If I wasn’t convinced by the opinions of researchers like Sally Fallon about the benefits of soaking grains, legumes, and nuts and seeds, my own experience would have soon convinced me. This is especially true in regard to nuts and seeds. I have often noticed that raw nuts have bothered my stomach slightly, and that I could not eat very many of them without getting an aversion to them. But once I started soaking and dehydrating them, I found, to my delight, that I could handle them very well. Not only that, but I found that they had a much better texture and flavor. There have been several times when I have gotten pumpkin seeds, for example, and tasted them unsoaked and thought they didn’t taste very good. But after soaking them in salt water overnight and dehydrating them, they tasted great. I was hooked.
I would like to introduce you to the concept of why you should soak you nuts and how to do it.
Why Should I Soak Nuts?
Unlike grains, nuts contain smaller amounts of phytic acid. Their real issue for us is having high amounts of enzyme inhibitors. These enzymes are useful to seeds and nuts because it prevents them from sprouting prematurely. But they can really strain your digestive system (which is probably why my body was reacting to them raw).
Soaking your nuts in warm water will neutralize these enzyme inhibitors, and also help encourage the production of beneficial enzymes. These enzymes, in turn, increase many vitamins, especially B vitamins. It also makes these nuts much easier to digest and the nutrients more easily absorbed. And, yes, this is a traditional method of preparation. For example the Aztecs would soak pumpkin or squash seeds in salty water and then, sun dry them. 1
For those of you who soak your grains already, I was curious as to why you used salt instead of a cultured or acidic addition. Sally Fallon answered here.
“Q. When soaking nuts, why is the salt needed?
A. The salt helps activate enzymes that de-activate the enzyme inhibitors. For grains, we soak in an acidic solution to get rid of phytic acid. Nuts do not contain much phytic acid but do contain high levels of enzyme inhibitors. The method imitates the way the native peoples in Central America treated their nuts and seeds–by soaking them in seawater and then dehydrating them.”
(So nuts are prepared slightly differently because they don’t have as much phytic acid, but do have high amounts of enzyme inhibitors.)
Like I said before, if the research didn’t convince me, or if I didn’t care a hoot about what traditional societies did, I would still be convinced by my own experience. I do so much better with soaked nuts, and I like them all the more for their improved taste. I would even prepare them this way solely for the culinary improvement!
The How
While the basic method is the same with all nuts and seeds (soaking in a brine and drying afterwards) there are some slight variations so I will be listing nuts separately. I, once again, owe Sally Fallon the credit for this research. Thank you, Sally Fallon!
The basic method is as follows: Dissolve salt in water, pour over nuts or seeds , using enough water to cover. Leave in a warm place for specified time. Then drain in a colander and spread on a stainless steel pan. Place in a warm oven (no warmer than 150 degrees) for specified time, turning occasionally, until thoroughly dry and crisp. Really make sure they are all the way dry! If not, they could mold and won’t have that crispy wonderful texture. I have found the longer I soak a seed or nut, the longer it takes to dehydrate them.
I use a food dehydrator instead of an oven. It works so well, and keeps my oven free. However, if you don’t have that option, most of us with newer stoves can’t set our ovens at the required 150 degrees Fahrenheit. While I have not personally experimented with this, I have heard of others who leave their ovens cracked to keep the temperature lower or who occasionally open up the oven to also keep the temperature lower. You could put in an oven thermometer to keep track of the temperature. While this would not be the most energy efficient method, it could work. If worse comes to worse, while doing it at 200 degrees (the lowest temperature many stoves will go to) will destroy all those good enzymes and won’t be optimal, I would rather have soaked and slightly toasted nuts then unsoaked nuts.
Pumpkin seeds-Pepitas
4 cups of raw, hulled pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons sea salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
filtered water
Soaking Time: At least 7 hours, or overnight
Dehydrating time: 12-24 hours, until dry and crisp
Pecans or Walnuts
4 cups of nuts
2 teaspoons sea salt
filtered water
Soaking time: 7 or more hours (can do overnight)
Dehydrating time: 12-24 hours, until completely dry and crisp.
Pecans can be stored in an airtight container, but walnuts are more susceptible to become rancid so should always be stores in the refrigerator.
