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Dehydrating Nuts and Seeds
I rarely meet anyone who doesn’t love nuts and seeds. They’re crunchy, fatty, nutritious, and convenient. They’re also widely recommended to eat for their nutritional content, thus more and more people are eating them regularly. Good thing, right? Not necessarily!
Have you ever eaten nuts or nut butter and felt like you just swallowed a brick? Do you bloat or have gas after eating them? If so, there is a good reason why. Not only are nuts highly dense foods (why you should only eat a small amount), they’re also chock-full of anti-nutrients that irritate your intestines and block specific nutrient absorption, especially proteins and minerals.
Regularly eating raw nuts and seeds that have not been soaked is not a healthy habit to cultivate, and can create a host of health issues over time. 😯 Since I don’t want this to happen to you, make sure you get the full scoop about the hazards of eating raw nuts & seeds.
*Note about store-bought roasted nuts. Don’t eat them!!!!! Since I could write an entire post about this subject but don’t want to steer off course about my original topic, I will give you the quick-and-dirty reasons here.
- They’re not soaked.
- They’re coated in inflammatory oils and processed salt.
- They’re highly heated which destroys the delicate fatty acids contained in the nut.
- These rancid fatty acids create oxidative stress and free radical production.
- All of the reasons above make it pretty pointless to eat roasted nuts if you’re looking to improve your health.
Soaking & Dehydrating is My Favorite Way to Eat Nuts & Seeds
This doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy nuts and seeds. You just need to avoid the roasted kind, and add a few steps before you indulge in the raw kind. My secret weapon to enjoying these fabulous foods on a regular basis, while showing my digestive system a little tender-love-and-care, is to soak and dehydrate them!
Once you have a taste of soaked, dehydrated nuts and seeds, you’ll never want to eat them raw again! The texture and flavor cannot be matched, especially for walnuts. However, taste and texture is only the tip-of-the-iceberg when it comes to soaking and dehydrating your nuts and seeds. Soaking deactivates those pesky anti-nutrients, but also activates vital enzymes and nutrients such as iron, potassium, magnesium, manganese, selenium, zinc, vitamin E, vitamin C, that are otherwise unavailable when eaten raw. See Soaking Grains, Beans, Nuts & Seeds to learn more.
Once you’ve soaked your nuts and seeds, they’re ready to eat. However, I’m not a super-fan of eating wet nuts–I prefer to dehydrate mine. This pulls the moisture out leaving the nuts or seeds crunchy and amazingly delicious. Dehydrating also extends the shelf life. Soaked nuts should be stored in the fridge for no more than a few days to prevent mold, while dehydrated ones can stay for weeks and weeks in the fridge.
Dehydrating Instructions
Tools: Dehydrator. I have an Excalibur like the one below, and I can’t live without it! 
- Soak nuts or seeds in a salt brine for 12-18 hours. Add 1/2 tsp. of high-quality Himalayan salt for every cup of water. For detailed instructions see Soaking Grains, Beans, Nuts and Seeds 101. Specific soaking time varies among certain nuts & seeds. Make sure to get a high-quality Himalayan Sea Salt. No table salt!
- Once soak time is up, drain the soak water.
- Spread the nuts or seeds evenly on the dehydrator trays.
- I like to initially set the temp to 145° for the first hour to draw a good portion of the moisture out, then lower it 115° and dehydrate for 15-24 hours, until crispy with a hint of moistness in the middle.
- Times will vary among different nuts and seeds. Altitude plays a part too. I recommend turning the nuts or seeds after 12 hours, then giving a little taste test after 15 hours. Some nuts and most seeds will be ready after 15. The larger, more dense nuts will need more time.
- The best time to begin the dehydrating process is at night before you go to bed. This way when you wake up in the morning you can check to see the process.
- Once finished, store in an air-tight container in the fridge. May keep for several weeks.
*Note for those without a dehydrator. You can gently heat your nuts and seeds in the oven at 115°. I don’t recommend any higher, because the heat will damage the delicate fatty acids. If your oven doesn’t have a setting for this low of a temp, a toaster oven works. The texture is not the same as dehydrating them, but it’s the next best option if you don’t want to eat wet nuts and seeds.
Soaking and dehydrating is by far, the best way to eat your nuts and seeds. If you have not yet purchased a dehydrator, put it on your Christmas or Birthday wish list! It’s one of the handiest tools to have around. Do you have any favorite recipes for dehydrating nuts and seeds? If so, please share in in the comment section below.
