How to roast chestnuts? Make oven roasted chestnuts by roasting them for 30 minutes, then peel while still hot, or they’ll be impossible to peel.
Roasted chestnuts are so comforting! Rich, warm, buttery and flavorful, all they need is oven roasting – sure, you could drizzle them with some melted butter if you wish, but truly, roasted chestnuts are amazing on their own.
How do you cook chestnuts in the oven?
The roasting itself is easy. Cut a large X on the chestnuts’ flat side to allow steam to escape, arrange on a baking sheet, and roast for about 30 minutes, until the shells burst open and the nuts are golden brown and fragrant.
Do you have to soak chestnuts before roasting?
You don’t have to, but soaking them even briefly in a bowl of hot water helps them stay moist while roasting, and possibly helps with peeling them when they’re done. I don’t always bother with this step, but I did include it in the recipe card below.
How do you peel chestnuts easily?
That’s an excellent question, the answer to which is not that simple. Peeling roasted chestnuts is the part that most find challenging. Sometimes to the point that they declare the whole thing as just not worth it.
I have learned over the years that the best way to ensure relatively easy peeling is to peel the chestnuts while they’re still hot. Not hot enough to burn your fingers, but hot enough for it to feel uncomfortable! Once cooled, roasted chestnuts are very difficult to peel.
Here’s a good story for you about peeling roasted chestnuts!
One of our most treasured family traditions is roasting chestnuts on cold winter afternoons. They make such a wonderful snack. Honey roasted nuts are wonderful too, but there’s something special about chestnuts.
So one day, a few years ago, I made some oven roasted chestnuts for our family to enjoy. We each got a small bowl, and immediately set out to peel them.
My daughter ate most of her chestnuts, and was left with one stubborn chestnut that was almost impossible to peel. I guess it has already cooled. She worked on it for a long time. When she was done, she handed it to me, proudly.
I don’t know what came over me. But in a moment of pure insanity, I somehow decided that she was giving me the chestnut, and I ate it.You should have seen the look on her face! Astonished, bewildered, and deeply disappointed.
That’s when I realized that she was simply showing me the chestnut, not giving it to me. But it was too late. I had already put it in my mouth. 😳
As you can imagine, this was not one of my finest moments as a mother. My family will never let me live it down, and rightfully so! Every year, come roasted chestnuts season, I am forced to relive one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. 😀
Are roasted chestnuts good?
I think they are wonderful. Unlike tree nuts and seeds, that most people seem to agree are good, not everyone loves chestnuts.
Chestnuts are different than tree nuts. They are bigger and softer. Their flavor isn’t nutty but more buttery. I think they are amazing! But if you’ve never tasted a chestnut, you will need to decide for yourself.
Are roasted chestnuts healthy?
I believe they are. 1/2 cup of roasted chestnuts has 175 calories, 1g of fat and 2g of protein. With 37g carbs and 3g fiber, they are not a low carb food, though. This same serving size has 20% of your daily vitamin B6 and copper requirements, 30% vitamin C and 42% manganese. Here’s some more info on chestnuts’ health benefits.
What to do with leftovers?
If you have leftover peeled chestnuts, keep them in the fridge, once completely cool, for up to 3 days. You can reheat them in a 200 degrees F oven.
Roasted Chestnuts
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 lb. raw chestnuts
- 2 tablespoons melted butter (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- With a sharp paring knife, cut a large X on the flat side of each chestnut, cutting through the shell and into the inner skin, but not into the meat. This will allow steam to escape as the chestnuts are roasting.
- Optional: Fill a bowl with hot tap water and soak the chestnuts for 5 minutes. Transfer them to paper towels to drain.
- Arrange the chestnuts, cut side up, in a single layer on a baking sheet (I like to use a large cast iron skillet). Roast until the shells curl wide open at the X and the chestnuts are golden brown and fragrant, about 30 minutes, shaking the pan midway through roasting.
- Allow the roasted chestnuts to cool just until you can handle them, then immediately peel them. Drizzle with melted butter if desired, and enjoy them warm.
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., has been following a healthy real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She has taken 