Peanuts (skinless), Pine nuts, or Hazelnuts (skinless)
4 cups of raw nuts
1 tablespoon sea salt
filtered water
Soaking time: at least 7 hours or overnight
Dehydrating time:12-24 hours, until completely dry and crisp
Store in an airtight container
Almonds
4 cups almonds, preferably skinless- SF notes “Skinless almonds will still sprout, indicating that the process of removing their skins has not destroyed the enzymes….[they] are easier to digest and more satisfactory in many recipes. However, you may also use almonds with the skins on. “
1 tablespoon sea salt
filtered water
Soaking time: At least 7 hours, or overnight
Dehydrating Time:12 -24 hours, until completely dry and crisp
* You can also use almond slivers
Cashews
4 cups of “raw” cashews
1 tablespoon sea salt
filtered water
“Some care must be taken in preparing cashews. They will become slimy and develop a disagreeable taste if allowed to soak too long or dry out too slowly, perhaps because they come to us not truly raw but having already undergone two separate heatings. You may dry them in a 200 to 250 degree oven-the enzymes have already been destroyed during processing. “
Soaking time: 6 hours, no longer
Dehydrate at 200 degrees F: 12-24 hours
Store in an airtight container
Macadamia nuts
4 cups of raw macadamia nuts
1 tablespoon sea salt
filtered water
Soaking time: At least 7 hours or overnight
Dehydrating time: 12-24 hours, until dry and crisp.
1 Nourishing Traditions, 2nd edition, pg 452-453, 512, 513-517
This post is part of Kitchen Tip Tuesday!
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I just dried some almonds overnight in the oven. A good bit of them have black spots on them. Do you know what would cause this? Is that mold? The almonds were purchased from a local health food store. They are supposed to be raw but likely are pasteurized.
Paul, regarding your table. All good but cashews should be soaked for no longer than 6 hours NOT 7 – overnight. This is important as “raw” cashews are not truly raw and therefore need to be treated differently from those that are.
Thanks so much for this great article.
I just soaked almonds and they turned out great.
I used them for a new GF recipe i developed, (Cocoa-Date Nut Bars), and linked to this blog post for my readers to learn how too!
robin
Thank you so much!
I soaked my nuts last night and when my girlfriend popped them in her mouth, she absolutely loved them. The flavor was literally bursting into her mouth.
Indeed! My wife also seems to like the milk I make from my nuts. Nothing like home made nut milk. The recipe is super easy too!
I’ll soak nuts and seeds overnight, drain in the morning and store in an air-tight container in the fridge. I eat them within two or three days max. Drying is way too much effort. Didn’t know about adding sea salt to the water. Thanks for the tip!
How much phytic acid does a grown plant, or sprouted seed have, of which has fruit and vegetables growing from it?
And if the answer I’m looking for is “not much” does this mean we should just be eating fruit, vegetables or sprouted grains? Also it appears that phytic acid has a role in Iron depletion as in this article http://www.livestrong.com/article/32697-foods-block-iron-absorption/
I do love soaked nuts though!
Thanks for the interesting read.
Thanks for all the great info. Who knew! If I’m going to make my own nut butter, which is the one nut that is the easiest and best to use? I read that its impossible to buy real raw almonds now, unless i mail order them in (too much hassle), and you said that cashews have already been heat processed twice, so the fats have already probably gone rancid? So, if I shop at my local Whole Foods, what is the best, safest and easiest option of nut to get to soak?
thanks
@ David Dee and Sean,
You guys are just wrong. But you make me laugh.
Great post, thanks. I have been soaking nuts off and on…and just started to again. My oven is crappy, thus good for drying soaked nuts (stays warm in there all the time)… recently I am getting black spots on my almonds when they are drying… it does not smell or taste bad (yes, I have tried a few and feel fine) but I am wondering if the black spots are mold. Thanks!
I would also like to know about pecan and walnut halves. Do these benefit from soaking? How long for? or do they have to be whole pecans / walnuts?
Thanks
Interesting that you are unaware that grains do indeed contain phytic acid – it is in all “seeds” whether they be grain, peas, beans, nuts.
We prefer to use dulse to salt unless we want a saltier nut.
