Vibrant green nut with a distinctive sweet, slightly earthy flavor. Used in desserts, ice cream, crusts, and Middle Eastern cuisine.
Substitutes
Pistachio — 1:1 shelled. Shelled pistachios are the same nut without shell. Identical flavor — just pre-shelled for convenience.
Cashew — 1:1. Cashews have similar mild sweetness and soft crunch. Lacks pistachio's green color and distinct flavor.
Pine Nut — 1:1 (by weight, in pesto, desserts, or as garnish). Pine nuts share a buttery, mild flavor with pistachios and work well in pesto, desserts, and as garnish. Both are high-fat nuts — pistachios contain about 45% fat while pine nuts have about 68% fat [USDA]. Pine nuts blend smoother in sauces due to their softer texture and higher oil content. You will lose pistachios' distinctive green color and slightly sweet, earthy character, but pine nuts compensate with their classic Mediterranean flavor [McGee].