Basil Pesto Party Almonds
Basil pesto-covered, toasted almonds make an irresistible snack or appetizer! They're full of fresh flavor and good for you, too.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 5, 2024
I hope you all had crazy fun weekends to make up my totally tame past couple of days. Please, tell me stories about late nights and bottomless brunch mimosas so that I may live vicariously through you.
As for me? I stared at this screen a lot and cleaned, mostly. I bathed my puppy dog (Cookie wants you to know that she is so fresh and so clean clean), moisturized my handbags (you guys, itโs like I got brand new purses) and finally, cleaned off my camera lens and viewfinder. I can see!!! All hail the transformative power of cleaning. Please donโt tell my mother I just said that.
I hadnโt cleaned my lens since, ah, I donโt even remember, but definitely not since I toured a dusty almond orchard last month. The Almond Board of California invited a group of dietitians and bloggers out to visit the Sacramento area and learn about almonds. To clarify, they covered our expenses, but Iโm not sharing the experience out of obligationโI genuinely thought it was interesting and thought you might, too.
It was a whirlwind trip and I was only there for one full day. On that day, we woke up early for a group yoga session before breakfast, followed by what I can only call, โAlmond School,โ which lasted from 9 am to 3 pm. My main takeaway? Almonds are good for you. But you know that.
We snacked on almonds as we learned about the satiating effect of almondsโwhich is certainly true, because I ate so many almonds that I wasnโt hungry for lunch. I realized that snacking is BIG business and that all the different food industries are fighting over pieces of the pie. Did you know that Americans now eat, on average, 2.3 snacks per day? And we make 4.4 snack food/beverage choices snacking occurrence. Snack, snack, snackity snack.
Some other fun facts from my notes:
Almond trees actually start out as peach trees, then almonds are grafted onto the trunk and the tree grows into an almond tree. (Almonds and peaches are botanically related, which is also why they taste so good together.)
Fuzzy, green baby almonds are called nutlets! Theyโre pickled and served as a delicacy elsewhere in the world.
One hundred percent of U.S. grown almonds are grown in California, so Iโm still wondering why the Almond Board of California isnโt called the Almond Board of the United States.
There are no genetically modified almonds.
Seventy-two percent of California almond farms are family owned, with fifty-one percent owning fewer than 49 acres, so youโre often supporting family farms when you buy almonds. High five!
I found the section on global almond consumption and subsequent almond marketing efforts totally fascinating. For instance, most European almond consumption comes in the form of desserts. In contrast, in India, almonds are sold in their shells. Indian mothers like to offer their children several almonds per day in a display of motherly love, treating them almost like vitamins.
The Japanese pay a premium for smooth skinned, flawless almonds, which are a far cry from the almonds I bought at Trader Joeโs. This American doesnโt mind the nicks, thoughโthey all taste the same to me.
Naturally, they offered us a variety of almonds to snack on during school. We all ate a lot of almonds that day, and we all went, โWoah,โ when we tasted these basil pesto-covered snacking almonds. Theyโre crunchy, savory, herbaceous and utterly irresistible. They arenโt the prettiest of appetizers, but Iโm confident they would be a big hit at your next party nonetheless. I just couldnโt keep them to myself.
For the record, I tried to make a vegan version with olive oil instead of egg whites and nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan, but they just didnโt work. The egg whites are essential hereโthey basically glue the blended basil to the nuts. Any ideas on vegan binders that might do the trick?
Basil Pesto Party Almonds
These roasted, pesto-covered almonds make an irresistible snack or party appetizer. Recipe yields 2 cups pesto almonds.
Ingredients
- 2 egg whites
- ยผ cup packed whole basil leaves
- ยพ teaspoon salt
- ยฝ teaspoon garlic powder
- ยผ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 cups whole, unsalted almonds
- ยผ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a blender, combine the egg whites, basil leaves, salt, garlic powder and red pepper flakes. Process on low speed until mixture is pureed. In a small mixing bowl, toss the basil egg white mixture with the almonds until well combined. Let the almonds soak up some of the excess moisture for a few minutes. Stir in the Parmesan. Use a large mixing spoon to transfer the almonds to the prepared pan, leaving any excess basil mixture in the bowl.
- Spread almonds in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or longer, stirring every 15 minutes, until the basil mixture is dried and the almonds are sufficiently crunchy. Let the almonds cool completely, then store in an air-tight container. Mine are in a freezer-safe bag in the freezer for my next girlsโ night.
Notes
Recipe adapted, with permission, from the Almond Board of California.
Serving suggestions: I think these nuts would go well with my roasted grape and brie crostini, lemon Parmesan popcorn, red bell cocktail (bell pepper and gin), grapefruit, honey and rosemary cocktail. The Almond Board suggests glasses of Chianti or sauvignon blanc.
Change it up: Iโm pretty sure you could substitute a variety of nuts for the almonds. You could also substitute arugula for the basil.