Thanks for this post! I am about to buy some expensive, raw, organic macadamia nuts. I assumed that they would soak less time, like cashews, but wanted a 2nd opinion. You saved the day:-)
HI! Any special info about Brazil Nuts? Thank you. M
Did this yesterday with walnuts and pecans. Delicious and so much better in my tummy. Definitely recommend!
I love pecans and have been buying organic ones from my local health food store. I always soak them & then dehydrate them in my oven to increase their digestibility.
Due to the high price of the organic ones, I was wondering if, by soaking non-organically grown nuts in salted water overnight, am I decreasing their pesticide residue to any appreciable degree? Overall, are nuts (pecans specifically), which are grown commercially, high in pesticide residue? Is it worth it to pay the extra price for organic ones?
Soaking nuts and seeds does not rinse off or decrease pesticide, herbicide, or fungicide residue. The plant actually sucks up these ‘cides along with nutrient for the plant having making these a part of its DNA and depositing that into the fruit or nuts. Always by organic or even better Truganic because of the harm to soil, surrounding areas, and ultimately yourself.
Is there any science to this opinion, or is it just paranoia? It is possible that a crop could be treated while the fruit/nut is on but most chemical is applied in early stages of production and little or no chemical is applied to the produce/fruit/nut. At any rate, there is so minimal amount of chemical to be not mentionable. Organic production is a process of certification that eliminates competition and produces government revenue. With the seldom exception of mishandling or mistaken applications, food produced in the US will never introduce enough chemical that your body can’t handle it. But hey, if your money means nothing to you, go ahead and pay three times as much to help fund the certification procedure.
From Monsanto’s mouth to your ears.
Dennis, your statement is all propaganda and is full of misrepresentations and deception. There isn’t space to refute all you said, but I have to defend against your attack on the free market. Anyone who abides by the organic standards can qualify their products as organic. To say organic production works to eliminate competition is complete a deception. Organic certification allows people to know whether their food has been bathed in poison or is genetically modified. Consumers, armed with this information, can then decide whether that criteria is worth paying the premium (for them). That, sir, is the how a free market is designed to work. Informed consumers voting their priorities with their dollars.
I do not understand why so many who trash organic certification want to kill the free market.
K your statement “Organic certification allows people to know whether their food has been bathed in poison or is genetically modified.” Is incorrect. Organic does not mean that the food is not GMO, to date there is nothing to keep someone from growing GMO plants under the Organic standard and no labeling system to tell us that they are.
Actually, in the U.S. organic fruits and veggies CANNOT be GMO.
http://blogs.usda.gov/2013/05/17/organic-101-can-gmos-be-used-in-organic-products/
The only exception, I think, is that some organic packaged products (with multiple ingredients) are allowed to have a small percentage by weight (maybe 5 – 10%) be non-organic ingredients…so maybe GMOs could sneak in that way. Not completely sure about this, though.
Where do I project propaganda and what is my motive? All food is organic. Organic certification is built on the premise that non-organic certified foods are laced with poison, your writings are filled with suggestions and statements of such. Organic certification does not make better food it is a sells gimmick trap that ignorant people fall into. The criteria for admittance into the elite three to six times the price club is membership paid to the government. It’s not that they don’t use chemicals, they just use different chemicals and often times more of it.
Sorry for my frankness, but you’re out of your delusional, misinformed mind! I don’t know what website or government report you got your information from, but it is hilariously incorrect. If you want to consume even a tiny bit of pesticide and chemical, you go right ahead. I feel sorry for your body and your future health!
It’s impossible for a pesticide to become part of the plant’s DNA. Cells can absorb, but not DNA.
Wolff, while DNA does not technically absorb anything, different chemicals can affect the DNA’s role in gene expression, so that the cells contained within the plant are not properly formed. In the body, improper expression is called cancer, and is, as you know, very harmful. Thus the importance of eating a proper, well balanced diet, filled with good food that has been grown properly!
Is it necessary to soak in salt. I assume the nuts would then have a salty taste, and as I use nuts in so many things other than just eating, I don’t think I would want that extra salty flavor.
the salt rinses off completely and they don’t taste salty 🙂 then you make whatever culinary creation sparks your mind and body at the moment!! MAKE CASHEW CHEESE, SUPER YUMMERS AND HEALTHY!!
