Walnuts are high in calories. Hence, although they’re super healthy foods, we have to consume them in moderation. As a rule of thumb, most people could consume a handful of walnuts per day, which has about 180 calories.
How many calories are in walnuts?
Actually, walnuts have many calories. You should be very cautious with portion sizes. Especially, if you want to lose weight. Walnuts have approximately 650 calories per 100g, or 785 calories per cup. The calorie content depends on the variety.
English walnuts have slightly more calories than black walnuts. English walnuts have approximately 5.6% more calories than black walnuts.
| calories, black walnut | calories, English walnuts | |
| 100g | 619 | 654 |
| 1 oz (7 walnuts) | 175 | 185 |
| 10 walnuts | 251 | 625 |
| 5 walnuts | 125 | 132 |
| 4 walnuts | 100 | 106 |
| 3 walnuts | 75 | 79 |
| 2 walnuts | 50 | 53 |
| 1 walnut | 25 | 26 |
A handful of walnuts contains 7 walnuts and has about 180 calories. 4 walnuts have approximately 100 calories.
Most calories of walnuts come from fat
Actually, walnuts have many calories because they’re particularly high in fat. Fat is by far the most calorie-dense macronutrient. 1 gram of fat has 9 calories, while 1 gram of protein or carbohydrate has only 4 calories.
About 85% of calories of walnuts come from fat. English walnuts have more calories because they have a higher fat content. They have almost 10% more fat than black walnuts.
The other calories come mainly from protein. Walnuts have low amounts of carbs and sugar.
Are other walnut-based foods high in calories?
All food recipes containing walnuts are high in calories. In most cases, they have added sugar as well.
| calories per 100g | |
| granola | 470 |
| cookies | 465 |
| brownie | 420 |
| soft cake | 335 |
| bread | 260 |
| salad | 185 |
Walnut butter is also particularly high in calories. It contains 625 calories per 100g, or 200 calories per serving (2 tbsp).
Moreover, walnut flour has 667 calories per 100g, or 100 calories per 3 tbsp.
Walnut oil has the most calories than other walnut-based foods. It’s almost 100% fat. Walnut oil has 884 calories per 100g, or 120 calories per tbsp!
Do walnuts have fewer calories than other nuts?
Walnuts aren’t the most calorie-dense nuts, though. There are other nuts with a much higher calorie content, such as macadamia nuts, pecans, Brazil nuts, and hazelnuts.
In fact, walnuts have 10% fewer calories than macadamia nuts, which are the nuts with the most calories.
| calories per 100g | calories per serving | |
| macadamia nuts | 718 | 201 |
| pecans | 691 | 193 |
| pine nuts | 673 | 188 |
| Brazil nuts | 659 | 185 |
| hazelnuts | 646 | 181 |
| walnuts | 643 | 180 |
| almonds | 579 | 164 |
| cashews | 574 | 161 |
| peanuts | 563 | 158 |
| pistachios | 560 | 157 |
| chestnuts | 374 | 105 |
On the contrary, walnuts have 72% more calories than chestnuts, which are the nuts with the lowest calorie content.
How many walnuts can I eat per day?
As a rule of thumb, you could eat a handful of walnuts a day. This amount can actually help you lose weight, despite its high calorie content.
The best time to eat walnuts is between meals as a healthy snack. You can eat them on an empty stomach. As they have negligible amounts of sugar, walnuts don’t spike blood sugar levels. Moreover, protein and fiber in walnuts promote satiety.
Furthermore, you could eat a handful of walnuts before bed. Walnuts support a good night’s sleep!
