Recipes
"Our first harvest is still about a year out, but we couldn't wait to start sharing how we cook with chestnuts. Here are five ways we love to eat them at home — from a simple oven roast to a few things we make for the holidays. We'll keep adding to this page as harvest gets closer, and we'll swap in our own photos from the farm once the trees start dropping."
Classic Oven-Roasted Chestnuts
The simplest way to cook chestnuts, and the one worth mastering first — everything else starts here.
Prep: 10 min | Cook: 20-25 min | Yield: Serves 4 as a snack
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh chestnuts
- Flaky salt, to finish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
- With a paring knife, cut a slit or an "X" through the flat side of each shell — through the shell only, not into the nut. This lets steam escape and keeps the chestnuts from bursting in the oven; it also gives you a starting point for peeling later.
- Arrange the chestnuts scored-side up in a single layer on a baking sheet.
- Roast for 20-25 minutes, until the shells curl back at the cut and the nuts feel tender when pressed.
- Wrap the hot chestnuts in a clean kitchen towel for 5 minutes — the trapped steam loosens both the shell and the papery inner skin.
- Peel while still warm (they get much harder to peel as they cool) and serve with flaky salt.
Tip: Chestnuts peel best hot, so work in small batches straight from the towel rather than letting the whole batch cool first.
Creamy Chestnut Soup with Leeks
A silky, naturally sweet soup that turns roasted chestnuts into a full meal — a classic way to use chestnuts in the fall and winter.
Prep: 15 min | Cook: 35 min | Yield: Serves 4-6
Ingredients
- 1 lb roasted, peeled chestnuts (or two 15 oz packages vacuum-packed)
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 leeks, white and light green parts, sliced and rinsed well
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- A few sprigs fresh thyme
- 1/2 cup cream, plus more for serving (optional)
- Splash of dry sherry (optional)
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 8-10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more, until fragrant.
- Add the chestnuts, stock, and thyme. Bring to a simmer and cook 20-25 minutes, until the chestnuts are very soft and starting to break apart.
- Remove the thyme stems. Puree the soup until smooth, using a blender (in batches) or an immersion blender.
- Stir in the cream and sherry, if using. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve warm with a swirl of cream and a few chives on top.
Tip: If the soup is thicker than you'd like after blending, thin it with a little extra stock or water until it reaches the consistency you want.
Chestnut & Herb Stuffing
A holiday-table classic — this is the recipe to bookmark for Thanksgiving.
Prep: 20 min | Bake: 45 min | Yield: Serves 8, as a side
Ingredients
- 1 loaf day-old sourdough or country bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 10 cups)
- 1 lb roasted, peeled chestnuts, roughly chopped
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh sage
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes, until dry and lightly golden.
- Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the celery and onion and cook until soft, about 8 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine the toasted bread, chopped chestnuts, cooked vegetables, and herbs.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs into the stock, then pour over the bread mixture. Toss gently until evenly moistened. Season with salt and pepper.
- Transfer to a buttered baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes, then uncover and bake 15 minutes more, until golden on top.
Tip: You can assemble this up to a day ahead and refrigerate, covered — just add 10 extra minutes of covered bake time if going in cold.
Sweet Chestnut Purée
A simple, versatile spread — spoon it over yogurt, spread it on toast, or pipe it over whipped cream for an easy take on Mont Blanc.
Prep: 10 min | Cook: 25 min | Yield: About 2 cups
Ingredients
- 1 lb roasted, peeled chestnuts
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (or 1 vanilla bean, split)
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Combine the chestnuts, water, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20-25 minutes, until the chestnuts are very soft and starting to fall apart.
- Puree until smooth in a food processor or blender, adding a splash of water or cream if needed to loosen it.
- Cool completely before storing. Keeps refrigerated for about a week.
Tip: For a firmer, pipeable texture (closer to traditional crème de marrons), reduce the water slightly and blend a little longer.
Pappardelle with Chestnuts, Brown Butter & Sage
An easy weeknight pasta that makes chestnuts feel like the main event.
Prep: 10 min | Cook: 20 min | Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients
- 12 oz pappardelle or tagliatelle
- 1 cup roasted, peeled chestnuts, roughly chopped
- 6 tbsp butter
- A handful of fresh sage leaves
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
- While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the sage leaves and cook until the butter turns golden-brown and smells nutty, 3-5 minutes.
- Add the chopped chestnuts to the browned butter and warm through, about 2 minutes.
- Add the drained pasta to the skillet along with the Parmesan and a splash of the reserved pasta water. Toss to combine, adding more pasta water as needed to bring the sauce together.
- Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with extra Parmesan and the crisped sage on top.