Hi! Thanks for your post! I bought raw, organic macadamia nuts, soaked overnight with salt and dehydrated them at 150 degrees for almost 20 hours. They never got crisp, so I am curious if I should just keep going with the dehydrator or if that’s how they are supposed to turn out?
Also, do you store them in the fridge and if so, will that make them mushy?
Can you make milk out of them at this point or should I skip the dehydrator for milk and just soak overnight?
Any tips would be very much appreciated!
Macadamia nuts are such high fat nuts that shouldn’t be soaked for long at all in fact 6 hours is MAX. That would have been the problem.
If you are going to make macadamia milk or cheese, your nuts don’t need to be crisp. I have never soaked macadamias, but I have soaked & dried other nuts, and some do take longer to get crisp than others. You might try dehydrating them a bit longer to see if that helps.
I dry my almonds for three days. maybe I am soaking them too long too! but they taste good 🙂 my walnuts seem to dry overnight. For all ya’all who don’t have a dehydrator, some ovens have a manual override to reset the heat. I believe this is to help the high altitude people use normal baking temps and times. My oven is preset at 170 degrees F but I am able to override -35 degrees, bringing the actual temp down to 135!
I just soaked a batch of raw pine nuts and they smell foul…so foul my kids ran and hid from the room. Would this suggest that they were rancid to begin with? Or did I possible do something wrong?
Ewwww…something went wrong there. It is possible that you soaked them too long? How long did you soak them? If too long (especially in warm weather) they can start growing bacteria that can cause off smells. It has never happened to me while soaking nuts however it has when I forgot about some soaking grains.
Yes! THey can get slimy, mold, look out for bubbles in the water which is a sign of cultivating bacteria. Every nut or seed has a soaking time.
Yes, I agree. It’s possible they even started to ferment, then went bad. If you only soaked them about 7 or 8 hours, then the nuts may have been rancid to begin with. I once bought a package of pine nuts that was maybe two-thirds okay, but one-third rancid. Make sure you drain & rinse after 7 or 8 hours & let us know what happens.
Nuts need to be washed several times during the soaking cycle to keep them from developing bacteria growth. High enough salt levels might prevent that. I wash almonds without salt several times per day to keep the bacteria from growing.
Soaking and Sprouting Seeds, Nuts and Grains
Raw seeds, grains and nuts should be soaked before using. Raw nuts and seeds have enzyme inhibitors on their surface that protect them while they grow. Soaking releases the inhibitors and significantly boosts the nutrition and digestibility of nuts and seeds. Your tummy will feel better after eating them soaked than after eating them unsoaked.
Some people like to add a little salt to the water before soaking to help speed up the process. After soaking, be sure to rinse seeds and nuts thoroughly with fresh pure water until it runs clear to remove the enzyme inhibitors that have been released into the water. It is also recommended to rinse soaking seeds and nuts 2-3 times during the soak.
After soaking, you can dehydrate at 105 degrees until the nuts/seeds are completely dry. Store in the refrigerator or freezer to keep them fresh. Use within 3 days.
The following chart gives a good guideline for soaking and sprouting times of the most common seeds, nuts and grains.
Soaking and Sprouting Chart
Seed, Nut or Grain
Soak Time
Sprout Time
Adzuki
12 hours
3-5 days
Alfalfa
8 hours
2-5 days
Almonds
8-12 hours
12 hours
Barley
6-8 hours
2 days
Brazil Nuts
Do not soak
N/A
Broccoli
8 hours
3-6 days
Buckwheat
6 hours
2 days
Cabbage
4-6 hours
4-5 days
Cashews
2-2 ½ hours
N/A
Chickpeas
12 hours
12 hours
Clover
4-6 hours
4-5 days
Corn
12 hours
2-3 days
Cow Peas
12 hours
3-6 days
Fenugreek
8 hours
3-5 days
Flax
8 hours
N/A
Green Peas
12 hours
2-3 days
Hemp Seeds
Do not soak
N/A
Kamut
7 hours
2-3 days
Lentils
8 hours
12 hours
Macadamia Nuts
Do not soak
N/A
Millet
8 hours
2-3 days
Mung Beans
1 day
2-5 days
Mustard
8 hours
2-7 days
Nuts (all others)
6 hours
N/A
Oat Groats
6 hours
2 days
Pecans
4-6 hours
N/A
Pine Nuts
Do not soak
N/A
Pistachio Nuts
Do not soak
N/A
Pumpkin Seeds (hulled)
8 hours
1 day
Quinoa
2 hours
1 day
Radish
8 hours
2-4 days
Red Clover
8 hours
2-5 days
Rye
8 hours
3 days
Sesame Seeds
8 hours
1-2 days
Spelt
7 hours
2 days
Sunflower Seeds (hulled)
2 hours
2-3 days
Triticale
12 hours
2-3 days
Walnuts
4 hours
N/A
Watercress
4-6 hours
4-5 days
Wheatberries
7 hours
2-2½ days
Wild rice
9 hours
3-5 days
*Almonds are the only nuts that can easily sprout and are in their most nutritious state when they are sprouted
This list is great! Thank you.
