Many healthy eating plans and diets recommend nuts as a healthy snack, but it’s also common knowledge that although they have many health benefits, they’re also high in calories.
If you’re on a calorie-restricted diet, a handful of nuts can blow the calorie budget, so it’s a good idea to know your nut calories per serving to help keep you on track.
In this article, I’ll be listing 10 of the most popular kinds of nuts, from the lowest to the highest number of calories per serving as well as other nutritional facts to help you choose the best ones to fit in with your diet.
Top 9 Lowest To Highest Calorie Nuts
The tables below show the number of calories in each kind of nut in order of lowest to highest, including nutritional information so you can compare each type based on your dietary needs.
Figures are based on official USDA data, and you can find source links at the bottom of this page.
A serving is based on 1oz (28.35g), which is equal to a handful of nuts.
1 – Cashew Nuts
You might be surprised to learn that the nut with the least amount of calories is cashew nuts which contain 157 calories per serving.
You might have seen conflicting information saying cashews aren’t the healthiest nut – which is true. Just because they have the least calories doesn’t make them the most beneficial option.
Cashews are lower in calories than other nuts because they’re lower in natural fat, but they’re also the highest in carbs on this list and are low in fiber.
So if you’re on a low-calorie diet, cashews are a good snack option; however, if you’re on a low-carb diet, they’re probably not the best nut for you.
| Calories Per 100g | 553kcal |
| Calories Per 1oz/28g Serving | 157kcal |
| Carbohydrates Per 1oz/28g Serving | 8.56g |
| Fat Per 1oz/28g Serving | 12.4g |
| Saturated Fat Per 1oz/28g Serving | 2.21g |
| Fiber Per 1oz/28g Serving | 0.9g |
2 – Pistachio Nuts
Next on the list with the second-fewest calories are pistachios which contain 159 calories per serving.
Again, pistachios are lower in fat than most of the nuts in this list, but they’re also higher in carbs, so they’re not so good for those on a low-carb diet.
If you’re counting your calories, pistachios are a good option for a nutty snack, and they’re higher in fiber than most nuts.
| Calories Per 100g | 560kcal |
| Calories Per 1oz/28g Serving | 159kcal |
| Carbohydrates Per 1oz/28g Serving | 7.71g |
| Fat Per 1oz/28g Serving | 12.8g |
| Saturated Fat Per 1oz/28g Serving | 1.68g |
| Fiber Per 1oz/28g Serving | 3g |
3 – Peanuts
Peanuts are often given a bad reputation for being an unhealthy nut, which can be true if you choose peanuts with added ingredients such as honey or oil.
If you stick to plain peanuts or those that are salted only, they’re a lower-calorie nut that’s also reasonably low in carbs. Peanuts are also high in nutrients such as potassium and B-vitamins which have many health benefits.
There are 161 calories in a serving of peanuts, making them the third lowest-calorie nut on this list.
| Calories Per 100g | 567kcal |
| Calories Per 1oz/28g Serving | 161kcal |
| Carbohydrates Per 1oz/28g Serving | 4.56g |
| Fat Per 1oz/28g Serving | 13.9g |
| Saturated Fat Per 1oz/28g Serving | 1.78g |
| Fiber Per 1oz/28g Serving | 2.41g |
4 – Almonds
Almonds offer a range of health benefits and are the highest in fiber of the nuts in this article. They’re also highest in protein, making them a more filling snack.
When it comes to calories, they’re a reasonably low-calorie option with 164kcal per serving of almonds (blanched).
Compared to other nuts, almonds are one of the lowest in fat and saturated fat and are also fairly low in carbs.
| Calories Per 100g | 579kcal |
| Calories Per 1oz/28g Serving | 164kcal |
| Carbohydrates Per 1oz/28g Serving | 6.12g |
| Fat Per 1oz/28g Serving | 14.1g |
| Saturated Fat Per 1oz/28g Serving | 1.08g |
| Fiber Per 1oz/28g Serving | 3.54g |
5 – Hazelnuts
We’re now starting to move up the scale towards the nuts containing the highest amount of calories, with hazelnuts being the fifth highest at 178kcal per serving.
Hazelnuts also contain more fat than the previous nuts, and more fat is directly correlated with higher calories.
