Chrysti Benner says:

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Hi Yvette! I haven’t tried this with frozen cranberries, so I can’t say for sure, but I’d think it would work fine. Typically there’s no need to thaw frozen cranberries first, and I think chopping them would just be a matter of preference. Hope that helps! 🙂

Reply

Already made this once. It was absolutely delicious! Getting ready to make it again for Christmas company. It’s perfect colors for a Christmas breakfast, red cranberries and green pistachio from the pudding.

Thanks so much for this recipe.

Chrysti Benner says:

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I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Darlene! I agree, it’s just so festive! 🙂

Reply

Delicious recipe! Could this be used as muffins?? How long do you think the bake time would be?

Chrysti Benner says:

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Hi Dora! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂 Yes, you can bake these as muffins for about 20-22 minutes.

Reply

What size box of pudding mix do you use 1 ounce or 3.4 ounces?

Chrysti Benner says:

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Hi Ellyn! It’s a 3.4-oz package of instant pudding mix. Enjoy! 🙂

Reply

Yum! I wish I could post a picture. We doubled this recipe and put it in the Nordic Ware Yule log Bundt cake mold. It turned out beautifully. There was enough dough left over to fill 2 mini loaf pans-Just enough for the baker (me) to have before serving to guests. This will definitely be a yearly Christmas tradition and for whatever other occasion I can think of….Happy Saint Patties’ day perhaps.
It was awesome the same day but the next day this bread was even better. Well done! Thank you.

Chrysti Benner says:

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Thanks so much for your kind words, Diane! I love the idea of baking it in a pretty pan for the holidays–makes it even more festive! 🙂

Reply

If I wanted to omitt the cranberries, would I need to adjust any other ingredient(s) to compensate? Thank you!

Chrysti Benner says:

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Hi Lauren! No, you can just leave the cranberries out. If you wanted to, you could add some extra chopped pistachios instead, but it’s not necessary. Enjoy! 🙂

Reply

Can you use pecans instead of pistachios?

Chrysti Benner says:

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Hi Pamela! You sure can–it would be delicious!

Reply

I just made this bread and oh my, it’s a keeper! I did a rough chop of the cranberries and liked that rather than whole. I used pecans since I had some, usually I don’t like nuts in things, but this added to it. The pudding gave it the Christmas appearance! It’s truly delightful, flavorful and nice texture.

Chrysti Benner says:

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Thank you so much, LorSun! I love hearing that it was a hit! I agree with you, the colors and flavors make it the perfect festive treat. 🙂

Reply

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