Avocado seed is poisonous to some animals, but safe for people to consume.
Can you eat an avocado seed? Many people believe the avocado pit is toxic and if you eat it you’ll get sick. That is a myth, and the truth is that avocado seeds are edible and highly nutritious, although slightly bitter tasting. The myth may be related to the fact that avocado flesh and many parts of the avocado tree, such as the bark and leaves, are toxic to some animals including cats, dogs, horses, and especially birds.
Is it true that avocado pits contain cyanide? Avocado seed contains amygdalin which is broken down into only trace amounts of cyanide during digestion. The amount of cyanide is not nearly enough to be dangerous to humans. It is perfectly safe for people to eat avocado seeds, though not so for many animals. It is not cyanide that causes problems for these animals, though, but a toxic fatty acid called persin.
Preparing an avocado seed for consumption
Probably the favorite way for people to eat avocado seed is blended into a fruit smoothie or protein shake. It may also be mixed into coffee, tea, or other beverages to mask the bitter taste of the pit. But the avocado seed is very tough and fibrous and will first need to be prepared to make it edible. To do this, you can either make a dry avocado seed powder or an avocado water solution.
How to make avocado seed powder
One of the most popular ways to eat avocado seed is to grind it down to a fine powder, so that it can then be easily mixed into your favorite beverage. To do this, place the avocado pit on a baking sheet and put in the oven at a preheated 250 degrees for 1.5-2 hours, depending on the size of the seed.
The outer skin will then be dry. Peel away skin, slice and pulse the seed to a fine dust or powder in a food processor. Because the avocado pit is so dense, this will require a powerful food processor. I don’t recommend using one of the cheaper brands of blenders because it can tear them up pretty good. If you don’t have a food processor, an old-fashioned hand grater will work, too, if you don’t mind using a little elbow grease.
The powder can then be mixed in a fruit smoothie or another strong-flavored drink, or even added to empty gel capsules. If it’s too much trouble to prepare yourself, avocado seed powder and avocado seed capsules may be purchased online and at some health food stores.
How to make avocado seed water
Another method to prepare avocado seeds for eating is to make “avocado water,” to which you may add coffee or tea to make more palatable. To do this, smash two avocado pits and soak them in 32 ounces of water overnight. Then blend it in a blender and strain into a half gallon of water. Soaking the seeds will soften them considerably, making it possible to use a common blender.
Avocado seed nutrition
The avocado seed is packed with nutrients and vitamins including vitamin C, vitamin E, and phosphorus. Perhaps the healthiest element of the seed is its high quantity of soluble fiber, which excels at absorbing excess cholesterol out of our bloodstream.
Natural soluble fiber is somewhat difficult to find in foods. It can be found in oatmeal, but there is a much higher quantity in avocado seed. The high fiber content will give your smoothie a thick texture, and it tastes best when it is sufficiently diluted.
Avocado seeds are high in tannin, which you may be familiar with from wine, and this gives them a somewhat bitter taste and red color. Despite the taste, the seeds are not toxic and will not hurt you when consumed at reasonable levels. Some people eat up to three avocado seeds daily with no ill effects.
Many folk remedies use avocado seed
There are an abundance of home and folk remedies that make extravagant health claims about the avocado seed. They claim that it is high in Chi, the life force, and that it has many powers of health and healing. Some people believe that eating avocado seeds will help to recover from sicknesses, such as the flu, quicker than you normally would.
Evolution of the seed
An interesting fact about the avocado seed is that it is much larger in size than the seeds of comparable fruits. A common method of natural seed dispersal happens when an animal eats a whole fruit, swallowing its seed, which it then spreads through defecation.
There is a scientific theory that the avocado seed developed during prehistoric times when there were much larger animals on the Earth than there are now, who were large enough to swallow the seed whole and naturally disperse it in this way. Currently, there are no animals that feed on the avocado seed that are large enough to do this.
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Pat
Just a note, cooking can destroy nutrients, but as the texture changes, other nutrients become greater in value because nutrients are what form texture. Essential acids convert to non-essential acids, making new scores. Overall, cooking can cause nutrient loss, but make food more bio-available because you are destroying elements that are too “earthy”. A great example of this is chickpeas, cooked and turned into hummus vs. raw hummus, which is hard to eat much of.
Ronald
Interestingly, God said he made every seed bearing plant and every fruit tree for man’s food. Gen 1:29
Wanjiru
I let my avocado seeds dry naturally then skin off, cut into small pieces and boil in water until they become soft and can be crushed with fingers. I then take the boiled water. It is a bit bitter but I enjoy it. I keep what is left in the fridge and take about a half glass mixed with warm water.
Vincent Iiyambo
I just bit into the seed. It was very bitter from the tannins, but I didn’t mind. I ate half and am saving the other half. I was feeling very drained earlier, so I ate an avocado (skin and flesh) to get my energy levels back up. The drained feeling was still there so I just bit into the seed, I do have strong teeth too so that wasn’t an issue. I feel much better now actually.
