Raw nuts are one food that everyone seems to agree are very healthy to eat!
Whether you are vegan, vegetarian, Paleo or someone who eats the standard American diet of burgers and fries, raw nuts are one food that all acknowledge is a good addition to the diet. Hereās where the agreement about raw nuts ends.
The problem is that most people donāt know that soaking raw nuts first before eating them is very important. Soaked raw nuts are far more digestible than plain raw nuts. The soaking process eliminates anti-nutrients and improves nutrition while still maintaining rawness. Note that soaking does not eliminate the high amount of oxalates in nuts, however.
Raw Nuts are Seeds
While raw nuts are an extremely nutritious food, preparation is key in order to unlock maximum nutrient potential. Careful soaking deactivates any substances that could be irritating to the gut. The soaking process followed is in accordance with the wisdom of Traditional Cultures.
This is because raw nuts are a type of seed. Seeds require soaking before eating. The reason is because they contain anti-nutrients such as phytic acid and lectins that can prevent all that wonderful nutrition from being digested thoroughly.
These inhibitors can also cause digestive distress if many raw nuts are consumed. For some people, even a few raw nuts cause digestive distress. Sometimes, eating plain raw nuts can cause a rash around the mouth.
Benefits of Soaking Nuts
Deactivation of the anti-nutrients in all nuts is accomplished through sprouting or soaking. Soaking raw nuts in saltwater for a few hours and then drying in a warm (not hot) oven or dehydrator is all that is required.
According to Nourishing Traditions Cookbook, soaking and drying of raw nuts mimic the wise practice of the Aztecs. This culture soaked pumpkin seeds in brine and then dried them in the sun before grinding into flour or eating them whole.
Soaking nuts is a particularly helpful practice if you find raw nuts irritating to your stomach or mouth. My husband can eat soaked raw nuts with no problem. If he eats unsoaked raw nuts, however, he frequently experiences digestive issues and sometimes irritation around the mouth.
The anti-nutrients in raw nuts really bother some people. Even if you have no symptoms, you are likely not absorbing their wonderful nutrition as well as you could.
How Many per Day to Eat?
While extremely nutritious, it is best to keep the amount of soaked raw nuts consumed each day to a closed handful at most. This is in keeping with the recommendation of Dr. Kellyann Petrucci ND, author of the Bone Broth Diet. The reason is that most nuts contain an abundance of polyunsaturated fats, which are easily overconsumed. Too many polyunsaturates in the diet can contribute to inflammation and weight issues.
The one exception to this is macadamias. These nuts that are native to Australia contain mostly saturated and monounsaturated fats and an extremely small amount of polyunsaturated fats per serving.
By the way, if youāve ever wondered how nuts rank nutritionally, the linked article provides the breakdown of the healthiest to unhealthiest types of nuts.
Where to Buy Quality Soaked Raw Nuts and Nut Butters
Donāt have time to soak and dry raw nuts yourself?
Yes, it is a bit time-consuming!
Check out myĀ shopping guide for quality suppliers of soaked nuts and nut butter. We use 4-5 jars of soaked nut butter in our home every single month. Our family favorites are soaked pecan butter, soaked macadamia nut butter, soaked hazelnut butter, soaked almond butter, and soaked 4 nut blend.
How to Soak Raw Nuts
If you like to eat raw nuts whole, soaking them yourself first is very easy! Below is a recipe on how to soak the 10 most popular raw nuts followed by a video demonstrating the basic process.
Note that the process described below does not apply to a foraged superfood such asĀ acorns. This type of nut requires an extended soaking of up to a week as practiced by Native Americans to properly remove the bitter tannins before drying and eating.
In the video below, I demonstrate how to soak raw almonds and dry them in your oven to greatly improve nutrient absorption, reduce gastric distress. You will be amazed at how soaked raw nuts taste far better than unsoaked raw nuts!
The same process can be followed for macadamia nuts, pecans, brazil nuts, peanuts, etc. The video on soaking raw nuts included with the recipe below shows how easy the process is!
Soaking Cashews
Note that soaking cashews is a bit different. This is because raw cashews from the store are not really raw.
They are heat-treated twice by manufacturers to release and remove a toxic oil between the inner and outer shell.
What to Do with Soaked Almonds?
When you make your first batch of soaked almonds, try this easy recipe for blueberry almond milk!
Blend 1 cup soaked almonds, 3 cups filtered water, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 1/4 cup blueberries.Ā Serve and enjoy!
Soaked Raw Nuts Recipe
The process of soaking raw nuts to improve digestibility and eliminate anti-nutrients.
