Fresh Chestnut Recipes

One of our goals is to help rebuild a vibrant regional food culture around perennial staple foods like chestnuts. We see you as an important partner in that effort, and we would love to hear from you about your experience working with these nuts! Please share feedback, recipes, the results of your experiments, what worked and didn’t work, and what you are learning about best ways to use this important climate-resilient food. If you are posting on social media about recipes or dishes, we welcome a tag @breadtreefarms.

For instructions on storing and basic approaches to cooking fresh chestnuts, click here.

If you’re looking to buy fresh chestnuts, click here.

Oven-Roasted Chestnuts

Roasted chestnuts are great to eat on their own (try not to!), and can be added into dishes like stir fry, stew, salad, or pasta, or blitzed to make chestnut cream or soup. Here are a few great ways to roast chestnuts in your oven at home.

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Chestnut Cream

Do you have leftover roasted chestnuts from the holidays? This is a delicious chestnut cream you can make with the leftovers and spread on toast, shortbread cookies, mix into ice cream, or use as a base for chestnut cakes! According to Martin — “Freshly roasted and peeled chestnuts bestow the best flavor, but you can easily find packaged roasted and peeled chestnuts at many supermarkets or online. This recipe works just as well with both.” We also tried a version using maple syrup instead of cane sugar and it was perfect.

By Martin Sorge

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Gâteau Ardéchois

A perfectly balanced, simple cake from the Ardèche region in southeast France (famous for its centuries old chestnut forests). Makes a big, hearty cake that keeps well for a few days. (We make it with the Martin Sorge chestnut cream recipe, but you can make it with store bought cream as well). Our new favorite!

By Audrey Le Goff (of Pardon Your French)

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Chestnut Miso

Chestnut miso is a delicious, simple-to-make, and extremely healthy fermented food, which is a great option if you have been hanging onto some chestnuts for a little too long.

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French Cream of Chestnut Soup

“Potage aux Marrons is a simple French chestnut soup recipe that tastes more complicated than it is to make.”

By Alan Bergo

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Kuri Gohan

Traditional Japanese preparation for chestnuts and rice.

By Shihoko Ura

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Korean Braised Short Ribs & Chestnuts

Galbi Jjim is a traditional Korean braise with chestnuts, vegetables, and beef.

By Holly Ford

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Dongbei Pork and Chestnut Stew

By Sean St John

“A hearty winter dish from China’s famously cold northeast. This stew is rich with umami but also has a sweetness from the chestnuts. Aromatic hints of chili, star anise and garlic infuse the dish, creating layers of flavor that embody the heartiness of Dongbei cuisine.”

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