Ann T
I have been eating avocado seeds for the last few months after turning them into a powder form (in the same way as mentioned in the blog). I feel ok and never got sick. Maybe because it’s reasonable quantity that I take with my meal.
The article is very informative and contains information all about avocado seeds and its related benefits and myths. The comments are also very helpful in understanding the importance and related facts of the seed. Thank you.
Ryan McCaffery
Hi, Ann. Thanks for the comment. Glad the article is helpful to you, and that you enjoy eating avocado pits.
M W
I’ve been eating raw pit along with the avacado fruit. (I had tried cooking /grinding, sprinkling it like ground flax, chia, hemp but it was a cumbersome process, plus I don’t mind the bitter taste.). It’s been about a month & I’ve eaten it almost daily, seemingly with no negative results.
However, when I mentioned this to a (very intelligent) friend of mine, who is a big proponent of health transparency & truth in food advertising, marketing and lablng, he was surprised I hadn’t keeled over from cyanide poisonin or overload of tannins. He’s convinced that long-term exposure could very well be the death of me.
What I want to know is, according to this article avocados have been around since (presumably) before mankind…How come FDA says it’s safe to take drugs with very short research terms and call GMOs safe when they are, for the most part, new?
I guess there’s no money in that kind of research.
Ryan McCaffery
Hi, and thanks for sharing. As far as your question about the FDA, that I can’t answer. But all the comments and stories here from people who eat avocado seed (in various forms) is powerful anecdotal evidence that it is not harmful. I’d be interested to know what evidence and/or research your friend is basing his opinion?
Cecilia
Great article. I just started eating a slice of raw avocado seed. It’s got to help with something. I’m 59 and do not take meds of any kind. What would be the reason for it if we have all god given remedies in nature?
Ryan McCaffery
Thanks, Cecilia. I agree, if people just ate healthy then most medications wouldn’t be necessary. Additionally, many plants have medicinal and beneficial properties.
Peter
I cut avocado seed into pieces and gradually chew them. I have never had any negative feelings. Thank you.
Judy
I just grate a little over a half a seed a day and blend it up in my smoothie. No problems. (Only do that much cause then my fingers get too close to the grater)
Rogerio Carvalho
I eat half of an avocado pit and leave the other half to eat later on or the day after. I do the following: I cut the avocado pit in small pieces, then I mix them with my favorite smoothie. Yummy to my tummy and they give me extra energy. It might be psychological, maybe. But when I used to eat junk, I always had no energy. Eat avocado pits, but wisely.
Krista Rowe
I love this article – thank you! I did the water method – spun it up and then added fresh pineapple and a banana! Yum yum! I drank the whole thing! Dalish!!
To the guy who ate the seed (like a squirrel would), and a bunch of other stuff too – and blaming it on the seed for feeling sick, lol. Your digestion rebelled. Plus who in the world (besides you) eats the seed like that? You must have great teeth! ????
This article addressed exactly what I needed to share to my friends with! Thank you & God Bless!
Charlotte
My husband is allergic to the fruit of the avocado. So I was wondering if the seed will also cause the same allergy effects?
Em
I’m also working on a school project and it’s about using avocado seeds for making chocolate. Is avocado seed really harmful? I can’t find any scientific explanations to eat it, though.
Debbie
Very nice info on avocado seeds. I live in a tropical place where avocados are in abundance. I never thought that its seed is very useful.
HealthClover
Thanks for the comment. Yeah, a lot of people are unaware that the avocado seed is nutrient rich and healthy to eat.
Ali
Hey, I was wondering what the difference is between eating an avocado seed and avocado seed extract, and which one you recommend most. Thanks.
Anthony
I just ate an entire avocado seed with the avocado and a little bit of salmon and some other food (mixed nuts, chestnuts, cilantro sauce) and I got feeling a little sick. It is the first time I ate the seed. I ate it slowly, biting off bits and chewing slowly with the other food to mask the flavor. At first I felt quite well. It seemed to have good health effects and made my hunger stop, my senses more alert, etc.
I continued to eat the seed thinking ‘if it is having these nice effects, having more should be better.. let’s see how good this can get…’. Well after eating the entire seed I started feeling a little ill. Then had some anxiety and the feelings of sickness have kept rising and falling.
So I really don’t know what to think but I saw it written here that no one has reported ill effects. Well now there’s one… me. So let it be known. This was just a few minutes ago. I am feeling better at the moment but I don’t know.
Conclusion as of now: I do not recommend eating the seed. Perhaps in small quantities it is ok/safe. But from what I just went through (I had considered calling 911 or poison control), I cannot and do not recommend eating the seed. There is just no point in taking the risk. I hope I will be ok now…
Matt
The placebo effect is a hell of a thing lol
Alex
Strong foods like this you should start easy, maybe eat 1/5 of the seed, let your body get used to it. When you flush the whole thing down in first try, of course it messes with your body.
Lance
One incident is hardly scientific proof of anything. Perhaps other things you ate contributed to this vague “sick” feeling. In any case, I know of no one who eats a whole avocado seed by chewing on it. It’s about 7 times the size of a nutmeg pod. Would you eat 7 nutmeg pogs by chewing on them?
