The edible seed of a stone fruit closely related to the peach, eaten raw, roasted or ground into flour and butter. The USDA reference entry is for the raw kernel.
Ordered by how well the human research supports them — strongest first. A rating describes the state of the evidence, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.
Some trials report lower post-meal glucose when almonds are eaten with a carbohydrate meal, and small improvements in HbA1c in people with type 2 diabetes, though results across trials are mixed.
Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.
Research consistently shows that adding almonds to the diet lowers LDL and total cholesterol, with multiple meta-analyses of controlled feeding trials pointing the same way. The effect is modest and depends partly on what the almonds replace.
What may be going on: Substituting the monounsaturated fat and fibre of almonds for saturated fat and refined carbohydrate lowers LDL, with a small additional contribution from phytosterols and reduced fat absorption.
Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.
Several trials report that almonds increase fullness and that adding them to the diet produces less weight gain than their calorie content would predict, partly because some fat is not absorbed from intact nuts.
Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.
There is not enough dependable human research behind almond and skin-wrinkle claims. The few trials are small, short and mostly funded by the industry that markets the product.
Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.
Randomised controlled trial · The Journal of nutrition · 2015 · PMID 26269239
Randomised controlled trial · Nutrients · 2026 · PMID 41754142
Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.
Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.
AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.
| Nutrient | Amount | % DV |
|---|---|---|
| Macronutrients | ||
| Calories | 579 kcal | 29% |
| Protein | 21.1 g | 42% |
| Total fat | 49.9 g | 64% |
| Carbohydrate | 21.6 g | 8% |
| Fibre | 12.5 g | 45% |
| Total sugars | 4.35 g | — |
| Water | 4.41 g | — |
| Fats | ||
| Saturated fat | 3.8 g | 19% |
| Monounsaturated fat | 31.6 g | — |
| Polyunsaturated fat | 12.3 g | — |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0% |
| ALA (omega-3) | 0.0030 g | — |
| EPA (omega-3) | 0 g | — |
| DHA (omega-3) | 0 g | — |
| DPA (omega-3) | 0 g | — |
| Linoleic acid (omega-6) | 12.3 g | — |
| Vitamins | ||
| Vitamin A | 0 µg | 0% |
| Vitamin C | 0 mg | 0% |
| Vitamin D | 0 µg | 0% |
| Vitamin E | 25.6 mg | 171% |
| Vitamin K | 0 µg | 0% |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.205 mg | 17% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 1.14 mg | 88% |
| Niacin (B3) | 3.62 mg | 23% |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) | 0.471 mg | 9% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.137 mg | 8% |
| Folate | 44 µg | 11% |
| Vitamin B12 | 0 µg | 0% |
| Choline | 52.1 mg | 9% |
| Minerals | ||
| Calcium | 269 mg | 21% |
| Iron | 3.71 mg | 21% |
| Magnesium | 270 mg | 64% |
| Phosphorus | 481 mg | 38% |
| Potassium | 733 mg | 16% |
| Sodium | 1 mg | 0% |
| Zinc | 3.12 mg | 28% |
| Copper | 1.03 mg | 115% |
| Manganese | 2.18 mg | 95% |
| Selenium | 4.1 µg | 7% |
| Other measured compounds | ||
| Beta-carotene | 1 µg | — |
| Alpha-carotene | 0 µg | — |
| Lycopene | 0 µg | — |
| Lutein + zeaxanthin | 1 µg | — |
| Caffeine | 0 mg | — |
| Ash | 2.97 g | — |
Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.
Source record: Nuts, almonds (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 170567).
% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.
Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.
Polyphenol (class)
An umbrella term for thousands of plant phenolic compounds. Useful as a category, but a "high polyphenol" figure says nothing about which compounds…
Concentrated in the brown skin, so blanched almonds carry far less.
Plant sterol
Structural analogues of cholesterol that compete with it for intestinal absorption. The basis of an authorised cholesterol-lowering claim at…
Organic acid salt
Bind calcium and can contribute to kidney stone formation in susceptible people. High in spinach, rhubarb, beet greens and almonds; boiling reduces…
Phosphate ester
The main phosphorus store in seeds. Reduces absorption of iron and zinc from the same meal; soaking, sprouting and fermentation lower it.
Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.
Roasting improves flavour and shelf stability at moderate temperatures but accelerates oxidation of the unsaturated fat at high temperatures or long times. Blanching before roasting removes the skin and with it most of the polyphenols.
Soaking almonds softens them and modestly lowers phytate; the frequently repeated claim of a large nutritional change from overnight soaking is not well supported.
Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.
Allergy
Almond is a tree nut and one of the major regulated allergens. Reactions can be severe and rapid, including anaphylaxis, and people allergic to one tree nut are often advised to avoid others because of cross-reactivity and shared processing lines.
Worth knowing
Almonds are among the highest-oxalate nuts. For people who form calcium oxalate kidney stones, large daily amounts of almonds or almond flour are a genuine consideration, and clinicians often advise moderating them alongside adequate fluid and calcium intake.
Worth knowing
Almond phytate binds iron and zinc within the same meal. Soaking reduces it somewhat, though less than in grains and legumes because almond phytase activity is low.
Worth knowing
Almonds are energy dense, and portions are easy to misjudge from a bag. Trials suggest whole nuts release less of their energy than the label implies because intact cell walls resist digestion, but that does not make the portion irrelevant.