How to Toast Pine Nuts – 3 Easy Methods! | with video
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Learning how to toast pine nuts is an essential skill you’ll want in that cooking “tool box.” Knowing how to toast pine nuts will elevate your recipes that include pine nuts and take the flavor to the next level! You’ll learn three easy methods and what situations are best for each method!
Perfectly toasted pine nuts (aka pignoli) are a magical thing, aren’t they? I don’t get to experience their beauty and deliciousness as much as I’d like to since my kids have tree nut allergies, but it makes them that much more of a treat for me.
Let’s be real – they’re already a bit of a treat given their price tag, but oooooh are they worth it! Their presence can really elevate even the most simple dish, and their flavor cannot be replicated by any other ingredient. They’re especially great on salads (they go SO well with arugula!) and sprinkled on top of a creamy pasta recipe. They’re also fantastic on top of hummus, of course. I can’t have hummus in the house either (sesame allergy for my little man), but I’m not even joking when I say that I dream of silky hummus topped with perfectly toasted pine nuts and a drizzle of the best olive oil I can find. Toasting your pine nuts will also give an unreal depth of flavor to your homemade pesto – try it!
Moral of this story that is beginning to verge on a pity-party? Eat all the pine nuts for me and send me photos of your delicious creations topped with perfectly toasted pine nuts, okay? On Instagram, tag me #rachelcooksblog so I can see them!
BUT in case you don’t know how to toast pine nuts, I’m here to help. I’m going to cover three methods in this post and they’re all super easy! More often than not, I’ll use the stovetop method but any of these three methods work great. It also depends a little on how many you want to toast all at once – I’ll cover that as I go through the methods.
PS: If this seems super basic and simple to some of you, that’s great! You’re probably already killing it in the kitchen. However, when I did my reader survey, there was quite a bit of interest in basic cooking tutorials like this one, so I’m going to sprinkle them in here and there. Also, I have a recipe coming up for an amazing pasta salad and you’ll want perfectly toasted pine nuts in it, so I want to make sure you can nail that portion of the recipe!
Here we go!
How to Toast Pine Nuts: Three Ways
Method 1: How to Toast Pine Nuts on the Stove
This is my preferred method. After the microwave, it’s the quickest and it’s more reliable than the microwave. It is also possibly because I’m a control freak and this method gives you the most control and oversight of the process. On the flip side, it requires a little more hands-on time and monitoring. It works best for small – medium amounts of pine nuts (1/4 cup to 1 cup).
- Place pine nuts in a dry (don’t add oil) frying pan large enough to hold them in a single layer.
- Turn heat to medium-low and cook until fragrant and golden brown, keeping them moving (stir frequently or constantly).
- When they’re golden brown, immediately transfer them to a plate to stop the cooking and prevent burning.
Method 2: How to Toast Pine Nuts in the Microwave
Yes, microwave! I often use the microwave to toast other types of nuts (well, I did before the nut allergies surfaced). For this method, make sure you have a microwave-safe plate! This method works best for small amounts of pine nuts (1/4 cup – 1/2 cup). You could probably manage up to a cup if you have a big enough plate and microwave, but you’ll want to have them in a single layer when they go into the microwave.
- Spread pine nuts in a single layer on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on full power for 1 minute, stir, and then continue to microwave and stir in 30 second intervals until golden brown.
- Make sure to keep an eye on them, especially towards the end, because they can burn quickly. The microwave tends to heat unevenly so some can be untoasted while others burn if you’re not watching and stirring every 30 seconds.
Method 3: How to Toast Pine Nuts in the Oven
This is a great method if you want to toast a lot of pine nuts at once because you can spread them all out on a half sheet pan or a quarter sheet pan. You could do up to a couple cups of pine nuts. Similar to the microwave, you’ll want to have the pine nuts in a single layer so make sure you choose a large enough pan if you’re toasting a large quantity of pine nuts. If you’re toasting more than 2 cups of pine nuts at once, I want to come over. This method also yields the most even toasting and color on all the pine nuts.
