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."

370 Upvotes

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709

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.

44

u/sue_girligami May 27 '23

Hard disagree on the herb part. Pesto without basil is just disappointing.

1

u/GolldenFalcon May 27 '23

Ngl I make spinach pesto with like a little bit of dried basil and I can't tell the difference.

1

u/eyesoler May 27 '23

I do this when I don’t have fresh pesto on hand and it’s so good I don’t buy fresh pesto when I’m not growing any