10 Acorn Recipes You Have To Try

Estimated reading time: 15 minutes

Did you know that you might have a bountiful and nutritious food source right at your feet this fall? Acorns are much more than something to rake up with your leaves and deposit into your compost pile.

With a little preparation and know-how, you can eat them as you would other nuts, you can use them to make oil, and you can grind them into flour to make a variety of foods.

For many centuries, cultures from Asia, Europe, and the Americas have gathered and consumed acorns. They are the seeds of oak trees, and acorn varieties are readily available throughout much of the world. As you might expect, different types of oak trees produce different kinds of acorns.

Acorns contain healthy fats, carbohydrates, and protein. They also contain essential amino acids, trace minerals, and Vitamins A and C. Nutritional levels can vary from species to species and so can their level of tannins.

Tannins are what give raw acorns their bitter taste. However, it is possible to remove or greatly reduce the tannin level in acorns through a simple leaching process.

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Shelling and Leaching

The first step to removing the tannins is to gather only ripe, brown acorns. Avoid acorns that appear green or black or show signs of mildew or rotting.

Next, remove the caps and boil the acorns for ten minutes. Strain out the resulting brown water and boil the acorns once again in fresh water. Repeat this process several times until the water looks clear. Then you can shell the acorns.

Another tannin removal method is a flushing procedure that was used by Native Americans in streams and rivers. Remove the caps before placing acorns inside a mesh bag. Then, place the bag under running water for several hours. Frequently remove any water from the bag and continue this rinsing process about four times or so until the water is clear.

After leaching, dry the acorn pieces in single layers on cookie sheets out in the sun (be sure to protect them from animals!) or in a 200-degree oven. You could also use a dehydrator on the low setting.

To make acorn flour, grind your leached acorns in a blender or food processor. Next, dry this meal in a warm oven for a few minutes, or let it air dry for two to three hours. Then grind the meal in the blender or food processor again.

Now you can use your acorn flour in many different recipes. Keep in mind that acorn flour does not contain gluten so it does not bind in the same way as regular flour (wheat, rice, corn or oat). In most acorn baking recipes, you will use half acorn flour and half regular flour so that your food product will hold together well.

To help get you started, I'm going to share 10 recipes that use acorns. But first, we need to talk about preparing the acorns. Before you use them, you have to remove the tannins, then you need to break them into smaller pieces or grind them into flour. Here are instructions from KnittenKitten.

Preparing the Acorns:

1. Examine the acorns as you gather them.
2. Throw away any that are moldy or cracked.
3. Shell them. Early in the season (August-September), the shell is usually soft enough to cut through.

Note: Later in the season, acorns may require a nut cracker, though many times the shells are thin and brittle.

4. Taste the raw acorns. If they're bitter, they need to be boiled.
5. Boil the acorns in successive pots of water to leach out the tannic acid, causes the bitterness.
6. When the water no longer turns brown, the acorns are ready.
7. Roast the acorns slightly, using a warm oven – no more than 250°.
8. Acorns that have not been boiled will take 60 minutes or so. Boiled acorns will take longer.
9. Once they're roasted, the acorns can be used in place of nuts in most recipes, although they are less oily than most nuts.
10. They can be glazed like chestnuts, simmered in a soup, ground and used as a flour extender.

1. Acorn Bread

This recipe is for a sweet and tasty bread that is not too crumbly. It is a perfect addition to a fall brunch or a Thanksgiving-time treat. Here's a great acorn bread recipe from Food.com.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup acorn meal
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 egg, beaten or 1 egg substitute
• 1 cup milk (or soy or rice milk)
• 3 tablespoons oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Grease a loaf pan.
3. Sift together the dry ingredients in a bowl.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the egg, milk, and oil.
5. Combine the dry and liquid ingredients.
6. Stir just enough to moisten the dry ingredients (batter will be a bit lumpy).
7. Pour into a greased pan and bake at 400° for 30 minutes.

2. Acorn Cookies

Cookies are one of the few goods you can bake with all acorn flour. These crumbly but delicious cookies combine the nutty, sweet taste of acorns with the warm and spicy taste of ginger. Here's and acorn cookie recipe from BackyardForager.com.

