Canned Water Chestnuts

part of: Water Chestnut

Water chestnuts are the crunchy, mildly sweet corms of an aquatic plant — not a nut at all. Canned water chestnuts are the form most Australians encounter, sold peeled, sliced or whole, and ready to use.

Their main appeal is texture. They stay remarkably crisp even after cooking, which makes them a staple in stir-fries, san choy bau, and dumpling fillings. They’re also diced into dishes like water chestnut and bacon wraps, or added to Thai curries and Chinese soups for crunch.

The flavour is subtle and slightly sweet, so they tend to take on the character of whatever sauce or seasoning they’re cooked with. This makes them an excellent textural contrast ingredient rather than a flavour-forward one.

Farmed
photograph to come — from twenty years of markets, farms and kitchens

How it's made

Water chestnuts are harvested from muddy paddies or ponds, washed thoroughly, and peeled to remove their dark outer skin. The peeled corms are packed into cans with water, sealed, and heat-processed. They’re drained before use.

Nutrition (per 100g)

Energy 52kcal
Protein 0.6g
Carbs 9.3g
Fat 0.9g
Fibre 2.7g Sugar 5.1g
Mass Distribution

What it costs the planet (per kilo)

Carbon ≈0.98kg
Freshwater ≈7516.61L
Land ≈23.89m²

≈ Estimated — worked out from a category-typical value further up its supply chain. Where this comes from →

Where it comes from

In the kitchen

Used as

crunchy stir-fry vegetable

Classic dishes
  • Chop suey
  • Stir-fried pork with water chestnuts
  • Stuffed mushrooms

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Where this data comes from

Nutrition data from

FSANZ

How it was calculated

Analysed

Full credits, licences, and methods: the sources page →

Where to next

made fromWater Chestnut, corm goes well withpork goes well withbamboo shoot goes well withsoy sauce goes well withginger goes well withspring onion shares a sourceWater Chestnut
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