35 Phenomenal Pine Nut Recipes
Baking, dips, dinners, and more—look to these recipe gems for using up a bag of pine nuts
If any ingredient proves that small can be mighty, it's the pine nut. The edible seeds of some pine tree species, largely harvested in places with a Mediterranean climate, pine nuts pack a ton of flavor into a tiny, richly textured seed, and have health benefits, too. They can also be a flavor chameleon, a main ingredient in desserts like tarts, cookies, and brittles as well as savory dishes, too. One of the best ways to use pine nuts is in the starter course, by mixing them into dips for crudité, frying into finger foods, or pairing with beef in empanada fillings. While, of course, you know them as an essential ingredient in authentic pesto, we also love them as a topping for vegetable side dishes, salads, and grains.
Toasting pine nuts before using them brings out a more robust flavor, and browns and fortifies the nut to add a crispier, crunchier texture.
Syrup-Soaked Pastries with Hazelnuts, Pistachios, and Pine Nuts (Deblah)
Syrup-Soaked Pastries with Hazelnuts, Pistachios, and Pine Nuts (Deblah)
Pine Nut Brittle
Kimberly Hasselbrink, the writer and photographer behind The Year in Food, tuned us into this great recipe for pine nuts in a crunchy, salty, rosemary-scented brittle. Get the recipe for Pine Nut Brittle »
Pine Nut Cookies
These chewy almond meringue cookies, speckled with pine nuts, are a favorite holiday cookie of SAVEUR managing editor Greg Ferro. Get the recipe for Pine Nut Cookies »
Tahini-Beet Dip
Tahini’s nutty, luxurious properties don’t stop at hummus. Keep the sesame paste flowing with this bright red purée of boiled beets, lemon, and garlic. Get the recipe for Tahini-Beet Dip »
Lamb and Bulgur Wheat Croquettes (Kibbeh)
These spiced croquettes are a classic Middle Eastern snack. Get the recipe for Lamb and Bulgur Wheat Croquettes (Kibbeh) »
Beef Brisket and Picadillo-Stuffed Empanadas
Tender, braised beef brisket is combined with raisins, sherry, pine nuts, and spicy chile powder in the fragrant filling for sugar-dusted, savory-sweet empanadas. Get the recipe for Beef Brisket and Picadillo-Stuffed Empanadas »
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Pineapple and Pine Nut Torte
At Portland, Oregon’s Måurice restaurant, pastry chef Kristen Murray layers sponge cake with buttercream and white chocolate ganache, and garnishes the torte with honeyed pineapple slices and candied pine nuts.
Pomegranate with Nuts and Orange Flower Syrup (Khosaf al-Rumman)
This revelatory dessert of pomegranate seeds and nuts is adapted from a recipe that appears in the now out-of-print cookbook Seductive Flavours of the Levant. Ger the recipe for Pomegranate with Nuts and Orange Flower Syrup (Khosaf al-Rumman) »
Ragù alla Napoletana
This recipe is based on one that Sandro Manzo, an Italian art dealer who now lives in New York, learned from his mother during his youth in southern Italy. Get the recipe for Ragù alla Napoletana »
Linguine with Sardines, Raisins, and Pine Nuts (Pasta con le Sarde)
In this representative Sicilian dish, which seamlessly combines Arab and Sicilian flavors, pasta is tossed with sardines from the Mediterranean, raisins and pine nuts grown in the mountains, and a dash of saffron, which imbues the pasta with a golden color. Look for small sardines, which are sweeter and more delicate than larger ones. Get the recipe for Linguine with Sardines, Raisins, and Pine Nuts (Pasta con le Sarde) »
Autumn Panzanella Salad
Crispy pancetta, peppery arugula, and sweet sautéed shallots give a fall spin to panzanella. Get the recipe for Autumn Panzanella Salad »
Roasted Eggplant with Goat Cheese Tahini and Pine Nuts
These one-bite hors d’oeuvres are inspired by the ingredients of a classic Middle Eastern baba ganoush; they can be served either cool or hot out of the oven. Get the recipe for Roasted Eggplant with Goat Cheese Tahini and Pine Nuts »
Spinach with Pine Nuts and Raisins
Federal Hill, the Italian-American corridor of Providence, Rhode Island, is home to some amazing dishes, including this one. Get the recipe for Spinach with Pine Nuts and Raisins »
Japanese-Style Fried Brown Rice
This dish is based on one that appears in the Japanese-language cookbook Saisai Gohan by Yumiko Kanou (Shibata-Shoten, 2004), the chef and owner of Nakaiseki Sen, a vegetarian restaurant in Tokyo. Get the recipe for Japanese-Style Fried Brown Rice »
Steamed Broccoli with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Pine Nuts
Sun-dried tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, and a splash of champagne vinegar add a bright punch to a simple side dish of steamed broccoli. Get the recipe for Steamed Broccoli with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Pine Nuts »
"Silk Handkerchiefs" with Pesto (Mandilli de Saea al Pesto Genovese)
The pasta squares called mandilli de saea, Genoese for “silk handkerchiefs” (for their size and thinness), are large, paper-thin egg-dough sheets that drape beautifully in the bowl, almost always dressed with pesto. The result is a kind of purity of pasta–certainly less complex than some other Genoese dishes, but with an elegance and grace not ordinarily associated with a plate of noodles. Like other Genoese set pieces, it seems wonderfully anachronistic–deliciously edible link with a fabled past. Get the recipe for Silk Handkerchiefs with Pesto »
Dungeness Crab and Pine Nut Lasagne
When Amity’s Myron Redford and Vikki Wetle need to keep pickers in the fields, they have Peirano cater this soul-warming dish. Get the recipe for Dungeness Crab and Pine Nut Lasagne »
Swiss Chard Pastry
With a sweet eggy crust filled with swiss chard, golden raisins, pine nuts, apple, and a custardy sweet rum sauce, this unusual pastry is a typically Niçoise treat. Get the recipe for Swiss Chard Pastry »
Foriana Sauce
Savory and sweet, this rustic Mediterranean nut-and-raisin sauce is a staple on the Italian island of Ischia, off the coast of Naples, where it is traditionally tossed with pasta during Lent. Get the recipe for Foriana Sauce »
Honey-Nut Tart with Chocolate Rye Crust
The gooey filling in this tart is held together by a rye flour crust that gets its structure, and depth, from chocolate. Get the recipe for Honey-Nut Tart with Chocolate Rye Crust »
Hummus with Hen of the Woods Mushrooms
A tangle of fried mushrooms provides textural contrast and a savory boost to this silky hummus.
Salsa Verde (Herb Sauce with Breadcrumbs)
Italy’s other ubiquitous green sauce is flavored with parsley and thickened with bread crumbs. Seasoned with vinegar and anchovies, it’s bold enough to stand up to grilled meats. See the recipe for Salsa Verde »
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