Walnuts

Add more of this popular protein source to salads and more

Best to buy
Walnuts are available all the year round and harvested beginning in August.

Cut & clean
Walnuts are sold in the shell and shelled. Once shelled, walnuts can be chopped to the desired size and used raw or cooked.

Go nuts
Walnuts are a well-known addition to many desserts, but they also enhance savoury dishes like grains, stuffing, salads, and stir-fries.

Fresh is best
Shelled and chopped walnuts can become rancid quickly and should be used within a week or be refrigerated for up to six months or frozen for up to one year. For long-term storage, it’s best to buy unshelled nuts.

Preparation, uses, and tips

Shelled walnuts can be used straight out of the packet. Chopped walnuts are used extensively in baking, especially in foods, such as brownies and cookies, where they are added at the last stage of mixing. Walnuts are also a good addition to savoury dishes, such as grains, stuffing, salads, and stir-fries.

Buying and storing tips

Walnuts are available all the year round. Two-thirds of world’s commercial walnuts are produced in California. Walnuts are harvested in California beginning in August.

Walnuts are sold in-shell and shelled. Like most nuts and seeds, walnuts can be stored in a cool, dark place for a few months. Shelled and chopped walnuts can become rancid quickly and should be used within a week or should be refrigerated for up to six months or frozen for up to one year. For long-term storage, it’s best to buy unshelled nuts.

Varieties

There are about 15 edible varieties of walnuts, foremost among them is the Persian or English variety. This flavoursome and popular variety originated in the Middle East and does not grow in England. They were called “English” because it was the English merchants who transported the nuts to the colonies. Today, this variety is produced mostly in California. English walnuts have a thin shell that is easily cracked, and the curly nutmeat halves have a sweet flavour with a touch of the bitterness and astringency of the golden to dark-brown edible skin. Other varieties include the black or American walnut, Chinese walnut, Japanese walnut, and the butternut or white walnut. Black walnuts were a Native American staple, with a sweet flavour and a hard, sticky shell that protects dark-skinned white nutmeats.

Nutrition Highlights

Walnuts (black, dried), 1 Tbsp
Calories: 47.3
Protein: 1.9g
Carbohydrate: 0.94g
Total Fat: 4.4g
Fiber: 0.39g

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The information presented in the Food Guide is for informational purposes only and was created by a team of US–registered dietitians and food experts. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or chemist for any health problem and before using any supplements, making dietary changes, or before making any changes in prescribed medications. Information expires August 2007.