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Hazelnuts are loaded with plenty nutrients, including minerals, vitamins, antioxidant compounds and healthy fats. These nuts are loved by many people due to their smooth, nutty flavor.
However, you might find yourself in need of the zest or composition of hazelnuts, but you don’t have any on hand, or you may be allergic to it and require an alternative to use in a recipe. In such situation, other substitutes for hazelnuts will come in handy.
Think of macadamia nuts, almonds, raisins, cashew nuts, nutella, pecans, walnuts, oats, and even hazelnut extract and butter. All these will serve as perfect alternatives to hazelnuts when you don’t have them at home.
But how will you use them to replace hazelnuts?
Let’s quickly find out!
What are Hazelnuts?
According to Wikipedia:
Hazelnut is the fruit of the hazel tree and therefore includes any of the nuts deriving from species of the genus Corylus, especially the nuts of the species Corylus avellana.
Source.
Raw hazelnuts have a solid, rigid, crunchy, and somehow tough composition. When they get roasted, hazelnuts turn more crunchy and crispy.
They also obtain this buttery, rich zest and they appear to dissolve in your mouth.
I’m sure that you’ve imagined it yourself!
After all, using one nut in place of another, when you’ve depleted or simply when you don’t relish the sense of one, is quite instinctive.
But keep in mind that not all nuts are related when it comes to fat infusion, composition, and flavor.
Best Substitutes for Hazelnuts
If you want to duplicate the crunch and taste of hazelnuts, you can often add other types of nuts, and I’ve got them all filled in below.
But if you are allergic to nuts, I also outlined some other great alternatives.
Let’s begin, shall we?
1. Macadamia Nuts
If you want to achieve the same relish as raw or roasted hazelnuts, butter, oils, and extracts are your best solution. If you’re trying to swap the hazelnut when it comes to appearance, Macadamia nuts are the most accurate option for you.
They are, nevertheless, more artificial, buttery, and rich, fat-wise.
They are, precisely, the biggest of the nuts but they can supplant hazelnuts if you have them in possession. Macadamia nuts are delightful, and perhaps a little sweeter than hazelnuts.
The relish of hazelnuts compared to macadamia nuts can be defined as something in-between almonds and macadamia nuts.
Thus, when utilizing macadamia nuts rather than hazelnuts, keep in mind that they are barely sweeter.
If you are thinking about the circumstances in which you can swap hazelnuts with macadamia nuts, here are a few possibilities.
- Utilize macadamia nuts in baking cookies, biscuits, pies, etc
- Prepare chocolate desserts with macadamia nuts
- Put together a creamy macadamia nut hummus rather than hazelnut hummus
- Throw macadamia nuts on green salads for a nice basis of fats
Please be careful though, while using macadamia nuts if you are on a particular nutriment because they have a bigger proportion of fat content, which upshoots saturated fat and calories.
Despite how amazing macadamia nuts can function as a hazelnut meal alternative, these nuts can only be obtained or even located at particular times and locations.
So, you can predict macadamia nuts to be more restricted, which affects their price.
2. Almonds
Likelihoods are that you’ve got almonds lying around in your house.
And if you’re searching for a hazelnut substitute, almonds are an outstanding match. Almonds are identical to raw hazelnuts when it gets to crunch and bite.
They have the same taste and the same level of creaminess and chewiness as hazelnuts. The finishing point of almonds as an alternative to hazelnuts is the textural composition.
Almonds are very crunchy except you haven’t had them absorbed in water. They comprise fewer calories than hazelnuts.
Thus, they can be a promising option if you are attempting to maintain your calorie intake.
They do, nevertheless, have a distinct flavor.
While hazelnuts are earthy, flowery, and sweet, almonds are slightly nasty, with a profound, severe flavor. Raw almonds are nicer than roasted ones when it gets to flavor.
NOTE: if you blanch the almonds, you will free them of their vicious flavor and their astringency and you’ll keep the flavor and bite that is identical to hazelnuts.
What makes almonds and hazelnuts unique is their taste. While hazelnuts are on the sweeter side, almonds have a subtle bitterness.
The extremely bitter taste of almonds may put some people off. But this problem is easy to work out as blanching them will get rid of the bitterness.
Retaining almonds in boiling water for about a minute will enable you to effortlessly eliminate their skin. That is what delivers the bitter, tannic taste of almonds.
The skin is also what influences these nuts to be dry in the mouth.
3. Cashew Nuts
Cashews are another adaptable nut variety.
The nutty relish in cashews is very unique and identical to that of almonds. They are beloved to many as they taste very sweet.
The increased carbohydrate quantity of cashews is what renders them so delightful to eat. The composition of cashews is quite extraordinary. They are even and crunchy at the same time.
Supplanting hazelnuts with cashews will steer towards a unique outcome as far as the flavor goes. But if you are searching for a substitute with an identical nutritive significance, cashews are an incredible possibility.
Here are distinguished uses of cashews in cooking.
- Cashews are employed in baking cookies, cakes, shortbread, etc
- Cashews are also outstanding in stir-fries, combined with chicken and vegetables
- A smooth cashew condiment goes well with pasta dishes
- Cashews amplify a nice crunch and nutty taste to vegetable salads
- Cashews mix well with seafood. Hazelnut coating for salmon can be handily swapped with cashew crust
4. Pecans
Pecans are huge nuts with a red-brown husk.