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Kim
Welcome to Yogitrition, Your Source for Living Well and Whole. My name is Kim, and I am a yogi with a smoldering passion for nutrition and healthy living. My mission is to inspire as many people as I can to expand their awareness and broaden their horizons by giving a voice to the choices that create abundant, radiant health. Here I share deliciously simple plant-based recipes, nutrition resources, detox tips, a glimpse into my whole lifestyle, and work privately with clients from all over the world. Book a private coaching session or a cooking class with me, and keep up to date with my public cooking classes, supper clubs, workshops and events by signing up for my newsletter. I'm super thrilled you stopped by and have fun looking around! | Ormond Beach, FL
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Thanks for this. I’m going on a gut healing diet and I really didn’t want to give up my nuts.
You’re welcome Pam! It’s been 2 years. Did you make any improvements with the gut healing program?
Like Pam above, I am on a gut healing regimen. I was searching for how to deal with the inflammatory issues of legumes and grains–I had heard that sprouting them would take that away. So, I landed on your blogs. I appreciate the information you have supplied about soaking beans & grains and seeds/nuts and, dehydrating seeds & nuts. Very helpful. Thank you. It is worth doing for my husband as well. Hopefully, I will remember to come back here and let you know how it has gone for us. 🙂
It’s been 1 year ago today April! I just found your comment. How funny! Has the gut healing program helped you? I’d love any feedback.
Hi Kim
We live in a country area an the shops are a distance away and not much variety, therefore we buy in bulk. My dehydrator does not have heat settings, would this be a problem.
Just today before finding you page i made up a heap of LSA+ drat. Thank you for your site it’s very informative. Regards Jude.
Thank you Jude. Do you know the temp your dehydrator is set to? Also, having a hard time deciphering what is you made.Can you clarify?
Yes, your soaking guide has been my bible since changing my diet a few months ago. Thank-you
Fantastic Kat! I’m so happy this guide has been helpful!
Do you really think 115 degrees is low enough so as not to damage the delicate fats in nuts? Is there a reason why you don’t use a lower temperature? Time?
Al, any temp lower than 115 degrees doesn’t seem to dry the nuts very well. The process can take a very long time. I’m not 100% certain if 115 degrees doesn’t damage the fats in the nuts, but I’ve read a lot of research that this temp is still safe for keeping enzymes intact.
Thank you for your good articles on soaking and dehydrating nuts and seeds Kim. Would you recommend dehydrating grains such as hulled barley after the soaking process also? If yes, any recommendations on temperature and duration of dehydrating time to use?
I certainly do recommend soaking grains! This link has a soaking chart for most grains, nuts/seeds and beans. http://www.yogitrition.com/soaking-grains-beans-nuts-and-seeds-101/
Yes, I know soaking of grains is recommended. I said dehydrating grains. I want to keep a stock of hulled barley on hand for use on a daily basis, and I’m wondering if you recommend dehydrating the hulled barley after the soaking process?
Ooops, my apologies Robert. Yes, I’d dehydrate the barley at around 115 degrees for at least 24 hours. This is actually a good recommendation that I need to add to the post. Thank you!
No problem Kim. Thanks very much for replying so promptly. I appreciate it! Great site you have by the way. I recently discovered it and really find your articles insightful, honest, and genuine.
You’re welcome Robert and thank you as well! I appreciate that! 🙂
Any ideas on the shelf-life of dehydrated almonds which are then stored in air-tight jars? Thanks.
You know Chrissie, dehydrated nuts gut eat rather quickly in my house, so I couldn’t really tell you, lol. I’d say at least a few weeks.
Why is it necessary to soak nuts with salt? Is it OK to just use water?
Dan, salt helps to activate enzymes and release inhibitors for nuts, just like an acidic medium such as vinegar, does the same for grains. You can definitely just use plain water to soak the nuts, just soak a little longer if you can.
Thank you for this wonderful instruction! I am wondering about the 145 degree initial setting on the dehydrator–if you don’t want to harm the nutrients by exceeding 108-115 degrees?
Setting the temp at 145 degrees initially was suggested to me by a few raw foodists, actually. I guess the theory is that it will initiate the drying processes quicker, and 1 hour at 145 degrees doesn’t really destroy the nutrients. I have no proof, however, since it’s just a theory, lol.