Brazil Nuts: Benefits, Nutrition & How Many You Should Eat Per Day

Brazil nuts are large, crescent-shaped nuts with a smooth, creamy texture and a mild, buttery flavor. They grow wild in the Amazon rainforest — mostly in Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru — on trees that can live for 500 years and tower 160 feet above the forest floor. Technically, they're seeds, not nuts: each cannonball-sized fruit pod holds 10–25 of them, arranged like orange segments.

But what makes Brazil nuts famous isn't botany. It's selenium.

The selenium superfood

No common food delivers more selenium per bite than a Brazil nut. A single nut contains roughly 68–91 micrograms — more than the 55 mcg adults need in an entire day. Selenium is an essential trace mineral your body uses to support thyroid hormone production, immune function, and antioxidant defenses.

That density is exactly why the golden rule of Brazil nuts is moderation.

How many Brazil nuts should you eat per day?

One to three nuts a day is the sweet spot. That comfortably covers your selenium needs while staying far below the tolerable upper intake of 400 mcg per day. Eating large amounts daily over a long period can lead to too much selenium, so treat Brazil nuts as a daily supplement-snack, not a by-the-handful nut.

Nutrition at a glance (per 1 oz / about 6 nuts)

• Calories: ~187
• Protein: ~4 g
• Fat: ~19 g (mostly unsaturated)
• Fiber: ~2 g
• Selenium: ~544 mcg (988% DV)
• Plus magnesium, zinc, copper, phosphorus, and vitamin E

Easy ways to eat Brazil nuts

1. Straight up — one or two as a morning ritual.
2. Chopped into granola or trail mix — their size makes them easy to portion.
3. Brazil nut milk — blend soaked nuts with water for an ultra-creamy dairy-free milk.
4. Baking — swap into any recipe that calls for walnuts or pecans.
5. Toasted — a few minutes in a dry pan deepens their buttery flavor (or try our ready-made Toasted Brazil Nuts).

How to store them

Brazil nuts are rich in natural oils, which means they can go rancid faster than drier nuts. Keep them airtight in a cool, dark pantry for a few months — or refrigerate (6 months) or freeze (a year) for maximum freshness.

Where to buy fresh Brazil nuts

At It's Delish, our Brazil nuts are whole, raw, and shelled — one ingredient, certified Kosher (OU), packed fresh at our California facility, and available from 1 lb bags to bulk 10 lb sizes. Shop Brazil Nuts →