What Are Macadamia nuts and How Can I Use Them?

Macadamia nuts is easier to cook with than it looks. Here's how to choose, use, and store them, what to substitute, and 120 recipes to get you started.

Key Points

The richest, most expensive nut, so high in oil it tastes like butter.
Good raw; its soft, buttery texture needs no toasting to shine.
Burns in under a minute, so toast low and slow, not in a hot pan.
Classic partner to white chocolate, coconut, and other tropical flavors.
Cashews are the closest and far cheaper stand-in when needed.

What are macadamia nuts?

Macadamias are the richest nut on the shelf and the priciest. The kernel is round and ivory, and so high in oil it tastes almost like butter, with a soft snap that gives way to a creamy chew. There is no bitterness and barely any tannin, just clean, sweet richness.

That fat is the whole story. It makes macadamias luxurious, and it also makes them the easiest nut in the kitchen to burn.

They are a Hawaiian and Australian signature, which is why they turn up in tropical baking and white chocolate sweets.

Macadamia nuts

Cooking With Macadamias

Macadamias are good raw, which is rare for a nut. Their soft, buttery texture needs no toasting to taste good, so plenty of recipes fold them in straight.

When you do toast them, watch like a hawk. Their high oil content means they go from pale to scorched in well under a minute in a dry pan, and burnt macadamias taste acrid.

A low oven at 300°F (150°C) for 8 to 10 minutes is far safer than a hot skillet.

In baking they bring richness to cookies, quick breads, and biscotti. They are the nut in Kona Inn Banana Bread and a natural in this tropical Kumquat Cake.

Chopped coarse, they add buttery crunch to fudge and granola without the bite a harder nut brings.

Pairing and Common Mistakes

White chocolate and macadamia is the classic pairing for a reason. Both are rich and sweet with no bitterness, so they melt together rather than competing.

They also love coconut, pineapple, banana, and caramel, the flavors of their tropical home. On the savory side, a few chopped macadamias finish a fish fillet or a salad with luxury.

The big mistake is toasting them like an almond. They carry far more oil and scorch in a fraction of the time, so the same heat that gently browns an almond will ruin a macadamia.

The second mistake is paying for them and then hiding them. Their flavor is subtle, so a heavy spice or a deep chocolate can bury them. Let them lead.

Substitutes

For raw buttery richness, cashews are the closest swap and a fraction of the price, though they are slightly less rich and a touch softer.

In baking, blanched almonds give you crunch but not the butter, so the result reads firmer and drier. Brazil nuts come closer on richness but bring more of their own flavor.

There is no cheap match for the texture, which is part of why macadamias stay a splurge. If a recipe is built around them, cashews are your best stand-in.

Buying and Storing

Macadamias are almost always sold shelled. The shell is famously hard, one of the toughest of any nut, so home cracking is rarely worth it. You will find them raw or dry-roasted, whole or in pieces.

Because they are so oily, they go rancid faster than most nuts, and a rancid macadamia tastes sharp and stale, a sad end for a costly nut. Buy only what you will use in a season.

Store them airtight in a cool, dark cupboard for a month or two, in the fridge for up to six months, or in the freezer for a year. Given the price, the fridge or freezer is the safer home.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 cup, whole or halves (132g)

Amount per Serving

Calories 947Calories from Fat 903

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 100.4g 155%

Saturated Fat 15.8g 79%

Trans Fat ~

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 5mg 0%

Total Carbohydrate 17.7g 6%

Dietary Fiber 11g 42%

Sugars 5.5

Protein 10.3g

Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 2%

Calcium 9% • Iron 19%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your caloric needs.

recipeland.com/nutrition

Quick facts

Where to find macadamia nuts: Macadamia nuts are usually found in the baking supplies section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group: Macadamia nuts are a member of the Nut and Seed Products US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese: 澳洲坚果
British (UK) term: Macadamia nuts
en français: noix de macadamia
en español: nueces de macadamia

How much do macadamia nuts weigh?

Amount	Weight
1 cup, whole or halves	132 grams
1 oz (10-12 kernels)	28 grams

Nut and Seed Products

Sesame seeds 663 Sunflower seeds 181 Almonds 1782 Almond paste 61 Cashew nuts 213 Water chestnuts 309 Coconut 947 Coconut, shredded, unsweetened (desiccated) 58 Coconut, shredded (desiccated) 158 Coconut cream 46

Recipes using macadamia nuts

There are 120 recipes that contain this ingredient.

Double Orange Macadamia Nut Cookies with Orange Frosting

More macadamia nut recipes

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