How to Chop Nuts, 5 Ways
Updated: Mar. 10, 2023
Wondering how to chop nuts for your favorite recipes? These methods walnut disappoint.
Chopping nuts can drive you, well, nuts but it’s impossible to make many of our favorite recipes without them. Pecan pie, granola and holiday spiced nuts, to name a few. While you can buy pre-chopped nuts at the grocery store, you’ll save money by chopping nuts at home. Learning how to chop nuts also allows you to control the size. These go-to methods make the process quick and easy.
How to Chop Nuts with a Knife
Chopping nuts with a knife might be a bit of a pain, but it’s the best way to obtain evenly chopped nuts. Here’s a little kitchen hack: the nuts have a tendency to scoot around wildly as you chop, so roll up a towel and place it around the edge of the cutting board to catch them.
To chop nuts with a knife, place them in a small pile on a cutting board. Keep the tip of the blade on the cutting board and your non-cutting hand in a claw shape over the pile. Slice downward through the nut pile, cutting the nuts with the butt end of the blade and moving your claw hand backwards as you move through the pile. Once you’ve made a single pass over the nuts, turn the pile 90 degrees and make a second pass. At this point, the nuts will be coarsely chopped. To finely chop the nuts, place your non-cutting hand over the top of the blade and carefully rock the blade back and forth until the nuts reach the desired size.
How to Chop Nuts in a Bowl
Chopping nuts on a flat cutting board is can make a bit of a mess, especially when you’re chopping round nuts like hazelnuts. Instead, put the nuts in a bowl and put pressure on them using a pastry cutter, the back of a measuring cup or a small bowl. The nuts will crack under the pressure, producing coarsely chopped nuts. To finely chop the nuts, move them to the cutting board and proceed to chop them using the knife method above.
How to Chop Nuts with a Nut Chopper
A nut chopper is a perfect investment if you use a lot of chopped nuts. The design varies depending on the manufacturer, as some are able to chop both vegetables and nuts while others are specifically designed for nuts only. Be sure to check with the user’s manual, but they usually work in a similar fashion: load the nuts into the gadget before turning the grinder handle or pushing down on the chopper until the nuts reach the desired size.
How to Chop Nuts with a Food Processor
If you need to chop a large quantity of nuts for a recipe like granola, the food processor is the way to go. Working in batches (about 1 cup of nuts at a time), pulse the nuts in the food processor until they reach the desired size. They will go from perfectly chopped to dust very quickly, so keep a close eye on them as you pulse.
How to Chop Nuts with an Apple Corer
We love this method because it takes a uni-tasker and turns it into a multitasker! Place the nuts in a pile on a cutting board. Press down firmly with the apple corer, repeating the process until all the nuts are chopped.
Dessert Recipes That You'll Go Nuts Over
Tender Pecan LogsFolks always ask me to make these tender nutty logs. Not overly sweet, they're just right with a steaming cup of coffee or tea. —Joyce Beck, Gadsden, Alabama
Cinnamon Peanut BrittleI made this sweet, peanut-packed candy for Christmas and sent some with my husband to work. His co-workers liked it so much they asked for more. It has a lovely glossy look and the cinnamon is a delightful surprise. You've got to try this peanut butter brittle recipe. —Grace Miller, Mansfield, Ohio
Chocolate Hazelnut ShortbreadWe love hazelnut flavor and cookies that aren’t too sweet, so this recipe is perfect for us! If you like your cookies on the sweeter side, bake up these crisp beauties and slather some Nutella between two to create an extra-special sandwich cookie. —Karla Johnson, East Helena, Montana
Spiced Upside-Down Apple PieMy grandma taught me to make this pie when I was 4. Over the years, I've kept it about the same with just a few changes. Flip it out the second it stops bubbling. The glaze makes it look especially delicious. —Francine Bryson, Pickens, South Carolina
Hazelnut Madeleine CookiesThese soft, cakelike cookies have a delicate hazelnut flavor—perfect for making great memories! They’re baked in the distinctive shell-shaped madeleine pan, available in kitchen specialty stores. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
Candied PecansI pack these easy candied pecans in jars tied with pretty ribbon for family and friends. My granddaughter gave some to a doctor at the hospital where she works, and he said they were too good to be true! —Opal Turner, Hughes Springs, Texas
Easy Nutella CheesecakeCreamy chocolate-hazelnut spread tops a crust made of crushed Oreo cookies to make this irresistible baked cheesecake.—Nick Iverson, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Upside-Down Pumpkin Pecan TartsThese flaky phyllo treats with a rich pumpkin filling are a fantastic twist on pumpkin pie and can be prepared a day ahead. —Darlene Buerger, Peoria, Arizona
Give this traditional pecan tarts recipe a whirl.
Salted Caramel Walnut TartIt took me a while to figure out a way to convert one of my favorite ice cream flavors into a pie—one of my favorite desserts. The result took quite a few tries, but in the end, it was so worth it. —Ruth Ealy, Plain City, Ohio
Baklava Thumbprint CookiesThe topping on my sister-in-law's peach cobbler was so delicious that I asked for the recipe; then I decided to use that to top a cookie I developed with the flavors of baklava. My adult son tried one and immediately ate two more—which is unusual for him! It's a good recipe to mix up the night before and bake fresh the next day for company. —Sharon Eshelman, Harrington, Delaware
Chocolate-Tipped Butter CookiesThese wonderfully moist morsels are too tempting to resist. They melt right in your mouth. Rather than sprinkling the chocolate tips with nuts, you can roll them in red and green jimmies or leave them plain. —Charolette Westfall, Houston, Texas
Almond BiscottiI've learned to bake a double batch of these crisp dunking cookies, because one batch goes too fast! —H. Michaelsen, St. Charles, Illinois
Date-Nut PinwheelsPinwheel cookies with dates and walnuts are a family treasure. There are a few steps when prepping, so I sometimes freeze the dough and bake the cookies later. —Frieda Whiteley, Lisbon, Connecticut
Pecan Pumpkin DessertI always make this treat for Thanksgiving. A friend gave me the recipe, and I've since shared it with many others. —Sue Williams, Mount Holly, North Carolina
Caramel-Pecan Monkey BreadThe kids will get a kick out of pulling off gooey pieces of this delectable monkey bread. It's hard to resist a caramel-coated treat. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
Originally Published: November 04, 2021
