Who needs an open fire to roast chestnuts? You can do it yourself using your oven! Roasting and peeling chestnuts is a relatively simple process. Homemade roasted chestnuts will fill your home with a wonderful aroma– they smell like the winter holidays!
Did you know that chestnuts are sometimes referred to as the “bread of the mountain”? This is because, unlike other fatty tree nuts, chestnuts are much higher in carbohydrates. In northern Italy, before the arrival of corn, ground chestnuts were a key component in making polenta. In early 19th century America chestnuts were very common; so common, in fact, that farmers would allow their pigs to fatten up by eating the extra chestnuts that had fallen to the forest floor. The high quality lumber produced from chestnut trees was often used in furniture making and construction. During the first half of the 1800s a blight that arrived with Asian-imported trees nearly wiped out the American chestnut. Those trees were eventually replaced with heartier and more resistant chestnut trees, which are the type we see most often today. Chestnuts are now viewed as more of a seasonal holiday luxury. If you’ve ever traveled to New York City, you’ve surely noticed the sweet smell of chestnuts being roasted and sold by street vendors. It’s intoxicating!
If you would rather not go through the work of roasting and peeling your own, you can generally find pre-roasted and shelled chestnuts at major supermarkets and gourmet shops. Keep in mind that roasted chestnuts are best eaten right away, as they mold and spoil fairly quickly. NOTE: edible chestnuts are very different from horse chestnuts (commonly found in back yards), which are terribly bitter and toxic. Only use edible culinary chestnuts for roasting!
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How to Roast and Peel Chestnuts
Ingredients
- 1 pound raw chestnuts, in shell
- sharp knife, pot and strainer, large bowl
NOTES
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. To prepare your chestnuts, grasp them firmly between your thumb and index finger and carefully make a long slice across the rounded top of the chestnut with a sharp serrated bread knife. Careful, the shell is slippery. You should be able to slice it in one motion. If you have trouble cutting through, use gentle sawing motions, don't force the blade down or you run the risk of cutting your hand.
- Be sure to cut all the way through the shell.
- Once all of your chestnuts have been cut, place them into a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a simmer.
- Once the water begins to simmer, remove the chestnuts from the water using a mesh strainer or slotted spoon and transfer them to a baking sheet.
- Roast for 15 minutes, or until the shells begin to peel back where you cut into them.
- Remove the chestnuts from the oven. Place them into a bowl and cover with a towel for 15 minutes. Allowing them to steam a bit will make them easier to peel.
- Once the 15 minutes have passed, simply pull on the shell and slip the chestnut out. Some will be easier to peel than others. Both the outer shell and the tough brown skin around the chestnuts should be peeled off. If you run into any nuts that seem gooey or disintegrated inside, it means that they have spoiled. Chestnuts tend to have a short shelf life, spoiled nuts should be tossed.
- Voila! You now have freshly roasted and peeled chestnuts. They're not the easiest things to peel, but these tender, sweet and fragrant nuts are a welcome treat during the winter months.
Gabriel says
Truly helpful and easy instructions …..
I had just ruined a bunch of (two batches) of chestnuts i bought yesterday, as i could peeled none of them after raosting…..
Therefore i googleed for instructions before i ruin the remaining batch.
It’s getting increasingly cold up here in Toronto, and I’m looking forward to roast my other batch tomorrow night, as i’m sure i will succseed this time, as most people on this form report that they did, thanks to Tori!
david johnson says
So much help…trying for the first time… One they are pealed how to store if I am doing a large bunch…
Can they be frozen after roasting & pealing ?
Jeff F says
I pick my chestnuts from a tree on a property I just purchased. However, many of them had worms. Does anyone know how to tell if a nut has worms before it is roasted and opened?
Lauren says
Store them in a cool place in a container for a couple of weeks. If there are grubs they will be in the bottom of the container. Also check the shells to see if any have holes in them. For every grub you find, you will have a shell with a hole in it.
Charlotte Baroni says
Such an effective recipe that works! It was so easy to peel the chesnuts 🙂 thank you for sharing!
Ray says
Hi, I’m from New Zealand. You may be interested in my method of cooking my chestnuts in a Microwave. First remove the hard outer shell with a knife (Its easier than it sounds) you will be left with the furry bit still on the nut, discard any that are soft or going black or smell off. Place about 10 nuts in a microwave proof dish with a cup of water’ cover and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Remove from microwave and add cold water to cool them down so you can handle them, peel off the furry bit (some species of chestnut are easier to peel than others, I found a potato peeler works quite well). Return nuts to the dish with a fresh cup of water and add a teaspoon of salt. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, stir, then another 3 minutes. Remove from oven poor off the water. (Caution they will be hot) add a nob of butter if you like. That’s it .Note.. the dish tends to take on a bit of stain from the chestnuts which is hard to remove so I have a special chestnut only dish. Hope you try my method, Oh I forgot you will have to wait until autumn to get your chestnuts but we are in autumn right now, yummy.
