This is the ultimate guide on the best substitute for Water Chestnuts which you can easily find at home.
I have not only poured in my experience but also hours of research on what experts and food bloggers have to say on substituting Water Chestnut for any recipe.
Let us dive right into this process of knowing what the substitutes are and how you can replace them.
Twelve Best Substitutes For Water Chestnut
The best substitutes for Water Chestnuts are – White Turnips, Canned Water Chestnuts, Jerusalem Artichokes, Jicama slices, Almond flour, Hazelnut flour, Cassava flour, Celery, Bamboo shoots, fresh Ginger, Daikon, and Radish slices.
They are discussed in detail here:-
White Turnips
White root vegetables like carrots are turnips.
The white turnip or turnip is a root vegetable grown in temperate environments worldwide for its white, stout taproot.
You can, without much effort, find them in your nearby market.
The flavor of turnips is among cabbage and radish or a combination of fresh carrots and potatoes.
They can likewise be boiled, steamed, pounded, roasted, or cooked.
Turnips can be utilized as an option in numerous recipes requiring water chestnut, even adding an exceptionally decent touch to braised sheep or veal.
They are a decent method to be supplanted as tidbits too.
How to substitute
For proper measurements, one gram of fresh raw white turnips equals a little more than one gram of fresh water chestnut. Contingent upon the amount of food, you can compare the necessary fresh water chestnut with the perfect measure of raw white turnips.
Want to know how you can use turnips in different recipes? Watch “Scoff” telling us about how to cook a tasty white turnip for any recipe that can be easily made:-
Canned Water Chestnuts
If you can not discover fresh ones, you can generally utilize canned water chestnuts.
The canned water chestnuts are promptly accessible in supermarkets.
The canned water chestnuts have a similar flavor profile as the freshwater chestnuts.
However, the nutty flavors are higher in fresh water chestnuts.
You can usually substitute one for the other as they are essentially something similar.
Fresh water chestnuts are frequently elusive.
If you discover them, they will require peeling, which can be an undesirable additional progression in your cooking procedure.
The canning method doesn’t majorly affect the surface, shading, or taste of water chestnuts.
How to substitute
You can use one gram of the canned Water Chestnut to substitute for one gram of clean, fresh water chestnut. If you cook it in a cake batter, make a point to cook through the dish.
Want to know how you can prepare canned Water Chestnuts for different recipes? Watch “Jeff Heriot” telling us about how to peel water chestnuts that can be easily done:-
Jerusalem Artichokes
Another practical choice is the Jerusalem artichoke. The Jerusalem artichokes are derived from sunflowers.
It is a tuber with brown skin and a knotty appearance. Generally, it seems similar to ginger.
Jerusalem Artichokes have a sweet and nutty flavor with white tissue. Moreover, it is nothing but a higher iron substance with a crunchy surface.
It is a fantastic substitute in numerous recipes.
If you can not discover jicama yet, you can discover Jerusalem artichokes; the two of them are magnificent substitutes for the gentle kind of water chestnuts, with a comparative tone and surface too.
How to substitute
One gram of fresh water chestnut is equal to one gram of Jerusalem Artichokes, half-gram jicama slices, and a little of turnips. Make sure to eliminate the dirt and unwanted peel beforehand to utilize the fresh and clean Jerusalem Artichokes.
Confused about how to use Jerusalem Artichokes? Look no further and check this video by “Chef Tube” talking about how to prepare Jerusalem Artichokes at home easily, here:-
Jicama Slices
To begin with, jicama slices are the root vegetables with a brilliant brown appearance (the skin).
The skin is amazingly slight, which makes it look papery. The inside has white tissue with higher starch content.
It was initially used in Mexico and has now spread all over Asia.
It is succulent, with a marginally sweet and nutty flavor which is like the chestnut.
Generally, it is accessible in hotter nations, and the developing season is incredibly long.
For subbing purposes, you can utilize equivalent amounts. In any case, you can change the amount as indicated by your taste preferences.
How to substitute
Take out an equal proportion of Jicama slices to the amount of fresh water chestnut your recipe calls for, but add it gradually. If you continue gradually adding your jicama slices and tasting your dish as you add it, you can ensure that the flavor of jicama slices does not overpower your finished dish.
