Chestnuts substitutes

Not really a substitute, just the sensible way to buy them. Sold in vacuum pouches, jars or tins, already roasted and peeled, and available in most supermarkets from autumn onwards and in specialist shops all year.

Best for

stuffing, brussels sprouts with chestnuts, soups and purees, braises and stews, chestnut and mushroom dishes

The same thing, with the one genuinely miserable job already done for you. They are slightly softer and wetter than freshly roasted chestnuts and less intensely sweet, and they lack the smoky note that comes from roasting over real heat, so if you are serving them plain in a bowl the fresh ones are worth the trouble. In a stuffing, a soup or alongside sprouts, nobody could tell. Warm them in butter for a few minutes to wake the flavour up.

The best functional match for how a chestnut actually behaves in a savoury dish: sweet, soft, starchy and slightly caramelised. Dice into pieces roughly the size of a halved chestnut and roast at 200C until browning at the corners.

Best for

sausage and chestnut stuffing, brussels sprouts, roast vegetable dishes, braises, nut-free versions

Gets the texture and the sweetness genuinely right, and works better in stuffing than any nut does. What is obviously missing is the chestnut flavour, which is faintly woody and distinctive, and parsnip in particular brings its own aniseed-ish note. Sweet potato is sweeter and softer, parsnip is closer in colour and earthiness, so parsnip is the better choice if you want it to pass unnoticed. Both also collapse more readily than chestnuts, so roast them slightly under.

Surprisingly good, and the closest thing to a chestnut's mealy, dense, faintly sweet interior. Drain and dry them well, then brown them briefly in butter or the pan fat before folding them in.

Best for

stuffing, chestnut and mushroom filling, braises, soups and purees, nut-free versions

The mouthfeel is remarkably similar, soft and starchy with a bit of body, which is why this works better than instinct suggests. Beans are less sweet and more savoury though, so add a teaspoon of sugar or a spoonful of honey per cup to bring them into range, and they are slightly more inclined to break up when stirred. Butter beans are larger and closer in size, so they are the better of the two.

The move when the chestnut flavour is what matters and the shape does not. Available in tins and packets in delicatessens and larger supermarkets, and it keeps indefinitely in the cupboard.

Best for

chestnut soup, Mont Blanc and chestnut desserts, stuffing where texture comes from elsewhere, chestnut cakes and pastries

This is the honest answer for anything where chestnut is the headline flavour, because nothing else tastes like it. What you sacrifice is the whole soft nugget, so a stuffing made with puree tastes right and reads as smooth and uniform rather than studded. Check whether the tin is sweetened, since sweetened puree marketed for desserts will make a savoury dish cloying, and unsweetened puree in a Mont Blanc will taste flat.

The best of the actual nuts, because both are relatively soft and mild. Toast at 180C, rub hazelnut skins off in a tea towel, and chop coarsely rather than finely.

Best for

brussels sprouts with nuts, stuffing where crunch is welcome, salads, roast vegetable dishes

Worth being clear that this changes the dish rather than replacing the ingredient. Chestnuts are soft, starchy and low in fat, and these are firm, crunchy and very oily, so sprouts with hazelnuts is a good dish but it is a different one from sprouts with chestnuts. Use a little less because the nuts are richer and more assertive, and add them at the end so they stay crisp. Macadamias are the milder and softer of the two and therefore slightly closer.

The cheapest option and almost certainly already in the cupboard. Drain, dry thoroughly, crush each one lightly with the flat of a knife, then brown in butter or oil until the edges catch.

Best for

stuffing, braises and stews, nut-free and budget versions, vegetarian roasts

Mealy, mild and starchy in a way that genuinely echoes a chestnut, particularly once browned. Chickpeas are more savoury and firmer with a slightly grainy finish, and they carry an unmistakable pulse flavour that a chestnut does not, so this works best in a heavily seasoned stuffing with sausage, sage and onion where the surrounding flavours carry the dish. Browning them properly is what makes the difference between this working and tasting like tinned chickpeas in your stuffing.