Pistachios vs Walnuts – Which is Healthier?

Our Verdict

When comparing pistachios to walnuts, we picked the pistachios.

Why?

Pistachios have more protein and fiber, while walnuts have more fat (though the fats are famously healthy, the same is true of the fats in pistachios).

In the category of vitamins, pistachios have several times more* of vitamins A, B1, B6, C, and E, while walnuts boast only a little more of vitamin B9. They are approximately equal on other vitamins they both contain.

*actually 25x more vitamin A, but the others are 2x, 3x, 4x more.

When it comes to minerals, things are more even; pistachios have more iron, phosphorus, potassium, and selenium, while walnuts have more copper, magnesium, manganese, and zinc. So this category’s a tie.

So given two clear wins for pistachios, and one tie, it’s evident that pistachios win the day.

However! Do enjoy both of these nuts; we often mention that diversity is good in general, and in this case, it’s especially true because of the different mineral profiles, and also because in terms of the healthy fats that they offer, pistachios offer more monounsaturated fats and walnuts offer more polyunsaturated fats; both are healthy, just different.

They’re about equal on saturated fat, in case you were wondering, as it makes up about 6% of the total fats in both cases.

Want to learn more?

You might like to read:

Why You Should Diversify Your Nuts

Take care!