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    Home » Nuts and Starches

    Black Walnut Recipes

    About

    Black walnuts are one of the most widely available wild nuts I know of, and, I, along with many other people, find them delicious.

    Their unique flavor can be an acquired taste. You can buy them commercially, but the ones you crack yourself will be the freshest, with a superior flavor and larger sized pieces compared to commercial supplier.

    Cracked black walnuts

    If you're new to these and want to know to harvest your own, check out The Forager's Guide to Black Walnuts.

    If you live in the Midwest, you'll also want to be aware of their cousin the Butternut / White Walnut and The Forager's Guide to Shagbark Hickory Nuts that can be harvested and processed in the same way but have a milder flavor.

    The Best Cracker

    If you already have black walnuts and are using a hammer, vice, or other method to crack them, I strongly recommend investing in Grandpa's Goody Getter: The Best Black Walnut Cracker.

    a nutcracker with black walnuts in a jar

    The GGG is the best cracker I've used, and can be used to crack both black walnuts and butternuts. Using this cracker I occasionally get whole, complete nuts.

    Cooking

    You can use the nuts in sweet and savory dishes. Here's some of my favorites.

    Green Walnuts

    The nuts are harvested green in some places and there's some really interesting things you can try. My favorites are Green Walnut Jam, or Preserves, where green nuts are preserved whole in syrup.

    Nocino, the Black Walnut Liquor and Green Walnut Molasses are great too.

    green walnut syrup in a jar next to green walnuts Sweet

    My personal favorite is my Black Walnut Croquant-a recipe that'll remind you of candied nuts from a state fair, but better.

    Salted black walnut croquant Savory

    Aside from tossing them in just about any salad you can think of, I also like to use them to make Georgian Walnut Spread, and Black Walnut Pesto.

    • Maple Black Walnut Ice Cream
    • Persimmon-Pudding Cake with Dried Fruit
    • Warm Mushroom Wild Rice Salad
    • Green Black Walnut Jam / Preserves
    • Cooking with Green Walnuts
    • French Walnut Wine or Vin de Noix
    • Georgian Walnut Spread / Phkali
    • Hollyhock Sarmasi with Mushroom-Walnut Filling
    • The Best Black Walnut Cracker
    • Green Walnut Molasses
    • Foraged Greens with Walnut Sauce
    • Japanese-Style Violet Greens Salad (Gomae)
    • Black Walnut Ketchup / Catsup
    • Marinated Hosta Shoots
    • Hackberry Souffle / Spoonbread
    • Spinaci alla Romana (Roman Greens with Raisins and Pine Nuts)
    • Kernza Salad with Butternuts and Hedgehog Mushrooms
    • Black Walnuts
    • Black Walnut-Maple Sauce
    • Simple Fruit Terrine Made with Preserves
    • Nocino, The Black Walnut Liqueur
    • Hen of the Woods Roast with Leeks and Black Walnuts
    • Japanese-Style Day Lily Shoots (Gomae)
    • Wild Rice Crepes with Elderberry Syrup, Apples and Black Walnuts
    • Spicy Candied Pecans
    • Flourless Chocolate-Black Walnut Torte
    • Salted Candied Black Walnuts
    • Cream of Porcini Soup with Black Walnut Pesto
    • Black Walnut Pesto
    • Wild Mushroom Conserve with Walnut Oil
    • Heirloom Acorn Squash with Truffled Maple, Honey Truffles and Butternuts
    • Spicebush Gingerbread with Pumpkin Mousse and Butternuts

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    Chef Alan Bergo

    HI, I'm Alan: James Beard Award-winning Chef, Author, Show Host and Forager. I've been writing about cooking wild food here for over a decade. Let me show you why foraging is the most delicious thing you'll ever do.

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