You’ll make light work of cracking macadamias with these handy nut crackers!

There are four species of macadamia tree, all originate in the subtropical rainforests along the coastal ranges of southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales. Two of these species are used for production of macadamia nuts. Macadamia nuts are notorious for their hard shells. 

When it comes to cracking macadamias open, normal nut crackers often won’t do the job. Although macadamia fans have a wide range of work-arounds to get to the delicious kernel (including bricks, hammers and vices!), there are several products on the market specifically for macadamias.

Here are four of our favourite macadamia nut crackers

Queensland Nut Buster

Shaped like a hammer made from hardwood with a rubber sleeve to grip the nut, this nut cracker works by hitting the nut on the steel cracking plate (or any other hard surface). More effective than a hammer from the toolbox (the traditional Queensland method for cracking macs), this good looking nut cracker is available online.

TJ’s Nutcracker

This nut cracker works by gripping a single nut in place while you use a lever to apply force. The lever action means it doesn’t require much force to use so it’s an easy-to-use nutcracker for children or those with weaker hands. These nut crackers are hand made in Australia, come with a lifetime warranty and are available on Ebay. 

Crack-a-Mac

The crack-a-mac is an easy to use, compact and mess free nut cracker that keeps all the broken shells from the cracking process in one place. All you have to do is twist the handle (shaped like one of three Australian animals) and the cracker applies pressure to the super hard shell to give you access to the delicious kernel inside. These nutcrackers are available for worldwide delivery online.

Aussie Mac Cracker

This compact, metal nut cracker was designed by an Australian father and son team. It has a functional kind of beauty and sits comfortably in the hand. Another device that uses a twisting action to apply pressure to the shell, this nutcracker is a favourite of many of our farmers. Read more of the story of its development, or purchase the cracker online.

What’s your favourite way to crack open a macadamia? Head over to our Facebook page and let us know.