Peanuts Vs. Walnuts – Who Wins in Protein Power?

Nuts are one of the protein-rich foods that support child growth and development.¹ You might be curious which one has the highest protein, or which is the best one, and most commonly people question walnuts vs peanuts- who wins in protein power?

Let’s understand, this article will discuss the nutritional value of peanuts vs walnuts, protein in peanuts, peanuts nutrition, walnuts nutrition and walnut benefits for kids.

Table of Contents

• Protein Power: Walnuts vs Peanuts
• Nutritional Value of Peanuts vs Walnuts
• Walnut Benefits for Kids
• Peanuts Nutrition and Benefits for Kids
• Which One Should You Choose?
• Conclusion

Protein Power: Walnuts vs Peanuts

Protein is the nutrient that makes your child grow strong muscles, run around and play tirelessly, and protects them from illnesses.² So, walnuts vs peanuts, which one has more protein? If we compare their protein content, peanuts have 23.6g protein per 100g while walnuts have comparatively less 14.9g protein per 100g. So, peanuts have more protein power than walnuts. This is just one nutrient i.e. protein comparison. Let’s also compare the nutritional value of peanuts vs walnuts for other nutrients.³

Nutritional Value of Peanuts vs Walnuts²

As you can see nutritional value of peanuts vs walnuts in the above table, belonging to the same food group “nuts”, they provide different proportions of nutrients. Peanuts are comparatively higher in protein, carbohydrates, and fiber, while walnuts are high in calories, have higher fat content, especially have healthy fats and are lower in carbohydrates.² Let’s understand how each of these can be beneficial for your child.

Walnut Benefits for Kids

Walnuts have higher fat content and especially contain α-Linolenic acid, which is an essential fatty acid that your child needs. Essential fatty acids mean, this cannot be synthesized by your child’s body and need to be taken from food.

Walnuts nutrition is special, as α-Linolenic acid belongs to the healthy fats category, important for your child’s brain, eyes, and nervous system development.⁴ Now you know why walnut is also called the “brain food”. Walnuts nutrition also stands out due to their high vitamin E content.⁵ Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that protects your child’s body, especially brain cells against damage from harmful molecules such as reactive oxygen species.⁴ Walnuts are also calorie-dense as compared to peanuts, fuelling your child with the required energy for studying, playing, and being active all day. Walnuts nutrition is also special because it has lower carbohydrate content. This helps prevent spikes in glucose levels and is especially beneficial for children with obesity and diabetes.³ These are exceptional walnut benefits for kids.

Peanuts Nutrition and Benefits for Kids

Peanuts have higher protein and fiber content than walnuts. Protein in peanuts will help your child meet daily protein requirements, which is important for muscle, bone, teeth, and overall development. So, “P” in peanuts stands for protein in peanuts.

Higher fiber content is another reason why peanuts nutrition is distinct. Fiber supports your child’s gut health, which is important for preventing constipation, aids in the absorption of nutrients supporting adequate growth.⁶

Which One Should You Choose?

This knowledge of peanuts nutrition and walnuts nutrition must have left you confused -walnuts vs peanuts, which one to choose? It is impossible to answer this with a single yes or no to this question.

Both walnuts and peanuts provide different and important nutrients for your child. Which one to choose and how much may vary depending on your child’s current food intake, their health status, and their nutrient requirements. If your child does not eat enough protein and fiber sources, then more focus on the inclusion of peanuts and other protein and fiber sources can be made to meet those requirements. Peanuts nutrition is an amazing combination of protein and fiber, as not all protein sources are high in fiber too. However, all children need healthy fats for brain development, so inclusion of healthy fats from walnuts and other healthy fat food sources, should not be ignored either and must be included as required in daily diet. Peanuts are also comparatively cheaper than other protein sources and come in as a good vegetarian source of protein. As we say, variety is the spice of life, similarly, food diversity, i.e. including a variety of foods from different food groups regularly, is important to get all the nutrients your child needs to flourish. No single food is complete and enough on its own to provide all nutrients.

Conclusion

The comparison of the nutritional value of peanuts vs walnuts helps us understand their health benefits. In this protein power battle of walnuts vs peanuts, victory goes to peanuts! However, both peanuts nutrition and walnuts nutrition exhibit unique nutritional benefits for your child. Peanuts are rich in energy, protein, and fiber, while walnuts are comparatively calorie dense and provide essential fats and vitamin E. Protein in peanuts helps your child grow taller and stronger while essential fats for brain development underline walnut benefits for kids. Sometimes you may be unable to meet all the nutritional needs for your child due to poor appetite, food likes and dislikes, etc. Here is where nutritional drinks like Complan come in as a useful support to a balanced diet.

Complan not only has 63% higher protein than the other leading malt-based drink, but it also has a total of 34 vital nutrients essential for your child’s growth. Addition of Complan to your child’s balanced diet will help meet the required nutritional needs.

Source

¹ Gonçalves, B., Pinto, T., Aires, A., Morais, M. C., Bacelar, E., Anjos, R., Ferreira-Cardoso, J., Oliveira, I., Vilela, A., & Cosme, F. (2023). Composition of Nuts and Their Potential Health Benefits-An Overview. Foods (Basel, Switzerland), 12(5), 942. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12050942

² Uauy, R., Kurpad, A., Tano-Debrah, K., Otoo, G. E., Aaron, G. A., Toride, Y., & Ghosh, S. (2015). Role of Protein and Amino Acids in Infant and Young Child Nutrition: Protein and Amino Acid Needs and Relationship with Child Growth. Journal of nutritional science and vitaminology, 61 Suppl, S192–S194. https://doi.org/10.3177/jnsv.61.S192.

³ T. Longvah, R. Ananthan, K. Bhaskarachary and K. Venkaiah, Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. Accessed on 7^th April 2025.

⁴ Julvez, J., Gignac, F., Fernández-Barrés, S., Romaguera, D., Sala-Vila, A., Ranzani, O. T., Persavento, C., Delgado, A., Carol, A., Torrent, J., Gonzalez, J., Roso, E., Barrera-Gómez, J., López-Vicente, M., Garcia-Esteban, R., Boucher, O., Forns, J., Burgaleta, M., Sebastián, N., Canals, J., … Sunyer, J. (2021). Walnuts, Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, and Adolescent Brain Development: Protocol for the Walnuts Smart Snack Dietary Intervention Trial. Frontiers in pediatrics, 9, 593847. https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2021.593847

⁵ Gow, R. V., & Hibbeln, J. R. (2014). Omega-3 fatty acid and nutrient deficits in adverse neurodevelopment and childhood behaviors. Child and adolescent psychiatric clinics of North America, 23(3), 555–590. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chc.2014.02.002

⁶ Hojsak, I., Benninga, M. A., Hauser, B., Kansu, A., Kelly, V. B., Stephen, A. M., Morais Lopez, A., Slavin, J., & Tuohy, K. (2022). Benefits of dietary fibre for children in health and disease. Archives of disease in childhood, 107(11), 973–979. https://doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2021-323571.