26 Incredible Pine Nut Recipes

If you’re looking for ways to make your cooking more interesting, tasty, and nutritious, you should consider making more recipes involving pine nuts! 

Not only do pine nuts have a distinctive, delicious flavor, but they also provide plenty of nutritional benefits, including high levels of vitamin E, iron, magnesium, and protein. 

The best thing about pine nuts is that they’re very versatile, meaning you can include them in multiple meals throughout the week without having to be repetitive with your choice of dish.

You can even include pine nuts in sweet dishes as well as savory recipes!

Here are 26 incredible pine nut recipes to add extra flavor and nutritional value to your weekly meal plan!

1. Basil Pesto

Basil pesto is one of the most famous recipes that includes pine nuts. You may have tried store-bought pesto before, but you don’t have to stick to pre-made pesto from a jar! 

It’s easy to make your own basil pesto using simple ingredients such as basil, olive oil, garlic, parmesan cheese, and pine nuts. All you need aside from the ingredients is a food processor and you can have delicious, fresh pesto ready in 15 minutes!

2. Pesto Rosso

Most people are familiar with green pesto, also known as basil pesto, but we’re also big fans of pesto rosso (red pesto). 

To make this sundried tomato pesto, you’ll also be using pine nuts, and the process is largely the same as the recipe for basil pesto.

Just put tomatoes, basil, pecorino, ricotta, and olive oil along with pine nuts into a food processor and pulse until you reach the desired consistency.

3. Hummus

We’ve already recommended two classic dips you can make using pine nuts, but our list of pine nut recipes wouldn’t be complete without a recipe for homemade hummus!

To make hummus, you’ll need chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, pine nuts, water, garlic, lemon juice, cumin, and paprika.

Just as you would when making pesto, you’ll need to combine the ingredients in a food processor until the mixture reaches that classic hummus texture.

4. Pine Nut And Avocado Salad

If you’re looking for a way to get plenty of healthy fats into your diet, you should try making this pine nut and avocado salad! It makes a great lunch dish by itself, but you could also serve it as a side. 

You can use your favorite types of lettuce (the recipe calls for both green leaf and red leaf) along with avocado, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and pine nuts to make the salad.

5. Lemon Arugula And Pine Nut Salad

Another salad we recommend making if you’re looking to experiment with different pine nut flavor combinations is this lemon arugula and pine nut salad. 

The basic recipe for the salad is simple, but the author also suggests additions you could try, such as adding beans for extra protein or using a different kind of cheese. Pro tip: this salad is great as a side for pizza.

6. Pignoli Cookies

We mentioned earlier that you can make sweet recipes as well as savory ones using pine nuts, and one example is this recipe for pignoli cookies. 

This is a classic Italian recipe made using almond paste, egg whites, pine nuts, orange zest, and granulated sugar. You can also dust the cookies with confectioner’s sugar for an extra authentic touch.

7. Asparagus And Ricotta Omelet

Omelet is a staple breakfast and lunch food, but if you’re looking for ways to switch up your regular omelet recipe, we recommend this asparagus and ricotta omelet.

Although pine nuts aren’t featured in the title of the recipe, they’re an integral part of the overall flavor because they’re cooked on top of the omelet on a low heat, releasing the subtle nutty taste.

8. Moroccan-Style Couscous

Pine nuts are the perfect addition to a Moroccan-style couscous side dish, as this recipe demonstrates. 

In addition to the pine nuts, this couscous dish gets its flavor from lemon juice, golden raisins, parsley, cumin, and black pepper. 

It only takes 15 minutes in total to make, 10 of those minutes being cooking time, so this is a quick and easy side to prepare.

9. Mushroom Orzo Pasta

If you’ve been searching for a creamy, satisfying dish to make during the colder months, this mushroom orzo pasta could be what you’ve been looking for. 

The combined flavor from the pine nuts and mushrooms is incredible, and best of all, this is a one-pot recipe, so it’s really easy to make. It only takes just over 20 minutes to make in total. 

10. Pine Nut Chips With Oregano And Parmesan

Since we’ve recommended 3 incredible pine nut-based dip recipes in this article, it makes sense to include a pine nut chip recipe, too!

These pine nut chips, made with oregano and parmesan for extra flavor, are so good you’ll want to make several batches.

You only need 17 minutes in total to make these chips since all you need to do is combine pine nuts, flour, and oregano, make them into chips using a cookie cutter, and sprinkle each chip with pine nuts before baking for 10 minutes.

11. Feta, Arugula And Toasted Pine Nut Farfalle

Another delicious pasta dish made with pine nuts is this feta, arugula and toasted pine nut farfalle recipe. 

The nutty flavor of the pine nuts works really well with the taste of feta, and the freshness of the arugula helps to balance the overall flavor profile perfectly. Add in the comforting taste and texture of the pasta, and you have the perfect dish!

12. Torta Della Nonna

We told you we’d have some dessert recipes featuring pine nuts to share with you, and the second sweet pine nut dish on our list is another Italian recipe: Torta della Nonna. 

You can make this custard-filled dessert in a couple of hours (including refrigeration time) by preparing a buttery pastry crust and a custard filling separately. The pine nuts come in at the topping stage along with a dusting of powdered sugar.

13. Cauliflower And Kale Soup With Toasted Pine Nuts

This cauliflower and kale soup is both hearty and healthy, and the toasted pine nuts sprinkled on top are the perfect touch, in our opinion. 

Taking 45 minutes in total to prepare and cook, this is a relatively easy dish that doesn’t take too long.

