How to Toast Pine Nuts

Mastering How to Toast Pine Nuts is such an easy way to elevate your skills in the kitchen! Whenever dishes call for this nutty ingredient, enhance the recipe by making your own perfectly toasted pine nuts. Of all the toasting methods I’ve tried over the years, these two are the most simple and always deliver the best results.

How to Toast Pine Nuts

When making recipes like pesto, it’s all but too easy to just reach for a bag of toasted pine nuts from the store. I’ve been there and done that too many times! However, once I learned how to perfectly toast pine nuts on my own, I learned something very important – I will NEVER use the store-bought toasted pine nuts again! It’s really crazy how much the flavor of the pesto is elevated just by using freshly toasted pine nuts.

And it’s not just pesto that can be enhanced, either. You can mix chopped up toasted pine nuts in with rice, quinoa, an array of different roasted veggies, and all kinds of salads! The sky is the limit when coming up with ways to enjoy these pine nuts. This is one of those recipes I make pretty often, just so I can always keep a jar of them handy. It’s really nice being able to reach for homemade toasted pine nuts whenever I feel like it! With how easy the steps are in this recipe, there’s no reason not do treat yourself to this kitchen staple.

If you’ve never had a pine nut that wasn’t blended into pesto before, this is also a great way to try them! On their own, pine nuts are very buttery in texture, and have a slightly sweet taste that’s gentle and delicious. Once toasted, the pine nuts become warmer and deeper in taste and texture, elevating them tenfold. This recipe is also all natural, with the only ingredient being the pine nuts themselves. Store-bought versions of this include all kinds of artificial preservatives – yuck! Needless to say, you can definitely taste the difference, even when they’re blended into pesto!

How to Make Them

There are many ways to toast pine nuts, but I’ve found through a little trial and error that these two methods work best. They’re both simple, quick, and never fail!

Here’s how to toast pine nuts on the stove:

Add. Add the pine nuts to a skillet over medium high heat.

Heat. Heat the nuts until lightly browned, tossing occasionally, for about 3-5 minutes.

And here’s how to toast them in the oven:

Prepare. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Arrange the nuts on a baking sheet in a single layer.

Toast. Toast the pine nuts until lightly browned, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, approximately 6-7 minutes.

That’s all there is to it! When it comes to which method I prefer, I really don’t have an answer. They’re both foolproof and easy as can be!

Where do pine nuts actually come from?

True to their name, pine nuts actually come from pine trees! However, not all pine trees can produce pine nuts that are edible for humans. In fact, there are only 18 species of pine trees that can produce the pine nuts we find in our grocery stores. So if you’ve ever felt the desire to go out and get your own pine nuts in the wild, go for it! But think about doing some real research first.

How long do toasted pine nuts stay fresh?

Once the toasted pine nuts have cooled to room temperature, you can use them immediately or store them for up to 10 days! That’s plenty of time to get creative with some pine nuts based recipes. Just make sure to keep the pine nuts in an airtight container like a mason jar. While they can be kept fresh at room temperature, try to keep them in a cool, dark place out of direct sunlight.

Now that you know how to perfectly toast pine nuts, put them to good use with one of these easy recipes! All of them can be made with toasted or un-toasted pine nuts.

• The Very Best Basil Pesto
• Pesto Pasta with Peas and Grilled Shrimp
• Skillet Tortellini with Sausage and Pesto
• Roasted Asparagus with Pine Nuts, Parmesan and Balsamic Glaze

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