Soaked Almonds vs Walnuts (Badam, Akhrot): Which in the Morning?
Five soaked almonds come to about 35 calories; two soaked walnuts come to about 50. That’s the whole size of this contest. For soaked almonds and walnuts on an empty stomach, the honest answer is that both are good, you can soak them together in one bowl, and the better pick depends on what you want: vitamin E and a lower price lean towards badam, plant omega-3 leans towards akhrot. Below is the side-by-side per morning portion, the weekly cost worked out, what soaking changes in each, and a verdict by goal.
The short version
- Usual morning portion: 5 badam or 2 whole akhrot (4 halves)
- Calories: about 35 for the almonds, about 50 for the walnuts
- Almond’s strong point: vitamin E, and usually a lower price
- Walnut’s strong point: ALA, the plant omega-3 fat
- Soak time: almonds 8 to 12 hours, walnuts 4 to 8 hours
- Together in one bowl? Yes. The walnut skins turn the water brown and bitter, so pour it away
Prefer to listen? This post as a 2 min video · Video page with transcript
Soaked almonds vs walnuts: the morning portion side by side
People rarely eat the same weight of each. The desi habit is a small count, usually 5 almonds or 2 walnuts, so the fair comparison is per habit, not per 100 grams. These are round, well-established figures for the nuts’ dry weight, because soaking adds water, not calories.
| Per morning | 5 badam (about 6 g) | 2 akhrot (about 8 g) |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | about 35 | about 50 |
| Protein | about 1.3 g | about 1.2 g |
| Main fat type | monounsaturated | polyunsaturated, with ALA |
| Plant omega-3 (ALA) | almost none | about 0.7 g |
| Vitamin E | about a tenth of a day’s need | very little |
Neither portion is a real protein source; an egg or a katori of daal beats both many times over. What stands out is that each nut does one job the other barely does, which is the best reason to eat both if the budget allows.
Adults are usually advised to get roughly 1.1 to 1.6 g of ALA a day, so two walnuts cover a good slice of that on their own. Five almonds, meanwhile, give about 1.5 mg of vitamin E against an adult need of around 15 mg.
Walnuts are the only common nut with a real amount of plant omega-3. Almonds have almost none.
Can I soak walnuts and almonds together?
Yes. Nothing harmful happens; the only catch is taste.
Walnut kernels wear a thin, papery brown skin full of tannins (the same dry, puckering compounds you taste in strong chai). In water those tannins leak out, so by morning the water looks like weak tea and tastes bitter, and your almonds pick up a little of that bitterness too. If that bothers you, use two small bowls. If it doesn’t, one bowl is fine.
- At night, rinse 5 almonds and 2 shelled walnuts (4 halves) under running water.
- Cover them with about 100 ml (half a cup) of drinking water. Nuts swell, so leave room.
- Cover the bowl. In summer, above about 30 °C in the room, put it in the fridge.
- In the morning, drain and pour the water away. Don’t drink the brown walnut water.
- Slip the almond skins off between finger and thumb if you like. Leave the walnut skin on.
- Eat them within the morning. Soaked walnuts go stale fast once out of water.
Timing differs a little. Almonds need 8 to 12 hours to go fully crisp and juicy, while walnuts are soft by 4 to 8 hours and start to go mushy beyond that. A 10 pm soak and 7 am breakfast suits both. For the full almond method, peeling and how many to eat by age, see our guide to soaked almonds (badam); this piece won’t repeat it.
What soaking changes in each nut
Almonds
A soaked almond is crunchy in a wet, milky way, a bit like a fresh green almond. The brown skin loosens so it peels easily, and the flavour turns mild and sweet. The skin carries fibre and plant compounds, so keeping it is a fine choice; peel it if it tastes bitter to you, or when grinding almonds into a paste for a small child or an older parent with weak teeth.
Walnuts
Walnuts change more. The dry, sharp edge fades and the kernel goes soft and creamy, closer to a freshly cracked autumn walnut. That’s the main reason to soak them: taste and softness. The skin can’t be peeled at home without a lot of fuss, and it doesn’t need to be.
And the phytic acid question
Soaking is often sold as the way to “remove phytic acid” (a natural compound in seeds that holds on to some iron and zinc). An overnight soak in plain water shifts it only a little in nuts. The reliable gains are softer texture, easier chewing and, for many people, a stomach that feels lighter. Good enough reasons.
Price per week: the badam and akhrot sums
Prices move with every season and every city, so here is a method you can run with your own shop’s rate rather than a figure that will be wrong next month.
- Almonds: 5 a day for 7 days is 35 almonds, about 42 g. Multiply the per-kg price by 0.042.
- Walnut kernels (giri): 2 a day for 7 days is 14 whole walnuts, about 56 g of kernel. Multiply the per-kg giri price by 0.056.
- Walnuts in shell: roughly half the weight is shell, so 14 walnuts are about 110 to 120 g in shell.
As a worked example only, if almonds were Rs 3,000 a kg, a week’s badam would cost about Rs 126. Walnut giri usually costs as much as almonds per kg or more, and the walnut portion weighs more, so the walnut week normally costs more. The sum works the same in Pakistani or Indian rupees. For how peanuts win the budget contest outright, our almonds vs walnuts vs cashews comparison puts all of them per handful.
