Chestnut Purée: the fast, easy recipe for a festive nutty spread

If you've never tried chestnut purée, you've been missing out. This wonderfully sweet, nutty spread is incredibly popular throughout Europe, especially Italy which is one of the top chestnut producers in the world. Super easy to make, simply simmer the chestnuts in a mixture of vanilla-flavored milk until smooth.

Homemade chestnut purée is perfect for Christmas holidays and it tastes a million times better than anything you'll buy in a store. You can use it for both sweet and savory dishes. It's ideal as a filling for desserts like cakes, cookies, and chocolate truffles, or as a sweet way to complement savory dishes like stuffings or a cheeseboard. You can even swirl it into your morning bowl of oatmeal as a breakfast condiment! No matter how you choose to enjoy it, you're sure to love this easy homemade chestnut purée!

How to Make Chestnut Purée

Making chestnut purée is similar to making other types of purée. It's super easy and doesn't take long. Start by whisking the milk and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly to help dissolve the sugar. Once it has dissolved, add the chestnuts and vanilla pod, and seeds to the milk. Simmer it on low for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Take the chestnuts out of the milk with a slotted spoon and put them in a food processor. Purée them until they're lovely and smooth. You can pour in a little of the milk until you get the perfect consistency. Let the chestnut purée cool, then spread it over a crepe or piece of toast, use it to make cookies, or save it for later!

How to Use Chestnut Purée

There are so many wonderful festive ways to use chestnut purée. It's great as a filling in desserts like sandwich cookies, tarts, truffles, and cakes, but you could also spread it on toast, scones, or over pancakes as a sweet, nutty treat in the morning.

Use it as part of a cheeseboard instead of jam or jelly.

Chestnut purée is fantastic added to oatmeal or yogurt, simply dip your spoon into the jar and eat it on its own!

Tips for the Best Chestnut Purée

There are roughly 36 chestnuts per pound, which will give you about 2 ½ cups of peeled chestnuts.

You can buy cooked canned chestnuts or cook them at home yourself.

Chestnut Purée Variations

Add 1 ounce of chocolate to make a chocolate chestnut purée.

For a dairy-free or vegan option, swap milk for water or plant-based milk.

Use chicken broth instead of milk and leave out the sugar and vanilla beans to make a savory chestnut purée.

We used boiled chestnuts for this recipe, but you can also roast them.

How to Store Chestnut Purée

Transfer the cooled chestnut purée to an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days. For long-term storage, you can freeze the purée for up to 2 months.

Instructions

Whisk milk and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat.

Once the sugar has dissolved, add in boiled chestnuts and vanilla pod. Bring the mixture to a low simmer and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Discard the vanilla pod.

Place the chestnuts into a food processor and purée until smooth. Pour in enough cooking liquid to get your preferred consistency.

Let the chestnut purée cool, then use immediately or store for later use.

Notes

If you don't have vanilla bean pods readily available, you can substitute 1 to 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.