Roasted chestnuts are easy to make in the oven, air fryer, or cast-iron skillet; no soaking is required.
Nothing is cozier than a bowl of warm, earthy chestnuts on a cold winter night. They are perfect for holiday gatherings or as a healthy snack.
As a bonus, we’ll also show you how to cook chestnuts in 10 minutes in the microwave.
The magic of roasted chestnuts
Every fall, Louise and I have a little tradition. We drive through central Italy to the small hilltop town of Morre, where, at the end of October, there’s a chestnut festival called “sagra delle castagne.”
You can try freshly harvested chestnuts from the local chestnut groves or “castagneti” there.
The locals roast chestnuts on the cobblestone streets on an open fire, and whole families come together to transform this simple fruit into the most delicious dishes.
From sweet castagnaccio to creamy chestnut pasta, from chestnut soups to chocolate and chestnut truffles and creative desserts.
The whole town smells like roasted chestnuts! It’s magical.
The thing is, there are a few things that are cozier than roasted chestnuts.
As they appear in the produce aisle of supermarkets, you know that winter is coming, and it’s time to put on your fluffy sweatshirts and warm socks.
In this blog post, we will share how easy it is to cook chestnuts at home in an oven, air fryer, or cast-iron skillet.
You can even boil them in water or cook them in the microwave.
We hope to bring some of the magic of roasted chestnuts to your home.
How do you pick fresh chestnuts?
Try to get the freshest chestnuts you can so you won’t need to soak them. They’ll cook faster, and there will be fewer bad ones.
Fresh chestnuts look smooth and shiny, without imperfections, holes, or mold on the shell.
The color can range from light to dark brown and should be without dark spots.
Good chestnuts are also uniform, without bumps or indentations.
When you touch them, they should be firm and compact, and the skin should be firmly attached to the fruit inside.
If they squeak as you apply pressure, or even worse, if you shake them and they rattle, they are old. The flesh inside has dried out, and they are probably moldy.
If you bought chestnuts some time ago and forgot them in the back of your pantry, you can do a quick test to ensure they are still good.
Put the chestnuts in a bowl with cold water. If they sink to the bottom, they are good. If they float on top, they have dried out, and it’s best to discard them.
Should I soak chestnuts before roasting them?
If your chestnuts are fresh, as in, they have been harvested this season, are shiny, and hard to the touch, then there’s no need to soak them.
In our tests, soaking makes it harder to peel the chestnuts, so we don’t recommend it.
The most important thing when making roasted chestnuts is to make a cross-cut on the rounded side.
The longer the cut, the easier it is to peel the chestnuts after baking.
If your chestnuts have been sitting in your pantry for a while, you can soak them in cold water for 1 hour to 12 hours in the fridge.
How to make roasted chestnuts in the oven
Preheat the oven to 430°F or 220°C.
Place the chestnut flat-side down on a cutting board.
Hold each one firmly with your thumb and index finger and make a first horizontal cut across the shell. We recommend using a serrated knife.
This cut should span from the left to the right side of the chestnut. Pay attention; chestnut shells are slippery, and the knife might slide as you try to cut through.
Rotate the chestnut 90 degrees and make another cut, forming a cross or an x on the chestnut.
Tip: This step is essential for two reasons: 1) it prevents the chestnuts from popping in the oven, and 2) the skin will be easy to peel off once roasted.
Transfer the chestnuts to your baking tray and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on their size.
After baking, the skin should wrinkle up, and the chestnuts should be tender.
This batch took us exactly 20 minutes to bake, and they turned out perfectly tender inside and easy to peel.
Wrap the chestnuts in a clean kitchen cloth and steam for 5 minutes. This step will help the skin loosen.
Now, you can peel the chestnuts while still hot, starting from the cross opening. Remove both the brown skin and the thin, hairy peel underneath.
The chestnuts should have a bright golden color. Discard those that are black. Some might have black or dark brown spots. In this case, you can discard the dark spot and eat the rest of the chestnut.
Tip: Peel all of them when they are hot. As they cool down, it will be harder to peel them.
Questions
Make a cross-cut on the rounded edge of the chestnuts. Transfer the chestnuts to the air fryer basket. Air fry at 400°F or 200°C for 10 – 15 minutes. Remove the chestnuts from the air fryer and wrap them in a kitchen cloth. Let them cool for 5 minutes, then peel them while still hot.
Tip: The chestnuts are cooked when a paring knife slides in easily.
Make a cross-cut on the rounded edge of the chestnuts. Transfer chestnuts to a cast iron skillet, cover with a lid and cook on medium-high heat for about 20 minutes.
Move the chestnuts around the pan every few minutes. The chestnuts will char outside and produce smoke. That’s supposed to happen. I recommend opening the window.
Wrap the roasted chestnuts in a kitchen cloth for 5 minutes to cool down slightly, then peel them while still hot.
This is the most flavorful way to cook chestnuts at home because of the slight charring on the chestnuts.
Cooking chestnuts in the microwave is the fastest method; however, while they cook fast and are delicious, they are a little more difficult to peel than oven-roasted, air-fried, or pan-roasted chestnuts.
Make a cross-cut on the rounded side of the chestnuts. Put the chestnuts cut side up in a microwave-safe dish. Add 1/3 inch (1 cm) of water and microwave at full power for 10 minutes.
Drain the water, wrap in a kitchen cloth for 5 minutes to cool slightly, and then peel with a paring knife.
Serving suggestions
As a snack, starter, or side dish for a gorgeous holiday table.
You can mix them into a vegetarian stuffing or cornbread stuffing or crumble some into the filling of your mushroom Wellington.
Try them with polenta, for example, crumbled into the filling of a lasagna polenta.
Add them to a chickpea soup or vegetable soup.
Blend them for a creamy chestnut pasta, or add a handful to your favorite hummus.
Storage
Make ahead: You can make chestnuts ahead of time, but remember to peel them when they are hot, as it’s easier to remove the shell.
Refrigerator: Keep leftover chestnuts in the fridge for 2 days.
Reheat: Eat them at room temperature or reheat them for 30 seconds in the microwave.
Similar recipes
CHESTNUT RECIPES: chocolate chestnut truffles, castagnaccio, chestnut pasta.
HOLIDAY RECIPES: vegan apple cake, butternut squash soup, apple crumble, sweet potato bread, mushroom Wellington, lentil loaf, stuffed mushrooms.
Roasted Chestnuts
Ingredients
- 1 pound chestnuts
Instructions
OVEN
- Preheat the oven to 430°F or 220°C.Place the chestnut flat-side down on a cutting board.Hold each one firmly with your thumb and index finger and make a first horizontal cut across the shell. We recommend using a serrated knife.This cut should span from the left to the right side of the chestnut. Pay attention, as chestnut shells are slippery, and the knife might slide as you try to cut through.Rotate the chestnut 90 degrees and make another cut, forming a cross or an X on the chestnut.
- Transfer the chestnuts to your baking tray and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on their size.After baking, the skin should wrinkle up, and the chestnuts should be tender.Wrap the chestnuts in a clean kitchen cloth and steam for 5 minutes. This step will help the skin loosen.
- Now, you can peel the chestnuts while still hot, starting from the cross opening. Remove both the brown skin and the thin, hairy peel underneath.The chestnuts should have a bright golden color.Discard those that are black. Some might have black or dark brown spots. In this case, you can discard the dark spot and eat the rest of the chestnut.
AIR FRYER
- Make a cross-cut on the rounded edge of the chestnuts. Transfer the chestnuts to the air fryer basket. Air fry at 400°F or 200°C for 10 – 15 minutes. Remove the chestnuts from the air fryer and wrap them in a kitchen cloth. Let them cool for 5 minutes, then peel them while still hot.
CAST-IRON SKILLET
- Make a cross-cut on the rounded edge of the chestnuts. Transfer chestnuts to a cast iron skillet, cover with a lid and cook on medium-high heat for about 20 minutes.Move the chestnuts around the pan every few minutes. The chestnuts will char outside and produce smoke. That’s supposed to happen. I recommend opening the window.Wrap the roasted chestnuts in a kitchen cloth for 5 minutes to cool down slightly, then peel them while still hot.This is the most flavorful way to cook chestnuts at home because of the slight charring on the chestnuts.
MICROWAVE
- Cooking chestnuts in the microwave is the fastest method; however, while they cook fast and are delicious, they are a little more difficult to peel than oven-roasted, air-fried, or pan-roasted chestnuts.Make a cross-cut on the rounded side of the chestnuts. Put the chestnuts cut side up in a microwave-safe dish. Add 1/3 inch (1 cm) of water and microwave at full power for 10 minutes.Drain the water, wrap in a kitchen cloth for 5 minutes to cool slightly, and then peel with a paring knife.
Notes
Nutrition
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Love Chestnuts and great overview as to how to check the freshness of Chestnuts. I live in the South and I would venture to say that our Chestnuts don’t taste like Northern Chestnuts.