Nuts substitutes
Nuts substitutes — 7 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Also called tree nuts, chopped nuts, mixed nuts
Use Sunflower seeds
1 cup for every 1 cup nuts
Use roasted sunflower seeds, 1 cup for each cup of chopped nuts, in cookies, brownies, quick breads, salads and pesto. The crunch is smaller and the flavor more savory, and the seeds can turn green inside a batter that has baking soda, which is harmless. In most cookies, brownies and quick breads you can also leave the nuts out and change nothing else. Where ground nuts are the structure (almond flour, a nut crust, macarons), use a recipe written without them.
- Verdict —
- Works
- The tweak —
- Buy them roasted, or toast raw seeds on a sheet pan at 350°F for 5 to 8 minutes until they smell nutty; if they are salted, cut the recipe's salt by ¼ teaspoon per cup of seeds.
- Best for —
- cookies, brownies and quick breads
- Pantry —
- Likely in your cupboard
Updated 8 Oct 2026 · no sponsored swaps
But first: what are the nuts doing?
Pick your caseAre the nuts an extra folded in, or the thing the recipe is built on?
Swap in the same volume of roasted sunflower seeds or pepitas for crunch, or toasted oats for bulk. You can also leave the nuts out and change nothing else; the batch is a little smaller and a little sweeter.
Notes on sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds (pepitas) or rolled oats
1 cup per cup
Seeds, pretzels and oats are not nuts, but many are packed on lines that also handle nuts. Read every label for a shared-facility statement and ask the person which brands they use. Skip almond extract and nut oils too.
Notes on sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds (pepitas) or crushed pretzels
1 cup per cup
Use the same amount of toasted sunflower seeds or pepitas as the pine nuts or walnuts. The sauce comes out a little less sweet and, with pepitas, greener. You can also leave the nuts out and add an extra 2 tablespoons of grated cheese per batch for body.
Notes on sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1 cup per cup
Anything crunchy works because nothing depends on it. Use seeds or roasted chickpeas on savory dishes, and oats, toasted coconut or crushed pretzels on sweet ones.
Notes on pumpkin seeds (pepitas), roasted chickpeas, toasted coconut flakes or rolled oats
Same amount
Nuts do four things. They add crunch that survives baking, a toasted and slightly bitter flavor that balances sugar, fat (about half their weight or more), and bulk between the crumbs. Folded into a cookie or a quick bread they are an extra, and the recipe still works without them. Ground into a flour, a crust, a praline or a pesto they are the body of the dish, and taking them out changes what the dish is.
Every option, one card
Ranked · per 1 cup nuts| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 cup nuts | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunflower seedscookies, brownies and quick breads | 1 cupWorks | Works |
| 2 | Pumpkin seeds (pepitas)muffins and quick breads | Same amountWorks | Works |
| 3 | Rolled oatscookies | Same amountTweak it | Tweak it |
| 4 | Crushed pretzelstoppings and crusts | Same amountTweak it | Tweak it |
| 5 | Toasted coconut flakescookies and bars | Same amountYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 6 | Chocolate chips or dried fruitcookies and brownies | Same amountYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 7 | Roasted chickpeassalads and grain bowls | Same amountYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| Not a swap | Almond extract | not a swapNot for this | Not for this |
Sunflower seeds
milder, more savory
Shelled, roasted sunflower seeds give the closest thing to a nut's toasted, fatty crunch without being a nut.
- Best for
- cookies, brownies and quick breads, pesto, salads and grain bowls, granola and trail mix
- Texture
- smaller, finer crunch
- Prep
- Buy them roasted, or toast raw seeds on a sheet pan at 350°F for 5 to 8 minutes until they smell nutty; if they are salted, cut the recipe's salt by ¼ teaspoon per cup of seeds.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegan, gluten-free
Sunflower seeds carry chlorogenic acid, which reacts with baking soda or baking powder and can turn the seeds, or the crumb around them, green as the bake cools. It is harmless and has no taste. A teaspoon or two of lemon juice in the batter limits it. The pieces are smaller than chopped walnuts, so the crunch is finer.
Pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
earthier, a little grassy
Hulled green pumpkin seeds are larger and crisper than sunflower seeds and do not discolor in a batter.
- Best for
- muffins and quick breads, pesto, salads and roasted vegetables, bark and brittle
- Texture
- crisp, slightly lighter
- Prep
- Toast in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring, until they puff and start to pop.
- Suits
- vegan, gluten-free
They taste grassy and slightly bitter next to a pecan, and they are green, which shows in a pale cookie or a pesto. Use the hulled green kind; whole white pumpkin seeds in the shell are too fibrous to bake with.
Rolled oats
mild, toasty, less rich
Toasted old-fashioned oats replace the bulk and some of the toasted flavor of nuts in doughs and toppings.
- Best for
- cookies, streusel and fruit crisp toppings, granola, crumb crusts
- Texture
- chewy, not crunchy
- Prep
- Toast the oats on a sheet pan at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring once, before adding them.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegan
Oats give chew, not crunch, and they absorb moisture where nuts do not, so a cookie dough comes out a little thicker and drier. They add almost no fat. Use old-fashioned rolled oats, not instant, which turn to paste.
Crushed pretzels
salty, bready
Coarsely crushed pretzels bring a hard, salty crunch to toppings, crusts and candy.
