Cashew vs. Almonds — Health Impact and Nutrition Comparison

What's The Actual Difference?

Almond and cashew milk are now widely used as an alternative to dairy milk, especially within the vegan community and lactose intolerant individuals.

Cashews are softer and more delicate in texture than almonds, which are thicker and crunchier. Because almonds have a slightly nutty flavor and cashews have a creamy, buttery flavor, the taste of these two nuts differs slightly.

Almonds are single seeds within flat, slightly porous, beige pods, whereas cashews are kidney or heart-shaped achenes in any regular variation. 

Calories

Almonds have 579 calories per 100g, whereas cashews provide 553 calories per 100g.

Vitamins

Almonds and cashews are rich in vitamins, but they don't have similar vitamin content.

Almonds are considered one of the nuts with the highest vitamin B2 (riboflavin) content. They contain 1.14mg of vitamin B2 per 100g. The daily requirement of vitamin B2 is 1.3mg for males and 1.1mg for females.

Almonds are also rich in vitamin E, having 25.6mg, with the daily requirement being 15mg a day.

On the other hand, cashews are considered to be rich in vitamin K at 34.1μg and vitamin B complex, specifically, B1, B6, and B5.

Vitamin Comparison

Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.

Cashew

5

Almonds

6

Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C	+∞%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1	+106.3%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5	+83.4%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6	+204.4%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K	+∞%

Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A	+∞%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E	+2747.8%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2	+1862.1%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3	+240.7%
Contains more FolateFolate	+76%

~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg

~equal in Vitamin B12 ~0µg

Minerals

Almonds and cashews are food sources that contain a high amount of minerals.

They have similar content of potassium and magnesium with slight differences.

Almonds are rich in calcium and manganese, while cashews are richer in iron, copper, zinc, and phosphorus. Cashews are considered to be a good source of iron.

Mineral Comparison

Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.

Cashew

5

Almonds

4

Contains more IronIron	+80.1%
Contains more CopperCopper	+112.9%
Contains more ZincZinc	+85.3%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus	+23.3%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium	+385.4%

Contains more CalciumCalcium	+627%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium	+11.1%
Contains less SodiumSodium	-91.7%
Contains more ManganeseManganese	+31.7%

~equal in Magnesium ~270mg

Fiber

Almonds are relatively more affluent in their dietary fiber content compared to cashews. Almonds provide 12.5g of fiber per 100g, while cashews have 3.3g of fiber.

Fats

Almonds are higher in fats than cashews. They provide 50g of fat per 100g, whereas cashews have 44g of fat.

Almonds and cashews have 31.5g and 23.8g of monounsaturated fats, respectively, and the recommended daily intake is at <33g.

In addition to that, almonds and cashews have 12.3g and 7.8g of polyunsaturated fat content, respectively, and the daily requirement is at <22g.

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison

Cashew

0

Saturated Fat: Sat. Fat 7.783 g

Monounsaturated Fat: Mono. Fat 23.797 g

Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 7.845 g

Almonds

3

Saturated Fat: Sat. Fat 3.802 g

Monounsaturated Fat: Mono. Fat 31.551 g

Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 12.329 g

Contains less Sat. FatSaturated Fat	-51.1%
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated Fat	+32.6%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat	+57.2%

Cardiovascular Health

Section reviewed by cardiologist Astghik Grigoryan

Studies suggest that consuming almonds may help lower diastolic blood pressure, but it doesn't seem to affect systolic blood pressure. On the other hand, cashew nut intake may help reduce systolic blood pressure, but it doesn't have any impact on diastolic blood pressure (2, 3, 4).

It should be noted that almond and cashew nuts contain peptides that may inhibit ACE enzymes, similar to ACE-inhibitor medications like Captopril and Lisinopril (5, 6).

Unlike cashew nuts, almonds have a consistently positive effect on lipids and lipoproteins by reducing total cholesterol and LDL (“bad” cholesterol) levels, resulting in a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (4, 7).

Bone Health

Almonds are rich in calcium and help maintain healthy bones. They are considered a good source of calcium in vegan diets, as one serving of almonds is equivalent to ¼ cup of dairy milk. (8)

Brain Health

The vitamin E content of almonds acts as an antioxidant, protecting the brain tissues from being covered with amyloid plaques, which is the reason for developing Alzheimer's disease. Vitamin E contributes to lowering the risk of Alzheimer's disease. Also, almonds have promising results in showing restorative measures after diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. (9)

Eye Health

Cashews, on the other hand, contain zeaxanthin. Zeaxanthins are yellow-pigmented antioxidants that have a role in protecting the eyes. After ingestion, the zeaxanthins present in cashews get absorbed by the retina and protect the retina from ultraviolet light. Zeaxanthins contribute to the prevention of the disease called Age-related Macular Degeneration AMD. AMD causes blurring of vision, usually while driving or reading, and is expected after age 60. (10)

Diabetes

Almond and Cashew milk is now widely used as an alternative to dairy milk, especially within the vegan community and lactose intolerant individuals. Daily consumption of cashews in diabetic patients lowered their total insulin levels, thus helping to control Diabetes Mellitus. (11)

References:

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5762129/
2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0965229920301849
3. https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2016/fo/c6fo00654j/unauth
4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32444052/
5. https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2016/fo/c6fo00654j/unauth
6. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10942912.2017.1325902
7. https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/69/4/171/1909266
8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2937319/
9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6770730/
10. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6408729/
11. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6400731/
12. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5359106/