How to Roast Chestnuts- 4 Easy Ways

Chestnuts are easy to roast. They’re in season so it’s the perfect time of the year to make them. If you’ve never roasted chestnuts before, and you’re ready to give it a try, you have a few options. If you’ve never even eaten a roasted chestnut, you’re in for a treat!

How to Prepare Chestnuts for Roasting

No matter which way you choose to roast your chestnuts, there are 2 things you need to do beforehand to prepare them.

1. Thoroughly rinse the chestnuts in a colander with cold running tap water.
2. Score the chestnuts with a small knife. 

You need to score the chestnut or it will explode like a very large kernel of popcorn! Scoring the chestnut allows the steam to escape during the roasting process. It also makes it possible to peel the chestnut. In the past,  I’ve always scored chestnuts by cutting an X into the rounded or more bulbous side of the chestnut with a small paring knife. You want to cut through the shell and the underneath fuzzy coating of the chestnut. Don’t worry if you cut slightly into the meat of the chestnut. I find it difficult not to and the chestnuts will still taste the same anyway. If you find you really enjoy roasting chestnuts and want to score them perfectly, there are special chestnut scoring knives. Give one of those a try!

My new favorite way to score the chestnuts, however, is by cutting a simple slit or line across the rounded side in the middle of the nut.

I think the straight line is much easier to cut with a knife and the chestnuts are a lot easier to peel using this technique. 

4 Ways to Roast Chestnuts

It doesn’t matter which method you use to roast your chestnuts. The end result is going to be delicious. Just choose the method that appeals to you most.

1. On an open fire-

Chestnuts on an open fire ( like Nat King Cole sings about in the Christmas song) is my favorite method because it’s fun to do with family and friends. Everyone enjoys the experience of sitting around the fire when it’s a bit chilly outside, and waiting with anticipation of peeling and eating a perfectly roasted chestnut.  An open fire ( I use my outdoor fireplace) gets really hot so it only takes 5-7 minutes to roast them.

For an open fire, I use a chestnut roasting pan that I bought at a grocery store in Italy a few years ago.  The pan has perforated holes on the bottom so the chestnuts are roasted by direct contact with the flames and high heat. The chestnuts will roast in 5 minutes or so. They will turn brown and toasty which I like. It reminds me of roasted chestnuts from street vendors in Italy.

You can achieve the same kind of roast by putting a perforated pan on a fire or gas grill. Just use one of those pans meant for grilling vegetables over the flames. They’re not officially for roasting chestnuts, but they’ll work just fine.

2. In an air fryer-

Air Fryers are great for roasting lots of things, and that includes chestnuts! If you want to give this method a try, set your air fryer to 400 degrees and roast for 8-10 minutes. 

Be sure and take a peek at the chestnuts after the first 4-5 minutes and give the pan a shake. They’ll roast perfectly.

3. In the oven-

This is another easy way to roast chestnuts. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread out the chestnuts on a baking sheet into a single layer.

Roast in the oven for 25-35minutes. 

3. Stovetop- 

According to Chestnut Charlie’s, which is a local organic chestnut farm that supplies my grocery store, you cook the chestnuts on the stovetop for 15-25 minutes over a medium high heat in a covered skillet. I tried this method and it worked nicely.

Be aware that you have to tend to the chestnuts while you roast them no matter which method you try. Roasting times can vary depending on the size of the chestnuts and your equipment. Once you see the shells starting to split and brown, you’ll know they’re about done. 

How to Serve Roasted Chestnuts

After you roast the chestnuts, wrap them up for a few minutes in a dish towel. They’ll steam a bit. I give the towel a light squeeze and roll it around to help loosen up the shells.  Immediately afterward, open up the towel and let everyone dig in. 

Roasted chestnuts are best served warm.  The chestnuts will taste slightly sweet and have kind of a starchy texture. They’re really delicious and a special treat this time of the year.

Where to Buy Chestnuts for Roasting

When chestnuts are in season, you can find them at many of the local grocery stores. Sometimes farmers’ markets that run late into the fall will have them as well. 

You can also buy chestnuts online. The chestnuts I roasted are from Chestnut Charlie’s. They are local for me and supplied my grocery store. You can buy from Chestnut Charlie’s online as well as other sources.

Once you get your chestnuts home, and if you don’t plan on roasting them right away, you’ll need to put them in the refrigerator. My chestnuts came in a small paper bag. Printed on the back of the bag it states that fresh chestnuts will keep for several weeks if kept refrigerated in the bag.

Have fun roasting chestnuts!

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