Are Peanuts (Moongphali) Good for Weight Loss? Calories vs Almonds, Cashews and Walnuts
"Are peanuts good for weight loss?" depends on how many you eat, not on the nut. Raw groundnut has about 520 kcal per 100 g (IFCT 2017), so a small measured portion works and an unmeasured handful from the packet does not. Below are the IFCT 2017 numbers for peanuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts and pistachios, per 100 g and per 20 g, and what they do and do not tell you. The kJ to kcal conversion and the portions are our arithmetic.
Per 100 g: the IFCT 2017 figures
IFCT 2017, Table 1 (Proximate Principles and Dietary Fibre), raw edible portion per 100 g, average of the regions sampled. IFCT prints energy in kilojoules (kJ); we converted with 1 kcal = 4.184 kJ.
| Nut (raw) | Energy | Protein | Fat | Dietary fibre | IFCT code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peanut (groundnut) | 520 kcal (2176 kJ) | 23.65 g | 39.63 g | 10.38 g | H012 |
| Almond | 609 kcal (2549 kJ) | 18.41 g | 58.49 g | 13.06 g | H001 |
| Cashew nut | 583 kcal (2438 kJ) | 18.78 g | 45.20 g | 3.86 g | H005 |
| Walnut | 671 kcal (2809 kJ) | 14.92 g | 64.27 g | 5.39 g | H021 |
| Pistachio | 539 kcal (2257 kJ) | 23.35 g | 42.49 g | 10.64 g | H018 |
Two things stand out. Every nut here is calorie-dense: between 520 and 671 kcal per 100 g, most of it from fat. And the peanut is not the lightest on protein: 23.65 g per 100 g, the highest of the five rows, with the lowest energy of the five (520 kcal, against 539 for pistachio, the next lowest).
Per 20 g: a realistic snack
Nobody eats 100 g of nuts at a time, so we use 20 g as our assumed portion. For context only: the ICMR-NIN Dietary Guidelines for Indians 2024 (DGI 2024) suggested diets for normally nourished sedentary men and women list 20 g of nuts at breakfast and add nuts or oilseeds again at lunch (20 g for men, 10 g for women), so 20 g is not the whole day's amount (Figures 9.1 and 9.2, PDF pages 80 and 82), and its diet chart for a normal sedentary pregnant woman (Figure 2.3, PDF page 34) has 20 g of nuts in an evening snack. These are sample menus, not a target for you. The arithmetic is IFCT x 20 / 100:
| 20 g of | Energy | Protein | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peanut (groundnut) | ~104 kcal | 4.7 g | 7.9 g |
| Almond | ~122 kcal | 3.7 g | 11.7 g |
| Cashew nut | ~117 kcal | 3.8 g | 9.0 g |
| Walnut | ~134 kcal | 3.0 g | 12.9 g |
| Pistachio | ~108 kcal | 4.7 g | 8.5 g |
For scale: 20 g of peanuts is about 104 kcal, about the same as one roti made from 30 g of atta (96 kcal, IFCT 2017 code A019; see the roti-size guide). A fistful you grab from the packet is rarely 20 g: weigh it once on a kitchen scale and you will see how much it is.
So, are peanuts good for weight loss?
Weight loss comes from eating less energy than you use over weeks (see how many calories to lose weight); no single food does it. What the numbers say is narrower and useful: peanuts can fit a calorie target if the portion is fixed, because they bring 4.7 g of protein and 2.1 g of fibre in about 104 kcal at 20 g. They cannot fit it if they arrive as an unmeasured handful, a bowl of chakna or a spoon of peanut butter, because 100 g is 520 kcal.
The DGI 2024 food pyramid for a 2,000 kcal diet lists 35 g of nuts and seeds (together with 27 g of fats and oils; PDF page 20). That is a guideline for a whole diet, not a target for you. Your own number is set by your calorie target.
What these numbers do not cover
- Roasted, salted, fried or masala peanuts, chikki, peanut butter and nut mixes. The IFCT rows above are raw nuts. We have no verified figure for the processed forms: read the pack label and weigh the portion.
