Roasted Chestnuts and Chestnut Puree

Bring the deeply comforting, sweet, and nutty scent of roasting chestnuts to your home by cooking in the oven for about 30 minutes. Sprinkle them with a little of sea salt flakes and enjoy them as a snack for chilly winter evenings. Or you can turn them into deliciously creamy chestnut puree which features in lots of desert recipes, like iconic French dessert Mont Blanc and Turkish chocolate covered chestnut Karyoka, cakes or simply just as a bread spread. While you can buy canned chestnut puree, it's hard to beat making your own and it tastes a million times better than anything you'll buy in a store. Plus the store-bought chestnut paste oftentimes tends to be overly sweet. A fantastic shortcut for making chestnut puree is to use vacuum-packed roasted chestnuts.
Depending on the recipe you plan to use, you may want the puree to have a thicker or thinner consistency. If you prefer a denser, more paste-like texture, use 1-2 tablespoons of liquid. For a creamier chestnut spread consistency, use more or all the liquid. I used about 4 tablespoons.

Roasted Chestnuts	Chestnut Puree
800 g Chestnuts Sea salt flakes, to serve	360 g Ready to eat chestnuts 300 ml Water 150 g Erythritol or caster sugar 1 tsp Pure vanilla powder

Rinse chestnuts under cold tap water. Drain. Place the flat side of the chestnut down on a cutting board. Using a small, sharp knife, cut a cross in the top. (Try to cut just through the shell, avoiding the nut inside.) Repeat with all the chestnuts.
Transfer the chestnuts into a bowl. Cover it with cold tap water and let them sit for an hour.
Preheat it to 210C/420F. Drain chestnuts and place them on a baking sheet pan in a single layer. Roast until the outer shells begin to curl and the chestnuts are cooked through, about 25-30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and wrap in a clean tea towel. Leave to sit for a further 10 minutes. Peel while they are still warm. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes and enjoy!
For chestnut puree, place all the ingredients into a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, and bring to the boil. Simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated and the water is reduced to about 125ml. Cool slightly.
Place the chestnuts in a food processor, and reserve the syrup. Blend first on low, then increase to higher speeds, until smooth. Whilst processing, slowly pour the reserved syrup into the paste, stopping once the desired consistency is achieved.
Store the chestnut puree in a sterilised jar in the fridge for up to 10 days, or 6 months in the freezer. You can use the chestnut puree as a spread for bread, to make desserts and cakes and so much more!

20 comments:

David M. Gascoigne, 3/1/26 12:59: Absolutely wonderful. I would eat the whole plateful!
Lola Martínez 3/1/26 13:03: Soy gran aficionada a las castañas, asadas me encantan, pero también en otras recetas como el puré, aunque no lo preparo de la misma forma que tú. Para mí son un regalo del otoño y agoto sus posibilidades en temporada.
DEZMOND 3/1/26 13:18: I have not had roasted chestnuts since childhood, we do not really have them here everywhere, sadly and the street vendors have pulled up the prices insanely.
Anonymous 3/1/26 13:47: Looks delicious! -Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com
My name is Erika. 3/1/26 14:26: I don't think I'd ever eaten chestnut puree until last year when I bought some already puree. They were quite tasty. I'm saving this recipe because I'd love to try making my own. Thanks for sharing Angie. Happy weekend.
Tom 3/1/26 14:52: ...Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like Eskimos~Mel Tormé / Robert Wells 1944
Brian's Home Blog 3/1/26 16:21: Those look really good, yum!
Cocoa and Lavender 3/1/26 16:39: I wish we could get fresh chestnuts here. I saw them once and got some -- they were so old that it was sad. This is beautiful, Angie, and I bet the purée tastes amazing. ~ David
Linda's Relaxing Lair 3/1/26 17:39: They look great 👍
Ananka 3/1/26 18:12: Looks good. I have only ever tried chestnuts twice. Should probably change that! :-D
eileeninmd 3/1/26 18:29: I love the smell of roasted chestnuts, looks yummy!
I wish you all the best in 2026, a happy and healthy New Year.
Take care, have a wonderful weekend.
DeniseinVA 3/1/26 19:54: I remember buying chestnuts at Christmas when I was a child. This looks a great recipe!
Stefania 3/1/26 20:54: Adoro le castagne arrostite.
Quest' anno però non sono riuscita a mangiarle neanche una volta.
Solo bollite.
J.P. Alexander 3/1/26 23:53: Gracias ´por la receta. Te mando un beso.
Roz 4/1/26 00:35: If I could just jump into your gorgeous photos, Angie, I'd completely make a fool of myself pigging out on your delicious chestnuts! I hope your Christmas was merry and I certainly know it was delicious! Wishing you awesome things in 2026!
Garfield 4/1/26 02:14: Lá se foi minha dieta de Ano Novo. rsrsrsrs

Nova tirinha publicada. 😺

Abraços 🐾 Garfield Tirinhas Oficial.
Anonymous 4/1/26 04:56: I would make my own for sure, rather than use store bought, if I could.
Tandy (Lavender and Lime) https://tandysinclair.com
Margaret D 4/1/26 05:36: Never had the opportunity to roast chestnuts, Angie.
Cooking Julia 5/1/26 00:27: I love roasted chestnuts, yours look gorgeous Angie!
Raymund | angsarap.net 6/1/26 19:56: There’s something so comforting about this, Angie, the slow roasting, the sea‑salt finish, and then that silky puree made with vanilla and just enough syrup to get the texture right. It really captures the cozy, wintry feeling of chestnuts at their best, and the homemade version sounds miles better than anything from a can.