17 Easy Pesto Recipes Without Pine Nuts (2024)

FAQs

What can I use instead of pine nuts to make pesto? ›

Cashews. Cashews resemble pine nuts in color, texture and mild sweetness, and can be used as a substitute in just about any recipe. Stick to unsalted versions (roasted or raw varieties both work), and toast them to provide extra depth of flavor.

Yes, you can make pesto sauce without pine nuts, and there are several delicious alternatives you can use. Pine nuts contribute a nutty flavor and texture to traditional pesto, but you can achieve similar results with various substitutions.

Traditional pesto is a blend of fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, extra-virgin olive oil, and Parmesan cheese. With a food processor, it comes together in just a few steps: Pulse the nuts, lemon juice, and garlic in the food processor until they're finely chopped. Add the basil and pulse again.

The best substitute for pine nuts? Chopped cashews. Cashews have a lightly sweet flavor and soft texture that mimics pine nuts rather well. Chop them down into roughly the size of pine nuts, about 1/2-inch long pieces.

Go Beyond Basil

And while summertime brings an abundance of basil, the traditional herb in pesto, don't be afraid to try other herbs or greens instead. Break the rules and make it with arugula, parsley, or even pumpkin seed and cilantro! Heck, even avocado can lend its charms to pesto.

Place the olive oil, spinach, basil, garlic, garlic, lemon juice, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper in a food processor or blender. Turn on the machine and blend for 30 seconds. Stop and scrape with a spatula and blend again until smooth. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if necessary.

Parsley oil is the closest match to pesto / basil oil. However you can also make herb oils with mint, oregano or coriander (cilantro). OR a combination of any of the above. These will all have a different flavour profile to basil / pesto and can make a refreshing change.

Many pesto recipes call for raw pine nuts, but toasting the nuts can make the final sauce's flavor deeper and richer. Toast the nuts and then combine them—either as a paste or whole—with fresh basil, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and garlic.

Add nuts, garlic, zest of 1 lemon and salt to a food processor and pulse into a fairly smooth paste. Add cheese to nut paste and add about 3 tablespoons EVOO; process until smooth. Pulse process basil into sauce until fairly smooth, adding juice of 1 lemon and remaining EVOO.

Why is my homemade pesto turning brown? ›

The cause of pesto turning brown, or grey is usually because the herbs have started oxidising. The best way to slow that process is to reduce the amount of time the sauce is exposed to air.

Italian pine nuts are considered the finest in the world and are therefore eye-wateringly expensive. To make cost savings, many big producers source their pine nuts from China. Not a big issue, you might think, but these pine nuts are notorious for leaving a metallic aftertaste for some people, and that can last weeks.

The most common reason for pesto tasting bitter is that the olive oil is past its best and has started to turn rancid. If the pesto has been made in a food processor or blender, there's also the possibility that it has turned bitter from the crude, sheering action of the blades.

Add a pinch of salt if the basil tastes too bitter or the pesto needs more zing. Add more Parmesan if you'd like a creamier/cheesier pesto. If desired, you can thin out the pesto with more olive oil.

While basil is the traditional herb used in pesto, there are numerous alternative pesto recipes that use different greens or herbs as the base. Some popular alternatives include spinach, arugula, cilantro, parsley, and even kale.

Substitutes for nuts include dried fruit, chocolate and seeds, such as pumpkin or sunflower. Of the nine major food allergens, two are nuts — specifically peanuts (technically a legume), and tree nuts, including almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios and walnuts.

And, as we mentioned before, pine nuts, often rather expensive, aren't mandatory either. Use a more affordable nut alternative like walnuts or skip the nuts altogether and make the French version, pistou. Parmesan cheese may be the classic standby but it's certainly not the only option.