About These Pistachio Pudding Bars
These chewy pistachio pudding bars with cream cheese frosting are perfect for the pistachio lover! The bars use instant pistachio pudding mix, which makes them extra chewy, moist, and pistachio-y. They are then topped with cream cheese frosting (and the toppings of your choice—I used sprinkles!) to give them an extra creamy, tangy layer that pairs perfectly with the pistachio pudding bars.
The best part? The pistachio pudding bars come together quickly and easily in just 10 minutes, with no stand mixer. All you need are a couple of bowls and a whisk. That being said, you will need a stand mixer to make the cream cheese frosting.
For more pistachio pudding recipes on Hummingbird High, check out this Pistachio Pudding Layer Cake and these Bakery Style Pistachio Pudding Muffins!
And for more unique and easy cookie bar recipes, check out Hummingbird High‘s recipe archive for Brownies, Blondies, and Bars.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Now that I’ve convinced you to make these chewy pistachio pudding bars with cream cheese frosting, here’s everything you need for the recipe:
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- kosher salt
- unsalted butter
- granulated sugar
- large eggs
- pistachio extract
- instant pistachio pudding mix
- cream cheese
- confectioners’ sugar
And let’s talk about some key ingredients, where to find them, and any common substitutions:
Common Substitutions And Sources For Ingredients In The Pistachio Pudding Bar Recipe
- Kosher Salt: Kosher salt is the best salt for baking recipes. But you can replace the kosher salt in the recipe with table salt. Just use half the amount listed in the recipe when you do!
- Pistachio Extract: You can typically buy pistachio extract in specialty baking stores or online. I recommend LorAnn Oils Pistachio Extract. In a pinch, you can skip the pistachio extract or use almond extract instead… but your cake won’t taste as pistachio-y. It’s worth finding pistachio extract!
- Instant Pistachio Pudding Mix: I recommend using Jell-O Instant Pistachio Pudding & Pie Filling for this recipe for the best and strongest pistachio flavor. However, I also used Kroger’s generic version during my recipe testing and the cake came out fine.
- Cream Cheese: Make sure to get the kind of cream cheese that comes in a box instead of a tub. Tubbed cream cheese usually has extra ingredients in it to make it more spreadable—these can make your baked goods come out weird!
Lorann Oils Pistachio Bakery Emulsion/Extract
How To Make The Recipe
Here are the basic steps to make pistachio pudding bars from scratch:
- Prep the ingredients for the pistachio pudding bars. (Prep Time: 5 minutes)
- Make the batter and assemble for baking. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
- Bake the pistachio pudding bars. (Bake Time: 20 minutes)
- Cool the pistachio pudding bars before frosting.
- Prep the ingredients for the cream cheese frosting (Prep Time: 5 minutes)
- Make the cream cheese frosting and finish assembling the bars. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
Recipe Troubleshooting and FAQ
Do I really need to use pistachio extract?
In my opinion, yes. Using pistachio extract is the secret to making your pistachio baked goods taste like pistachio. You can technically skip it and use almond extract or pure vanilla extract. I’ve done so, and the bars taste good—they just taste more generically “nutty” as opposed to specifically “pistachio”. So if you’re a pistachio lover, splurge on the extract! My favorite pistachio extract is Lorann Oils Pistachio Bakery Emulsion, but check out my friend Lindsay’s post taste testing different pistachio extracts for more options.
How To Store Pistachio Pudding Bars
The pistachio pudding bars can be stored in an airtight container or zip-top bag at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Can you freeze these pistachio pudding bars?
Yes, you can freeze the pistachio pudding bars in the following ways:
Freeze the unfrosted bars for frosting later.
Follow the recipe instructions to make and bake the pistachio pudding bars. However, don’t make the frosting! Instead, cool completely on a wire rack. Once cool, tightly wrap the bars, unsliced, in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months.
When ready to serve, let thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours. Follow the instructions to make the cream cheese frosting and finish assembling the bars.
Freeze any leftover slices of the assembled pistachio pudding bars.
Tightly wrap any leftover slices in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, transfer to the refrigerator to thaw overnight. Eat chilled, or rewarm for 10 to 20 second intervals in the microwave until room temperature. Watch out though—the frosting might melt!
Best Recipe Tips
Save Yourself From Doing More Dishes
- To save yourself a dish, melt the butter in a large bowl. This bowl will eventually become your batter bowl! You add the sugar, eggs, and remaining ingredients directly to the melted butter in this bowl.
I like to melt the butter first, then measure out all the ingredients for the recipe. Doing so gives the butter time to cool to the perfect warm-yet-not-too-hot temperature needed for this recipe!
