The easiest way to remove skin from roasted hazelnuts is to rub them while still warm inside a clean kitchen towel. Roasting loosens the papery skin (called the pellicle), and friction does the rest. For stubborn skins, a baking soda blanch before or instead of roasting strips nearly everything off. Here’s how each method works and when to use which one.
The Towel Method After Roasting
Spread your hazelnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and roast at 275°F to 300°F (135°C to 150°C) for about 15 minutes, shaking the pan once halfway through. The skins will visibly crack and darken. Pull the nuts out while they’re fragrant but not deeply browned.
Transfer the hot hazelnuts onto a clean, dry kitchen towel. Fold the towel over them and rub vigorously, rolling the nuts against each other. The friction peels away most of the loosened skin. Open the towel, pick out the clean nuts, and give the stubborn ones another round of rubbing. You won’t get every last flake off every nut, and that’s fine. Most recipes tolerate a few patches of remaining skin.
Use a textured towel rather than a smooth one. Terry cloth or a flour-sack towel works well. A smooth dish towel doesn’t generate enough friction. Some cooks prefer doing this in batches of a dozen or so nuts at a time, which makes the rubbing more effective than trying to handle a full pound at once.
The Baking Soda Blanch
If you need the skins completely off, or your hazelnuts are a variety with especially stubborn skin, blanching in alkaline water is far more effective than roasting and rubbing alone. The baking soda raises the pH of the water, which breaks down the compounds binding the skin to the nut.
America’s Test Kitchen recommends this ratio: bring 2 cups of water and 3 tablespoons of baking soda to a boil, then add 1 cup of hazelnuts. Boil for 3 minutes. The water will turn an alarming shade of black, which is completely normal. That color comes from tannins leaching out of the skins.
Drain the nuts and rinse them under cold running water, rubbing each one between your fingers. The skins will slide right off. Once peeled, spread the hazelnuts on a towel to dry, then toast them in a 300°F oven for about 15 minutes if you want that roasted flavor and crunch. The blanch itself doesn’t toast the nuts, so this second step matters if you’re using them in baking or as a snack.
Why Some Hazelnuts Are Harder to Peel
Not all hazelnuts are created equal when it comes to skin removal. Oregon State University rates hazelnut varieties on a 1 to 7 scale for how well their skin comes off after roasting, where 1 means complete removal and 7 means essentially nothing comes off. The differences are dramatic.
Barcelona, one of the most common commercial varieties, scores a 4 to 5, meaning a significant amount of skin stays stubbornly attached even after roasting. Ennis nuts are even worse, scoring 6 to 7. On the other end, varieties like Felix (1.8), Dorris (2.4 to 2.9), and Tonda di Giffoni (2.5 to 3.5) peel much more cooperatively. If you’re buying hazelnuts at a grocery store, you rarely get to choose the variety, but this explains why some batches seem to peel effortlessly while others fight you every step.
When you encounter a particularly stubborn batch, skip the towel method and go straight to the baking soda blanch. It works regardless of variety.
Why Bother Removing the Skin
Hazelnut skins are packed with tannins, the same compounds that make red wine and strong tea taste astringent. Raw hazelnuts with intact skin contain roughly 25 times more of these bitter tannin compounds than roasted, skinned hazelnuts. That’s a massive difference in flavor. In a Nutella-style spread, a hazelnut cake, or a batch of praline, those tannins add a harsh, bitter edge that competes with the sweet, buttery flavor you’re after.
For savory dishes, salads, or coarse toppings where hazelnuts play a supporting role, a few skin remnants won’t ruin anything. But for any recipe where hazelnut flavor is front and center, taking the time to skin them properly pays off.
Choosing the Right Method
- Towel rub after roasting is best when you’re already roasting the nuts for a recipe and don’t need perfection. It takes about 20 minutes total and removes most of the skin with minimal effort.
- Baking soda blanch is best for desserts, confections, nut butters, or any time you want clean, pale nuts with no trace of skin. It adds a step but delivers near-total removal.
- Combination approach: blanch first, then roast. This gives you both clean skins and deep toasted flavor. It takes longer but produces the best results for recipes like homemade gianduja or hazelnut brittle.
One thing to avoid: trying to peel hazelnuts that have cooled completely after roasting. The skins re-adhere as the nuts cool, making the job much harder. If your roasted hazelnuts have gone cold, rewarm them in a 300°F oven for 3 to 4 minutes before attempting the towel rub.