There’s something magical about the scent of roasted chestnuts wafting through the air—it instantly evokes the cosy feeling of autumn and brings me back to my childhood in Italy, opening chestnuts around the table with my parents. With just one ingredient and a few simple steps, you can recreate that comforting experience at home. Chestnuts aren’t just delicious; they’re a great source of fibre and antioxidants, making them a seasonal treat with plenty of health benefits.
The secret to easy peeling lies in the preparation and handling. Cutting the rounded side horizontally helps prevent them from exploding while baking. Wrapping the roasted chestnuts in a tea towel immediately after taking them out of the oven keeps them warm and moist, making the skin much easier to remove. Be sure to peel them while still hot for the best results.
Bake them in the oven or air fryer, and enjoy a warm, nutty snack that pairs perfectly with the cooler months.
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.