Pine nuts substitutes
Pine nuts substitutes — 3 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Also called pignoli, pignolia, pinoli, pinon nuts
Use Almonds
1 cup for every 1 cup pine nuts
The closest pine nut substitute is toasted cashews or blanched almonds: use the same weight and chop or grind them to a similar size. For pesto, walnuts are the traditional cheaper choice in parts of Italy, though they bring a faint bitterness - a squeeze of lemon covers it.
- Best for —
- salads and roast vegetables, where you want a firm bite
Checked 23 Jul 2026 · no sponsored swaps
Every option, one card
Ranked · per 1 cup pine nuts| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 cup pine nuts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Almondssalads and roast vegetables, where you want a firm bite | 1 cup |
| 2 | Walnutspesto on a budget - the traditional Ligurian alternative | 1 cup |
| 3 | Cashewspesto, where smoothness is the point | 1 cup |
Almonds
sweeter, firmer
Firmer and sweeter than a pine nut, and mild enough not to redirect the dish.
- Best for
- salads and roast vegetables, where you want a firm bite, toasting and scattering over a finished dish, the cheapest option that still tastes mild
Use blanched almonds rather than skin-on and chop them to pine-nut size; the skins are bitter and show as brown flecks in a pesto.
Walnuts
richer, bitter
The cheapest and the most different: richer, softer and noticeably bitter.
- Best for
- pesto on a budget - the traditional Ligurian alternative, dishes that already have strong flavours in them, when nothing else is in the cupboard
- Texture
- softer
Walnut skins carry a real bitterness. A squeeze of lemon or an extra tablespoon of parmesan balances it out.
Cashews
mild, sweet
Soft, mild and slightly sweet - the closest match to a pine nut on both texture and flavour.
- Best for
- pesto, where smoothness is the point, when you want the closest match on softness, raw sauces and dips
- Texture
- similar, softer
The softest and creamiest of the three, so a cashew pesto comes closest in texture to one made with pine nuts.
Safety
1 note- Allergen
Pine nuts are botanically seeds but are treated as tree nuts for allergen labelling in the US, and the substitutes usually suggested for them - almonds, cashews and walnuts - are all tree nuts. For a genuinely nut-free swap use toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds at the same weight.
Questions
6 questionsCan I use almonds instead of pine nuts?
Yes, almonds are a good substitute for pine nuts, but they have a different flavor and are more common.
What's the difference between pine nuts and almonds?
Pine nuts are smaller and have a more delicate, buttery flavor, while almonds are larger and have a more robust flavor.
Can I use pine nuts in pesto?
Yes, pine nuts are commonly used in pesto, especially in traditional Italian pesto.
What is the best substitute for pine nuts?
Cashews, at the same weight, toasted and chopped to a similar size. Cashews are the closest match on softness and on that mild buttery sweetness, which is what pine nuts contribute. Blanched almonds are firmer and a little sweeter; walnuts are the cheapest and the most different, with a bitterness the others do not have. Whichever you use, toast it - untoasted, none of them taste of much.
What is the best pine nut substitute in pesto?
Walnuts are the traditional stand-in in parts of Italy and give a pesto with more body and a faint bitter edge; balance it with a squeeze of lemon or an extra tablespoon of parmesan. Cashews give the smoothest, closest result. For either, use the same weight the recipe gives for pine nuts and toast them first - about 3 minutes in a dry pan for cashews and walnuts.
Are pine nuts safe for a nut allergy?
Treat them as a nut. Pine nuts are botanically seeds, but they are handled as tree nuts for allergen labelling in the US, and reactions to them are documented. Every substitute usually suggested for them - almonds, cashews, walnuts - is also a tree nut. For a nut-free version of pesto, use toasted sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds at the same weight, or leave the nuts out and add an extra tablespoon of cheese and oil for body.
Tips for substituting pine nuts
6 tips- Toast pine nuts in a dry pan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, shaking constantly. They have more oil than almost any other nut and they go from pale to burnt in seconds.
- Tip them onto a cold plate the moment they colour. Left in the hot pan they keep cooking.
- Because of that oil they turn rancid faster than other nuts, so keep them in the freezer rather than the cupboard.
- They are the most expensive nut in most shops, which is the usual reason for looking for a substitute rather than any cooking problem.
- For pesto, grind whichever nut you use with the garlic first, before the basil goes in - it gives a smoother paste and stops the leaves bruising.
- In a salad or on roast vegetables the nut is there for texture, so chop the substitute to roughly pine-nut size rather than leaving it in halves.