The 20 BEST Pine Nut Recipes (2024)

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Pine nuts… those tiny little gems are packed with flavor. Also known as piñón, pinoli or pignoli, they’re most associated with Mediterranean cuisine, but go great as a garnish in so many recipes.

They are an expensive ingredient, but they’re so flavorful that just a small sprinkle will enhance your basic meal or salad to new levels.

Today we are presenting you with our list of the 20 Best Pine Nut Recipes from GypsyPlate and around the internet. Here you’ll find everything from appetizers to salads to mains to sweets.

You see, pine nuts are such versatile little bombs of flavor that once you meet your acquaintance you’ll be looking for new ways to use them. We hope you enjoy these pine nut recipes as much as we did!

The 20 BEST Pine Nut Recipes (1)

1. Pesto Sauce

Perhaps the most well known of the pine nut recipes, pesto is a classic Italian sauce with load of garlic, fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil, along with our favorite pine nuts. This sauce is super varsatile and goes great on pasta, pizzas and in salads. It also makes a tasty marinade.

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2. Hummus

Though pine nuts are not a standard ingredient in humus, they are used in this recipe to greatly enhance the flavors. You favorite dip has never tasted so good.

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3. Hashweh (Lebanese Rice with Ground Meat)

ThisLebanese Hashwehrice is a hearty one pot meal where rice is cooked with ground meat and plenty of warm Middle Eastern spices.

Top it up with fresh parsley and pine nuts, and you have a totally company worthy dish that can serve as an entrée or a side.

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4. Baba Ganoush

This easyBaba Ganoushrecipe makes the perfect party dip. Roasted eggplant, creamy tahini, and a variety of great flavors enhancers like cherry tomatoes, pine nuts come together beautifully.

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5. Mediterranean Braised Chicken

Think coq au vin taken to the next level. This recipes features melt in your mouth tender chicken braised in wine with dried apricots, tons of fresh herbs and garnished with pine nuts. This one can’t be missed!

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6. Loaded Layered Hummus Dip

Take this hummus platter to your next entertaining, beautifully assembled with your favorite hummus drizzled generously with extra virgin olive oil. Top it with perfectly seasoned ground beef, colorful garnishing with plenty of nutty toasted pine nuts.

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7. Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

ThisMediterranean Quinoa Saladis the light and tasty side dish you need this summer. A simple mix of quinoa, a few veggies, some Mediterranean staples, and a zesty lemon dressing is all it takes.

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8. Mediterranean Zucchini Boats

A lighter alternative to your usual cheesy stuffed zucchini, these Mediterranean inspired boats feature perfectly seasoned meat with pine nuts, feta cheese and cherry tomatoes.

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9. Pignoli Cookies

These tasty cookies are another popular Italian recipe. The sweetness and nuttiness blend together beautifully.

Get the Recipe @ texanerin

10. Parmesan Pine Nut Artisan Loaf

Artisan style breads are a big thing nowadays and this recipe is not to be missed. This is a nice crusty bread with a soft interior with great cheesy nutty flavors.

Get the Recipe @ cookingwithruthie

11. Lemon Arugula Salad

Pine nuts are a great topper on salads for both their crunch and flavor. This light and fresh salad has a wonderfully refreshing dressing and makes a great summer side dish.

Get the Recipe @ acedarspoon

12. Chicken Pesto Pizza

Go beyond you basic tomato sauce based pizza with this excellent recipe. The garlicky nutty pesto sauce blends beautifully with tender cooked chicken. This is a great weeknight dinner idea the kids will love.

Get the Recipe @ lifemadesimple

13. Parmesan, Oregano and Pine Nut Melts

These crispy little wafers only need four ingredients and make a great low carb snacking option. Whip up a batch for your next party and watch them disappear!

Get the Recipe @ notenoughcinnamon

14. Scallop Pesto Pasta

Just look at that bowl of pasta, doesn’t it scream decadence? Perfectly seared scallops and my favorite cherry tomatoes blend perfectly with that herby pesto sauce!

Get the Recipe @ playswellwithbutter

15. Jeweled Yellow Rice and Pignoli

Spruce up your side dish routine with this gorgeous jeweled rice. This turmeric enhanced rice with crunchy pine nuts and the sweetness of raisins make a perfect side for your favorite grilled meats or veggies.