Pecans are largely utilized as a food component. As a consequence, pecans can be swapped for hazelnuts but with a little difference in composition and taste.
Pecans are mostly ground to prepare flour, but they can also be utilized in sweet dishes. Sometimes, it is crushed to prepare oil as well.
Pecans are prominent elements used for baking. People normally utilize macadamia nuts or brazil nuts as pecans when they cannot locate hazelnuts.
5. Walnut
Walnuts are fascinatingly identical when described as hazelnuts because both of them are laden with proteins and fats.
Walnuts are full of fiber and protein, plus low fat.
Also, it assists in reducing inflammation and blood tension. Walnuts make a great possibility if you cannot see hazelnuts because the flavor is favorable and the texture is crunchy.
Hazelnuts Substitutes For Baked Food
The accurate substitute for hazelnuts in any recipe is hazelnuts themselves. But the swap we are discussing is hazelnuts but in distinct forms and features.
Please keep in mind that the zest these alternatives provide stays the same, but you must test if their content is acceptable to the dishes you intend to utilize as hazelnut-related foods.
1. Oats
If you cannot locate hazelnuts but need something to put in baked food, oats will be a great choice.
You can also use tossed oats, and it will strengthen it with an identical zest and texture. Nevertheless, before putting oats in baked goods to replace hazelnuts, you should have them roasted in butter for some time.
2. Seeds
First of all, when I say seeds, I am speaking about sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.
These seeds will make a wonderful alternative to hazelnuts owing to their flavor and composition. In addition, it creates a fine choice for muffin recipes.
3. Raisins
When you are already baking your cookies and cannot locate hazelnuts, you can use raisins instead.
This is because raisins can improve nutrition and visuals.
Also, the texture will be accessible. Also, while supplanting hazelnuts, ensure that you add the same amount.
4. Hazelnut Extract
Hazelnut extract is a kind of flavoring that is created from hazelnuts.
It’s mostly used in baking and of course, it will function really well as an alternative for actual hazelnut in a lot of desserts and dishes.
It is readily accessible and often is less luxurious than the real thing, rendering it an outstanding alternative for someone who desires to have a hazelnut taste without entirely having to utilize the nuts themselves.
Another tremendous benefit of using the extract instead of the oil is that you’ll have all the zest without the calories and fat. But there is a downside.
While extract is a soft way to get that nutty taste into your food, there’s no nutrient infusion.
It’s standard for frosting, cakes, and ice cream.
And if you put other components like oil or butter and some crunch, such as oats, you will get the full hazelnut understanding without even possessing the actual nuts.
NOTE: with adequate documentation to ensure you’ll be cautious, you can also find model extracts that could be suitable for those who might allergic.
5. Nutella
Nutella is a prominent hazelnut chocolate spread. It can be utilized in recipes the same way as real hazelnut with the fluctuation of another kind of nut or seed.
To be candid, this spread is sweeter and comprises a lot of chocolate along with the hazelnut aroma.
So, if you’re preparing chocolate chip and hazelnut dessert goodies, Nutella is a wonderful substitute.
6. Hazelnut oil
Retaining hazelnut oil in your pantry at all times is a nice tip.
You’ll have an excellent alternative for hazelnuts when it gets to spice and you can put it in a lot of dishes.
Hazelnut oil is created from roasted nuts and it delivers that nutty sweetness and the same quantity of fatty richness you’re searching for.
7. Hazelnut Butter
One of the nicest hazelnut alternatives is the butter prepared from the nuts.
It has a similar flavor and the same nutritional outline but it will give you a varied texture.
If you prepare your own collection of hazelnut butter, you can leave some of the crunches. But in its entirety, it will be somewhat smooth and unctuous and not so crunchy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does hazelnut make you sleepy?
Actually, yes, they do. They are high in tryptophan, the amino acid that stimulates sleepiness. Tryptophan brings melatonin, which aids us in getting a restful night of deep sleep.
Can I eat a raw hazelnut?
Yes, you can. Hazelnuts are adequate to be eaten raw but the flavor takes on a soft, sweeter personality when they are roasted.
How many hazelnuts should I eat in a day?
A few hazelnuts can do you a lot good! Eating just 1.5 ounces of hazelnuts per day can assist in reducing the danger of cardiovascular disease.
What is the side effect of hazelnut?
Hazelnut is considered safe for many people in food quantities. But some people are allergic to it and have had severe allergic effects involving life-threatening breathing difficulties. Hazelnuts have also been attributed to one documented eruption of botulism from polluted yogurt.
Is hazelnut good for skin?
Yes, the high volume of vitamin E and fatty acid volume in hazelnut oil can help improve hydration in the external layer of the skin. By maintaining the skin’s hydration, vitamin E also boosts skin elasticity, making it look tough and flexible.
Conclusion
Substitutes for hazelnut exist everywhere you turn if you have the right information, which I have provided in this article.
With these alternatives in mind, you can never go wrong as you would have a trick up your sleeve the next time you run out of hazelnut.
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