How to Get Gold Nuggets in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Mine Nether gold ore with a pickaxe for 2-6 gold nuggets each, kill zombified piglins (0-1, 50% chance), smelt golden tools, weapons or armor, or craft nuggets from a gold ingot. One nugget is worth one-ninth of a gold ingot.

What you need

Pickaxe
Fortune enchantment (optional)
Furnace and fuel (for smelting)

Step by step

Go to the Nether and mine Nether gold ore with a pickaxe. Each drops 2-6 gold nuggets.
Use Fortune to multiply the drops: Fortune I has a 33.3% chance to double, Fortune II 25% to double or triple, and Fortune III 20% each for x2, x3 or x4.
Mine gilded blackstone for a 10% chance of 2-5 nuggets (14.29% with Fortune I, 25% with II, guaranteed with III).
Kill zombified piglins: 0-1 nuggets at 50%, up to 0-4 with Looting III.
Smelt golden tools, weapons or armor in a furnace to get nuggets back.
Craft nuggets from a gold ingot, or craft nine nuggets back into an ingot.

Java vs Bedrock

Gold nuggets also appear in chests such as igloo basements, ocean ruins, shipwrecks and plains and savanna village houses.

Versions: Nether gold ore drops 2-6 nuggets since Java Edition 1.16 (20w12a).

Frequently asked questions

How many gold nuggets does Nether gold ore drop?

2-6, multiplied by Fortune.

How many nuggets make an ingot?

One nugget is worth one-ninth of an ingot, so nine.

Do zombified piglins drop gold nuggets?

Yes, 0-1 at 50% chance, more with Looting.