Want to know how Jicama slices can be used for a recipe? Watch “Utah State University Extension” step by step showing us how to cook a tasty jicama slice, here:-
Almond Flour
Almond meal, almond flour, or ground almonds are produced using ground sweet almonds.
It is low in carbs, loaded with supplements, and has a marginally better taste.
When making tasty dishes, have a go at deciding on almond flour. It works like sorcery without managing gluten and higher calories.
Almond flour is generally made with whitened almonds, while almond flour dinner can be made with whole or whitened almonds.
Whether you want a gluten-free diet or simply attempting to keep a better eating regimen, almond flour is a decent decision.
How to Substitute
The replacement is essential; follow the 1:1 proportion. A lot of the Almond flour can overwhelm the entire dish since it has a higher fixation, so add just a small amount at a time.
Watch “Living healthy with Chocolate” to know how to blanch almond and make almond flour out of it, here:-
Hazelnut Flour
Another tree nut, hazelnuts, can be a great swap for chestnuts in an assortment of dishes.
As the name recommends, hazelnut flour is made by crushing the raw hazelnuts.
It is an entirely reasonable substitute for water chestnut flour.
It is nothing but a nutty flavor; however, there is no grainy surface.
The hazelnut flour is additionally gluten-free, and it very well may be utilized to bread chicken, fish or can be added to smoothies.
It is a grain-free nut flour, which makes it truly useful for baking.
It has more fat than water chestnut flour, which can make your completed dish somewhat thicker.
How to substitute
For the replacement, utilize a large portion of a cup of fine hazelnut flour to substitute more than two cups of fine water chestnut flour. Hazelnut flour is very healthy, so adding too much would not affect your health.
Did you know you can make hazelnut flour in your kitchen? Watch this video by “Natural Comforts Cooking” showing how easily we can make hazelnut flour at home:-
Cassava Flour
Cassava flour is extracted from its unique ground cassava root.
Cassava Flour fairly resembles potatoes which you can cook and eat for what it is worth.
It is likewise an excellent wellspring of protein, filling, and sound.
If you are investigating making sans gluten-baked dishes, this can likewise be a decent substitute for water chestnut.
You can utilize this substitute for most prepared dishes; however, cassava flour is profoundly encouraged to blend in with different sorts of flour when making bread.
Cassava flour can not rise and will make a denser bread if not blended in with different flours.
How to Substitute
One gram of water chestnut flour is equal to one gram of cassava flour, half-gram almond flour, and a little of hazelnut flour. Make sure to eliminate the stones and unwanted husk beforehand to utilize the fresh and clean flour.
Ever used Cassava Flour before? Check out how to cook with gluten-free Cassava Flour by “How to DIY & VR Gaming” here:-
Celery
Celery is an Apiaceae family plant mostly found in marshland, grown as a vegetable since the yesteryear.
You must have a couple of celery stems at home if you are into green juices. This celery stem has a similar texture, and it cooks faster.
However, if you have a recipe that calls for water chestnut, you truly do not care for the taste and then go for the celery.
Also, you can go after turnips or radishes directly if you need to add a little flavor without the sweet compliment.
Add a little spice at a time to ensure that you like the subsequent taste.
How to substitute
You can chop the celery finely first and boost the nutrients for your meal, just by replacing the fresh water chestnut with raw Celery. Two grams of fresh Celery can substitute one gram of fresh water chestnut.
Never used celery to make one tasty dish? Watch out this recipe by “French Cooking Academy” explaining french Cooking techniques of how to pare, wash and cut Celery:-
Bamboo shoots
Bamboo shoots can be utilized instead of water chestnuts. Notwithstanding, canned bamboo shoots are not a great decision as they are very delicate.
One reason water chestnuts are typically called in for recipes, due to their interesting surface.
If you intend to utilize bamboo shoots instead of water chestnuts, we suggest just utilizing fresh shoots as these have a superior flavor and surface contrasted with canned bamboo shoots.
However, fresh bamboo shoots can be elusive in numerous American supermarkets.
Bamboo shoots, especially the genuine root and not the canned thing, will substitute but rather contribute somewhat more flavor.