Save Yourself From Sifting Ingredients
- I recently discovered that you don’t really need to sift cocoa powder or confectioners’ sugar when making frosting. Because you’ll be mixing the frosting at high speed, most of the lumps in these ingredients work themselves out pretty easily! Save yourself time and energy—don’t bother sifting these ingredients.
That being said, DON’T apply this advice to other recipes beyond American buttercream. I still encourage you to sift these ingredients (ESPECIALLY if they look really lumpy) when making baked goods with delicate crumbs like angel food cake. You’ll also need to sift confectioners’ sugar when making royal icing.
Customizing The Pistachio Pudding Bars
- I decorated my bars with sprinkles. However, if you love pistachios, I truly recommend roughly chopping up shelled, unsalted pistachios and using those as a garnish instead!
Get the Recipe: Chewy Pistachio Pudding Bars With Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For The Pistachio Pudding Bars
- 2 cups (9 ounces or 255 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces or 227 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 ¼ cups (8.75 ounces or 248 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pistacho extract
- 1 (3.4-ounce) box instant pistachio pudding mix
For The Cream Cheese Frosting
- ¾ cup (6 ounces or 170 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 6 Tablespoons (3 ounces or 85 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon pistachio extract
- 3 ¾ cups (15 ounces or 425 grams) confectioners' sugar, sifted if necessary
- sprinkles, for garnish
Instructions
- First, make the pistachio pudding bars. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 9 x 13-inch cake pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the pan’s two long sides. Spray the parchment, too.
- Mix the dry ingredients for the pistachio pudding bars. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Mix the wet ingredients, then add the instant pistachio pudding mix. In a medium bowl, mix together the butter and sugar until combined. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, only adding the next egg when the previous one is fully incorporated. Add the pistachio extract and mix until just combined.Gradually whisk in the instant pistachio pudding mix until just combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.
- Assemble the pistachio pudding bars. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and use an offset spatula to spread it evenly across the pan and smooth the top.
- Bake and cool the pistachio pudding bars. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the comes out with a few crumbs attached. Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
- Make the cream cheese frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter, and pistachio extract. Beat on medium-high for 5 minutes, until very soft and creamy.Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. With the mixer on low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar and beat until just combined.Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula once more. Then, beat on medium-high for 5 minutes, until completely smooth.
- Frost and decorate the pistachio pudding bars. Use an offset spatula to cover the top of the cake with the frosting completely. Garnish with any decorations.
- Serve and store. Run a butter knife or offset spatula along the edges of the pan and use the overhanging parchment as handles to lift the bars out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Slice into 20 rectangles, each about 2 ¼ inches wide and 2 ½ inches long, and serve. The pistachio pudding bars can be stored in an airtight container or zip-top bag at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
- To save yourself a dish, melt the butter in a large bowl. This bowl will eventually become your batter bowl! You add the sugar, eggs, and remaining ingredients directly to the melted butter in this bowl. I like to melt the butter first, then measure out all the ingredients for the recipe. Doing so gives the butter time to cool to the perfect warm-yet-not-too-hot temperature needed for this recipe!
- I recently discovered that you don’t really need to sift cocoa powder or confectioners’ sugar when making frosting. Because you’ll be mixing the frosting at high speed, most of the lumps in these ingredients work themselves out pretty easily! Save yourself time and energy—don’t bother sifting these ingredients. That being said, DON’T apply this advice to other recipes beyond American buttercream. I still encourage you to sift these ingredients (ESPECIALLY if they look really lumpy) when making baked goods with delicate crumbs like angel food cake. You’ll also need to sift confectioners’ sugar when making royal icing.
- I decorated my bars with sprinkles. However, if you love pistachios, I truly recommend roughly chopping up shelled, unsalted pistachios and using those as a garnish instead!
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Weeknight Baking:
Recipes to Fit your Schedule
Over the past several years of running Hummingbird High, I kept a crucial aspect of my life hidden from my readers: I had a full-time, extremely demanding job in the tech world. In my debut cookbook, Weeknight Baking, I finally reveal the secrets to baking delicious desserts on a tight schedule.
I made these as written except I didn’t have pistachio extract so I used Lor-Ann Oil Pistachio Flavor. Hubby thought it was too strong but I liked it. We both agreed though that the frosting was way too sweet with the bars. The bars were OUTSTANDING though–perfect texture and flavor imo. So rather than toss them out, I scraped the frosting off and cut the bars into tiny circles. I made a homemade raspberry “jelly” (UK style), cut that into circles once it set and put it on top of the pistachio circles, then covered them in bittersweet chocolate and sprinkled the tops with finely chopped salted pistachios making a riff on the UK favorite Jaffa cake and yeah—YUM!! 100% keeping the base recipe–it was delish.