Air Fryer Chestnuts Recipe

This air fryer roasted chestnuts recipe is a quicker alternative to roasting chestnuts in the oven. With this easy recipe, you can make air fryer roasted chestnuts half the time, serve it as a snack, or use it in your favorite chestnut recipes.

Course Snack

Cuisine American/Italian

Diet Vegan

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 17

Total Time 27

Servings servings

Calories 222kcal

Author Aysegul Sanford

Equipment

1 Air Fryer

Ingredients

1 lb Chestnuts preferably Italian (or European)
3 cups Water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Place chestnuts in a colander and rinse under cold running water. Drain.
Place the flat side of the chestnut down on a cutting board, making sure that the rounded side (aka the belly side) is facing up. Hold the chestnut firmly and cut horizontally across the rounded side using a sharp paring knife (or a chestnut knife, if you have one.) Then, turn the chestnut 90 degrees and make a second cut, forming an X. As you are cutting, do your best not to score the inner skin. Continue with the rest of the chestnuts.
Transfer the now-cut chestnuts into a bowl. Cover it with cold tap water and let them sit for 30 minutes to an hour.
Preheat your air fryer to 350 °F.
Drain chestnuts and transfer them onto a clean kitchen towel. Dry them off as much as you can.
Place them in the air fryer basket, making sure that the cut side is facing up. Do not overcrowd the basket. If needed, you can bake it in two batches.
Air fry them for 17 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through the air-roasting process.
Once the air frying is completed, transfer the now-very hot chestnuts onto a clean kitchen towel. Collect the edges of the cloth in the middle and turn it into a small pouch. Let them steam in the “pouch” for 5 minutes or so. Alternatively, you can use a paper bag to do this. Simply place the hot roasted chestnuts in it, roll the bag to trap the steam inside, and let it steam for 5 minutes.
Holding the pouch in your hand, give it a gentle squeeze to loosen the shells. Then, carefully remove the outer shell of the chestnuts when they are still hot by gently pulling back on the scored “X,” peeling away the papery skin and exposing the yellow flesh inside. If you are unable to remove the fuzzy inner skin by hand, use a small sharp knife to peel it, being careful not to pierce the yellow nut inside.
Enjoy while still warm.

Video

Notes

Yields: This recipe makes a little less than a pound of chestnuts. If you are serving it as a snack, you would likely end up with 7-8 chestnuts (depending on their size) per person if you are serving it to 4 people. The calorie information below is per serving.
Air frying temperature: Don't be tempted to increase the temperature of the air fryer to roast them faster. I have tried air frying chestnuts in higher temps to shorten the cooking time, but ended up with chestnuts that were burned on the outside and raw on the inside.
Soaking: Though popular belief holds that you must soak your chestnuts in hot water (or warm water) for a long time (8 hours or so), I’ve found that a quick soak in cold tap water (30-60 minutes) is more than sufficient.
Chestnuts: There is a direct correlation between the age, size, and origin of the chestnuts and the quality of the end result. Over the years of cooking chestnuts, I learned that chestnuts from Europe and the US tend to peel easier than chestnuts from China. Needless to say, it is best to buy the freshest chestnuts you can get your hands on for the best results.
Store: Bring cooked chestnuts to room temperature and then transfer them to an airtight container. You can then store them in the refrigerator for up to four days.

Nutrition