- Best for
- toppings and crusts, chocolate bark and fudge, cookies eaten the same day, snack mixes
- Texture
- hard crunch that softens overnight
- Prep
- Crush to pea-size pieces and cut the recipe's salt by about ¼ teaspoon per cup of pretzels.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegan
- Contains
- gluten
Pretzels soften within a day inside a moist batter or a frosted bar, so fold them in for things eaten soon or keep them on top. They add salt and starch, not fat, and they contain wheat.
Toasted coconut flakes
sweet coconut flavor
Unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted until golden, give a rich, crisp bite in sweet baking.
- Best for
- cookies and bars, granola, topping oatmeal, yogurt and cakes
- Texture
- crisp, flaky
- Prep
- Toast unsweetened flakes at 325°F for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes; they go from pale to burnt quickly.
- Suits
- vegan, gluten-free
The coconut flavor is unmistakable. Sweetened shredded coconut adds sugar and stays chewy, so it is not the same swap. Coconut is the fruit of a palm, not a botanical nut, but some people with nut allergies avoid it, so ask the person you are cooking for.
Chocolate chips or dried fruit
sweeter
Another mix-in keeps the bulk and the bite of something in every mouthful, with no crunch.
- Best for
- cookies and brownies, banana bread and muffins, scones
- Texture
- soft or chewy, no crunch
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegetarian
Both add sugar where nuts add fat and a bitter, toasted edge, so the bake tastes sweeter. Raisins, dried cranberries and chopped dates are soft and chewy. Chop large fruit to the size the nuts would have been.
Roasted chickpeas
beany, savory
Chickpeas roasted until crisp stand in for whole nuts as a savory topping or snack.
- Best for
- salads and grain bowls, snack mixes, topping soups and roasted vegetables
- Texture
- crisp shell, dry center
- Prep
- Drain a 15-ounce can, dry the chickpeas well, toss with 1 tablespoon oil and roast at 400°F for 20 to 30 minutes, shaking the pan once, until crisp.
- Suits
- vegan, gluten-free
They are starchy and dry, not rich, and they lose their crunch within a few hours of roasting. Not for baking into cookies or cakes.
Almond extract
aroma only
A few drops of extract give nut aroma and nothing else.
- Best for
- flavoring only
- Texture
- none
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
Extract cannot replace the crunch, bulk or fat of a cup of nuts, so the recipe is still missing what the nuts did. Pure almond extract can be made from almonds, so it is not automatically a way around a nut allergy either.
Don’t swap it here
3 cases- Recipes built on ground nuts: almond flour cakes, macarons, frangipane, flourless nut tortes, nut crusts.Use a recipe written for wheat flour or for sunflower seed flour.
- Praline, nut brittle, candied nuts or a pecan pie, where the nut is the dish.Make pepita or sunflower seed brittle from a recipe written for seeds, or an oatmeal pie in place of pecan pie.
- SafetyCooking for someone with a nut allergy, using a packaged swap without reading its label.Use products labeled as made in a nut-free facility, or ask the person which brands they trust.
Questions
6 questionsWhat is a good substitute for nuts in baking?
Roasted sunflower seeds or pepitas, cup for cup, give the closest crunch. Toasted rolled oats replace the bulk in cookies and streusel, and chocolate chips or dried fruit keep a mix-in in every bite without crunch. In most cookies, brownies and quick breads you can also leave the nuts out with no other change.
Can I just leave the nuts out of a recipe?
Yes, when they are a mix-in or a topping. Cookies, brownies, banana bread, muffins and salads all work without them. The batch is slightly smaller and tastes a little sweeter. You cannot leave them out when they are ground into the batter or crust, as in macarons, frangipane or an almond flour cake.
What can I use in place of nuts for someone with a nut allergy?
Sunflower seeds, pepitas, toasted oats and crushed pretzels are the usual choices. None of them is a nut, but many brands are packed on lines shared with nuts, so read the label for a shared-facility statement and ask the person what they normally buy. Peanuts are a legume and a separate allergen, so they are not an automatic answer either.
What can I substitute for nuts in pesto?
Toasted sunflower seeds or pepitas, in the same amount as the pine nuts or walnuts. Sunflower seeds taste closest to pine nuts. You can also make pesto with no nuts or seeds at all; add about 2 extra tablespoons of grated Parmesan per batch so it is not thin.
Why did my sunflower seeds turn green in my muffins?
Sunflower seeds contain chlorogenic acid, which reacts with baking soda or baking powder and turns green as the bake cools. It is safe to eat and does not change the taste. A teaspoon or two of lemon juice in the batter, or switching to pepitas, avoids it.
Is nutmeg a nut?
No. Nutmeg is the seed of a fruit and is used as a spice. It is not a tree nut, and it cannot stand in for chopped nuts in a recipe.
Tips for substituting nuts
5 tips- Toast whatever replaces the nuts. Seeds take 5 to 8 minutes at 350°F and oats take 8 to 10; untoasted, both taste raw and flat next to the nut they replace.
- Leaving out 1 cup of nuts makes a loaf or a pan of brownies slightly smaller, so start checking for doneness 5 minutes early.
- Fold seeds or pretzels in at the very end, in the last few strokes, so they stay whole and do not grind into the batter.
- For pesto, toast the seeds, cool them fully, then pulse them with the garlic before the basil goes in. Warm seeds darken the basil.
- Salted roasted seeds are common. Taste one first and cut the recipe's salt by ¼ teaspoon per cup if they are salted.