Hazelnuts: Nutrition Facts, Health Benefits, and the Nut With an Olive-Oil-Like Fat Profile

Hazelnuts hold a distinctive position among tree nuts: their fat profile is dominated by monounsaturated fat to a degree that genuinely rivals olive oil, with 40.2g of monounsaturated fat out of 53.5g total fat per 100g — about 75%, a proportion higher than almost any other commonly eaten nut. Combined with a Vitamin E content that hits 100% of the daily value, plus 263% of manganese, 157% of copper, 53% of thiamine, 37% of magnesium, 33% of B6, and 28% of folate, they deliver one of the more impressive nutritional packages in the nut category, entirely separate from their famous association with chocolate spread.

Hazelnuts Nutrition Facts (per 100g)

* From USDA’s SR Legacy data for raw hazelnuts, used where the newer Foundation Foods data has no value, with the fat breakdown scaled to the Foundation Foods total fat. Everything else is from Foundation Foods. Full sources are at the end of the page.

Hazelnuts Nutrition Facts (per 28g serving — approximately a small handful)

A standard serving is approximately 28g, roughly 21 whole nuts:

A 28g serving provides 28% of your daily Vitamin E and over 11g of mostly monounsaturated fat for under 170 calories.

Vitamins in Hazelnuts (per 100g)

* From USDA’s SR Legacy data for raw hazelnuts. % Daily Values use the FDA’s current Daily Values.

Standout: Hazelnuts’ Vitamin E content sits at 100% of the daily value per 100g — one of the strongest plant-food sources of this fat-soluble antioxidant, second only to almonds (171% DV) among common nuts, and genuinely exceptional given how few foods reach the full daily requirement at all. Vitamin E protects cell membranes from oxidative damage by neutralizing free radicals in lipid environments, working particularly well alongside hazelnuts’ own predominantly unsaturated fat content, which is exactly the kind of fat most vulnerable to oxidative damage without adequate antioxidant protection. Thiamine at 53% DV and B6 at 33% DV round out a genuinely strong B vitamin profile, alongside folate at 28% DV.

Minerals in Hazelnuts (per 100g)

Standout: Hazelnuts deliver a genuinely well-rounded mineral profile, led by manganese (263% DV) and copper (157% DV). Magnesium at 37% DV supports over 300 enzymatic reactions including ATP production and muscle function, while phosphorus (26% DV) works alongside calcium as a structural bone mineral and is itself a component of ATP. Iron at 19% DV (non-haem form) and zinc at 21% DV add further depth, while calcium at 10% DV is higher than most other nuts, though well below almonds.

The Fat Profile: Why Hazelnuts Compare to Olive Oil

This is the single most distinctive nutritional fact about hazelnuts, and it’s worth explaining clearly because it separates them from most other nuts in a meaningful way.

A Monounsaturated Fat Concentration Few Foods Match

Of hazelnuts’ 53.5g of total fat per 100g, 40.2g — roughly 75% — is monounsaturated fat, predominantly oleic acid, the same fatty acid that makes up the bulk of olive oil’s famously heart-healthy fat profile. By proportion, their fat composition sits closer to olive oil than to most other tree nuts, several of which (walnuts in particular) lean far more heavily toward polyunsaturated fat instead.

Why This Composition Matters

Oleic acid and other monounsaturated fats are consistently associated with favorable effects on blood lipids in clinical research — reducing LDL cholesterol when they replace saturated fat, while maintaining HDL cholesterol. Diets higher in monounsaturated fat relative to saturated fat, of which the Mediterranean dietary pattern (heavily reliant on olive oil and tree nuts including hazelnuts) is the most extensively studied example, are consistently associated with reduced cardiovascular disease risk in large prospective studies.

The Practical Takeaway

For anyone specifically interested in a tree nut with a fat profile closely resembling olive oil’s cardioprotective composition, hazelnuts and macadamias are the closest matches among commonly available nuts — a genuinely distinctive nutritional identity that goes well beyond hazelnuts’ cultural association with chocolate spread.

Health Benefits of Hazelnuts

Outstanding Vitamin E for Antioxidant Protection

At 100% DV per 100g, hazelnuts’ Vitamin E content protects cell membranes from oxidative damage, supports immune function, and works synergistically with the nut’s own monounsaturated fat, since Vitamin E is specifically positioned to protect unsaturated fats from the lipid peroxidation that would otherwise degrade them, both within the food itself and within the body’s own cell membranes after consumption.

Heart Health Through Monounsaturated Fat

As detailed above, hazelnuts’ fat composition closely resembles olive oil’s favorable monounsaturated profile, contributing to LDL reduction and the broader cardiovascular benefits consistently observed with regular tree nut consumption in large-scale dietary research. Nut trials also show modest improvements in endothelial function, though effects on markers of inflammation have been inconsistent.

Strong Folate for Cellular Health

At 28% DV per 100g, folate supports DNA synthesis and cell division, red blood cell formation, and homocysteine regulation alongside B6, making hazelnuts a meaningful plant-based folate contributor, particularly relevant for anyone needing elevated intake such as women of reproductive age.

Magnesium and Phosphorus for Energy and Bone Health

At 37% DV magnesium and 26% DV phosphorus per 100g, these minerals work together extensively: magnesium for ATP production, muscle contraction, and nervous system regulation, and phosphorus as both a structural bone component and a literal part of the ATP molecule itself. Magnesium deficiency is one of the most commonly under-recognized nutritional gaps in modern diets, making hazelnuts’ strong contribution genuinely useful.

