Wonderful Pistachios (No Salt): Nutrition & Labelgrade A- (85/100)
A- 85 / 100 — Single-ingredient whole-food protein source. 6g protein + 3g fiber per oz, zero added anything (no salt, no oil), highest potassium-per-serving in any nut. Labelgrade A- — among the cleanest portable proteins on the US shelf.
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Wonderful Pistachios (No Salt) deliver 6 g of protein and 3 g of fiber for 160 calories in a 1 oz (30 g) serving — about 49 kernels (USDA FDC 2123245). The ingredient panel is a single word: PISTACHIOS. No salt, no oil, no roasting fat. It earns a Labelgrade A- (85/100) — high marks for a whole-food snack, dragged off a perfect score only by the fat that comes with every nut. Honest framing: this is a fat-forward, calorie-dense food, not a protein supplement — but as a real snack you keep in a bag, it’s about as clean as the shelf gets.
Why the A-
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | B+ | 80 / 100 | ~20 g per 100 g — top tier for a nut, and unusually complete on amino acids — but still moderate next to meat, eggs, or whey |
| Ingredient quality | B+ | 83 / 100 | One ingredient: pistachios. The B+ ceiling is the formula’s, not the food’s — it doesn’t reward “one” over “few,” so in practice this is best-in-class |
| Saturated fat | B- | 70 / 100 | 1.5 g per oz — the only real ding, and unavoidable: 14 g total fat is what makes a nut a nut |
| Sodium | A+ | 100 / 100 | 0 mg — the whole point of the No Salt variant |
| Sugar | A | 92 / 100 | 2 g, all naturally occurring; 0 g added |
| Fiber | A+ | 100 / 100 | 3 g per oz — higher fiber-per-gram than most nuts |
The grade tells an honest story: every deduction is the price of fat, and every top mark is the reward for adding nothing — no sodium to wash off, no added sugar to explain, no oil to apologize for. The B- on saturated fat is the one place pistachios can’t win, and almonds, cashews, and walnuts would all earn the same B-: it’s intrinsic to the nut, not the formulation.
The shell is doing real work
This is the genuinely useful thing about buying pistachios in-shell. Calorie density is the standard knock on nuts — 160 calories an ounce adds up fast when you’re grazing. But you cannot eat in-shell pistachios on autopilot: each one has to be cracked, which slows your hand down, and the growing pile of empty shells is a running tally you can actually see. Pre-shelled nuts give you none of that friction; a handful is gone before you’ve registered it.
So the format is built-in portion control. The same 14 g of fat per ounce that earns the B- is offset, in practice, by a shell that stops you reaching for the fourth and fifth serving. If you’ve ever over-eaten a bag of almonds without noticing, in-shell pistachios are the structural fix — reach for No Shells only when convenience genuinely beats portion control (a salad topper, oatmeal, a smoothie), and keep the in-shell bag for actual snacking.
Protein you should be honest about
Six grams an ounce is real and near the top of the nut rankings — but it’s moderate, and pistachios are a fat-forward food first. Think of this less as a “protein snack” and more as a nutrient-dense whole food that happens to carry decent protein and fiber. Where it genuinely earns the snack slot is convenience: a shelf-stable, no-prep option for when chicken or Greek yogurt isn’t practical — a desk drawer, a gym bag, a long drive.
What really sets pistachios apart from the rest of the nut shelf isn’t the protein, though — it’s the potassium. At 310 mg per ounce, this is one of the highest-potassium nuts you can buy, which is why Wonderful markets on potassium rather than protein. Paired with 3 g of fiber, mostly-unsaturated fat, and zero added sodium, that’s the package behind pistachios’ well-documented heart-health reputation — a profile a protein bar can’t touch.