Get the Recipe @ garlicandzest

16. Asian Pasta Salad

Though pine nuts are not a typical ingredient in Asian cuisine, they blend perfectly with the sweet and umami flavors of this refreshing pasta salad.

Get the Recipe @ damndelicious

17. Green Beans with Bacon & Pine Nuts

Everything’s better with bacon right? How about bacon and pine nuts? That’s what you get with this great green bean recipe. This is surely going to become a staple on my holiday table!

Get the Recipe @ houseofnasheats

18. Mushroom Orzo Pasta

This rich and creamy mushroom orzo pasta is a great side dish but is hearty enough to make for a meatless night main. The crunch from the pine nuts make this one just about perfect.

Get the Recipe @ carlsbadcravings

19. Summer Caprese Salad

This light and fresh caprese salad is the perfect summer lunch or appetizer. Fresh tomatoes, basil and mozzarella with a scattering of crunchy pine nuts.

Get the Recipe @ thecafesucrefarine

20. Lemon Garlic Fish with Toasted Pine Nuts

A light Mediterranean inspired main dish, this baked fish is gently seasoned with lime and garlic and garnished with fresh parsley and toasted pine nuts.

Get the Recipe @ itstartswithgoodfood

21. Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta, Cranberries & Pine Nuts

This gorgeous Brussels sprouts recipe beautifully combines sweet, savory, salty and nutty. I would go great on any holiday spread, but is tasty enough to try all year round.

Get the Recipe @ browneyedbaker

22. Pear Pine Nut Coffee Cake

This coffee cake makes a great afternoon snack or dessert. I love this one with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream!

Get the Recipe @ mountainmommacooks

23. Chocolate Pine Nut Biscotti

One look at this easy biscotti and I know what I want to dip in my next cup of coffee. The nutty flavors blend beautifully with the chocolate base.

Get the Recipe @ marisasitaliankitchen

The next time you’re at the grocery store, be sure to pick up a pack of these delicious little gems. They may look expensive, but a little goes a long ways.

Let me know which is your favorite pine nut recipe, and be sure to pin or bookmark this page for plenty of great ideas. While you’re at it, subscribe to GypsyPlate, we have a whole world of flavors coming your way!

The 20 BEST Pine Nut Recipes (2)

The 20 BEST Pine Nut Recipes

Yield: 4 servings

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Pine nuts are precious, tiny bombs of flavor. This collection of the 20 Best Pine Nut Recipes will give you plenty of uses for this often overlooked treasures. For starters, check out this quick guide to roast pine nuts.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup pine nuts

Instructions

  1. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat.
  2. Add in pine nuts and roast 3-5 minutes. Stir frequently to avoid charring.
Nutrition Information

Yield 4Serving Size 1
Amount Per ServingCalories 227Total Fat 23gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 18gCholesterol 0mgSodium 1mgCarbohydrates 4gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 5g

Nutrition information calculated by Nutritionix.

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The 20 BEST Pine Nut Recipes (3)

Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.

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    The 20 BEST Pine Nut Recipes (2024)

    FAQs

    What is the best way to eat pine nuts? ›

    Add raw or roasted pine nuts to salads or pasta dishes. Blend pine nuts into a homemade hummus. Add them to vegetable side dishes such as roasted cauliflower, broccoli, or green beans. Mix pine nuts into grain side dishes such as quinoa or rice.

    How many pine nuts can I eat a day? ›

    Pine nuts contain omega3s and antioxidants. Research suggests taking two tablespoons of pine nuts per day, approximately 30 grams. You can serve pine nuts with different dishes and use them as a topping in dishes. However, eating too many pine nuts can leave a bitter metallic taste in the mouth.

    What is the best pine nut in the world? ›

    FAMOUS New Mexico pinon pine nuts (Pinus edulis)

    These Pine Nuts are beyond belief, with their rich butter taste. The species is Pinus edulis and they are the most valuable pine nut in the world - Bar none! New Mexico's Pinon nuts require a bit of patience. The shell is too hard to crack with your fingers.

    What did Native Americans use pine nuts for? ›

    Many Native American cultures gathered the pine nuts of their specific range and used them for many aspects of their cultural life. These uses varied from a main staple food source to dried seed beads to medicinal salves for the body.