Bob Davis says
our groceries on the grill before 4 years thought I would try something different this year they’re excellent boiled and baked thank you
Tori Avey says
Great Bob!
pollywog says
Just h ad very good beer from Corsica- made with chestnut flour ! may try with my homebrew….
Dee says
Wow. They were awesome I never put them in a pot of water before. That is the trick. Thank you so much delicious
BJones says
It was the first half of the 19th century, guess that was a typo on the 8. Some people still alive have tasted American chestnuts. Also they were different and special, both the timber–taller–and the nut, so it’s not just la-di-da and replaced with something better. That’s why many people are working to restore the American chestnut. The Oriental ones aren’t as tall and can’t take its place in the forest. It was once 1 of every 4 trees in the main Eastern woodlands, and there was something like 10 times the game because of that. The woods must’ve been way more alive! One last thing–others, like Martha Stewart, said 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Of course, the time may vary accordingly. Only saying it matters to not blow a lot of energy without even knowing it.
jana says
Okay, what did I do wrong? Raw chestnuts seemed optimal as you describe (I collected them from the ground around a tree myself, so I know they’re fresh); could barely knife thru the shells before simmering, but succeeded after. Roasting only resulted in very bitter nuts, and shells do not peel back as you describe or show in the image. Hard to carve away from the nutmeat. Maybe different variety of chestnut, not intended to be edible? Thx for any tips you might suggest.
NJ says
Jana:
Some chestnuts are edible and some (Horse Chestnuts) are not. Without seeing them and the tree from which they fell, I can’t say. You can do an internet search for a picture of each and maybe you can figure it out.
Helen says
Jana, it does sound like maybe you had horse chestnuts, unless you specifically were by a tree you know has edible ones. Where I grew up in northern NJ, there were horse chestnut trees everywhere. I always wished we could roast them! I played with them instead. 🙂
Ruth Wheeler says
.Like many others before me, I have fond memories of the chestnut vendors in NYC. They always came in a tiny brown paper bag that could only fit oh seven or eight. But, they were soooo good. Living in Florida now for years but always try to roast some chestnuts around Xmas for old times sake and cause i still miss NY after all this time. Thanks for the simmering tip, Tori. It definitely makes them easier to,peel! Happy holidays, everybody.
Kenneth says
Thanks !!! It’s been a long time. My father use to roast them when I was a boy.
Dana says
Since finding Tyler Florence’s Chestnut Sausage Sage Dressing, chestnuts are a staple at Thanksgiving. Trying out the water thing since we have had bleeding fingers from trying to shell these bad boys in the past! (Not to mention the scratches all over your fingertips. The shells hurt so much!) MY tip?! Score them with a wine bottle opener tip. You can hold it like a paring knife and once you pierce the skin there is nothing exposed to cut you. Just drag it through the length of the shell. So easy. Thanks for the recipe. Crossing my fingers!
Dan says
I have wondering for years now, how the ny venders get there chesnuts so rich and creamy. Thanks to your post, it has to be the simmer step, cause like everybody else I baked for 30 min or so and most were good, but never like New Yorks. Can’t wait to try this way tomorrow…cheers
Bharat says
As the chestnuts season has started so i was browsing to check the bet and easy ways to roast & peel the very difficult of the nuts.
Found one and its very simple and surely helpful. Today i will try the same method and am confident to succeed.
Marsha says
Wow! This worked great. I love chestnuts and have 5 very productive trees. I always gathered them and then gave most of them away because they were so hard to peel. Now my neighbors and family will have to get them somewhere else. I gathered my chestnuts and took them out of the burrs about 3 weeks ago. Then I put them in chip baskets and left them in my unheated sun room. It has been warm here in northwest PA. I did not have one rotten chestnut. Now I am going to use my Seal-A-Meal and freeze them.
Tori Avey says
Great Marsha! Happy to hear that. Great idea to seal and freeze them for future use.
Barbara says
I was just thinking the other day if chestnuts could be frozen. Do you freeze them before you cook them or after they have been cooked and peeled? I am excited to try this method of cooking chestnuts. My husband has always boiled them and my father roasted them. I think this combo will be perfect!
Rede says
Took five or six look-sees on Google search for ‘roasting chestnuts’ to get this which is close to the “recipe” I remember from when I was much younger. Thanks so much! And esp. thanks for warning on how perishable chestnuts are — unlike other nuts which have a little longer shelf life!
Tori Avey says
You’re welcome Rede! Glad it was helpful. 🙂
Ted says
I have found the best chestnuts in the Korean markets. They are far superior to the Spanish chestnuts
Michael says
I just bought a large bag of chestnuts yesterday and searched online for a few ways to cook them. This is simple and effective (I liked the butter suggestion too). Thanks a lot!
Tori Avey says
You’re welcome Michael 🙂
Harold says
It’s snowing in Atlanta! A rare treat which I compounded with some chestnuts I picked up at a Korean market. I found your post and will poach and toast them this evening. As a New York transplant, I miss the street vendors like the Dickens.