However, the different aromatic flavors such as lemon, kale, chicken, parsley, chives (and, of course, pine nuts) come together to produce a restaurant-quality meal. 

14. Pine Nut And Parmesan Artisan Loaf

If you’re interested in trying your hand at bread making, or need a new bread recipe to challenge yourself, why not try this pine nut and parmesan artisan loaf? 

You don’t need a fancy bread maker, and this recipe doesn’t require you to do any kneading. Just cover the dough to let it rise before baking it in a dutch oven and you’ll have some of the best bread you’ve ever tasted!

15. Seeded Pine Nut Crackers

These seeded pine nut crackers are a great alternative to the pine nut chips (see no. 10) if you need something to dip in your pesto or hummus. 

Simply combine the pine nuts, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, sesame seeds and other ingredients in a bowl, flatten the mixture in the bottom of a baking dish, and bake for an hour. 

16. Pignoli Nut Pie

Time for another pine nut dessert – this time, pignoli nut pie! We’ve already recommended a recipe for pignoli cookies, but if you want a more substantial dessert, this pie is the perfect choice. 

If you use a pre-made pie shell, this recipe is very easy. Just combine the other ingredients in the same bowl and spoon the mixture into the shell before baking. 

17. Middle Eastern Rice With Raisins And Pine Nuts

If you liked the Mediterranean Couscous dish we recommended earlier, why not switch up your choice of side dish next time with this recipe for Middle Eastern Rice with Raisins and Pine Nuts?

This Turkish-inspired dish can be made in just over half an hour. The allspice, cinnamon and raisins combine to give the dish a slight sweetness that works beautifully with the flavor from the pine nuts.

18. Brussels Sprout And Pomegranate Salad

Not everyone is a fan of brussels sprouts, but if you love these leafy greens, you should try making this brussels sprout and pomegranate salad, featuring pine nuts.

This recipe is bursting with flavor thanks to the Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar and maple syrup in the dressing, and it only takes 20 minutes to prepare.

19. Chicken Pesto Pizza

Now that you know how to make your own basil pesto using pine nuts, you can put your skills to the test by making this delicious chicken pesto pizza!

As well as the pine nuts in the pesto itself, you can sprinkle the top of the pizza with pine nuts before baking to release some more of that unique, nutty flavor during cooking.

20. Pine Nut Cake

If you’re like us and love both pine nuts and cake, the good news is that you can combine the two in this recipe.

The pine nuts don’t go in the batter itself, but are sprinkled on top of the cake to bring out a subtle pine nut flavor during baking. 

21. Beet Salad With Goat’s Cheese And Pine Nuts

If you’ve never tried the combination of beets, goat’s cheese and pine nuts before, you need to make this incredible salad and try it out.

You’ll roast the pine nuts before adding them to the salad to ensure that the flavor isn’t overpowered by the other strong flavors in the recipe. 

22. Lemon, Feta And Pine Nut Zucchini Salad

We’re obsessed with the flavor combinations in this lemon, feta and pine nut zucchini salad, so make sure to check out the recipe!

All you need is some fresh zucchini, feta cheese, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, pine nuts, and fresh basil to prepare the perfect summer salad. 

23. Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Our final pine nut salad recipe for the day is this Mediterranean Quinoa Salad. If you’re looking for the perfect way to get your protein, healthy fats, carbs and micronutrients all in one dish, this is it!

The recipe features feta cheese, quinoa, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and chickpeas. You’ll also be making a dressing from olive oil, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, parsley, garlic, and lemon juice.

24. Brown Butter Oatmeal Pine Nut Cookies

These brown butter oatmeal pine nut cookies are a great snack or dessert alternative to pignoli cookies if you want to try different pine nut cookie recipes.

Since these are oatmeal cookies, they’re a healthy choice, and if you’ve never tried browned butter for baking before, you’re in for a treat!

25. Prosciutto And Toasted Pine Nut Stuffed Mushrooms

Stuffed mushrooms are easy to make and delicious when served alongside some of the sides on this list. The combination of salty prosciutto and pine nuts along with both parmesan and cream cheese is just incredible. 

Taking just 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook in the oven, this is a recipe you can prepare at short notice, especially since it doesn’t call for any specialist ingredients.

26. Roasted Pears With Whipped Goat Cheese And Pine Nut Brittle

Although both goat’s cheese and pine nuts are typically associated with savory recipes, this recipe for roasted pears with whipped goat’s cheese and pine nut brittle subverts expectations and makes for a delicious dessert.

Whipped goat’s cheese might sound complicated to make, but it’s actually not. You just need to whisk the goat’s cheese and add the whipping cream, vanilla, honey (or maple syrup) and lemon juice. 

Then, it’s just a question of roasting the pine nuts with salt and maple syrup, seasoning and baking the pears, and combining all the elements before serving. 

Do any of the Savory Muffin recipes include pine nuts?

Looking for mouth watering savory muffin recipes that include pine nuts? Look no further! Our collection of savory muffin recipes is sure to satisfy your taste buds. From delicious herb and cheese muffins to flavorful sundried tomato and pine nut muffins, we’ve got the perfect recipe for you. Enjoy the nutty crunch of pine nuts combined with savory flavors in every bite.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts 

As the 26 different recipes in this article show, there are so many exciting ways to use pine nuts. 

Whether you want a simple snack of chips and dip, a warm and hearty meal, or even an indulgent dessert, you can incorporate pine nuts into your cooking. 

If you have a peanut allergy, bear in mind that there can be cross-reactivity between pine nuts and peanuts. You should avoid pine nuts if you have a known allergy to peanuts.