Baru Nuts: Nutrients, What Research Shows and Safety

The baru "nut" (Dipteryx alata, family Fabaceae, the legume family) is the seed of a tree of the Brazilian Cerrado, the tropical savanna of central Brazil. Botanically it is a legume seed, not a tree nut, even though it is sold as a nut or "baru almond" and tastes a little like roasted peanut. [4][12] This page covers the roasted seed as a food and keeps it apart from baru oil and lab work, and it says plainly that the human trials are small.

Read this first

• Baru is a legume seed sold as a nut. We found no allergy study on baru itself. A 2025 review says the allergenic potential of baru proteins still needs study. [12] Peanut is also a legume, and doctors link peanut allergy with other legumes in some people, so ask an allergist before trying it if you have a peanut, legume or tree nut allergy. [13][14] For trouble breathing or swelling of the face or throat, call 911 (or your local emergency number). [15]
• The human evidence is small. The two best-known trials of eating baru were in 46 women with overweight or obesity for 8 weeks (the two papers share one trial registration, so they appear to report the same trial). A 15-person pilot had no comparison group. [2][3][5]
• No nutrition database entry. USDA FoodData Central has no baru entry, so the numbers below come from a published analysis of nuts from Brazil, not from USDA. [1]
• The CDC lists whole or chopped nuts and seeds as choking hazards for young children. [18]

What is in it (published analysis, not USDA)

USDA has no entry for baru nuts. The table uses the ranges a 2025 paper reported for raw baru nuts from nine regions of Mato Grosso state, Brazil. [1] The abstract gives percentages and does not say whether they are by fresh or dry weight, so treat them as approximate. The per-serving column is our arithmetic for 1 ounce (28 g, the USDA/MyPlate unit); there is no official baru serving. We found no energy (calorie) figure in the sources we read, so none is shown.

Source: Cordeiro et al. 2025, nuts from nine regions of Mato Grosso, Brazil. [1] A review of 127 studies gave wider ranges for protein (19 to 30 g per 100 g) and said 75 to 81% of the fat is unsaturated. [4] % Daily Value uses the FDA 2016 Daily Values (fat 78 g, protein 50 g, fiber 28 g); values vary with variety, growing place, roasting and storage. In the 2025 analysis the smell compounds also differed by region. [1]

We do not give a mineral table. One 2026 paper used X-ray fluorescence and reported very high calcium, manganese, copper and iron values for baru almond, but those figures are far above what that method normally supports for a nut, so we did not copy them. [16] Plant compounds: lab analyses found phenolic compounds in baru, mainly gallic acid and its derivatives, in roasted baru nuts. [10] Those findings are from test tubes and cell lines, not from people.

What research says

Eaten as food vs taken as oil. The two trials of the whole roasted seed used about 20 g (about 15 seeds) a day. [3] The kidney-patient trials used oil or capsules, a different product, so their results do not carry over to eating the seed. [6][7] Both seed papers come from the same Brazilian group and the same trial registration, so they are one trial, not two separate confirmations. [2][3] Neither paper states industry funding; the funders named are Brazilian public research agencies. [3]

How much is a normal serving

There is no official serving for baru. The trials used about 20 g a day, roughly 15 roasted seeds. [3] For other nuts and seeds, USDA/MyPlate counts 1 ounce as 1 ounce-equivalent of protein foods. This is information, not a prescription. Because the fat share is 36 to 48 g per 100 g, a small portion supplies a lot of fat and energy. [1] Meta-analysis of nut trials in general found no weight gain from adding nuts, but baru was not part of it. [20]

Trial roasting: the trial team roasted the seeds in an oven to inactivate "anti-nutritional factors" (plant compounds such as tannins and phytates that can reduce mineral absorption). [3] A 2025 review says heat treatment reduces them. [12] That is why the seeds are normally sold roasted; we did not find a source that tests safety of eating raw baru, so raw seeds are unstudied here. See raw, roasted, soaked and sprouted nuts and seeds.

Safety, allergy and medicines

• Allergy. The tree nut and peanut groups are different. NHS lists peanuts, soybeans, peas and chickpeas (legumes) and tree nuts as common triggers. [15] The FDA's nine major allergens include tree nuts and peanuts. [17] We could not find baru named in either list, and we found no case report or study of allergy to baru. Baru is in the same plant family as peanut and soy. A review of peanut allergy notes that peanut allergy is often seen together with allergy to other legumes, tree nuts and seeds. [14] In a French study of 195 peanut-allergic children, 64% were sensitized to at least one other legume and 28% of those had a confirmed allergy to one. [13] None of this proves baru reacts; it means a person with a peanut or legume allergy should ask an allergist first. For trouble breathing or swelling of the face or throat, call 911 (or your local emergency number). See nut and seed allergy basics.
• Choking and young children. The CDC lists whole or chopped nuts and seeds, and spoonfuls of nut or seed butter, as foods to avoid for young children. [18]
• Microbes. A 2026 Brazilian study of baru nut samples found no Staphylococcus aureus above its limit, but found mold counts up to 2.70 log10 CFU/g and identified Salmonella and Cronobacter among the Enterobacteriaceae it isolated (1.0% and 3.8% of isolates). The authors call for ongoing monitoring. [11] This is a lab survey, not a recall or an outbreak report.
• Mold toxins. MedlinePlus says aflatoxins come from molds that grow on nuts, seeds and legumes, and that the FDA allows low levels as unavoidable. [19] We found no baru-specific aflatoxin data.
• Medicines. Proper evidence not found in the sources we read for any baru and medicine interaction.
• Kidney disease. The kidney-patient trials used baru oil under supervision. [6][7] We found no mineral (potassium, phosphorus) data for the seed we could trust, so people on a renal diet should ask their kidney team.
• Pregnancy. Proper evidence not found in the sources we read.

Choosing, storing and food safety

• The 2026 microbe survey suggests buying from a reputable source with food-safety controls. [11]
• Discard nuts that look moldy, discolored or shriveled (MedlinePlus advice on aflatoxin). [19]
• High-fat seeds can turn rancid; see storing nuts and seeds. We did not read a baru-specific storage source.

Related pages

• Nuts and seeds for heart health: what trials found
• Peanuts
• Brazil nuts
• Nut and seed allergy basics
• Food allergy basics and emergency signs
• Raw, roasted, soaked and sprouted nuts and seeds