- Almond versus peanut "for weight loss". Per 20 g almonds have ~122 kcal against ~104 for peanuts, but almonds have more fibre per 100 g (13.06 g against 10.38 g). We do not claim either is better for weight loss; the portion matters more than the nut.
- Nuts hidden in other food: a handful in poha, a spoon of chutney, peanuts in a sabzi. They count towards the day.
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Frequently asked questions
How many calories are in 100 g of peanuts?
IFCT 2017 gives raw groundnut (code H012) 2176 kJ per 100 g, which is about 520 kcal, with 23.65 g protein, 39.63 g fat and 10.38 g dietary fibre. Roasted or salted peanuts are not in that row; check the pack label.
How many calories are in 20 g of peanuts?
About 104 kcal and 4.7 g protein, from the IFCT 2017 raw groundnut row (20 g x 2176 kJ per 100 g, converted at 4.184 kJ per kcal). 20 g is our assumed portion. DGI 2024 charts for normally nourished sedentary men and women list 20 g of nuts at breakfast and add nuts or oilseeds again at lunch (20 g for men, 10 g for women), so 20 g is not the whole day's amount (Figures 9.1 and 9.2, PDF pages 80 and 82); its pregnancy chart (Figure 2.3, PDF page 34) has 20 g in an evening snack. None of them is a target for you.
Which nut has the most protein: peanut, almond, cashew, walnut or pistachio?
Among these five IFCT 2017 rows the peanut is highest at 23.65 g per 100 g, then pistachio (23.35 g), cashew (18.78 g), almond (18.41 g) and walnut (14.92 g). Per 100 g they range from 520 to 671 kcal.
Are almonds better than peanuts for weight loss?
We cannot say either is better. Per 20 g, almonds are about 122 kcal and peanuts about 104 kcal (IFCT 2017); almonds have more fibre per 100 g and peanuts more protein. For weight loss the measured portion matters more than the choice of nut.
How many peanuts or nuts a day is okay?
There is no single right number for everyone. The DGI 2024 food pyramid for a 2,000 kcal diet has 35 g of nuts and seeds; its suggested diets for sedentary men and women list 20 g of nuts at breakfast and add nuts or oilseeds again at lunch (20 g for men, 10 g for women), so 20 g is not the whole day's amount (Figures 9.1 and 9.2, PDF pages 80 and 82), and its diet chart for a pregnant woman has 20 g in an evening snack (Figure 2.3, PDF page 34). Fit your portion to your own calorie target, and ask a doctor or dietitian if you have a medical condition or an allergy.
Sources (checked 21 October 2026)
- Longvah T., Ananthan R., Bhaskarachary K., Venkaiah K., Indian Food Composition Tables 2017, National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR), Hyderabad, Table 1 "Proximate Principles and Dietary Fibre" (energy kJ, protein, fat, dietary fibre; codes H012 groundnut, H001 almond, H005 cashew nut, H021 walnut, H018 pistachio, PDF pages 55-56; A019 wheat flour, PDF page 42): IFCT 2017 (PDF, nin.res.in)
- ICMR-NIN, Dietary Guidelines for Indians 2024 (food pyramid for 2,000 kcal: nuts and seeds 35 g, fats and oils 27 g, PDF page 20; Figure 9.1, suggested diet for normally nourished sedentary men, nuts 20 g at breakfast plus 20 g nuts or oilseeds in lunch curries: PDF page 80; Figure 9.2, the same for sedentary women, nuts 20 g at breakfast plus 10 g at lunch: PDF page 82; Figure 2.3, diet chart for a normal sedentary pregnant woman, with 20 g of nuts in the evening snack: PDF page 34): full guidelines (PDF, nin.res.in)
- kJ to kcal (1 kcal = 4.184 kJ), the 20 g portions, the roti comparison and every per-portion figure: NYUS arithmetic on the IFCT 2017 rows.