Ingredients:

• 1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
• 5/8 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1/6 cup of regular molasses
• 1 1/2 cups cold leached acorn flour (all purpose flour is a good substitute)
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon ground, dried spicebush berries
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground, dried ginger stolons

Directions:

1. Cream together the softened butter and sugar.
2. Add the vanilla and egg and beat until fluffy.
3. Add the molasses to the batter and blend well.
4. Add the flour, baking soda, salt, ground spicebush berries, and dried ginger stolons and mix until just combined.
5. Spread a sheet of parchment paper or cling film (about 18 inches long) on the counter, and transfer the dough to the paper or cling film.
6. Spread the dough out into a long, round snake, and wrap it up.
7. Roll it around a little to get rid of any air pockets.
8. Close up the ends of the wrapping, and freeze the dough overnight, or until it’s solid.
9. When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F.
10. Unwrap the dough and slice it as thinly as possible, aiming for dough medallions that are 1/8 inch thick.
11. Lay the cookies out on the cookie sheet, leaving about an inch between each one.
12. Bake for 8-9 minutes, then let them cool on the cookie sheet before transferring to a plate. The cookies will still be soft when they come out of the oven, and they need the cooling time to solidify.

Note: If you bake the cookies in batches, return the dough to the freezer in between. If the dough warms up, the cookies will still taste great, but they’ll spread much more during baking, and you’ll end up with one giant ginger snap.

3. Acorn Cake

This delicious and attractive Bundt cake recipe uses acorn flour as well as cinnamon, apple sauce, and coconut oil. Here's a delicious acorn cake recipe from GatherVictoria.com.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped dates (about 15 whole dates)
• 1 cup of boiling water
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 cup of flour
• 1 cup of acorn flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
• 1/2 cup of softened butter
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 3 eggs

Ingredients for Toffee Sauce:

• 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar
• 3/4 cup of butter
• 1 cup of heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
• 1 tablespoon of brandy or vanilla extract (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Lightly grease and dust with flour a largish bundt pan and set aside.
3. In a bowl, stir together the finely chopped dates, boiling water, baking soda, and vanilla extract. Let sit for 10 minutes.
4. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
5. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
6. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until blended.
7. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Fold in the date and water mixture. Do not overmix.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes.
9. Test with a toothpick near the centre to make sure it comes out clean. Let the cake cool for about 30 minutes before inverting it onto a cooling rack covered with parchment paper.
10. For the sauce, bring the brown sugar, butter, and cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly for 5 minutes.
11. Remove from the heat and stir in brandy (one teaspoon of vanilla can be used in place of the brandy.)
12. Poke a few holes in the top of your cake with a skewer, then pour the first layer of warm sauce over the cake.
13. Let it soak in, then dribble over another layer. Repeat until you’ve got just a bit of sauce left for serving.
14. Then sprinkle a little bit of rose sugar on your cake and garnish with something pretty. If you don’ have rose sugar, brown sugar will do. Then slice the cake and serve it with ice cream and a little splash of toffee sauce.

4. Acorn Porridge

Flavorful and satisfying on a cool morning, this porridge recipe that incorporates the distinctive taste of acorns. Here's an acorn porridge recipe from SustainableDish.com.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup dried acorn meal
• 1 cup spring water
• 2 T maple syrup
• ¼ cup serviceberries (or any berries, the wilder the better)
• ¼ cup crab apples, sliced
• 1 T sunflower seed butter
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• Pinch of sea salt

Directions:

1. Bring water to a boil, and stir in acorn meal. 
2. Reduce heat to simmer, and cook for approximately 15 minutes. 
3. Remove from heat, and keep covered for another 10 minutes. 
4. When ready to serve, add the remaining ingredients and stir.

5. Acorn Pancakes

These pancakes practically scream “autumn.” These pancakes will appear a bit darker than what they are used to, but they taste yummy. Here's a tasty acorn pancakes recipe from Practical Self Reliance.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup acorn flour
• 3/4 cup white flour
• 3 Tbsp sugar (or maple sugar)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 3 Tbsp butter, melted
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Whisk the dry ingredients together.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients, making sure to fully beat the eggs and distribute them into the milk.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine.
4. Pre-heat a pancake griddle, butter it generously, and cook each pancake for 1-2 minutes on a side, until golden brown.

6. Acorn Burgers

If are a vegetarian or have a vegetarian in your family, you may be interested in this burger substitute. You guessed it; it uses acorns! Here's the best acorn burger recipe from Home Grown and Healthy.

