The short answer
100 g of walnuts (raw) has 14.9 g of protein and 671 kcal.1 That's about 30% of the 50 g of protein ICMR-NIN suggests a day for a 60 kg adult.2
Nutrition in 100 g of walnuts
| Per 100 g | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 671 kcal (2809 kJ) |
| Protein | 14.9 g ± 0.6 |
| Fat | 64.3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 10.1 g |
| Fibre | 5.4 g |
| Water | 3.6 g |
These figures are for raw, shelled walnuts.
How much walnuts for your protein?
The amounts below are worked out from IFCT's figure of 14.9 g per 100 g. To see how walnuts fits into a whole day, add it in the day builder.
| To get | Eat about | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 10 g of protein | 67 g (raw weight) | 450 kcal |
| 20 g of protein | 134 g (raw weight) | 899 kcal |
| 30 g of protein | 201 g (raw weight) | 1349 kcal |
How walnuts compares
Walnuts has more protein per 100 g than 58% of the 542 foods in IFCT 2017. Here it is beside the other nuts and seeds we cover:
| Nuts and seeds | Protein / 100 g | kcal | From protein |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peanuts | 23.7 g | 520 | 18% |
| Sunflower seeds | 23.5 g | 586 | 16% |
| Halim seeds | 23.4 g | 445 | 21% |
| Pistachios | 23.4 g | 539 | 18% |
| Sesame seeds | 21.7 g | 520 | 17% |
| Cashews | 18.8 g | 583 | 13% |
| Flaxseeds | 18.6 g | 444 | 17% |
| Almonds | 18.4 g | 609 | 12% |
| Walnuts | 14.9 g | 671 | 9% |
| Dry coconut | 7.3 g | 624 | 5% |
Other vegetarian foods with similar protein: kala chana (18.8 g), khoa (16.3 g), rajgira (13.3 g), quinoa (13.1 g), sooji (11.4 g). For more protein per 100 g, try soybean (37.8 g), masoor dal (24.4 g), moong dal (23.9 g). See every food on one protein chart.
Protein quality
Nuts and seeds add useful protein, but most of their calories come from fat. Per calorie they give less protein than dal, paneer or eggs, so they work best as an addition rather than the main source.
Walnuts in Indian languages
Names as listed in IFCT 2017, which records what the food is called in each region it was sampled from.1
- Assamese
- Akhrot
- Bengali
- Akhrot
- Gujarati
- Akhrot
- Hindi
- Akhrot
- Kannada
- Akrodu
- Malayalam
- Akrottandi
- Marathi
- Akhrod
- Odia
- Akhoot
- Punjabi
- Akhrot
- Tamil
- Akhrot
- Telugu
- Akrot kaya
- Urdu
- Akhrut
Common questions
How much protein is in 100 g of walnuts?
14.9 g, according to the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 from ICMR-NIN. That's for raw walnuts, per 100 g of the edible part. 100 g also gives 671 kcal.
How much walnuts gives 20 g of protein?
About 134 g (raw weight). That's roughly 40% of the 50 g a day ICMR-NIN suggests for a 60 kg adult.
Is walnuts a good source of protein?
9% of its calories come from protein, and it has more protein per 100 g than 58% of the 542 foods in IFCT 2017. Nuts and seeds add useful protein, but most of their calories come from fat.
References
- Longvah T, Ananthan R, Bhaskarachary K, Venkaiah K. Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR), Hyderabad. nin.res.in. Read through the open-data copy by Subhajit Sahu (ifct2017, MIT licence).
- ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. Nutrient Requirements for Indians: Recommended Dietary Allowances and Estimated Average Requirements. 2020. nin.res.in