Nuts and seeds

Walnuts nutrition, where a spoonful counts.

For 1 oz (14 halves) of walnuts, count 186 calories. The protein in that portion is 4.3 g. Those numbers describe “Nuts, walnuts, english” in USDA FoodData Central. Use the selector that follows to match your own portion; the panel and the nutrient table track it.

By Alen Yaco · Updated 20 September 2026

Source data is USDA FoodData Central (170187). The sums run on your device and nothing leaves it.

Walnuts calories by portion

USDA puts 1 oz (14 halves) of walnuts at 186 calories and 100 g at 654. Other household measures follow, each with its weighed gram figure.

How much protein does walnuts provide?

There are 4.3 g of protein in 1 oz (14 halves) of walnuts, or 9 percent of the 50 g the FDA uses as a daily reference. You would not choose walnuts for protein: just 9 percent of its calories come from it.

Its energy is 84 percent fat, 8 percent carbohydrate and 9 percent protein, meaning it behaves as mostly a fat in a meal.

Buying, keeping and using walnuts

English walnuts dominate shops, sold shelled or in their woody, rounded shells. Look for pale, plump halves. Avoid shrivelled or darkened kernels, which indicate age and rancidity. If buying in the shell, shake them; a rattling kernel has dried out and lost its sweet, oily quality.

Heat releases the oil in walnuts, deepening their earthy flavour. Gentle toasting in a dry pan works best, but they burn rapidly because of their high oil content. The common mistake is leaving the pan unattended. Toasting also helps loosen the bitter, papery skins, which you can rub away using a tea towel.

Walnuts suit sweet and savoury dishes. In Georgian cuisine, cooks grind them into thick, garlicky sauces for poultry. Italian cooks toss them with pasta, gorgonzola, and pears. In British baking, they pair classically with coffee in cakes, or provide a bitter, oily crunch when chopped into dark bread doughs.

Walnuts: the full nutrient profile

No single nutrient dominates here. The complete USDA breakdown is below, scaled to whatever serving you set.

Fibre is a genuine strength: 6.7 g in every 100 g, which is 24 percent of the Daily Value.

Putting walnuts into a day of eating

1 oz (14 halves) of walnuts uses 9 percent of a 2,000 calorie day and returns 9 percent of the protein reference. Your own budget is probably not 2,000; the TDEE calculator works it out, and the macro calculator splits it into protein, carbs and fat.

Walnuts recipes, with the numbers

Three recipes from the Calorie Counter Team, each costed ingredient by ingredient against USDA records, so the per-serving figures are sums, not guesses.

Lunch · Italian

Walnut and Herb Pesto

A thick herb sauce made with toasted walnuts and parmesan cheese.

10 min · serves 2

602kcal

12gprotein

60gfat

9.2gcarbs

Ingredients

• 75g walnuts 75 g
• 6g garlic cloves 6 g
• 30g fresh basil 30 g
• 40g parmesan cheese 40 g
• 60g olive oil 60 g
• 3g salt 3 g

Method

1. Toast the walnuts in a dry frying pan over medium heat for 4 minutes until fragrant.
2. Transfer the toasted walnuts, garlic, basil, parmesan cheese, and salt to a food processor.
3. Pulse the mixture until finely chopped.
4. Pour in the olive oil slowly while pulsing to form a coarse paste.

Summed from 6 USDA records and divided by servings. Heat alters weight and a few nutrients, so read it as a close figure.

Dinner · British

Walnut and Lentil Loaf

A baked vegetarian loaf made with cooked brown lentils and ground walnuts.

50 min · serves 4

380kcal

13gprotein

30gfat

20gcarbs

Ingredients

• 150g walnuts 150 g
• 250g cooked brown lentils 250 g
• 110g raw onion 110 g
• 15g olive oil 15 g
• 50g raw egg 50 g
• 4g salt 4 g

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and grease a loaf tin.
2. Chop the onion and cook it in the olive oil for 5 minutes until soft.
3. Grind the walnuts in a food processor until they resemble coarse breadcrumbs.
4. Combine the processed walnuts, cooked lentils, cooked onion, beaten egg, and salt in a bowl.
5. Press the mixture into the loaf tin and bake for 35 minutes until firm.

Figures are per serving and come from 6 USDA FoodData Central entries; cooking will shift them slightly.

Breakfast · British

Banana Walnut Porridge

A hot breakfast oat porridge cooked with sliced bananas and chopped walnuts.

10 min · serves 2

401kcal

10gprotein

22gfat

45gcarbs

Ingredients

• 80g rolled oats 80 g
• 400g water 400 g
• 60g walnuts 60 g
• 120g raw banana 120 g
• 1g salt 1 g

Method

1. Chop the walnuts into 5-millimetre pieces.
2. Combine the rolled oats, water, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat.
3. Simmer the mixture for 5 minutes, stirring constantly until thick.
4. Stir in the chopped walnuts and sliced banana.
5. Divide the porridge into two bowls and serve hot.

Figures are per serving and come from 5 USDA FoodData Central entries; cooking will shift them slightly.

Calorie Counter Team, food critic

What a meal with walnuts adds up to

To see how walnuts adds up in a meal, here it is beside two ordinary companions, all three from USDA figures.

Walnuts or something else?

All figures are for 100 g. Check the form column before comparing a raw food with a cooked one.

Walnuts, asked and answered

How many calories does 1 oz (14 halves) of walnuts have?

1 oz (14 halves) of walnuts is 186 calories. That comes from the USDA record “Nuts, walnuts, english” (FDC 170187), which is 654 calories per 100 g.

How much protein does walnuts have?

1 oz (14 halves) of walnuts has 4.3 g of protein. By weight that is 15 g per 100 g, and the serving covers 9 percent of the Daily Value.

Does walnuts fit a calorie deficit?

It can fit any calorie target; no single food decides the outcome. What matters here is that 1 oz (14 halves) of walnuts costs 186 calories and returns 4.3 g of protein, so 9 percent of its energy is protein — useful alongside a protein source rather than as one.

How do you remove the bitter taste from walnuts?

Blanching the kernels in boiling water for a brief moment removes the bitter tannins from their skins. Alternatively, you can toast them lightly in the oven and rub the papery skins off with a rough cloth.

Why do walnuts sometimes taste like paint or soap?

This taste indicates that the oils inside the walnuts have oxidised and gone rancid. Walnuts have a high oil content that spoils quickly when exposed to warm air, meaning spoiled nuts must be discarded.

Sources

• Nuts, walnuts, english — USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 170187
• Daily Values for nutrition labelling, 21 CFR 101.9