Calcium is one of the most important minerals that you need.
Some nuts are high in calcium, while others are quite low.
I’ve collected nutrition data for all common nuts that I could think of in order to make a table of the amount of calcium in different nuts.
Table of Contents
How Much Calcium Do You Need?
In order to get a feeling for if a particular nut is high or low in calcium, you need to compare it to the RDA.
The NIH states that the adequate intake of calcium is around 1,000 mg for most adults.
While it’s not common, you can technically get too much. The tolerable upper limit for most adults is about 2,500 mg.
Nuts High in Calcium
The table below shows the amount of calcium per 100 grams of each nut, which is a sizable portion.
The RDA value just uses 1,000 mg as the RDA for reference.
| Calcium (mg) | Calcium (%RDA) | |
|---|---|---|
| Almonds | 268.5 | 26.9 |
| Brazil nut | 159.4 | 15.9 |
| Hazelnut | 114.1 | 11.4 |
| Pistachio nuts | 105.7 | 10.6 |
| Walnuts | 97.4 | 9.7 |
| Peanuts | 91.8 | 9.2 |
| Macadamia nut | 85.1 | 8.5 |
| Pecans | 70.7 | 7.1 |
| Cashews | 45.3 | 4.5 |
| Pine nuts | 16.0 | 1.6 |
There’s quite a big difference among different nuts. Almonds have over 15 times the amount of calcium that pine nuts do.
Which Nuts Are Highest in Calcium?
Almonds are by far the nut that is highest in calcium. With about 270 mg in a 100 gram serving, they provide just over a quarter of the RDA for most people.
Brazil nuts are clearly the second highest in calcium, with just under 16% of the RDA in a serving.
Most other nuts have around 90-100 mg of calcium per serving, which includes:
- Hazelnuts
- Pistachios
- Walnuts
- Peanuts
- Macadamia nuts
Which Nuts Are Lowest in Calcium?
Pine nuts are the worst nut for calcium by far, with just 16 mg of calcium per 100 gram serving (or about 2% of the RDA).
Pecans and cashews are also quite low in calcium. They might contribute a small amount of calcium towards your RDA, but not a significant amount.
Are Nuts a Good Calcium Source Compared to Alternatives?
Almonds are one of the best plant-based sources of calcium, while most other nuts are okay sources.
Animal sources of calcium like milk are decent sources of calcium, but not as amazing as commercials would lead you to believe.
Aside from almonds, there are better ways to get calcium from plant foods, which typically have a lot fewer calories as well. The best are:
- Seeds – Sesame, chia, and flax seeds have a ton of calcium.
- Leafy greens – Vegetables like kale and collard greens are fantastic calcium sources (as well as many other nutrients).
The good news about calcium is that there’s a decent amount in a wide variety of foods.
If you’re eating mostly whole foods, it’s not difficult to get enough calcium.