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups ground acorn meal
• 2 cups water
• 4 teapoons salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic
• 9 small onions
• 6 tablespoons butter
• Sautéed onions
• 3 cups oats
• 5 eggs, beaten

Directions:

1. Boil the water, salt, garlic, and acorn meal together for 15 minutes, covered.
2. Sauté the onions and butter.
3. Combine the following and form into patties: boiled acorn meal, sauteed onion blend, oats, and eggs.
4. Fry like hamburgers.

7. Acorn Tortillas

You can substitute acorn meal for cornmeal in tortillas using this recipe. Here's the acorn tortillas recipe from Mother Earth News.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of acorn meal
• 3 cups of whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon (or more) of shortening
• 1/2 cup of warm water

Directions:

1. Combine the dry ingredients and work in the shortening, adding water as needed until the mixture is the consistency of pie dough.
2. Roll the dough into tortillas and fry them in oil or toast them in the oven.

8. Acorn Soup

The taste of acorns and the flavors of porcini mushrooms combine well in this smooth-tasting soup. Add a spoonful of sour cream or creme fraiche on top, serve and enjoy. Here's a yummy acorn soup recipe from Honest-Food.net.

Ingredients:

• 2 to 3 cups acorn bits
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 ounce dried porcini, soaked in 2 cups of hot water
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/3 cup brandy or bourbon
• 1 quart chicken, beef, mushroom or vegetable stock
• Salt

Garnishes:

• Creme fraiche or sour cream
• Chopped parsley
• Sliced, seared grouse, pheasant or chicken breast
• Roasted squash seed, sunflower or other nice oil

Directions:

1. Soak the dried mushrooms in the hot water for an hour before starting. Squeeze the moisture from the mushrooms and chop coarsely. Save the water, straining it if there is a lot of debris.
2. Heat the butter in a soup pot over medium-high heat and saute the carrot, celery and onion until they are soft, but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped mushrooms and acorn bits and stir to combine. Saute another 2 minutes or so.
3. Add the brandy and boil it hard until it is almost gone, then add the bay leaves, 2 cups of mushroom soaking water and the stock. Bring to a simmer, taste for salt and add if needed. Cover and simmer gently for 1 hour.
4. Puree the soup in a blender (or use an immersion blender), then, if you want to get fancy, pass it through a fine-meshed sieve. If the soup is too thin, simmer it until you get a soup the consistency of melted ice cream. If it's too thick, add water or stock.
5. Serve with a drizzle of creme fraiche or sour cream. Add some chopped parsley, a few drops of nice oil (I prefer roasted squash seed oil) and, if you want it to be a main course, a few slices of grouse, partridge, pheasant or chicken breast.

9. Acorn Brittle

This recipe is very similar to the standard recipe for peanut brittle; you just use acorns instead of peanuts! Here's how to make it.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups chopped and roasted acorns
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:

1. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. Add the sugar and water to a saucepan and stir thoroughly.
3. Add the corn syrup and stir.
4. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it starts to boil a little.
5. Use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature. Stir occasionally until it reaches 250°F.
6. Add the acorns and stir constantly until the thermometer reaches 300°F.
7. Remove from heat and immediately stir in butter, vanilla, and baking soda.
8. Carefully pour the mixture onto pan with parchment paper and use a spoon to quickly spread the mixture into an even layer. Be careful as the mixture is hot.
9. Let it cool completely (at least 30 minutes).
10. Break it into pieces and enjoy.

10. Acorn Coffee

Directions:

• Peel some ripe, blanched acorns.
• Divide the kernels and place them in an ovenproof dish.
• Cover the dish and roast the acorns in your oven on low heat.
• Stir them frequently.
• When they have roasted, grind the acorns and use them combined with your regular coffee or on their own.

More Ideas

Acorns add a nutty, slightly sweet taste to many dishes and beverages. Some Korean noodle dishes are made of acorn starch, and it is common for Asian grocery markets to sell packaged acorn starch.

Other ways to use blanched acorns in your cooking include:

• Substituting them in recipes that use chickpeas, peanuts or macadamia nuts.
• Sprinkling roasted acorn pieces on a garden salad.
• Making acorn butter instead of peanut or almond butter.
• Adding acorns to stews as you would add potatoes or beans.

Dried acorns can be stored for up to a year. Acorn flour will keep for several months when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

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