Walnuts: Calories, Nutrition & Healthier Swaps
654 kcal per 100 g · Nutri-Score A
sugar: low saturated fat: high salt: low fiber: high
Walnuts stand out among nuts for their plant omega-3 (ALA). They're calorie-dense, so a serving is a small handful.
Walnuts nutrition facts per 100 g and per serving
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Serving: handful, 30 g |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 654 kcal | 196 kcal |
| Protein | 15 g | 4.5 g |
| Fat | 65 g | 20 g |
| incl. saturated | 6.1 g | 1.8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 7 g | 2.1 g |
| incl. sugars | 2.6 g | 0.8 g |
| Fiber | 6.7 g | 2 g |
| Salt | 0 g | 0 g |
| Omega-3 (ALA) | 9080 mg | 2724 mg |
Values per 100 g as eaten, averaged from food composition tables (USDA FoodData Central and others) and rounded — a specific brand or recipe will differ a little.
Walnuts: nutrition highlights
It has 2 g of fiber per serving — roughly 8% of the 25 g a day most adults fall short of. Plant omega-3 (ALA) comes to about 9.1 g per 100 g.
On the open Nutri-Score algorithm, walnuts gets an A: one of the better picks in its category. The score weighs calories, sugar, saturated fat and salt against protein, fiber and the share of fruit, vegetables, legumes and nuts.
What to watch
- High in saturated fat: 6.1 g per 100 g, against a daily reference of about 20 g.
- It's calorie-dense — 654 kcal per 100 g — so portion size matters most.
How much movement is one serving?
One serving (handful, 30 g) is 196 kcal — roughly 64 min of easy walking or 25 min of cycling for a 70 kg (154 lb) person. In the diary, minutes are worked out for your weight and the activities you actually do.
Healthier swaps for Walnuts
There's no swap in our base that is clearly better at the same calories — walnuts is already one of the better choices in its category.
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