What Are Walnuts and How Can I Use Them?

Here's everything worth knowing about walnuts and how to pick them, what they are, how to store them, and what to use instead, plus 2,055 recipes to cook tonight.

What are walnuts?

The walnut is a hearty heart-healthy snack on its own and adds a wholesome bit of crunch to a 'wide variety of dishes. Encased in a grooved, light-brown shell, the walnut kernel is formed by two off-white, uneven lobes and has a mildly sweet and sometimes bitter taste.

Most of the nutritional value of walnuts is in their polyunsaturated fats, which also make walnuts quite perishable.

Storage

When walnuts remain in their shells, they can last a few months unrefrigerated in a cool, dark place, up to six months refrigerated or a year frozen. Unshelled nuts are the best choice for long-term storage.

Shelled walnuts should be stored in an airtight container and can last up to four months in the refrigerator or longer if kept frozen.

Walnuts have a wonderful earthy and savory flavour with a slightly waxy texture that works well in both sweet and savory recipes. They give cakes and brownies as well as salads and sides a delightful crunch. Many consider walnuts a super-food as they contain Omega-3 which is beneficial to heart health. Just a handful a day can make a difference. Walnuts go brilliantly with cheese, honey and fruits. Easy walnut treats Caramelize walnut halves in a skillet with some sugar and a bit of water. The sticky and crunchy result is perfect on top of ice cream, pies or even some low-fat ricotta cheese.

Nutrition

Where found

Walnuts are usually found in the baking supplies section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group

Walnuts are a member of the Nut and Seed Products US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

How much do walnuts weigh?

Related

Nut and Seed Products

Recipes using walnuts

There are 2055 recipes that contain this ingredient.

Delightful Vegan Brownies

Vegan brownies built on the Depression-era wacky cake method: no eggs, no butter, no milk. Vinegar and baking soda do the lifting for a fudgy, chewy chocolate brownie that mixes in one bowl.

Chocolate Fudge Brownies

One-bowl fudgy cocoa brownies with brown sugar and chopped walnuts. Melted butter and cocoa replace bar chocolate for a deeply chocolatey brownie that's ready in 35 minutes.

Favourite Chocolate Crackles

Chocolate crackle cookies: fudgy chocolate dough rolled in powdered sugar that splits into white-and-black crackle patterns as they bake. Holiday cookie tin classic.

Mary's Most Loved Brownies

Mary's most loved brownies are a one-bowl, melted-butter-style fudgy brownie recipe with cocoa powder, four eggs for chewy lift, and optional walnuts or peanut butter chips. Mix, pour, bake. No mixer, no chopping chocolate.

Marry's Yummy Brownies

Unsweetened chocolate melts into butter for simple brownies with walnuts that bake low and slow into fudgy squares.

Seascape Pumpkin Bread

Moist pumpkin bread with cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and optional toasted walnuts. Large-batch quick bread that yields two loaves perfect for fall gifting, freezing, or holiday breakfasts.

First Classic Brownies

Classic from-scratch brownies made with real melted unsweetened chocolate for deep, bittersweet flavor. Rich, fudgy squares studded with optional walnuts, no boxed mix in sight.

Mom's Favorite Brownies

Dark chocolate, corn syrup, and crunchy walnuts bake into fudgy brownies with crackly tops that taste like Mom's kitchen in every bite.

Green Beans with Walnuts & Tarragon

Lovely mingle of flavours. I toasted the walnets. Used dried tarragon but soaked in the oils w/orgainc cider vinegar in advance. Oh yeah and added 1 clove of finely minced garlic. A big hit with or without the garlic. High class side dish using the fresh beans from my local country road farmer.

Oreo Cookie & Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches

Store-bought chocolate ice cream mixed with toasted walnuts and dried cherries, with homemade oreo cookies make these addictively delicious ice cream sandwiches that will for sure please your sweetest tooth :)

Canal Street Brownies

Canal Street brownies are dense, fudgy chocolate squares baked with unsweetened chocolate, optional walnuts, and a single 8-inch pan. A from-scratch brownie that beats any boxed mix in 40 minutes.

Vanilla Walnut Bread Machine Coffee Cake

A bread machine coffee cake with honey, vanilla, and an egg-rich dough studded with brown sugar and crunchy walnuts. Warm from the machine, it fills the house with the smell of Sunday morning.

World's Fudgiest Brownies

Indulge in the ultimate chocolate experience with these rich, dense, and fudgy brownies. Perfectly balanced with a crackly top and a moist center, this simple recipe delivers irresistible flavor in every bite. Ideal for chocolate lovers and easy enough for beginner bakers.

Charles Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Banana chocolate chip muffins loaded two ways with banana, mashed for moisture and diced for fruity chunks, plus chocolate chips and walnuts. Brown sugar makes them rich, bakery-style, and tender.

Mocha-Walnut Cookies

Mocha walnut cookies bake coffee-spiked, cinnamon-warmed butter cookies and finish each warm cookie with melted chocolate chips smeared on top. Coffee-shop cookies with a frosted finish.

Rolled Baklava with Honey Syrup

Rolled baklava swaps the usual diamonds for crisp phyllo logs filled with spiced walnuts, baked golden then dipped in honey-lemon syrup. The cold-syrup dip keeps every flaky roll crisp, not soggy.

Best Chocolate Walnut Cookies

Slice-and-bake chocolate walnut cookies built on a flourless-style dough with a pound of melted semi-sweet chocolate, espresso, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Crackly tops, fudgy centers, almost no flour.

Eva's Zucchini Bread

Eva's zucchini bread bakes a tender, cinnamon-spiced quick bread loaded with shredded zucchini, walnuts, and optional raisins. Two-loaf recipe perfect for using up a summer garden glut.

Honey-Wheat Pumpkin Muffins

Honey-wheat pumpkin muffins fold pumpkin purée and walnuts into a half-whole-wheat batter sweetened with honey. A wholesome 30-minute breakfast muffin with autumn flavor.

Maple Muffins with Apples

Hearty oat and grated apple muffins sweetened with pure maple syrup. Yogurt keeps them moist, walnuts add crunch, and they're done in 40 minutes start to finish.

Mom's Baklava

Mom's baklava layers buttery phyllo with a blend of ground almonds and walnuts, soaked in cinnamon-lemon honey syrup. The cool-syrup-over-hot-pastry trick keeps every flaky layer crisp.

Berry's Brownies

Berry's brownies: four-ingredient walnut brownies from a brownie mix base. Eggs, vanilla, and a generous handful of chopped walnuts turn boxed mix into a fudgy bakery-style square.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Raisin Cookies

Hearty oatmeal cookies loaded with chocolate chips, raisins, and walnuts. This big-batch recipe makes 48 thick, chewy cookies with wholesome oats and sweet-tart raisins.

Nutty Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Oatmeal raisin cookies with toasted walnuts, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, and a hit of nutmeg. Chewy in the middle, crisp on the edges, and packed with three cups of rolled oats for serious texture.

Sage & Walnut Pesto Pasta

Sage and parsley bring herbal, earthy, and outdoorsy notes to the forefront, walnuts bring meaty richness, and Parmesan brings home the umami. This simple recipe is all about technique. The pesto then coats the pasta dreamily. Best of all, it's super simple and quick to plate.

All 2,055 recipes