Myth: walnuts are brain food because they look like a brain
This is the oldest trick in the shop. The idea that a food helps the body part it resembles (the “doctrine of signatures”) goes back centuries, and the walnut’s wrinkled, two-halved kernel made it a favourite example. Shape tells you nothing.
What’s true is smaller and more interesting: walnuts carry ALA, a plant omega-3 fat, and the body turns only a small part of ALA into the longer omega-3s found in fish. Two walnuts are a good food. They are not a memory pill, and no amount of soaking makes them one for a child before exams.
Which is better in the morning? A verdict by goal
| Your goal | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Tight budget | Almonds | Lower cost per morning |
| Plant omega-3 | Walnuts | About 0.7 g ALA in two |
| Vitamin E | Almonds | A tenth of a day in five |
| Weight gain | Both, more of them | Two portions add under 100 kcal |
| Watching cholesterol | Either, as a swap | In place of fried snacks, not on top |
Weight gain: a few soaked nuts barely move the scale. If gaining is the goal, think in handfuls, and pair them with milk, banana and proper meals.
Cholesterol-conscious: both nuts carry mostly unsaturated fat, and walnuts’ is mostly the polyunsaturated kind. They fit a heart-friendly plate best when they replace samosas, biscuits or namkeen, not when they’re added on top. Keep taking whatever your doctor prescribed; a nut habit sits beside it, never instead of it.
Can’t decide: do 4 almonds and 1 walnut. You get some of each, at around 50 calories.
In Unani and Ayurvedic kitchens both nuts are counted as warm (garam) and strengthening, which is why grandmothers soaked them overnight: soaking was believed to soften that heat for the stomach, especially in summer. Read this as tradition; its practical side, small portions and soaking for easier chewing, holds up well.
Tree nut allergy: almonds and walnuts are both tree nuts, and an allergy to one often means reacting to others. Swelling of the lips or tongue, wheezing, hives spreading fast or feeling faint after eating nuts is an emergency; get to hospital now. Children: no whole nuts under 5 years, soaked or not, because a soft nut still blocks a small airway; grind them or make a smooth paste, and see our guide to cutting nuts and grapes for under-5s. Bitter almonds (kadwe badam) are not food; throw away any almond that tastes sharply bitter. Kidney stones or kidney disease: almonds are high in oxalate and both nuts carry potassium and phosphorus, so check your portion with the doctor looking after your kidneys. Rancid walnuts smell of old paint or cooking oil; bin them.
More soaked and dried nut guides sit in our Desi Remedies collection, including shelling and spotting stale walnuts in the akhrot guide.
Questions people ask about soaked almonds and walnuts
Can I eat soaked almonds and walnuts on an empty stomach?
Yes, most people can. They’re gentle, low in sugar and small in volume, so they sit well first thing. If nuts on an empty stomach give you acidity or a heavy feeling, eat them with breakfast instead; the nutrition is the same either way.
How many soaked almonds and walnuts should I eat a day?
A common, sensible habit is 5 almonds and 2 walnuts, around 85 calories together. Healthy adults can go up to a small handful of mixed nuts a day. More than that is fine for someone trying to gain weight, but it adds calories fast.
Are soaked walnuts better than dry walnuts?
They’re softer and less bitter, not more nutritious. Soaking changes taste and texture and lowers phytic acid only slightly. Eat walnuts whichever way you enjoy them regularly; that matters more than the soaking.
Is 5 soaked almonds + 2 walnuts a good combination?
It’s a good little pairing because each nut covers what the other lacks: almonds bring vitamin E, walnuts bring plant omega-3. Soak them together if you don’t mind a slightly bitter water, and pour that water away in the morning.
How long should I soak walnuts?
Four to eight hours is enough. Walnuts soften far quicker than almonds, and after about 12 hours they can turn mushy and start to smell sour, especially in a warm room. In summer, soak them in the fridge.
Should I peel soaked almonds?
It’s your choice. The skin carries fibre and plant compounds, so eating it is fine for most adults. Peel them if the skin tastes bitter to you, or when you’re grinding almonds into a paste for a young child or someone who finds the skin hard to chew.
Can kids eat soaked almonds and walnuts?
Children under 5 should not get whole nuts, even soft soaked ones, because of the choking risk. Grind soaked almonds and walnuts into a smooth paste or powder and stir it into kheer, dalia or milk. Check for nut allergy by starting with a tiny amount.
Are soaked walnuts and almonds good in pregnancy?
Yes, as ordinary food, unless you have a nut allergy. A few of each fits well in a pregnancy diet. Wash them, soak in clean water, keep the bowl in the fridge in hot weather, and throw away any that smell sour or look mouldy.
Do soaked almonds and walnuts help with cholesterol?
They fit a heart-friendly diet when they replace fried or sugary snacks, and walnuts’ fat is mostly the polyunsaturated kind. A few nuts can’t stand in for medicine, though, so keep up whatever your doctor has prescribed and have your levels checked as advised.
Why do my soaked walnuts taste bitter?
The bitterness comes from tannins in the thin brown skin, and soaking pulls some out into the water. If the kernel also smells like old paint or stale oil, the walnut has gone rancid and should go in the bin.