• New? Start Here!
  • Products I Love
  • My Books
    • Milkies In The Morning
    • Coconut Oil For Your Skin
    • Winter Soups
    • Naturally Sweetened Treats
    • Gluten Free Snacks
    • I Will Breastfeed Anywhere
  • About
    • Who Is Hybrid Rasta Mama?
    • About This Website
    • Subscribe To My Newsletter
    • Policies
      • Disclaimer
      • Terms and Conditions
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Work With Me
  • Contact Me
  • Home
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

Hybrid Rasta Mama

DIY Natural Living - Simplified

  • Toxic Mold Resources
  • Mold And Your Health
  • Coconut Oil
  • Holistic Health
    • Natural Health For Everyone
    • Women’s Health
    • Men’s Health
    • Child Health
    • Natural Remedies
    • Herbs and Essential Oils
    • Everyone Poops
    • Natural Skin, Hair, and Teeth Care
  • Recipes
    • All Things Pumpkin
    • Sweets, Treats, and Baked Goods Recipes
    • Breakfast Recipes
    • Main Course Recipes
    • Side Dish Recipes
    • Beverages
    • Sauces and Condiments
    • Fermentation and Lacto-Fermented Food Recipes
  • DIY Natural Body Care
  • Non-Toxic Cleaning
  • Natural Pest Control
You are here: Home / Natural Health For Everyone / The Benefits of Soaking Nuts and Seeds + How To Soak Nuts

The Benefits of Soaking Nuts and Seeds + How To Soak Nuts

By Jennifer Updated: March 10, 2020. First published: May 30, 2012. This post may contain affiliate links. 1 Comment  

685 shares
  • Facebook
  • X

Nuts come in all shapes, sizes, textures, and colors. There are big nuts, small nuts, round nuts, oval nuts, oddly shaped nuts, hard nuts, soft nuts, nuts with bumps, smooth nuts, dark nuts, light nuts, spotted nuts, nuts with ridges, and nuts with wrinkles.

Nuts really vary in taste as well as texture. Raw nuts allow you to experience their flavor as nature intended. However, not everyone likes the taste of nuts in the purest form. For those individuals there are crispy nuts, salty nuts, sweet nuts, candied nuts, spiced nuts, creamed nuts, roasted nuts, boiled nuts, dry nuts, and wet nuts.

Wet nuts? Oh yes. Anyone who consumes any nut (or seed or grain for that matter) should be soaking your nuts for 24 hours before consumption or before using them in cooking and baking.

Whew – this is a lot of talk about nuts! Shall we chat about the benefits of soaking nuts as seeds as well as how to soak nuts? Cool. Let start with the basics…

The Benefits of Soaking Nuts and Seeds

Soaking nuts and seeds is a long-lost, traditional method of preparation. When nuts and seeds are soaked, the germination process begins, in which the active and readily available amounts of enzymes, vitamins, minerals, proteins and essential fatty acids begin to be activated and multiplies exponentially.

However, nuts and seeds also contain phytic acid and large amounts of enzyme inhibitors which protect them from sprouting until they have the rain and sun they need to grow. The enzymes inhibitors will limit digestion and it will significantly reduce the nutrition of the nuts and seeds. These natural chemicals are quite hard on the stomach so soaking also makes them much easier to digest and the nutrients more easily absorbed by your body.

Soaking and sprouting your nuts and seeds increases their vital minerals and nutrition, while also simultaneously allowing the inhibitor enzymes to shed off the nuts and into the water (that’s why it is important to rinse them off well), making them easier for your body to assimilate and digest out of the body.

Are those crickets I hear? Still a little confused? Ok, here is a bullet list outlining reasons why you should soak your nuts and seeds!

  • To remove or reduce phytic acid.
  • To remove or reduce tannins.
  • To neutralize the enzyme inhibitors.
  • To encourage the production of beneficial enzymes.
  • To increase the amounts of vitamins, especially B vitamins.
  • To make digestion easier.
  • To make the proteins more readily available for absorption.
  • To prevent mineral deficiencies and bone loss.
  • To help neutralize toxins in the colon and keep the colon clean.
  • To prevent many health diseases and conditions.

There is a lot of information about the recommended soaking times for nuts and seeds. Below you will find the MINIMUM soaking times for a variety of nuts and seeds. 12 hours/overnight is best, but if you are in a rush, please follow these guidelines. Make sure all nuts and seeds are raw before you begin.