I don’t get the flax seeds. I soaked them but couldn’t rinse them. I am dehydrating them to see what happens but they gelled (duh, what was I thinking would happen when mixing with water?). I tried draining in a mesh strainer, and the liquid dripped briefly, but not really much before it just sat there. Any suggestions?
With flaxseeds, I use them usually in two ways.
1. Soak flaxseeds and Chia seeds if you like, together. Then spread them on a dehydrator and dry thoroughly. They will be like a cracker. I don’t like their plain taste so I grind it in my dry canister Vitamix, and add to ground vegetables, seaweed, and some spices to make various kinds of crackers. The same way – in my dry canister Vitamix then spread thinly on my excalibur dehydrator, drying it 105°F flipping it over once and continuing until crisp.
2. I also make a batch of cereal that I THEN soak about 20 minutes to a half hour to eat then or the next day. I mix it in with Chia seeds, coconut unsweetened, and my other favorites and use it for cereal.
You say Macadamia nuts don’t need to be soaked. Why is this?
My comments were left off of my first post. I wanted to say that this
list says that pine, macadamia and Brazil nuts do NOT need to be soaked. Hazel nuts also do not need to be soaked.
Why don’t these particular nuts need to be soaked? Do they not have enzyme inhibitors?
Thanks
I use chia, hemp flax and pumpkin seeds in my nutra bullet to make my smoothie. do I need to soak if I am emulsifing or milling the seeds in the drink?
Hi David, i just found this site, saw your post & wanted to share. I’ve been doing that for years & seems to be working ok for me. I grind it all up in a bean grinder along with raw oats (hemp & flax) and that’s my morning protein shake, along with wild berries. I use ground hemp as a my protein powder instead of whey or soy supplements. I’m 51 and still lifting heavy weights at the gym. So to answer your question, i’d say you got it going on.
Can you dry them in the sun?
There are problems soaking cashews and I am so surprised that even the so-called experts don’t know why. First of all, from my personal experience flavor does not improve by soaking cashews. There is NO flavor in a soaked cashew. Doesn’t anyone know that a cashew is not a nut? Ever seen a cashew in the shell? You never will. Ever seen a cashew sprout? A cashew “nut” is a little appendage that grows on the end of a cashew apple, which grows in the tropics. Reportedly the apples aren’t any good but are grown only for the “nut”. They have a skin, NOT a shell and the skin is extremely poisonous. So if you use a knife or a fingernail to peel it off, it will contaminate the cashew “nut”. Therefore, they are boiled and the skins lift off and rise to the top. So there is no such thing as a raw cashew. So the only reason I can see to soak them is that maybe they expand and recipes are written with that in mind and if you don’t do it, it may not turn out because the measurement won’t be right. Does anyone know about this?
I understand that “Cashew nut” is a misnomer. It’s just an edible dingle-dangle that’s attached to a fruit/nut that is not edible. I’m guessing that the curly white cashew dingle-dangle that we eat is not viable (ie not the seed), so it has no enzyme inhibitor, which would be found in the actual cashew seed which is inside the cashew apple, which is not edible anyway. Have I got it right? 🙂 Just guessing.
Read more about the cashew here, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cashew
Hi,
so from your comments Tomas and Ron, we do not need to soak cashews b/c they are not nuts, correct? I sure hope so bc the soaking and drying process seems very long and not doable for me right now. 🙁 And I love cashews!
