Roasted chestnuts are my absolute favourite treat in Winter and so incredibly underrated! With just one ingredient, they’re incredibly easy to make at home, yet packed with flavour and health benefits. Chestnuts are naturally sweet, high in fibre, and a good source of antioxidants — perfect for nourishing your body while satisfying your snack cravings. Plus, roasting them fills your kitchen with that cozy autumn aroma you just can’t resist.
This recipe shows you how to roast chestnuts simply and how to peel them easily, so you can enjoy this seasonal favourite anytime. Whether as a quick snack or added to your winter meals, roasted chestnuts bring warmth and wholesome goodness to the table.
One of my fondest childhood memories is sitting around the table with my mum and dad peeling and enjoying warm roasted chestnuts together. Those moments of simple joy and connection make this snack even more special to me. It’s a tradition I love to continue with Alan, who wasn’t a fan at the beginning and now love them too!
Bake them in the oven or air fryer, and enjoy a warm, nutty snack that pairs perfectly with the cooler months.
Tips
- IMPORTANT! Cut a horizontal slit on the rounded side of each chestnut before roasting — this prevents them from exploding and makes peeling easier.
- Wrap hot chestnuts immediately in a clean tea towel to keep them warm and moist, which loosens the shell.
- Peel chestnuts while still warm; once cold, the shell sticks and becomes difficult to remove.
- You can air fry chestnuts: If I only make a small batch I add them to my air fryer basket, it’s much quicker.
Swaps
If fresh chestnuts aren’t available, you can use vacuum-packed cooked chestnuts found in some supermarkets — they save time but miss the fresh roasted flavour. I add these chestnuts to my shopping list during the warmer months, when fresh chestnuts are not available because they are a super healthy snack, filling, nutritious and satisfying but they are no where near as tasty as freshly roasted ones, just to warn you!
Storage
Fridge: Store peeled chestnuts in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freezer: Freeze peeled chestnuts in a sealed bag or container for up to 3 months. Defrost fully before use (I sometime can t wait and eat them frozen, so delicious!)
More Snacking Ideas
Roasted Chestnuts
Ingredients
- 400 g chestnuts
Instructions
- With a knife make a cut on each chestnut. Cut the rounded part of the chestnut, horizontally (like I do in the video). The reason is to prevent the chestnut from exploding in the oven while cooking. Literally! So make sure you don’t skip this part. Be careful while using the knife, chestnuts are quite hard to cut.. so watch your fingers.
- Bake in the oven at 250C (it’s the maximum heat of my oven) for 15-18 minutes. You can also bake in the air fryer at 230C for 15 mins
- Once out of the oven transfer straight away onto a tea towel and wrap them. The reason why is to keep the chestnuts moist and warm for as long as possible: this will allow you to easily peel them. Start peeling them one by one, keep the chestnuts underneath the tea towel while you are peeling the others.