Tigernuts (chufa) are not nuts at all but small tubers of Cyperus esculentus, a sedge plant. They are exceptionally high in resistant starch (a prebiotic fibre that feeds beneficial gut bacteria), provide useful iron, magnesium, potassium, and vitamin E, and have a naturally sweet, coconut-like flavour. They are the traditional base of Spanish horchata de chufa.
Eat dried tigernuts as a chewy snack (soak 24-48 hours to soften); blend soaked tigernuts with water, cinnamon, and a little sweetener for homemade horchata. Their resistant starch makes them filling despite being relatively high in carbohydrate.
Where Tigernuts Stands Out
Macronutrients per 100g
Vitamins & Minerals
| Nutrient | Per 100g | % Daily Value* | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phosphorus | 210 mg | 30% | |
| Calcium | 48.0 mg | 6% | |
| Potassium | 14.0 mg | 1% | |
| Vitamin C | 6.00 mg | 8% | |
| Iron | 3.20 mg | 23% | |
| Niacin equivalents (NE) | 1.80 mg | 11% | |
| Niacin (B3) | 1.10 mg | 7% | |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.230 mg | 21% | |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.100 mg | 7% | |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.000 µg | 0% | |
| Vitamin D | 0.000 µg | 0% | |
| Vitamin A (RE) | 0.000 µg | 0% | |
| Monounsaturated fat | 16.4 g | — | |
| Polyunsaturated fat (PUFA) | 2.20 g | — | |
| Sucrose | 16.1 g | — | |
| Maltose | 0.000 g | — | |
| Fructose | 0.000 g | — | |
| Glucose (dextrose) | 0.000 g | — | |
| Cholesterol | 0.000 mg | — | |
| Beta-carotene | 0.000 µg | — | |
| Retinol (vitamin A) | 0.000 µg | 0% |
* % Daily Value is the proportion of an adult
EU Nutrient Reference Value (NRV) supplied by 100g of this food.
NRVs are the labelling standard — the same basis as the “%RI” figures printed on
food packaging — so these percentages are directly comparable with a shop label.
They are a single adult figure and do not vary by age or sex, which is why they
sometimes differ from UK dietary reference values: the NRV for vitamin C is 80mg
where the UK RNI is 40mg. When Nutriofia assesses your own intake in the
reports and trackers, it uses the age- and sex-specific UK values instead.
Fibre is shown without a percentage. Our fibre values use the UK
Englyst NSP method, while the published 30g daily goal is an AOAC figure — the two
are measured differently and a single percentage would mislead.
How we source and normalise our data →