How to substitute
To use in the recipes, add the bamboo shoots while observing the taste until it reaches your preferred levels. In many cases, For one gram of fresh and raw water chestnut, using a gram of tasty and healthy bamboo shoots. You can chop the bamboo shoots or supplement them in a different way and eliminate the undesirable pieces before cooking the food.
Never used Bamboo shoots to make a healthy lunch? Check out this recipe by “Yu Yan” showing how to prepare and cook fresh Bamboo shoots in two ways for any recipe, here:-
Fresh Ginger
Ginger is a rhizome, though it is frequently referred to as a root; similarly, that water chestnut is at times called a root.
While ginger doesn’t belong to the same category as the other water chestnut replacements, it has some heat.
It can go well with a considerable lot of the ingredients utilized in dishes that require water chestnut.
It must be noticed that it is a bit sweeter than water chestnut, so it might not be a good fit for every recipe.
Your most perfect choice is to utilize reasonable measures of ginger and acknowledge that the warmth will not be exactly the first recipe.
How to substitute
For replacement, for each gram of fresh water chestnut needed in the recipe, it tends to be supplanted with 1½ grams of raw, ground, or finely chopped fresh ginger (more than 1 cup of fresh water chestnut).
Watch how to use fresh ginger in your dishes to make them more flavorful; check out here:-
Daikon
Daikon is consumed in many Asian countries, and in Japan, it is the most commonly eaten vegetable.
It is a winter radish that can be effortlessly utilized for water chestnuts in numerous recipes.
It has a mild and tart flavor with a delicious surface that is not the same as the water chestnut.
Daikon is milder and has a less peppery flavor than the entirety of different radishes.
You can undoubtedly utilize daikon to supplant water chestnut in soups or stews, and you can utilize it as a low-calorie side dish.
It can be served raw and can serve you as a good starter from various perspectives.
How to substitute
One gram of Daikon is equal to one gram of fresh water chestnut. Chop and mix two grams of daikon and one gram of turnips to substitute two grams of fresh water chestnut.
Ever cooked Daikon before? Watch “Chef JA Cooks” here, explaining to us how to make daikon radish for many different recipes:-
Radish slices
The radish is an assortment of root vegetables with a dull color outside that looks like it is covered with root hairs.
The radishes are bigger than the regular water chestnuts. The Radish has fundamentally the same flavor as the water chestnut.
Just mesh the Radish and use it in the same way you would utilize the arranged water chestnut in a dish.
Note that to get a higher level of sharpness, you will need to leave radish’s skin unblemished.
Eliminating the skin or hair of the radish brings down the warmth level extensively.
Utilize radish as a 1:1 substitute for water chestnut.
How to substitute
When subbing, utilize 1½ cups of finely chopped radish for the same amount of the fresh water chestnut. If you are making a huge batch, modify the substance and taste before adding more to it.
Do you not know how to prepare radish for a recipe? Watch “Robert Khaury” showing you how to prepare the best-sauteed Radish. Check out here:-
FAQ’s
Chestnuts (otherwise called tree chestnuts) develop on chestnut trees and are normal all through Europe, Asia, and the US. Water chestnuts, then again, are not nuts; however, “corms.” Native to Southeast Asia, similar to rice, they flourish in wet, muddy fields, yet like potatoes, they develop underground.
Kuttu, known as buckwheat, is an organic product seed which is the reason its utilization is permitted during Hindu fasting. Water Chestnut flour comes from drying water chestnut organic products to the ground to get ready flour. This magical fixing is permitted during diets as it is nothing but an oat yet a natural product that is pounded to get the flour.
The taste is best portrayed as a cross between a water chestnut and an apple. Jicama can be eaten cooked or raw and has a sweet, nutty flavor with a new surface that is held whenever cooked just momentarily. Jicama goes in size from 4 ounces to 6 pounds and is a decent choice to water chestnuts.
Bottom Line
I hope this list helped you to know about the substitutes for Water Chestnut.
Share your experience with these. Do you have a substitution that is not mentioned here? Would you mind sharing with us in the comments? We will make sure to try it out.
Do not forget to share these substitutes with your family and friends to help them in need.
Thanks. Very helpful