- Preheat oven to 375ºF.
- Spread pine nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake for 5-10 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Immediately transfer to a plate to stop the hot pan from continuing to cook them.
Storage Notes:
Wondering how to store toasted pine nuts? It’s similar to the recommendation as storage of untoasted pine nuts. Here is my suggestion: Cool completely before moving to an airtight container (you don’t want any steam or condensation in the container or you’ll have soggy pine nuts!). Store at room temperature if you plan to use them within a week. If you wish to store them longer, move them to the fridge to prevent them from becoming rancid. Preferably, you’ll only toast what you’re going to use in the next few days. I store my raw pine nuts in the freezer to extend the shelf life and prevent them from becoming rancid. They’re too expensive to let them go rancid without using them!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw pine nuts – see note
Instructions
Stove Top Method:
- Place pine nuts in a dry (don’t add oil) frying pan large enough to hold them in a single layer.
- Turn heat to medium-low and cook until fragrant and golden brown, keeping them moving (stir frequently or constantly).
- When they’re golden brown, immediately transfer them to a plate to stop the cooking and prevent burning.
Microwave Method:
- Spread pine nuts in a single layer on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on full power for 1 minute, stir, and then continue to microwave and stir in 30 second intervals until golden brown.
- Make sure to keep an eye on them, especially towards the end, because they can burn quickly. The microwave tends to heat unevenly so some can be untoasted while others burn if you’re not watching and stirring every 30 seconds.
Oven Method:
- Preheat oven to 375ºF.
- Spread pine nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake for 5-10 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Immediately transfer to a plate to stop the hot pan from continuing to cook them.
Notes
- You can easily toast more pine nuts than 1/2 cup. If you toast more than 1 cup at a time, the oven method will work best.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Jamene says
great methods, I chose the oven toasting, and they came out really yummy, I had never know how to do it. The whole family loved the pesto I made.
thank you
Rachel Gurk says
So glad to hear it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Michelle D. says
Thank you for this recipe…I used it to make your homemade pesto sauce which was amazing! You definitely have to keep an eye on the pine nuts in the oven. They are delicious to eat by themselves. :)
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you enjoyed both recipes! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Jason says
Thank you Rachel, that was very helpful. I’ve never encountered Pine Nuts, and a recipe I wanted to try called for them. I used the stovetop method, and they turned out great! And they smell fantastic.
Rachel Gurk says
I’m glad to hear that this proved helpful for you! Pine nuts are such a flavorful addition to so many dishes! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment, it means a lot to me!
Carla C. says
Thank you for the helpful hints and three methods! I never thought about freezing the raw pine nuts to save them from going rancid. That will save me some $$.
Rachel Gurk says
You’re welcome! I’m so glad it was helpful. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. They are pricy so it’s definitely nice that they can be frozen!
Jill says
This burned my pine nuts! I had them in the oven at 375 and set a timer for 3 minutes to stir. When I opened the over 3/4 of the batch was burnt! I’m sad
Rachel Gurk says
They burned in 3 minutes? Does your oven run hot? You might want to test the temperature of it.
Randall A. Little says
wow it’s looking so crunchy pine nuts..so now i want to eat….
Rachel Gurk says
They’re so heavenly!
Rosalie Martinez says
does this apply to pine nuts that are in the shell toasting on stove method
Rachel Gurk says
Hi Rosalie, I’m not familiar with pine nuts in the shell. I’ve never seen them in shells in the stores. Could you be thinking of a different nut?
Jill says
Curious as to why you say not to add oil to the stovetop method? I toast mine in olive oil and throw over pasta with grilled chicken.
Rachel Gurk says
They don’t need oil to toast them, but you’re more than welcome to…I bet it’s super tasty!
Denise says
now I’m hungry for pine nuts
Rachel Gurk says
Hehe, me too!
Fran says
I turn the oven off after a few minutes. Pine nuts are less likely to burn this way. I do the same with other nuts as well.
Rachel Gurk says
Interesting tip! I’ll have to try that some time.