Grublin treats tree nuts and peanut as two separate hard rules, because they are different allergies. When you set either, every recipe request states it as a critical safety constraint and the finished recipe is re-checked by Grublin's own code against a list of nut names and the dishes that imply them, such as pesto, marzipan and satay. Grublin is a free recipe app for iPhone and Android.
The dishes that don't mention the nut
A nut allergy in the family changes how you read a recipe. "Pesto" doesn't say pine nut. "Praline" doesn't say almond. "Satay" doesn't say peanut. "Nutella" is hazelnuts. You learn the vocabulary of hidden nuts and apply it to everything, every time, forever.
Grublin has learned it too. Set tree nuts, peanut or both and the check knows the implied forms as well as the names.
What the check catches
Tree nuts by name. Almond, cashew, walnut, pecan, pistachio, hazelnut, macadamia, chestnut, and "nut" as a word on its own, which also covers pine nut and brazil nut.
Tree nuts in disguise. Marzipan, praline, nougat, frangipane, gianduja, Nutella, macarons, pesto.
Peanut, separately. Peanut, groundnut, arachis (the name on some oils and labels), satay.
Not wrongly flagged. Coconut, butternut squash and nutmeg are not nuts and the word-boundary matching leaves them alone. Water chestnut, which is a vegetable, is recognised and allowed.
If any forbidden term appears in the finished recipe, Grub asks for another and you only see the one that passed.
What the check does not catch
- "May contain nuts". Factory warnings on packaged goods are invisible to Grublin. Check the packet.
- Nut oils in products. A sauce or a biscuit bought in a packet may contain nut oil without the recipe mentioning it.
- Cross-contamination in shops, bakeries and your own cupboards.
- Seeds. Sesame is its own allergen in Grublin and must be set separately; sunflower and pumpkin seeds are not flagged.
The check reduces the chance of a nut ingredient reaching your plate. For a serious nut allergy, read every label and do not rely on Grublin alone.
Tree nuts, peanut, or both?
Peanut is a legume, not a tree nut, and many people are allergic to one and not the other. Grublin keeps them separate so you set only what applies. If the allergy is to both, set both. If the household includes a child whose allergy hasn't been fully mapped, set both; a recipe without cashews is not a hardship.
Nut-free and something else
- Nut-free and dairy-free. Most dairy substitutes are almond or cashew. Set both and Grub uses oat, soy, rice or coconut instead.
- Nut-free and vegan. Vegan cooking leans hard on cashews for creaminess. Set both and the creaminess comes from beans, oats, coconut or silken tofu.
- Nut-free and gluten-free. Almond flour is a common gluten-free flour. Set tree nuts too and it is excluded.
- Nut-free and sesame-free. Often set together for a school-age child. Sesame excludes tahini, houmous and halva as well.
What you'll actually cook
Nut-free is the easiest of the allergen rules to cook around, because nuts are usually a garnish or a texture rather than the point of a dish. Expect the full range: pasta, curries without the cashew paste, stir-fries with seeds or crispy shallots instead of peanuts, tray bakes, pies, salads, soups. The real difference is the pesto that comes back made with sunflower seeds, and the satay-style sauce that doesn't exist.
Set your kit as well, so a nut-free slow cooker curry is written for the slow cooker.
Yes. Pesto, marzipan, praline, nougat, frangipane, gianduja, Nutella and macarons are all on the tree-nut list because they contain nuts without saying so. Satay is on the peanut list. Yes. Peanut is a legume and many people react to one but not the other, so Grublin keeps them as two rules. Set one or both. No. Coconut, butternut and nutmeg are not treated as nuts. Grublin states the allergen as a critical constraint in every request and re-checks each recipe, but it is AI-generated, works on ingredient names rather than brands, and cannot see "may contain" warnings. Always read every label yourself. For a serious allergy, do not rely on Grublin alone. Yes. Every recipe, including ones started from a photo of your shelf or of a dish you fancy, follows the rules you set. See photo to recipe.Questions people ask
Does Grublin know that pesto contains nuts?
Are tree nuts and peanut separate settings?
Will coconut or nutmeg be wrongly rejected?
Is Grublin safe for a child with a serious nut allergy?
Can I set nut-free for a photo recipe?