Cashew Calories & Nutrition Calculator

Raw cashews provide 292mg magnesium per 100g (70% DV) — the second-highest among commonly consumed tree nuts, trailing only Brazil nuts (376mg). Cashews exceed almonds (270mg), pistachios (121mg), walnuts (158mg), and pecans (121mg). Among all nuts and seeds, only pumpkin seeds (550mg) and sesame seeds (351mg) significantly surpass cashews ^[1][2].

Per 1-ounce serving (28g, ~18 cashews): 82mg magnesium (19.5% DV). Per 10 cashews (15g): 44mg (10.5% DV). These are substantial contributions — a single ounce of cashews delivers more magnesium than half a cup of cooked spinach (78mg) or a medium banana (32mg) ^[1].

For food journaling, cashews are one of the most magnesium-efficient snack foods. If you eat 10 cashews as a snack (44mg Mg), you've covered more than 10% of your daily magnesium requirement from roughly 83 kcal — a favorable nutrient-to-calorie ratio for this mineral.

Cashews contain 6.68mg iron per 100g (37% DV) — the highest iron content among all commonly consumed tree nuts. Almonds follow at 3.71mg, pistachios at 3.93mg, pine nuts at 5.53mg, and walnuts at just 2.91mg. Among seeds, only sesame (14.6mg) and pumpkin seeds (8.8mg) significantly exceed cashews ^[1][3].

Per 1-ounce serving (28g): 1.87mg iron (10.4% DV). Per 10 cashews (15g): 1.00mg (5.6% DV). A single ounce of cashews delivers more iron than 100g of chicken (1.0mg) or a large egg (0.9mg). This makes cashews a particularly iron-dense snack option ^[1][2].

For food journaling, cashews' iron is non-heme (plant-based) iron. Pairing cashews with vitamin C-containing foods (citrus, bell pepper) can enhance absorption. When logging cashew-based curries that include tomatoes or lemon, the iron from cashews may be more bioavailable than from cashews eaten alone.

Cashews have 7.78g saturated fat per 100g — the highest absolute amount among common tree nuts. For comparison: almonds have 3.80g, walnuts 6.13g, and pistachios 5.91g. The saturated fraction represents 17.7% of total fat, also the highest ratio among major tree nuts (almonds 7.6%, walnuts 9.4%, pistachios 13.0%). Only coconut meat (89% saturated) dramatically exceeds this ^[1][2].

The saturated fatty acids are primarily palmitic acid (C16:0) at approximately 4.6g and stearic acid (C18:0) at approximately 3.0g. The monounsaturated fraction is dominated by oleic acid (C18:1) at 23.8g (54% of total fat). The polyunsaturated fraction — primarily linoleic acid (C18:2) — is 7.8g ^[1].

Per 1-ounce serving (28g): 2.18g saturated fat (10.9% DV), 6.66g monounsaturated, 2.18g polyunsaturated. While the saturated fat percentage is higher than other tree nuts, the absolute amount per ounce is moderate — roughly equivalent to a tablespoon of milk.

Cashews contain just 3.3g fiber per 100g — the lowest among all commonly consumed tree nuts by a significant margin. Almonds have 12.5g (3.8x more), pistachios 10.6g (3.2x), walnuts 6.7g (2x), and even macadamia nuts have 8.6g (2.6x more fiber than cashews). Pecans at 9.6g and hazelnuts at 9.7g also rank well above ^[1][3].

Per 1-ounce serving (28g): 0.92g fiber (3.3% DV). For context: the same ounce of almonds delivers 3.5g fiber (12.5% DV) — nearly 4x more. If fiber is a tracking priority in your food journal, almonds or pistachios deliver substantially more per ounce than cashews ^[1].

The low fiber content is partly why cashews have their distinctively soft, creamy texture — less structural cell-wall material compared to the more fibrous almonds and pistachios. The trade-off: cashews deliver more magnesium and iron per gram but less fiber per gram than almost any other tree nut.

A single raw cashew weighs approximately 1.5g and provides: 8.3 kcal, 0.27g protein, 0.66g fat, 0.45g carbs, and 0.10mg iron. The standard 1-ounce serving (28g) fits roughly 18 cashews, compared to 23 almonds and 49 pistachios per ounce — making cashews one of the 'fewest nuts per ounce' among popular varieties ^[1].

Per ounce (28g raw): 155 kcal, 5.1g protein, 12.3g fat, 8.5g carbs, 0.92g fiber, 82mg magnesium (19.5% DV), 1.87mg iron (10.4% DV), 5.57mcg selenium (10.1% DV), and 1.62mg zinc (14.7% DV). Cashews deliver the broadest mineral spectrum per ounce among tree nuts ^[1].

For food journaling, cashews are commonly used both as whole snacks and as cooking ingredients (ground into paste for curries, chopped as garnish). When used in cooking, measure by weight rather than count. Cashew paste in a curry for 4 servings (30g cashews total) adds approximately 7.5g cashew per serving = 41 kcal.