Actually the cashew fruit can be eaten; indeed, it is sold as such and eaten in many countries. You just have to ensure that it is well ripened before eating it. The fruit is very juicy and has an unique taste that is very enjoyable. Most definitely worth trying if you can get hold of some.
Also, you wrote, “They have a skin, NOT a shell…” In the context, “they” appears wrongly to refer to the fruit, but should refer to the cashed “nut” itself.
Actually the cashew fruit can be eaten; indeed, it is sold as such and eaten in many countries. You just have to ensure that it is well ripened before eating it. The fruit is very juicy and has an unique taste that is very enjoyable. Most definitely worth trying if you can get hold of some.
Also, just to clarify: you wrote, “They have a skin, NOT a shell…” In the context, “they” appears wrongly to refer to the fruit, but should rightly refer to the cashew “nut”.
Hi I am wondering if, while dehydrating in the oven (mine only goes as low as 180 degrees), I could add some organic maple syrup on hazelnuts to give them that flavor and sweetness? Yes I know sugar isnt healthy. At what point would one add the maple syrup?
Thanks
Will I still be able to make almond butter after soaking the nuts?
what about linseeds, any idea on soaking time anyone?
Linseeds are the same as flaxseeds.
What about Pistachios? Would you soak them similar to almonds? I’m assuming you shell them first. thanks
Ok…. I should soak the almonds. Can I skip the drying process, and simply eat the now soaked almonds? There by perhaps putting a small amount of nuts into some water overnight, each night, and consuming them the next day? I’ve just been diagnosed with inoperable prostate cancer, and am trying to slow down the cell growth by changing to the paleo diet.
okok….. I missed reading above. Sprouting! I see that sprouting the almonds is possible and nutritionally better. I’ll look into how to do that.
eat plenty of turmeric, 4 T suggest for people dealing with cancers, suppose to shrink tumors and read some have disappeared.
I read the other night that baking soda has been determined to also shrink tumors & cause other cancers to be cured. I don’t know if this is totally true, but there was medical evidence to back it up.
yes you can absolutely eat (or cook with) the almonds (or other nuts) after soaking them, no dehydration required. we keep a jar in the fridge and (with periodic water changes) they last for days. they are much easier to eat and very refreshing.
Kimberly, Thank you, thank you, for the list of drying times for nuts and others.
I have avoided legumes and was shocked to learn that it was nuts that were my worst enemy. I love to snack on nuts, thinking they were more helpful.
Is salt used heavy or light? or is it needed at all?
Stan
I’ve recently learned about the importance of soaking grains, beans and nuts. I am searching for the best way to soak and dry nuts. I noticed this article says that nuts are lower in phytic acid than grains. However on the Weston Price website, I quote: “In general, nuts contain levels of phytic acid equal to or higher than those of grains. Therefore those consuming peanut butter, nut butters or nut flours, will take in phytate levels similar to those in unsoaked grains.” They also provide a list of foods in order of how many mg of phytic acid are found in various foods,
http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/living-with-phytic-acid
I’ve got a question along the lines of what Tomas said before. If the cashew isn’t raw, then any enzyme inhibitors or phytic acid in it have already been destroyed, so I don’t understand why it is still meant to be beneficial to soak and dry them. Can anyone answer this please??
Thanks!
How about pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, and hemp seeds?
thanks for this information!
i am curious: i have read that pecans and walnuts (and other hard-shell nuts) contain less enzyme inhibitors because the hard shells protected them. i have also experienced that these nuts don’t cause me a large reaction when un-soaked.
that said, i trust you and sally fallon, and i have pretty terrible digestion overall so i’d like to cover all my bases.
what i am wondering is whether i can soak walnuts, pecans, or even almonds and then freeze rather than dehydrating. i don’t have a dehydrator and my oven doesn’t go so low, so i wondered whether this would be another way i could have them ready to go without being as freshly soaked. i also think it might make a kind of nice summer snack, but curious if anyone has tried it and how it worked?
thanks,
f
What if I put in squeezed lemon instead of sea salt for the cashew soak? Is that ok? Did I ruin something?
Last time I oversoaked (for too long) the cashews, and they did not taste good.
The newest research, conveyed by Chris Kresser, is that nuts have far more phytates than grains. Just another reason not to skip the soaking!
