Learn / Macadamias

How to choose and keep macadamia nuts

4-minute read · Updated October 2026

Ours come from farms on the slopes of Mount Kenya, in central Kenya. We sell them shelled: raw or roasted and salted in 500 g and 1 kg packs, and honey roasted in 450 g and 900 g packs.

Raw, salted or honey roasted?

How to tell they're fresh

Macadamias are rich in oil, and oil goes stale with heat, light, air and time. Use your senses:

• Smell: fresh nuts smell mild, sweet and buttery. A bitter, sharp smell, like old cooking oil or paint, means they've gone rancid.
• Look: creamy white for raw, even gold for roasted. Dark patches, mould or a damp look are bad signs.
• Feel and bite: crisp, with a clean snap. Soft or chewy nuts have taken in moisture. If one tastes bitter, spit it out and don't eat the rest.

What these checks can't tell you: when the nuts were harvested or how they were kept before you bought them. Ask your seller. Our labels carry a batch number and a best-before date.

How to keep them fresh

1. Keep the pack sealed, or move the nuts into a clean, dry jar with a tight lid.
2. Store them somewhere cool, dark and dry: not next to the stove or on a sunny shelf.
3. To keep them longer, put the sealed jar in the fridge. The freezer keeps them longest.
4. Let a cold jar come to room temperature before you open it, so damp doesn't settle on the nuts.
5. Keep them away from strong smells like onions or paraffin: nuts take them on.

How to roast raw macadamias at home

1. Spread them in one layer on a baking tray.
2. Roast in a low oven, about 150 °C, for 10–15 minutes, stirring halfway. Or use a dry pan on low heat, stirring all the time.
3. Take them off as soon as they turn pale gold: they go from golden to burnt very quickly.
4. For salted nuts, toss them while still warm with a few drops of water and a pinch of salt.
5. Let them cool completely before you put them in a jar.

Ways to enjoy them

• As a snack, on their own or with dried fruit.
• Chopped over yoghurt or porridge with a drizzle of raw honey.
• In cookies, cakes, granola and salads.
• Blended into a smooth nut butter: a few minutes in a strong blender, scraping down the sides.

Safety

• Tree nuts: macadamias are tree nuts. They're not for anyone with a nut allergy.
• Young children: whole nuts can choke children under 5. Don't give them whole nuts.
• Dogs: macadamias are poisonous to dogs, even a few. Keep them out of reach, and call a vet if your dog eats some.

What we don't claim

We sell macadamias as food, and we make no health claims about them. We tell you where they come from, how they're prepared and how to keep them, and the rest is up to your taste.

Common questions