Nuts are a great plant-based source of nutrition.
High in calories, but also high in several vitamins and minerals.
I’ve put together a detailed table just below with the amount of nutrients per 100 gram serving of each common nut.
This data was all collected from the USDA’s food database.
Table of Contents
Nut Nutrition Comparison Table
To make it easier to view, I’ve split up the data into 2 tables.
First, let’s look at the macronutrient profiles for the nuts.
| Nut | Energy (kcal) | Protein (g) | Total Lipid (g) | Carbohydrate (g) | Fiber (g) | Sugars (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Almonds | 579.6 | 21.1 | 49.9 | 21.6 | 12.6 | 4.4 |
| Brazil nut | 658.6 | 14.3 | 67.1 | 11.7 | 7.5 | 2.3 |
| Cashews | 573.7 | 15.3 | 46.4 | 32.7 | 3.1 | 5.0 |
| Hazelnut | 628.1 | 14.9 | 60.8 | 16.7 | 9.6 | 4.3 |
| Macadamia nut | 717.9 | 7.9 | 75.8 | 13.8 | 8.7 | 4.6 |
| Peanuts | 567.1 | 25.8 | 49.2 | 16.1 | 8.5 | 4.7 |
| Pecans | 690.9 | 9.2 | 72.0 | 13.9 | 9.7 | 4.0 |
| Pistachio nuts | 559.3 | 20.2 | 45.3 | 27.2 | 10.6 | 7.7 |
| Walnuts | 654.7 | 15.2 | 65.2 | 13.7 | 6.7 | 2.6 |
While nuts are quite high in fat, their macro profile is fairly well balanced, with a good amount of protein, carbohydrates, and fiber.
We can also compare the vitamins and minerals in nuts.
I excluded a few vitamins and minerals in the table below that are only present in small amounts to make the data slightly easier to view. Note that the data is all in terms of the percent of the RDA or Daily Value (DV) per 100 gram serving.
| Nut | Calcium (%DV) | Iron (%DV) | Magnesium (%DV) | Phosphorus (%DV) | Potassium (%DV) | Zinc (%DV) | Manganese (%DV) | Selenium (%DV) | Thiamin (%DV) | Riboflavin (%DV) | Niacin (%DV) | Vitamin B-6 (%DV) | Folate (%DV) | Vitamin E (%DV) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Almonds | 22.4 | 20.6 | 67.6 | 68.8 | 36.7 | 28.3 | 94.8 | 7.4 | 17.1 | 87.6 | 22.6 | 10.5 | 11.1 | 170.9 |
| Brazil nut | 13.3 | 13.5 | 94.0 | 103.5 | 32.9 | 36.9 | 53.2 | 3485.4 | 51.4 | 2.7 | 1.8 | 7.8 | 5.6 | 37.7 |
| Cashews | 3.8 | 33.3 | 65.0 | 70.1 | 28.2 | 51.0 | 35.9 | 21.2 | 16.7 | 15.4 | 8.8 | 19.7 | 17.2 | 6.1 |
| Hazelnut | 9.5 | 26.1 | 40.7 | 41.5 | 34.0 | 22.2 | 268.5 | 4.3 | 53.6 | 8.7 | 11.3 | 43.3 | 28.1 | 100.2 |
| Macadamia nut | 7.1 | 20.5 | 32.5 | 26.9 | 18.4 | 11.8 | 179.6 | 6.5 | 99.6 | 12.5 | 15.5 | 21.1 | 2.6 | 3.6 |
| Peanuts | 7.6 | 25.4 | 42.1 | 53.6 | 35.3 | 29.8 | 84.1 | 13.2 | 53.3 | 10.4 | 75.4 | 26.8 | 59.9 | 55.5 |
| Pecans | 5.9 | 14.0 | 30.3 | 39.5 | 20.5 | 41.1 | 195.7 | 7.0 | 55.1 | 9.9 | 7.3 | 16.2 | 5.6 | 9.3 |
| Pistachio nuts | 8.8 | 21.8 | 30.1 | 69.9 | 51.2 | 20.0 | 52.2 | 12.7 | 72.5 | 12.3 | 8.1 | 130.7 | 12.6 | 19.1 |
| Walnuts | 8.1 | 16.1 | 39.3 | 49.3 | 22.1 | 28.1 | 148.4 | 9.0 | 28.3 | 11.6 | 7.0 | 41.3 | 24.4 | 4.7 |
Nut Nutrition Comparison Chart
Depending on what device you’re on, those tables might not be the easiest to view.
Instead, this chart image may be more convenient (click to enlarge):
Which Vitamins and Minerals Are Nuts Highest In?
In general, all nuts have a good amount of several vitamins and minerals, especially:
- Phosphorus
- Manganese
- Magnesium
- Iron
- Zinc
Nuts do tend to have a reasonable amount of many other vitamins and minerals, but it can vary drastically from nut to nut.
For example, brazil nuts have an absurd amount of selenium, while all other nuts have a small, but reasonable amount of selenium.
For a more in-depth look, see our post on vitamins in nuts.
Which Nut is Highest In Calories?
Macadamia nuts have the most calories per 100 grams at 718 calories. This is followed by pecans with 691 calories.
It’s not surprising that macadamia nuts have the most calories since they are the highest in fat of any nut. The table below shows the amount of calories in other common nut species.
| Nut | Energy (kcal) |
|---|---|
| Macadamia nut | 718 |
| Pecans | 691 |
| Brazil nut | 659 |
| Walnuts | 655 |
| Hazelnut | 628 |
| Almonds | 580 |
| Cashews | 574 |
| Peanuts | 567 |
| Pistachio nuts | 559 |
Which Nuts Are Lowest in Calories?
With 559 calories per 100 gram serving, pistachios have the lowest amount of calories, but not by a large margin. Other nuts like peanuts (567), cashews (574), and almonds (580) have a similar amount of calories.
Even these nuts are relatively high in calories compared to most other foods, which is why nuts typically aren’t ideal on a weight loss diet. However, they are still sometimes included because they are very filling and have a lot of nutrients.
Which Nuts Have the Most Protein?
While not technically a tree nut, peanuts (a groundnut) have the most protein of any common nut by a significant margin.
Peanuts have 25.8 grams of protein per 100 gram serving. The next closest is almonds with 21.1 grams of protein.
The table below shows the amount of protein per 100 gram serving of common nuts.
| Nut | Protein (g) |
|---|---|
| Peanuts | 25.8 |
| Almonds | 21.1 |
| Pistachio nuts | 20.2 |
| Cashews | 15.3 |
| Walnuts | 15.2 |
| Hazelnut | 14.9 |
| Brazil nut | 14.3 |
| Pecans | 9.2 |
| Macadamia nut | 7.9 |
If you’d like a more detailed look along with amino acid profiles, see our post on protein in nuts.
Which Nuts Have the Best Omega Fat Ratio?
Most nuts have a terrible omega fat ratio, but not all of them.
Walnuts have an omega 6: omega 3 ratio of 4.20, which is fairly good, while macadamia nuts have a ratio of 6.63.
However, macadamia nuts have a relatively low amount of polyunsaturated fats, so you can’t get too many omega 3 or 6 fats from them, unlike walnuts.
For a more detailed breakdown, see this post on the omega 3 to 6 fat ratios in nuts.
Disadvantages of Eating Nuts
Nuts have a ton of nutritional value, but the biggest downside is that they are very high in calories.
Even though nuts have a good amount of protein, the actual amount of protein per calorie is relatively low even among plant-based sources of protein.
In addition, allergies to either groundnuts (peanuts) or tree nuts are relatively common.