I have a question about soaking the cashews. In the article it said to soak them no longer than 6 hours but above in one of the comments it says to soak them 2-2 1/2 hrs. That is a big difference. The first batch I fixed, I soaked them for exactly 6 hrs. and there were purple spots on some of them (mold maybe?) Was wondering if the 6 hrs. was too long? Also wanted to know if I could use my dehydrator because I don’t like leaving my oven on while I sleep. It only goes up to 160 degrees. Is that hot enough?
Your questions were written a long time ago, so you probably already have answers. If not, here’s my experience: I accidentally soaked some cashews last month for 7 hours, and they were still fine. I do not know what the purple spots were. Sally Fallon recommends 150 degrees for dehydrating nuts & seeds, so your 160 degrees is fine. The lowest temp on my oven is 170 degrees, so to keep it lower, I heat the oven to 150 (sometimes accidentaly to 170), then turn it off. I heat it again every few hours until the nuts are dried. It works great! You have to be at home, of course, to keep turning your oven on and off. I leave it off overnight. This method is very energy efficient and takes a couple days.
Hi, I’m very new to activating nuts & seeds, so still trying to get my head around it!
I’ve been placing my nuts and seeds that I plan to eat the following morning on my breakfast in salted water overnight, I then rinse, drain and eat immediately.
Is this ok? Or do I HAVE to dehydrate to complete the process?
I haven’t got a dehydrator yet, but will hopefully buy one soon.
Until then, is it ok to just activate small amounts each night and eat first thing the next morning??
Thank you
Yes, in fact it’s better to eat them without dehydrating, as dehydrating destroys some nutrients in the process of making the nuts crunchy. It’s the soaking that inactivates the enzyme inhibitors, etc. Cooking also destroys some antinutrients (and nutrients).
Can I soak different nuts in the same glass jar?
Hey there we were moving our kitchen and I couldn’t find my glass bowls and soaked my nuts pecans and almonds in my stainless bowls! Eek did I ruin them?
One of the comments posted above said this:
“After soaking, you can dehydrate at 105 degrees until the nuts/seeds are completely dry. Store in the refrigerator or freezer to keep them fresh. Use within 3 days.”
Can anyone verify that this is true? Why must they be used within 3 days if they have been dehydrated?
-Adam
Some nuts will last months. Don’t know why it said 3 days.
Do I start the soak method with the green husks on the Pecans or do I have to take the skins off prior to soaking?
Until today I have never heard about needing to soak my nuts or grains. I eat a lot of nuts, particularly raw almonds and walnuts and I never have stomach problems. Are the other benefits worth the effort?
Nourishing Traditions calls for hulled pumpkin seeds. Do I really have to hull every seed? It seems incredibly time-consuming to hull each tiny seed! Will soaking still remove the bad enzymes if the hull is still on?
Thank you for sharing the information. Soaking nuts and seeds has, in my experience, helped make them easier for digestion at least. Just be sure to fully dehydrate the nuts/seeds to avoid them getting mouldy. And keep the temperature low enough to keep from cooking the nuts/seeds if you wish to keep them raw. I buy organice, raw, non-gmo wholefood from iherb.com, a natural products superstore with really great price and one of the best international shipping rate at $4 flat (free within US with minimum purchase). There’s also $10 discount for purchase over $40 given to new customers when you use discount coupon code EJE156 😀
Hello, is it ok if i soaked only the amount I would like to consume and then just dry it on a paper towel and eat them straight away ?
This is exactly what I did this morning. I soaked for 7 hours overnight, rinsed thoroughly, dried with a paper towel, them set in the refrigerator until my steel cut oats were cooked. I used walnuts, and they still had a crunch even after just having been soaked.
Do you know if it matters to use tap water or is it better to use distilled or bottled water? I don’t know if any chlorine or chemicals from city water would alter outcomes.
Do you know if it matters if I use city water which may have chlorine in it? Or should I use bottled water or distilled?
Hi there,
Instead of dehydrating/drying the nuts – can the nuts after finishing their soaking time – be used straight away in a recipe?
Thanks
I don’t have a dehydrator so I was going to use a toaster oven that goes down to 150. Does it really take 12 hours to dehydrate? That seems like such a long time, sorry for asking such a basic question.