Should You Toast Pine Nuts When Making Pesto?

Whether to toast pine nuts for pesto is a matter of personal preference, but pesto is a proudly raw sauce, so traditionalists will never toast them.

The difference between raw and toasted pine nuts

Not only does toasting nuts amplify their nuttiness, but it also introduces complex flavours and makes them crunchier. Some people like those qualities, but we're not big fans.

Toasting pine nuts can overpower your sauce.

We mainly dislike pesto made with toasted pine nuts because it tastes excessively nutty. Even if you reduce the quantity of nuts, they still have a knack for bullying all the other flavours and overpowering the sauce. Toasting nuts also adds an extra level of uncertainty because until you've added them to your pesto, you will never know how strong they taste. Because pesto is all about a harmonious balance of flavours, we find the extra uncertainty unwelcome.

Something that lots of people like is that toasting pine nuts makes them crunchy. Although we like a little texture in our sauce, a great pesto should never crunch when eaten.

The argument for toasting pine nuts

If we're the devil's advocate for a second, one reason to toast your pine nuts is that the process intensifies their nutty flavour, meaning you can get away with using less of them. That's quite handy when considering how prohibitively expensive they are.

The best way to toast pine nuts

If you decide toasting pine nuts is right for you, then dry frying them is best. However, be aware that it relies on you watching them like a hawk because they are incredibly prone to burning. Simply place a single layer of nuts in a dry, cast-iron skillet or non-stick frying pan and heat over medium-high heat, agitating constantly to ensure they don't scorch. When the nuts have deepened in colour and a toasty smell fills your kitchen, remove them from the heat and allow them to cool. Over-toasting will make them bitter, and you can do nothing to rectify that once it has happened.

Other methods to toast your pine nuts

Some people use their oven to toast pine nuts, but because ovens are notoriously bad at holding accurate temperatures, you'll need to check on them every minute or two. Simply heat a fan oven to 180°C, line a baking tray with parchment paper, and place the pine nuts on it, keeping them in a single layer. Shake the tray every minute or two and remove from the heat when the nuts have turned golden brown.

It is possible to toast pine nuts using an air fryer, a grill, or even a microwave, but we've had such dubious results with these methods that we simply don't recommend them.