Tree Nut List: Which Foods Count as Tree Nuts (and Which Don’t)

Tree nuts are nuts that grow on trees: almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts. That is the list US food labels follow since the FDA updated its guidance in January 2025. Peanuts are not tree nuts; they are legumes, related to peas and beans. Coconut is no longer on the US tree nut list.

The FDA tree nut list (2025)

Food sold in the US has to name these when they are an ingredient:

Before 2025 the FDA list also included coconut, beechnut, butternut, chestnut, chinquapin, ginkgo nut, hickory nut, kola nut, palm nut, pili nut and shea nut. These were removed because they are rarely eaten in the US or rarely cause reactions. They still have to appear by name in the ingredient list; they just don’t trigger a “Contains: tree nuts” statement.

The European Union and UK use a slightly different list of eight: almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios and macadamias. Pine nuts are not on the EU list, so EU restaurants and labels don’t have to flag them.

Quick answers

Peanut and tree nut: allergic to both?

Peanuts and tree nuts are not related, but allergies to them often come together. Studies of children with peanut allergy have found that roughly a quarter to a third also react to at least one tree nut. Nuts are also processed on shared lines, which is why so many labels say “may contain peanuts and tree nuts.”

Which tree nuts cross-react?

Some tree nuts are closely related, and an allergy to one often means an allergy to the other:

• Cashew and pistachio belong to the same plant family. A cashew allergy very often comes with a pistachio allergy.
• Walnut and pecan are in the same family, and react together in many people.
• Other combinations (for example almond and hazelnut) are less predictable.

Only an allergist can tell you which nuts are safe for you. Don’t start eating a nut you have been avoiding because it is not on a list.

Where tree nuts hide

Words for tree nuts in other languages

If you travel, the words change and sometimes mislead. Noix in French means walnut but also appears in noix de cajou (cashew); in Mexico nuez means pecan; in Greek fistíkia can mean peanuts or pistachios. Our phrase guides for French, Spanish, Italian and Greek list each nut.

Common questions

What are tree nuts?

Nuts that grow on trees, as opposed to peanuts, which grow underground. For labelling in the US the list is almond, Brazil nut, cashew, hazelnut, macadamia, pecan, pine nut, pistachio and walnut.

Is coconut a tree nut?

Not any more, for US labelling. The FDA removed coconut from its tree nut list in January 2025. It was on the list mainly because of its name; coconut is a fruit (a drupe), and coconut allergy is uncommon and separate from tree nut allergy.

Are peanuts tree nuts?

No. Peanuts are legumes, like peas, lentils and soybeans. Many people are allergic to both peanuts and tree nuts, but one is not a type of the other.

Do I need to avoid all tree nuts if I’m allergic to one?

Many people are told to avoid all of them, because of cross-reactivity and shared processing. Some people, after testing with an allergist, can safely eat specific nuts. It depends on your test results, not on lists.