    How to prepare pine nuts for eating? ›

    Add the pine nuts to a skillet and cook on the stove over medium heat, turning frequently. Toasting pine nuts in the pan only takes 2 to 5 minutes. Watch the nuts closely and immediately remove them from the pan onto a plate when they're golden and toasted; a hot pan will continue to cook them.

    Are there any benefits to eating pine nuts? ›

    Some studies have shown the health implications of pine nuts oil (PNO) and PNLA in weight reduction, lipid-lowering and anti-diabetic actions as well as in suppression of cell invasiveness and motility in cancer.

    Are pine nuts anti-inflammatory? ›

    Pine nuts contain pinolenic acid (PNLA), which represents 14–19% of fatty acids present. Here we review research on pine nut oil (PNO) and PNLA from studies performed in vitro, in animal models and in humans. PNLA has anti-inflammatory action and may improve lymphocyte function.

    Can you eat pine nuts straight from the tree? ›

    By picking and drying the pine cones and shelling the nuts you'll have plenty of pine nuts. Once you've harvested your pine nuts, you'll be able to store them, eat them raw, or use them in a variety of dishes!

    What's the healthiest nut to eat? ›

    Most nuts appear to be generally healthy. But some may have more heart-healthy nutrients than others. For example, walnuts contain high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. Almonds, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts and pecans also appear to be quite heart healthy.

    Why cant you eat a lot of pine nuts? ›

    Eating pine nuts can occasionally cause some people to experience a bitter or metallic taste lasting from a few days up to 2 weeks. This taste disturbance has been referred to as 'pine mouth' or 'pine nut syndrome'.

    Why is the price of pine nuts so high? ›

    Pine nuts grow in forests in their native countries of China, Russia, North Korea and Pakistan, not on farms. “Extracting the nuts is incredibly labor-intensive and this drives prices up," said Jason Kong, operations manager at Tridge, a market intelligence company focused on food and agricultural products.

    Why pine nuts are so expensive so expensive? ›

    Limited production areas. They are usually imported from Mediterranean countries, as well as the U.S. and Asia. The importing costs are thus high, as pine nuts need to be transported and preserved properly before being exported to other regions.

    What are some fun facts about pine nuts? ›

    Pine nuts are one of the oldest nuts, tracing back to Greek culture where they were not only eaten dry but also preserved in honey. However, apart from the Greeks, pine nuts are enjoyed by many other cultures as well and are extensively used in baked goods, snacks, and salads.

    Which country is famous for pine nuts? ›

    Russia is the largest producer of P. sibirica nuts in the world, followed by either Mongolia or Afghanistan. They each produce over 10,000 metric tons (9,800 long tons; 11,000 short tons) annually, most of it exported to China.

    Did the Romans have pine nuts? ›

    The Romans introduced over 50 new kinds of food plants: fruits such as fig, grape, apple, pear, cherry, plum, damson, mulberry, date and olive; vegetables such as cucumber and celery; nuts, seeds and pulses such as lentil, pine nut, almond, walnut and sesame; and herbs and spices including coriander, dill and fennel.

    Should I toast my pine nuts? ›

    This tiny, tender nut can add a pop of flavor to cookies, texture to salads, and depth to many other dishes. I like to toast my pine nuts before using them, since it bumps up the buttery taste, golden color, and crunch.

    Are pine nuts better raw or roasted? ›

    These sweet, creamy nuts need to be toasted to bring out their best, and will enliven even the simplest side salad with their irresistible flavour. Toasting your pine nuts gives them a warm, golden flavour.

    Do you have to toast pine nuts before eating? ›

    Pine nuts can be eaten raw or toasted. However, toasting enhances the rich flavor of pine nuts, or any other nut or seed. Should I toast pine nuts for pesto? You don't HAVE to toast the pine nuts but since toasting makes their flavor so much richer, you definitely WANT to toast them before adding them to your pesto.

    Can you eat pine nuts straight? ›

    Pine Nuts-

    Or if the cones you've found are still closed then they will slowly open if you leave them next to the fire for a day or two, then they will open enough for the pine nuts to be shaken out. Pine nuts can be eaten raw but are also great toasted over the fire or added to other dishes, such as pesto.

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