Hazelnuts are high in high in omega-3 and are packed with antioxidants, which have many health benefits.
| Calories Per 100g | 628kcal |
| Calories Per 1oz/28g Serving | 178kcal |
| Carbohydrates Per 1oz/28g Serving | 4.73g |
| Fat Per 1oz/28g Serving | 17.2g |
| Saturated Fat Per 1oz/28g Serving | 1.26g |
| Fiber Per 1oz/28g Serving | 2.75g |
6 – Walnuts
Next on the list are walnuts which contain 185 calories per serving. Walnuts are high in omega-3 fatty acids and are known to help reduce bad cholesterol.
They’re higher in natural fats, meaning they’re a little higher in calories than other nuts; however, most of these fats are considered good.
Walnuts are an excellent option for those on a low-carb diet because they’re higher in natural fat yet low in carbs, with only 3.88g of carbs per handful of nuts.
| Calories Per 100g | 654kcal |
| Calories Per 1oz/28g Serving | 185kcal |
| Carbohydrates Per 1oz/28g Serving | 3.88g |
| Fat Per 1oz/28g Serving | 18.5g |
| Saturated Fat Per 1oz/28g Serving | 1.74g |
| Fiber Per 1oz/28g Serving | 1.9g |
7 – Brazil Nuts
Brazil nuts are higher in calories than many other kinds of nuts, but this is because they’re higher in fat and mainly monounsaturated fat, which is considered a good fat.
Per ounce serving, brazil nuts contain 187kcal, but to put this into perspective, this is only 30 calories more than cashew nuts which are the lowest calorie nut on this list.
Healthline confirms that one of the main health benefits you can get from eating brazil nuts is that they’re the highest in selenium, which is known for boosting the immune system.
| Calories Per 100g | 659kcal |
| Calories Per 1oz/28g Serving | 187kcal |
| Carbohydrates Per 1oz/28g Serving | 3.32g |
| Fat Per 1oz/28g Serving | 19g |
| Saturated Fat Per 1oz/28g Serving | 4.56g |
| Fiber Per 1oz/28g Serving | 2.13g |
8 – Pecan Nuts
The second highest-calorie nut on the list is pecans which contain 196 calories per serving.
Pecans are also the second-highest in fat, but they’re low in saturated fat, meaning most of the fat is considered good and can help reduce bad LDL cholesterol.
Pecans are high in nutrients, such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium, and they’re also a good source of fiber.
| Calories Per 100g | 691kcal |
| Calories Per 1oz/28g Serving | 196kcal |
| Carbohydrates Per 1oz/28g Serving | 3.94g |
| Fat Per 1oz/28g Serving | 20.4g |
| Saturated Fat Per 1oz/28g Serving | 1.75g |
| Fiber Per 1oz/28g Serving | 2.72g |
9 – Macadamia Nuts
The last on the list and the highest-calorie nut are macadamia nuts which contain 204 calories per serving.
Although macadamia nuts are the highest in calories, they’re still considered a healthy snack and have many health benefits because they’re high in nutrients and antioxidants.
Macadamia nuts are the highest in natural fats and are pretty low in carbs, making them an excellent option for those on a low-carb diet.
| Calories Per 100g | 718kcal |
| Calories Per 1oz/28g Serving | 204kcal |
| Carbohydrates Per 1oz/28g Serving | 3.91g |
| Fat Per 1oz/28g Serving | 21.5g |
| Saturated Fat Per 1oz/28g Serving | 3.43g |
| Fiber Per 1oz/28g Serving | 2.44g |
Summary
So, we’ve learned that cashew nuts are the lowest in calories while macadamia nuts are the highest – however, we’ve also found out that lower calorie doesn’t always mean healthiest.
Nuts containing higher calories are higher in good fats (called polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat), which are known to help to reduce bad LDL cholesterol. Higher-fat nuts are also more likely to be high in omega-3 fatty acids.
I hope the information in this article has helped you find the best nutty snack for you and your diet!
More Nut Calorie FAQs
The lowest calories nut which are highest in fiber are pistachio nuts which contain 159 per ounce serving (handful) and 3g of fiber.
Cashew nuts are an excellent option if you’re looking for a lower-calorie option that is also low in fat. Cashews contain 157 calories per serving and 12.4g of fat per ounce serving (handful).
Related Articles
I hope this article has helped you to find the information you were looking for; you might also find the following articles helpful too:
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Walnut Weights & Calories (Including Calculator & Charts)
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How Much Does a Bag of Flour Weigh? (In Metric and Imperial)
References Used for this Article
To ensure the nutritional information used in this article is accurate, I have used data from USDA; the link below contains the source information: