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Pistachio Pudding Cookies are the soft, chewy, pretty green cookies that always disappear first off the dessert tray, and a secret box of instant pistachio pudding mix does all the heavy lifting for that tender crumb and nutty flavor. My girls love spotting the white chocolate chips and crunchy pistachios poking out of each one on a cozy fall afternoon. If you love an easy pudding cookie, our homemade pistachio pudding is another fun way to use that flavor.
No chilling, no fuss, just one bowl of soft dough that bakes up thick and bakery style.
Pistachio Pudding Cookies Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 10 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 20 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 37 cookies
- ⚡ Calories: 135kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Soft and chewy with sweet pistachio, white chocolate, and toasty nuts
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, even simpler than our snickerdoodle cookies
Quick Answer
Stir together flour, instant pistachio pudding mix, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, cream softened butter and sugar, then beat in the eggs. Mix in the dry ingredients until just combined, then stir in white chocolate chips and chopped pistachios. Scoop into balls and bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes until the edges are lightly golden.
Jump to:
- Pistachio Pudding Cookies Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Pistachio Pudding Cookies
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Pistachio Pudding Cookies FAQs
- Other Recommended Easy Cookie Recipes
- Soft Pistachio Pudding Cookies
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Pudding mix keeps them soft. Instant pistachio pudding mix adds moisture and starch that gives these cookies a tender, chewy texture that stays soft for days.
- No chilling required. The dough is sturdy enough to scoop and bake right away, so you can go from bowl to cookie in about 20 minutes.
- Built in color and flavor. The pudding mix gives the cookies their signature pale green color and nutty pistachio flavor without any food coloring.
- White chocolate balances the nuts. Sweet white chocolate chips play off the salty, toasty pistachios for the perfect sweet and nutty bite.
- One bowl and a scoop. Everything mixes in one bowl and portions with a cookie scoop, so cleanup and prep are genuinely easy.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- A box of instant pudding mix makes these cookies impossibly soft and chewy.
- They come together in one bowl with no chilling and no mixer required.
- They are just as easy as our cream cheese cookies but with a fun nutty twist.
Key Ingredients
A handful of baking staples plus a box of pistachio pudding mix come together for these soft cookies.
- Pistachio pudding mix: A 3.4 ounce box of instant pudding adds moisture, that pretty green color, and nutty pistachio flavor.
- White chocolate chips: Sweet, creamy chips that balance the salty pistachios, plus more for pressing on top.
- Shelled pistachios: Chopped and stirred into the dough for crunch and toasty, nutty flavor in every bite.
- Unsalted butter: Softened and creamed with the sugar for a rich, tender cookie base.
- All purpose flour: The structure of the cookie, whisked with the pudding mix and baking soda for a soft, even crumb.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
These pistachio pudding cookies are a great base, so make them your own.
- Swap the white chocolate chips for semisweet or dark chocolate chips for a richer cookie.
- Dip the cooled cookies halfway in melted chocolate, like our chocolate dipped pistachio cookies, for a fancier treat.
- Add a teaspoon of almond extract for an even more pronounced nutty flavor.
- Press a few extra pistachios and chips on top right after baking for a bakery style look.
How to Make Pistachio Pudding Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line sheet trays with parchment paper. In a bowl, stir together the flour, pistachio pudding mix, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs and mix until fully combined.
- Add the flour mixture and mix until there are no dry patches, then stir in the white chocolate chips and chopped pistachios.
- Roll the dough into 1.5 tablespoon sized balls, using a cookie scoop, and place them on the prepared trays about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until they puff up and start to brown lightly along the edges. Press a few extra chips on top, then cool 10 minutes on the tray before moving to a wire rack.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use a cookie scoop for evenly sized dough balls so the cookies bake at the same rate.
- Do not overbake, since the cookies should look slightly underdone in the center to stay soft and chewy.
- Press extra chips on top right out of the oven for that picture perfect bakery look.
- Chop the pistachios so they distribute evenly and you get a little crunch in every bite.
- Spoon and level your flour so the cookies do not turn out dry or cakey.
- Store soft in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These pistachio pudding cookies are wonderful slightly warm with a cold glass of milk, when the white chocolate is still a little melty. They are soft, chewy, and just sweet enough to feel like a treat without being over the top.
Pile them on a platter next to our snickerdoodle cookies and chocolate dipped pistachio cookies for a fun cookie spread.
They are perfect for holiday cookie boxes, St. Patrick’s Day treats thanks to their green color, and potlucks alongside a pistachio pudding dessert.
Pistachio Pudding Cookies FAQs
Instant pistachio pudding mix adds moisture, starch, color, and nutty flavor, giving these pistachio pudding cookies a soft, chewy texture that stays tender for days.
No. You stir the dry instant pudding mix straight into the flour. Do not prepare it as pudding first or the dough will be too wet.
The pale green color comes entirely from the pudding mix. For a more vibrant green, you can add a drop or two of green food coloring, though it is not needed.
Yes. Bake and store them in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or freeze the baked cookies or scooped dough balls for up to 2 months.
Yes. If you use salted butter, simply leave out the added salt in the recipe so the cookies are not too salty.
Use shelled, roasted pistachios and chop them so they spread evenly through the dough. Salted pistachios add a nice sweet and salty contrast.
Tried these soft pistachio pudding cookies? I would love to hear how they turned out, leave a comment and a star rating below!
These soft date cookies are loaded with chopped dates, oats, and pecans for a naturally sweet treat.
Soft Pistachio Pudding Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3.4 ounce package pistachio pudding mix
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup white chocolate chips plus more for garnish
- ⅓ cup shelled pistachios
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line sheet trays with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, pudding mix, baking soda, and salt.2 cups all-purpose flour, 3.4 ounce package pistachio pudding mix, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt
- In the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for 3 minutes.1 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar
- Add the eggs and stir until fully combined.2 large eggs
- Add the flour mixture and fully mix it in until there are no dry patches.
- Stir in the white chocolate chips and pistachios.1 cup white chocolate chips, ⅓ cup shelled pistachios
- Roll the dough into 1.5 tablespoon-sized balls (I like to use a cookie scoop for this) and place them on the prepared sheet tray about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes until they puff up and start to brown lightly along the edges.
- If you want to add more white chocolate chips on top for garnish, press those in now. Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes on the sheet tray before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Using real pistachios instead of flavorings gives a genuine nutty pistachio flavor.
- Don’t overbake! Keep an eye on them, and once the edges turn golden brown, they’re good to go.
- Want a brighter green color for special occasions like St. Patrick’s Day? Add a little green food coloring to the dough.
- Use a cookie scoop for uniform and perfectly-sized cookies every time.
- If you’re storing cookies, make sure to let them cool completely on a wire rack before packing them. This keeps the chewy pistachio cookies texture intact.
- Experiment with different types of pistachios – raw, roasted, or salted, to find your perfect balance of flavor.
Nutrition
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