Walnuts are a versatile ingredient with applications throughout food and beverage categories, ranging from plant-based meat alternatives to snack bars. Recent developments in health, food science and flavor research have caused product developers around the world to examine how walnuts can be used in new product formulations.

In the last year alone, we’ve seen new walnut-based products that mimic ground beef in frozen entrées, walnut spreads that deliver flavor and omega-3 fatty acids, and clean label food bars that use walnuts for their whole food benefits, flavor and texture. In these products, walnuts provide functional, flavor and nutritional benefits.

The California Walnut Commission developed this Product Development Guide to help inspire your next made-with-walnuts creation. The guide is broken down into product applications and details the driving category trends and why walnuts satisfy these trends. We also spotlight some of our favorite made-with-walnuts products in each category.

Read, enjoy and reach out to kseiz@walnuts.org if you have any questions about incorporating walnuts into your next product development.