Ingredients
- 4 cups raw nuts preferably organic
- 1 Tbl sea salt
- filtered water
Instructions
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Place raw nuts in a large glass bowl (I use this one).
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Add enough filtered water to cover.
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Stir in sea salt.
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Leave uncovered on the counter forĀ 8 hours or overnight for almonds, European almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, pili nuts and macadamias.
Soak no more than 3 hours for cashews, and no more than 4-6 for walnuts, peanuts, pistachios and brazil nuts (else they will get moldy and/or slimy).
Do not mix raw nuts while soaking. You may mix while dehydrating.
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Drain water completely.
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Dry in a warm oven no hotter than 150 F/ 66 C until dry. If your oven can't be set that low, use a food dehydrator (I like this one). Dry soaked cashews in a 250 F oven.
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Store crispy nuts in airtight containers in the refrigerator or cool, dark pantry.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Do not mix different types of raw nuts together when soaking. Soak almonds separate from cashews, for example. This minimizes chances for mold developing. Also, the soaking times for various nuts are different.
Instead of soaking peanuts, this traditional boiled peanuts recipe is an option too.
Good to read.
Can I soak almonds and walnuts together?
As discussed in the post, you should not soak different types of nuts together.
Happy to see a solution to the recent scare about lectins in nuts and how to reduce their possible problems. A lectin-free very restricted diet was advised a year ago and I was very unhappy with it. I buy plentiful raw nuts from a lovely family business. I always soaked Brazil nuts, almonds, and sunflower seeds together, rinsed and drained, repeat, before adding them to my morning smoothie. I hope this 30-40 minutes soak reduces problematic issues such as lectin poisoning and anti-nutrient effects. So far, so good – as I have no digestive issues and I just completed glowing 3 day comprehensive stool kit. Just the same, wonder why sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds (soaked before using) still travel through my digestive system and stay completely whole. Any thoughts?
Perhaps a dumb question … you don’t chew up sunflower and pumpkin seeds before swallowing? I’m confused as to why they would come out whole.
But you do throw away the soak water, correct? That should definitely be thrown away, or used in plants since it’s nitrogen rich.
Yes toss the soaking water.
I read that roasting nuts can take the nutrients. Is that a fact? I was thinking to soak peanuts, cashews, almonds and walnuts (separately as instructed) then roast them
Roasting will reduce the nutrient value somewhat, yes. Why not just soak and dehydrate then eat them raw?
Hi Sarah! you mentioned sea salt. What about acidic mediums (eg yogurt, buttermilk, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar)? I remember to have read that people used water with acidic mediums. Any ideas what the difference is using acidic mediums instead of salt?
Acidic mediums are not suitable for all types of soaking. Some legumes and grain flours do best with a more acidic soak. Other types of foods (seeds and nuts) are better with an alkaline soak. If you check out the recipes/video how-to’s on this blog, when to use acidic versus alkaline soaks are specified.
I roast raw almonds at home. Does the process of home roasting provide the deactivation of the anti-nutrients? Would there be any nutritional value to soaking before roasting?
Roasting helps quite a bit, but soaking in addition would be more effective.
How do you store your soaked nuts. I heard that refrigerating them is counter productive because they might go rancid and maybe even develop mold Something like that. I’d love your opinion
If the nuts are thoroughly dried at low temp, then refrigerating is fine. That’s what I do as I live in FL and leaving them in the pantry they go stale faster than I like.
I’m confused about the rinsing. Your vid indicates you’re not rinsing the salt off after soaking & your instructions don’t mention rinsing, but in your answer to that question, you stated that you DO rinse the salt off. So, what’s the answer? Thank you?
I do not rinse the nuts after soaking most of the time. The only time I might rinse is if the bag of nuts that I poured into the bowl for soaking had a lot of tiny bits of nuts at the bottom of the bag that I wanted to rinse away before putting the wet nuts on trays to dehydrate. Hope that makes sense.
HI Sarah, love your information regarding soaking. I also have a question on pumpkin and sunflower seeds, can you give soaking times for these? Also sesame? Do they need soaking? Many Thanks
I really need to do a post on seeds only, as they are a bit different than nuts. Thank you for the suggestion. I need to gather all this info together.
I’ve noticed other bloggers rinsed the nuts after soaking – do you do that? Is there anything bad about keeping the salty water on them? Mine are already in the oven but I had a freakout moment and thought maybe I missed this step somehow…
I do not rinse the nuts before soaking. It seems to me the soaking accomplishes this already.