Salted vs. unsalted is the variant that matters
The biggest macro swing across the Wonderful line isn’t protein or calories — it’s sodium, driven entirely by seasoning. This page is the No Salt / In-Shell bag (UPC 014113910385), which reads 0 mg on the USDA panel. Roasted & Salted adds roughly 120–160 mg per ounce; the Sea Salt & Vinegar, Honey Roasted, Salt & Pepper, and Sweet Chili variants layer on seasonings and, in the sweet ones, a little extra sugar. The kernels are identical California pistachios — the choice is purely what gets sprayed on. For anyone watching blood pressure, the No Salt bag is the one variant that holds the A+ sodium score.
Ingredients
Pistachios. That’s the entire list — verbatim from the USDA Branded Foods entry (FDC 2123245). No salt, no oil, no seasonings in this variant.
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 1 oz (30 g) — about 49 kernels
See how this fits your day — protein calculator · macro calculator
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (1 oz (30 g) — about 49 kernels) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 160 |
| Protein | 6g |
| Total Fat | 14g |
| Saturated Fat | 1.5g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 8g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3g |
| Total Sugars | 2g |
| Added Sugars | 0g |
| Sodium | 0mg |
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Calcium | 40mg |
| Iron | 1mg |
| Potassium | 310mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to Wonderful Pistachios (No Salt / In-Shell) (6.25 oz (177 g) bag) · UPC 014113910385. Other sizes, flavors, or formulations may differ.
How this fits each diet
Each score is computed from the same USDA nutrition + ingredient data, against the published rules of each diet. They tell you "does this food fit this diet" — not whether the diet is right for you.
contains no listed animal products
contains no listed meat or fish
no wheat, barley, rye, or malt detected in USDA ingredient list
Frequently Asked Questions
How much protein is in Wonderful Pistachios?
6 g of protein per 1 oz (30 g) serving — roughly 49 kernels — for 160 calories (USDA FDC 2123245), which works out to about 20 g per 100 g. That clears the FDA's 'good source of protein' bar (10% Daily Value) but not 'high in protein' (20%); two ounces hits 12 g and qualifies.
Is the protein actually usable, or is it 'incomplete' like most nuts?
Pistachios are one of the few tree nuts that supply all nine essential amino acids in adequate ratios, so they sit closer to complete protein than almonds, walnuts, or pecans. For a plant snack that's a genuine edge — you're not just getting bulk protein, you're getting the limiting amino acids most nuts are short on.
Why does this No Salt version score so clean?
The panel is one word — PISTACHIOS. No added salt, no oil, no roasting fat, no flavoring. That's what drives the A+ on sodium (0 mg) and the 0 g added sugar. The flavored Wonderful lines (Roasted & Salted, Sea Salt & Vinegar, Honey Roasted, Salt & Pepper) add seasonings and salt that change the macros and would lower the grade.
Pistachios are 160 cal and 14 g fat per ounce — isn't that a lot?
It's calorie-dense, yes, but the fat is overwhelmingly mono- and polyunsaturated, with only 1.5 g saturated — that's the one B- on the card. The in-shell format is the practical brake: cracking each shell slows you down and leaves a visible pile of empties, so you eat fewer than you would from a bag of pre-shelled nuts.
What makes the in-shell version different from No Shells?
Same nut, same per-100-g macros. In-shell forces you to crack each one, which paces intake and builds satiety; No Shells is pre-cracked and far easier to over-eat by the handful. If portion control is the point, in-shell is the better buy — the shells are the feature.
Is it sodium-free, and does that matter for a DASH or low-sodium diet?
This variant reads 0 mg sodium per serving on the USDA panel — there's a trace naturally in pistachios but it rounds to zero. The Roasted & Salted version adds roughly 120–160 mg per ounce. For DASH or blood-pressure-conscious eating, the No Salt nut paired with its 310 mg of potassium is one of the better snacks on the shelf.
Why is potassium the number Wonderful leads with?
At 310 mg per ounce, pistachios carry one of the highest potassium loads of any nut — more relevant to most shoppers than the moderate protein. Combined with the fiber, monounsaturated fat, and plant sterols, that's the profile behind the well-documented LDL and blood-pressure benefits of daily pistachio intake.