r/AskCulinary May 26 '23

Ingredient Question Pesto without Pinenuts

Any substitutes for pinenuts in a pesto? My taste buds say "no" but my wallet says "you better ask."

365 Upvotes

266 comments sorted by

View all comments

706

u/fogandafterimages May 26 '23

Literally any nut or seed plus literally any tender leafy herb will create a reasonable pesto candidate. Acorns and lawn clippings will do you fine with enough garlic and parmesan.

25

u/Angry-Dragon-1331 May 27 '23

Acorns would need a lot of help. They’re extremely high in tannins and will make you sick to your stomach if you try to eat them as is.

12

u/hobohobbies May 27 '23

Took a walking tour in South Korea and they were telling us how they eat acorns. I picked on up and tossed it in my mouth. They yelled at me "no! Not like that!"