  • Almonds: 8-12 hours
  • Cashews: 2 hours. Cashews are the exception to long soaking time. Do not soak them more than 7 hours. They have already been through one soaking in their initial processing. If they are soaked too long they will be bitter.
  • Hazelnuts: 6-8 hours
  • Macadamia Nuts: 2-4 hours. There is a lot of mixed information on this one. Some say soak, others say don’t. I err on the side of caution and soak them.
  • Pecans: 6-8 hours
  • Pine Nuts: 6-8 hours
  • Pumpkin Seeds (aka Pepitas): 6-8 hours
  • Sesame Seeds: 4-6 hours although if you toast them, some people believe you can skip the soaking step.
  • Sunflower Seeds: 6-8 hours
  • Walnuts: 6-8 hours

Do not soak Flax Seeds/Chia Seeds (they become mucilaginous when mixed with water, but this makes them a nice egg replacer for dairy-free baking), Hulled Hemp Seeds, Brazil Nuts, and Pistachio Nuts.

Wondering how to soak nuts and seeds? Here is an easy guide:

  1. Place 4 cups of raw nuts or seeds in a glass bowl.
  2. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of ocean sea salt over them (if soaking less than 4 cups less salt is added accordingly). No acid medium is necessary for soaking nuts and seeds.
  3. Pour enough warm/room temperature non-chlorinated water over them, just enough to cover them.
  4. Leave them to soak in a warm place.
  5. Drain off the water (do not rinse them), and pat them dry with a towel.

You can eat the nuts freshly soaked if you like your nuts on the soft side. If you are going to use them in a protein shake or bake with them, you may use them as is. If you wish to have them crunchy again, the best way to achieve this is to use a dehydrator.

Seeds are air-dried at room temperature, and nuts can be air-dried too, or they can be dried in a dehydrator or the oven. If using a dehydrator, follow the manufacturer’s instructions. If dehydrating in an oven, here is the basic method:

Spread nuts out on a cookie sheet and dry them in the oven on the lowest heat possible for 12-24 hours depending upon the type of nut/seed – the temperature should not go above 150°F since it can burn them.

Some nuts, like pecans, only require the oven light to provide enough heat to dry them without burning them – they shouldn’t be left in the oven for more than 4 hours, and then they should be air-dried the rest of the way. Some ovens will require the oven door be propped open with rolled towels to keep the heat in and the light on at the same time.

It is better to be cautious when drying nuts in the oven, even when only using the oven light, because they can burn very easily. They can also be dried at room temperature but it will take longer.

Ensure the nuts and seeds are totally dried before storing them or they will have more of a tendency to mold. If you aren’t sure they are completely dried, put a paper towel in the jar, with the lid on tight, for 24 hours to soak up the moisture, and then refrigerate them. Store nuts and seeds in glass containers with tight fitting lids, and keep them in the refrigerator.

What is your favorite nut but more importantly, are you soaking it?

Paper bags filled with various soaked nuts on a white background

Visit My Amazon Storefront

A screenshot of the Hybrid Rasta Mama Amazon Influencer Storefront

About The Author

Jennifer, author of Hybrid Rasta Mama, is a former government recruiter turned work-at-home mama to a daughter brought earthside in early 2009. She is passionate about and writes about holistic health and wellness, natural/green living, toxic mold awareness, and the benefits of coconut oil. She frequently shares allergy friendly recipes on her site as well as DIY herbal remedies, DIY natural body care, and natural cleaning recipes.

Jennifer graduated with honors with a Bachelor's Degree in Ethnic Studies. In January 2019 she became a certified mold and moisture intrusion inspector. She has completed coursework in the naturopathic series offered by the Avicenna Institute and accredited through the Board of Natural Medicine Certification Council.

Jennifer is a member of the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors as well as the International Society for Environmentally Acquired Illness.

Stuff I Have To Tell You

Statements on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products and/or information are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent any disease. Readers are advised to do their own research and make decisions in partnership with your health care provider. If you are pregnant, nursing, have a medical condition, or are taking any medication, please consult your physician. Nothing you read here should be relied upon to determine dietary changes, a medical diagnosis or courses of treatment.

I may receive a commission if you purchase through links in this post.

Hybrid Rasta Mama is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and affiliates sites. For additional information, please visit my Terms & Conditions page and/or my Affiliate Disclosure page page.

« 30 Responses to Parenting Criticisms
Coconut Oil and Cholesterol »

Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    September 5, 2012 at 10:44 AM

    Lol oh yes I’d put them right in my mouth haha.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get Your Free Gifts Here!

Copyright © 2025 · Divine theme by Restored 316

The information on this website has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease. | By accessing or using this website, you agree to abide by the Terms and Conditions, Full Disclaimer, Privacy Policy, Affiliate Disclosure, and Comment Policy. | We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. | Please do not use my words or pictures without my permission. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. |