4 Simple Steps To Roast Chestnuts in the Oven (2024)

This year, if you’re looking to put a twist on your holiday party,chestnutsmight be your favorite new go-to. It’s incredibly easy (and health-smart) to wrap this tasty tradition into your holiday season.

Chestnutsare the stuff of holiday songs that conjure up all sorts of festive thoughts. And according topreventive cardiologydietitian Kate Patton, MEd, RD, CSSD, LD, you can feel good about cracking into this tradition because they have many nutritional benefits, too.

“Chestnutsare a great way to have a special holiday recipe without adding too much sugar and fat to our already cheating-a-little dieting trends during the holiday season,” she says. “If you’re going to choose a new recipe, why not go healthy and festive?”

They can be delicious eaten warmby themselves, ora festiveaddition tosalads, soups, stuffingand even somedessertrecipe​s.​

How or where can I buychestnuts?

Depending on your location and how they’re packaged you can buy them ground, dried, puréed or vacuum-packed at many grocery stores year round. (So they don’t have to be just for the holiday season.)

Freshchestnutsare in season and generally available from fall through December in the U.S., making them a perfect holiday treat.

Arechestnutsgood for you?

According to Patton,chestnutscontain potassium, B and C vitamins.

And while treenutsare typically high in fat with a moderate amount of protein and low in carbohydrates,chestnutsare unique in that they are high in carbohydrate and low in fat and protein, Patton says.

“Enjoy themin moderation and just make sure youdon’toverdo them,” she says. “Try to balance them out with other carbs you think you’ll be enjoying,” she says.

“One ounce of roastedchestnutscontains 70 calories and 15 grams of carbohydrates,”she adds.

How to roastchestnuts

Step 1: Choose goodchestnuts

Roastingchestnutsbrings out their rich, sweet flavor and makes them deliciously tender. It isn’t difficult, but you do have to ensure that you buy good, quality nuts and that you roast them for the right amount of time.

Patton suggests that you look for glossy, firmnutsthat have minimal space between the shell and the meat inside. Avoidchestnutsthat have wrinkled, mottled, or dingy shells, which could mean that they are old or moldy.

“Buy more than you need because once they are open, you might find that some have actually turned bad and are not edible,” she says.

Step 2: Prepare by scoring each nut

Preparing thechestnutsis fairly simple. You’ll need a cutting board, small sharp knife, baking pan and possibly a kitchen towel.

Here are te detials of what you do in this step:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Wipe off thechestnutswith a clean, damp cloth.
3. Place each chestnut, flat side down, on the cutting board and using your knife, cut an “X” into it. This will allow steam to escape as they roast.
4. Put thechestnutsin a baking pan with the “X” facing up.

Step 3: Roast thechestnutsand keep a close watch

Depending upon the size of thechestnutsand your oven, cooking times can vary. Generally,chestnutstake about 20 to30 minutes to roast. You can stir them occasionally to help them cook evenly.

When cooked, the shells will burst open, and the chestnut will be golden brown.Roastuntil the shells begin to peel back where you cut into them.

“Keep a careful watch to ensure they are not overcooked or undercooked,” Patton says. “Either will result in hardchestnutsand the inner skin will be difficult to remove.”

Step 4: Peelchestnutswhile they’re warm

Next, you’ll peel them. Do this while they’re still warm but cool enough to touch. If you wait too long, it will be more difficult to remove the shells.

Serve immediately if possible when they’ll have the best flavor, and enjoy!

“Once you get this easy recipe down, you’ll be bringing both a healthy new recipe as well as a new tradition to your holiday,” Patton says.