If you love this recipe: Youโll also love my rosemary roasted nuts.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionistโs advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
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Oh I totally want to go to Almond School! And Iโm blown away that almond trees start as peach trees. What a cool fact. Thanks for sharing these great photos and this recipe. Looks delicious!
Right?! Thanks, Liz!
these sound INCREDIBLE. Iโve been snacking on the new savory KIND bars, and canโt get enough. These sound right up my ally!
Love these almonds, what a fab snack! I had no idea that almond trees start as peach trees โ incredible!
Isnโt that cool?!
I want to go to almond school! I love almonds and โsnackโ on them almost every day. Peaches are my favorite fruit so maybe that explains why I love them both so much. Thanks for that fun fact. Canโt wait to try these almonds. How can you go wrong with almonds and basil!
Ha! A clean pup is a happy pup! Glad Cookie got all cleaned up. I love this idea for almonds โ such a different, yummy, way to enjoy them!
Nutlets โ cutest thing Iโve ever heard! I loved hearing about the family-owned farms & the fact that they arenโt GMO too; good to know! As for a vegan egg-white replacement, I use almond milk โ it sounds strange, but it goes glossy and crunchy โ perfect for roasted nuts!
Hmmm, interesting! I wonder if almond milk has the necessary binding capabilities for these. Another commenter just reported success with a chia egg, so Iโm excited to try that out!
This is so fascinating! Iโm so glad you posted all of this information .. and the recipe is so interesting, Iโm intrigued. I also appreciate you mentioning that youโve tried alternatives so that way we know exactly why you stuck with those ingredients (instead of me unknowingly creating a small disaster in my kitchen and wasting perfectly good almonds). I would love to try this!
Thanks, Marquis! Glad you appreciate my notes. :)
I had NO IDEA that almonds and peaches were related! No wonder the flavors pair so wonderfully together.
These almonds sound amazing!
Hi, these almonds look amazing, Iโll try them for sure! You could try to blend together flaxseeds/linseed and a little bit of water to release the albumin, that usually works well enough to replace egg whites in any recipe that doesnโt call for stiff peaks.
Thanks, Marina! I bet that would work. Another commenter reported that she used chia seeds with success.
Wow, they start out as peach trees! Almonds are definitely one of those things Iโd never thought about where they come from. Thanks for the lesson :)
What an interesting trip! I love that almond branches are grafted onto peach trees! Who knew! I wonder if you could have a customer grafted tree that produced both peaches and almonds???
Anyway- my boss recently took a business trip to japan and brought me (among other things) a big back of roasted almonds still in their shell. Theyโre soooo good- I think I might have to try this recipe.
You know, I think it might be possible to make almond/peach trees. They might have mentioned that. Some almond distributors are starting to sell in-shell almonds in the U.S., so you might see some soon! If you smell a bag of those in-shell almonds, thatโs what the orchard smells like!
Yes, you can easily graft related trees onto each other. I grafted some apricot onto peach and some pear onto apple. When we moved to our current property I thought I had another peach tree until the fuzzy fruit never changed from green and instead started to split and spit out these almonds (of course another big clue was that the tree didnโt have peach leaf curl!).
As for almonds starting out as peaches, most fruit trees are grafted onto rootstocks of various environmentally positive qualities (pest resistance, dwarfing qualities, etc.). Quince is used, as is something called beach cherry for some stone fruits.
So interesting! Thanks, Janet!
I love the sound of a nutlet โ how adorable! I am a huge fan of all almonds, but Iโm really into marcona almonds right now. Trader Joeโs has some with herbs and salt that I think you would love! These almonds look wonderful, and I could definitely see them being a hit at parties. And great idea to freeze them โ I would have never thought of that!
Ohhh, Iโll keep an eye out for those marcona almonds! I just bought some more almonds at Trader Joeโs yesterday.
This must have been such a fascinating day! Your photos are beautiful!
I LOVE these! They look amazing! Love your site, just realized you live in KC! GO ROYALS!
Thanks, Becky! Iโve lived here for two years now and Iโm going to go watch my first Royals game tonightโฆ I canโt claim to be up to speed on KC sports, thatโs sure!
I love that you visited where the food originates. Did the tour I collude any information on the current water shortage problems? This article from slate gives an interesting angle on almond consumption
Hey James, good question. I learned that over the past twenty years, almond farmers have reduced their water needs per pound of almonds by 33 percent. The Almond Board has funded quite a few research studies that have improved water efficiency for the whole industry. As a result, the farmers are pretty high tech when it comes to saving water (they use micro irrigation, soil maps, watering schedules, etc.). The farmers that I met clearly appreciated that water is precious and expensive and want to use as little water as necessary.
Interesting! Personal interaction beats information from the media anyday :)
Well, THAT was interesting. Really. I donโt think Iโll ever look at a little almond again without thinking about those moms in India passing them to their children like vitamins!. I have a whole row of basil in my garden just waiting for me to do something with it. I think your recipe is the answer! thanks.
