Which Dry Fruits Should Be Soaked, and Which Should Not

Why do people soak dry fruits at all?

Mostly for texture and habit. Soaking softens hard nuts and dried fruit so they are easier to chew and digest for many people, and it lets you peel badam cleanly. Families have soaked badam and kishmish overnight for generations, and for many of us it is simply the start of the day.

There is some research interest in soaking reducing phytic acid in nuts, but the effect in home soaking is modest, and the nutrition of a soaked almond is close to that of a dry one. Food composition tables such as the Indian IFCT 2017 from NIN list the same food in its raw form. The real reasons to soak are comfort, digestion and taste.

Which dry fruits soak well, and for how long?

Here is one list, with the time each needs and a sensible daily number for an adult:

These are habits, not prescriptions. If you are managing a health condition, especially sugar, please speak to your doctor about amounts.

How do you soak badam properly?

1. Rinse the almonds in a sieve to remove dust.
2. Put them in a small steel or glass bowl and cover with about twice their height of drinking water.
3. Cover and leave overnight, eight to ten hours, at room temperature. In peak summer, put the bowl in the fridge.
4. In the morning drain, press each almond between finger and thumb, and the skin slips off.
5. Discard the soaking water for badam; it carries the tannin from the skins.

Our post on soaked almonds goes through why peeling matters to many families, and how Californian and Mamra almonds differ after soaking. Regular Badam today works out to at today's shop rate, with pack sizes of at today's shop rate.

What about soaked anjeer, kishmish and munakka?

These three are fruit, not nuts, so soaking does something different. The skin softens, the fruit plumps up, and some of the sugar moves into the water. Many people drink the water as well, which is the main difference from badam.

• Anjeer: two or three in half a cup of water. More on timing in our soaked anjeer guide.
• Kishmish: the common question “kitne kishmish bhigokar khane chahiye” usually lands on 10 to 15 a day for an adult. Black kishmish is the most popular for soaking; our black raisins guide explains why.
• Munakka: five to eight, seeds removed after soaking. Munakka today comes to at today's shop rate.

Dry fruits vs soaked dry fruits: which is better?

Neither is simply better. Soaked dry fruits are easier on the teeth and stomach for many people and make a gentle morning habit. Dry ones are more convenient, travel well and keep their crunch. Calories and most nutrients per piece are almost the same either way, because water adds weight but no energy.

A practical split many households use: soaked badam, kishmish and anjeer in the morning, a small handful of dry kaju, pista and akhrot as an evening snack. That gives you both habits and makes a jar of each last.

Which dry fruits should not be soaked?

• Pista: it turns pale and limp, and the flavour fades.
• Kaju: fine for paste, but soaked whole it goes soft and bland. Eat it dry.
• Makhana: it absorbs water and collapses. Roast it instead.
• Soft dates: Medjool, Kalmi and Ajwa are already soft. Soak only hard dry dates (chuara) for kheer or milk.
• Flavoured or salted nuts: the seasoning washes off.

How much should a home buy for a month of soaking?

Two adults soaking seven badam, two anjeer and twelve kishmish each a day need roughly 250 g badam, 500 g anjeer and 250 g kishmish a month. Add kaju and pista for the evening, and a balanced household basket is 500 g kaju, 500 g badam and 250 g pista, with anjeer and kishmish on top. Together they clear the minimum easily: orders start at ₹1,000 and every order ships free, so a month’s soaking and snacking arrive together. All of them are in our dry fruits collection.

Questions people ask