Making pesto is always a tasty dinner idea for pesto pasta, and traditionally uses pine nuts along with olive oil, basil, garlic and Parmesan cheese. But what if you need some substitutes for pine nuts for your pesto?
Here we talk about 10 substitutes for pine nuts in pesto, including nut free options. All are delicious and will help you make your pesto pasta for dinner!
This post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical or dietetic advice in any way.
Jump to:
- How Do You Make Pesto with Pine Nuts?
- How Can Pesto Be Used?
- Why May You Wish to Substitute Pine Nuts in Pesto
- 10 Best Pine Nut Substitutes for Pesto
- Macadamia Nuts
- Almonds
- Pistachios
- Walnuts
- Pecans
- Cashews
- Hazelnuts
- Nut Free Substitutes for Pine Nuts in Pesto
- Pumpkin seeds / Pepitas
- Sunflower seeds
- Sesame seeds
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Substitute Posts
How Do You Make Pesto with Pine Nuts?
While there are now many variations of pesto, a more traditional classic pesto recipe typically uses pine nuts as the base along with fresh basil leaves, olive oil, garlic and Parmesan cheese. Some recipes also use lemon juice. You can either bring your pesto together in a pestle or mortar or use a food processor as I tend to as it's a little less time intensive!
How Can Pesto Be Used?
The most common way to use pesto is for a pesto pasta dinner! As well as using more traditional ingredients for pesto, you can also try out a cilantro pesto pasta or a broccoli pesto pasta for a change!
Some more ideas include:
Why May You Wish to Substitute Pine Nuts in Pesto
Pine nuts have a lovely soft creamy taste, and work so well in pesto. But perhaps you run to the pantry and are simply out of them. Or you forgot to put them on your shopping list!
You may also have a food intolerance to pine nuts but still want to whip up a delicious pesto for your evening meal. You may find my post on low histamine nuts and seeds helpful if you have that dietary requirement. It's also true that pine nuts are quite expensive, so let's share some more budget-friendly options below.
And of course, you may be nut free and cannot consume pine nuts. I share a couple of alternatives to pine nuts below that are seeds and may be more suitable for you.
Looking for seed alternatives? Do check out my hemp seed substitutes post too!
Key tip: always use unsalted nuts and seeds, and ones that haven't already been flavored to make your pesto!
10 Best Pine Nut Substitutes for Pesto
It's very easy to replace pine nuts in pesto with other nuts and seeds. So let's talk through lots of tasty options!
Macadamia Nuts
Macadamia nuts have a creamy buttery taste that is very similar to pine nuts. I regularly use them in my macadamia nut pesto - so they are a good replacement for pine nuts! I suggest dry toasting the macadamia nuts before use to bring out their natural oils and therefore flavor even more.
One downside of macadamia nuts is their cost. They are quite expensive, and can be hard to find in smaller stores.
Have a read of my macadamia nut alternatives for more ideas on nuts and seeds!
Almonds
Almonds are also a good substitute for pine nuts in pesto as they have a similar creamy taste. They are more budget friendly and quite easy to find in stores.
Pistachios
Pistachios have a more earthy and less creamy taste than pine nuts, but they're still very tasty! Slightly sweet, they work well to make pistachio pesto and used as a swap for pine nuts.
Walnuts
Given their creamy taste, walnuts work well as a substitute for pine nuts in pesto. Simply swap your walnuts in and your pine nuts out to whizz up a tasty pesto pasta sauce!
My low histamine readers will likely wish to avoid walnuts as they are higher histamine, as per the SIGHI list.
Pecans
Pecans are a little more unusual to use in pesto as a replacement for pine nuts, but will still be so tasty!
Cashews
One of the best substitutes for pine nuts in pesto is cashews as they have a similar creaminess and slightly sweet taste. It will give you an indulgent pesto for your pasta sauce or other recipes!
My low histamine readers will likely wish not to use cashews as they are higher histamine per the SIGHI list.
Hazelnuts
Hazelnuts have a lovely nutty and earthy taste, and are a good substitute for pine nuts in pesto. I've yet to make it myself, but I've noticed that it is recommended to dry toast or roast hazelnuts first, and removing the skins, as set out in the hazelnut pesto by Pasta Evangelists.
Nut Free Substitutes for Pine Nuts in Pesto
Pumpkin seeds / Pepitas
I've made so many versions of pumpkin seed pesto, so I can vouch for their excellent ease of use as a replacement for pine nuts!
Pumpkin seeds have a more earthy flavor than pine nuts, and aren't quite as 'soft'. You may find they take a little longer to blend down than pine nuts, but a little perseverance will give you a tasty pumpkin seed pesto!
I suggest dry toasting your pumpkin seeds in a skillet before blending with your other ingredients as it brings out the flavor.
Sunflower seeds
Sunflower seed pesto is another nut free alternative, and has an earthy flavor. As with other nuts and seeds, it's best to lightly roast or dry toast sunflower seeds before making your pesto with them.
Sesame seeds
As they are light in flavor and have a creaminess, sesame seeds are also a good nut free substitute for pine nuts in pesto. While you can use sesame seeds as they are, I recommend dry toasting them for a few minutes first to bring out their flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is very simple to substitute pine nuts in pesto for other nuts such as macadamia nuts, pistachios and walnuts, as well as seeds such as pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.
Pistachios are a good substitute for pine nuts in pesto as they have a slight sweetness. You want to use plain unsalted pistachios to make pesto.
Macadamia nuts are a good substitute for pine nuts in pesto. Dry toasting the macadamia nuts before use brings out their creamy and buttery flavor. Always use unsalted macadamia nuts when making pesto.
Almonds can easily be used an an alternative to pine nuts in pesto. Simply blend with the other ingredients.
Nut-free options for pesto include pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds.
More Substitute Posts
We all have times when we go to make a recipe but our pantry is bare! I have lots of substitute posts for you to help, including my yogurt substitutes for smoothies and orzo pasta substitutes. Some more helpful posts:
I'm always in the kitchen, so come join me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to be the first to hear of new recipes and resources!
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Just a note for my low histamine readers that this is a broad informational post and includes higher histamine foods that are likely best to avoid.
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