Thiamine for Carbohydrate Energy Conversion

At 53% DV per 100g, thiamine is a coenzyme for pyruvate dehydrogenase, the enzyme that feeds fuel from carbohydrates into the Krebs cycle — directly relevant given hazelnuts’ own meaningful carbohydrate content.

Fiber for Gut Health and Satiety

At 8.4g per 100g, hazelnuts provide substantial fiber for a nut, supporting bowel regularity, feeding beneficial gut bacteria, and contributing to the strong satiety that makes nuts an effective tool for appetite management despite their calorie density.

Blood Sugar Management

The combination of fiber, protein, and predominantly unsaturated fat gives hazelnuts a low glycaemic impact, with the fat and fiber slowing the digestion of the modest carbohydrate content and producing minimal blood sugar response.

Hazelnuts for Athletes and Active People

Magnesium for Training Performance

Athletes lose meaningful magnesium through sweat, and hazelnuts’ strong 37% DV contribution per 100g supports the ATP production and muscle contraction/relaxation cycle that underpins training capacity and recovery.

Vitamin E for Exercise-Induced Oxidative Stress

Intense training increases free radical production; hazelnuts’ exceptional Vitamin E content provides meaningful antioxidant support for managing this oxidative load, particularly relevant given that exercise specifically increases oxidation of the kind of unsaturated fats Vitamin E is best positioned to protect.

Calorie-Dense Energy for Muscle Building Phases

At 602 kcal per 100g with a favorable fat profile and meaningful protein, hazelnuts are a practical way to add quality calories during a deliberate caloric surplus without needing to eat unrealistic food volumes.

A Practical, Portable Whole-Food Snack

Requiring no preparation and traveling well, hazelnuts are an easy way to add healthy fats, fiber, and a strong micronutrient spread to a training day without any planning required beyond keeping a small container on hand.

Hazelnuts and Nutella: Separating the Nut From the Spread

This is worth addressing directly given how strongly hazelnuts are culturally associated with chocolate-hazelnut spread.

Chocolate-hazelnut spreads like Nutella typically contain hazelnuts as a relatively minor ingredient by weight — a standard jar’s ingredient list is usually led by sugar and palm oil, with hazelnuts (around 13% in Nutella’s case) listed further down, alongside cocoa, skimmed milk powder, and emulsifiers. A typical serving of chocolate-hazelnut spread delivers roughly 530–540 calories per 100g with around 56g of sugar, a dramatically different nutritional profile from the whole, unsweetened hazelnuts covered throughout this page, which contain just 4.3g of naturally occurring sugar per 100g and zero added sugar.

The practical distinction: the genuine nutritional benefits described on this page — the Vitamin E, magnesium, monounsaturated fat profile, and fiber — belong to whole hazelnuts, not to the sweetened spread products that trade heavily on hazelnuts’ reputation while containing comparatively little of the actual nut and a substantial amount of added sugar and palm oil instead.

Hazelnuts vs Other Common Nuts

Hazelnuts stand out for the sheer proportion of their fat that’s monounsaturated — second only to macadamia nuts, but with far more vitamin E and folate to go alongside it. Their Vitamin E content, while lower than almonds’, is still genuinely exceptional and dramatically higher than walnuts, cashews, or macadamias.

Practical Ways to Include Hazelnuts in Your Diet

As a snack — a 28g handful provides sustained energy, fiber, and over a quarter of your daily Vitamin E with no preparation required.

Toasted and crushed over salads or oatmeal — toasting briefly intensifies hazelnuts’ naturally nutty flavor and adds texture to both sweet and savory dishes.

Hazelnut butter — provides essentially the same nutritional profile as whole hazelnuts in a spreadable form; check labels for added sugar or oil, since the cleanest products contain only hazelnuts.

In baking — ground hazelnuts (hazelnut meal) work well in cakes and biscuits, adding protein, fiber, and healthy fat compared to using flour alone.

With dark chocolate — a classic, genuinely complementary pairing of two foods both covered elsewhere on this site for their distinct mineral and antioxidant profiles, offering a more nutritionally favorable alternative to commercial chocolate-hazelnut spread.

In stuffing or grain dishes — chopped hazelnuts add texture and nutrition to savory rice or grain-based dishes, a traditional use in many European cuisines.

Potential Considerations

Calorie density — at 602 kcal per 100g, portion awareness matters for anyone managing total calorie intake; measuring rather than eating freely from a large bag helps avoid unintentional overconsumption.

Tree nut allergy — hazelnuts are a common tree nut allergen and can cause severe reactions in sensitized individuals; people with known tree nut allergies should avoid them.

Oral allergy syndrome — people with birch pollen allergy may experience mild oral itching or tingling when eating raw hazelnuts due to cross-reactive proteins — usually much milder than a primary hazelnut allergy, and often reduced by roasting, which breaks down the proteins involved.

Don’t confuse whole hazelnuts with chocolate-hazelnut spread — as detailed above, the nutritional benefits of this page apply to the whole, unsweetened nut, not to sweetened spread products.

Nutrient data: USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods (FDC ID 2515375); values marked * from SR Legacy (FDC ID 170581), with the fat breakdown scaled to the Foundation Foods total. % Daily Values use the FDA’s current Daily Values.