How To Roast Acorns 12 Steps With Pictures

If any acorns float, it is a fair sign that they have gone bad. This float test will not work for old acorns that are already dry (from a past season).

Stir the acorns around with your hands to dislodge any stubborn dirt or hiding bugs.

It will be much easier to remove the shells when the acorns are completely dry.

Sometimes it works to freeze the acorns first to make it easier to remove the caps and shells. If you use a knife, make sure to pry with the blade facing away from you so you don’t cut yourself by accident.

If you use a hammer, make sure you work on a flat surface that you won’t damage. Place the acorns on a towel to give them some traction so they don’t go flying.

If they acorns are black, fuzzy, or have wormholes in them, then throw them away.

You don’t necessarily need to use 2 pots, it just speeds up the process of leaching the acorns.

The water turns dark as it leaches out all of the tannins in the acorns. It’s possible to leach out the tannins by letting the acorns soak in cold water, but this process can take several days. It is much more efficient to boil the tannins out.

The second pot of boiling water won’t get as dark as the first time around. The idea is to keep boiling the acorns until the water doesn’t change color, then you know the tannins have been removed.

Keep doing this until the water boils clear, then drain the acorns to get them ready for roasting. You will probably have to do it about 3-4 times total.

You can sprinkle the acorns with salt or any other seasonings you want to try prior to roasting them. Keep roasting the acorns for 5 minutes at a time if they have not changed color after the first 15 minutes until they darken. You can eat roasted acorns as a healthy snack on their own, or add them into a trail mix.

To get the best results, mix acorn flour with regular wheat flour to use it for baking. Acorn flour does not hold well on its own. You can use acorn flour mixed with regular flour to make anything you would make with normal flour on its own, such as breads, cakes, or cookies.