I made a chia egg (1 tbsp chia seeds and 4 tbsp water) and let it gel before pureeing it in with the pesto. worked great!
Awesome!!! Thanks for solving my conundrum, Tricia!
What a great snack!!! Looks yummy!
Love this post! Super interesting!! For the recipe- did you use raw almonds?? I am guessing yes but thought I should ask.
Yes!
Wow, Iโm so glad someone made them vegan and reported back- my momโs birthday is next week and she LOVES almonds AND pesto. I canโt wait to make a batch of these for her!
http://www.youtube.com/sparklesandsuch26
These almonds sound so delicious! Nom nom nom. I am definitely going to harvest some of the last garden basil for this, no question. :) California: we grow everything!
Almond school sounds fantastic, and you even got to start your day with yoga! Amazing! I canโt believe almonds grown from peach trees, but I definitely agree they taste delicious together :-)
How fun, Kate! That is so cool you got to tour an almond orchard and go to almond school, haha. I had no idea that almond trees started out as peach trees, thatโs so interesting! I do love almonds and peaches together! These pesto almonds sound amazing and Iโm guilty of being a huge snacker so I definitely see them in my life soon :)
As one of those family farms in California I do thank you for supporting almond growers everywhere! And one of the perks of being married into almond family is the amount of almonds I have at my house (can you say well over 100 POUNDS!?) This post reminds me of my rosemary peppered almond recipe too. So yummy!
Over 100 pounds?! Goodness! Your almond recipe sounds amazing!
Party almonds sound simply grand! I love the idea of having a big batch of these out on the table at Christmas time, and for all the parties of the holiday end of the year :)
Almond school sounds super interesting. Now I need to find out more about our almonds here in Australia. Iโm certainly responsible for consuming my own few pounds every year :)
Wow Kate, what an incredible experience! Pretty much my dreamโฆI might have asked if I could just stay and work in the almond orchard forever. :) I canโt wait to make this recipe!
Yum! Those look like the perfect snack for my long flight this weekend.
I would have never thought to pair roasted almonds with pesto. Iโm intrigued!!
I knew almonds were awesome, but I didnโt know they were THIS awesome!! Woot woot. I am going to make a big batch of these to celebrate my new knowledge.
I donโt think I could live without my raw almond stash(es)! Such great factoids, thanks Kate :) I totally think you made these look pretty! Sounds delicious
Well my computer crashed as I left a comment so not sure if it worked but as one of the percent that are family owned almond farms in California, I thank you for buying our stuff! :)
Thank you, Kathleen!
I want those almonds! I freaking love almonds and if theyโre BASIL PESTO then I just might die. Letโs walk soon!
Yes! Just say when! I want to meet those beautiful babies already!
i havenโt tried with this particular recipe, but an egg replacement/egg white replacement that might work for this is 2 tbsp water mixed with 1 tbsp of oil and 2 tbsp of baking powder
Hey thanks, Victor. Baking soda tastes super salty so I would be worried about it affecting the flavor in this recipe.
What a great experience! Iโve driven past all those almond trees before and It is such a sight. These pesto almonds sound to die for!
Have made these for a few parties and always get the โWhoa!โ I substituted the red pepper flakes with a smoky Ethiopian spice called berbere.
You are my go to page for my friends who want to try โmeat freeโ living. I tell them โ this isnโt diet food. Itโs just really good recipes!
Thank you for this recipe. How long can you store these nuts in an airtight jar? Do they need to be refrigerated?
Ho Christine, I had luck storing mine in the freezer for a few days until I served them.
So I may have missed it in the description (Iโm always behind so I jumped right to the recipe) or maybe in the โcommentsโ, but are the almonds supposed to be ROASTED unsalted almonds or raw almonds? I bought raw (again, in a hurry) and I think that must have been wrong. House smells great and they are tastyโbut a little โchewyโ even after 45 minutes plus 5 more at 350 degrees (preheating for you maple tahini popcorn!) Love your recipes!
Hi! See step 3. You will want raw as you will be roasting them.
This recipe is delicious, the perfect way to use my overgrown basil. The nuts roasted up beautifully preparing this in my countertop convection oven. Although the pan is half sized it took me longer to roast them but I didnโt mind at all. Thank you for being my go-to when looking for recipes, Iโm never disappointed.
Thatโs great to hear, Shelby!
I was looking for high protein snacks and tried these. What a satisfying treat! Easy to make, delicious and just a small handful takes the edge off of my hanger pains. Making again today for a party.
As a binder would ground flaxseed and water work a flax egg ratio?
I made these tonight according to the recipe. I would reduce the salt. I have had them in the oven for 40 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Still not crunchy. Wonder what I have done wrong.
Iโm sorry to hear that! Were your almonds older?
No, they were fresh from the package. No worries, I think I will try this recipe again. Thank you for your wonderful site.
Youโre welcome, Peggy!