Bob
Here was my experience just today September 5th, 2021. I have eaten portions of raw avocado seed after it had dried out for about two weeks. Frankly, I like the taste of the bitter seed. It tastes like HEALTH to me. The most I have eaten is like 1/4 of a raw seed with my teeth, no grinding, cutting or anything with blenders or graters. I’m a purist.
I was chomping down happily and LOVING IT! I got to the 1/4 mark of the seed, then I got to thinking….”Hmm, I have eaten 1/4 of a seed for awhile now so I already titrated up. Maybe it’s time to upgrade to 1/2 or MORE of the seed”. THAT sounded like a GREAT idea so I kept it going. I got to about the 1/2 mark, then my body said “You went too far buddy. You’ve eaten too much!!!” Then that feeling of DOOM overcame me. I knew I had too much, but it was TOO LATE! I had already consumed 1/2 the seed and it was too LATE to take it back. There were no time-outs to be allotted to me, there were no quitsies, I had to DEAL with the situation.
After about 5 minutes I felt like I was going to die. I decided maybe I should send all my crypto holdings to someone who understood what it was and how to take care of it. I started to lose control of my body and I just wasn’t in a position to do anything at all at that point. I thought about calling 911, but I knew by the time they got to me I’d be long gone so I prayed and asked God to help me. I’m glad I prayed because within a couple minutes I started feeling just a TINY bit better. I thanked Him for helping me even though the feeling of death was still there. I figured I’d feed the wild birds some peanuts and water my Moringa plants one more time in case I didn’t make it so I went into my backyard to get just a wee bit of pleasure before I checked out.
I was woozy and ready to fall down, but I kept on my mission faithfully. I got outside and watered my Moringa plants, then called the wild Blue Jays and threw them some peanuts. I figured now it’s ok to check out because I’m happy that I did my last loving acts to my plants and wild birds. The funny thing is I started to feel REALLY a lot better after I fed the birds. Nice! I decided that today wasn’t the day I was going to check out after all! YAY! I bowed my head and thanked God for helping me.
I coulda swore that it was ok to eat avocado seeds, but decided to get online to check again and got to this site. After reading that it’s ok to eat avocado seeds I was wondering what was the problem then. I think the problem was that I didn’t TRULY titrate up. I would eat 1/4 of a seed maybe once every 2-3 weeks. That’s not exactly titrating. I needed to be acclimating my body to these POWERFULLY HEALTHY SEEDS on a daily basis. THEN I think I would have been ok. I should have known better. I have eaten Moringa/Apricot/Apple/Bitter Almond seeds and I know you should always titrate up daily and slowly.
Lesson Of The Day– when ingesting super-foods I must MAKE SURE that I titrate up SLOWLY to give my body time to ACCLIMATE to the superfood!!!!!
Hope that helps someone.
Anonymous
Hi, I am working on a school project about avocado seed tea. I read a lot of articles saying that it is nutritional and that it could also be toxic. I also read that avocado seed contains alkaloids, tannins and saponins that are toxic to humans. My professor is asking me if it is really safe to consume avocado seed tea? Is there any negative effects we can get from drinking it? I need help to answer those since I still don’t have a reliable source.
Thanks!
Lance
No one yet (except the guy above) says eating small amounts of avocado seed is harmful to humans. It is harmful to dogs, like chocolate is harmful to dogs.
Victorine
I boil the avocado seed, keep it in the refrigerator, and drink a glass every day. Will I still get all its health benefits? And is this also safe for me?
HealthClover
There are many ways to enjoy the health benefits of avocado pits, and this is one. But I think you will get more of the nutrients if you grind it and eat the powder rather than boil it.
M
I leave my avocado pits on the counter to dry, remove the skin, then slice and add to water to soak and drink. In winter I add it to hot water as tea. Fairly minimal effort. Other than the fibre, am I missing any other benefits of the seed by not eating it?
HealthClover
Yes, you are not getting the fiber in the seed if you only soak it and don’t eat all the powder. Also, you are not getting the same quantity of nutrients from the pit. But if you prefer the taste that way, go with it.
Lance
Why do you throw out the seed covering?
Joanne
The seed powder can mix into hot drinks?
HealthClover
Yes, you can mix avocado seed powder with hot coffee or tea.
Anonymous
Please advise the safe number of seeds that can be consumed per day?
Shafika Husseini
Hi, I’m working on a school project about avocado seed powder. I read in March of its nutritional benefits, but now i am reading that it could be toxic. What sources are you getting your information from? This would help me a lot as i need a viable and non toxic product to hypothetically present to my professors.
I saw articles saying its “toxic” but i also saw others that said there’s just not enough research to conclude whether its consumable or not.
Thanks!
HealthClover
Hi. The article is based on a variety of sources and can be confirmed and cross-checked via reputable sources. I know there is much conflicting information out there so it can be confusing. My readers consume avocado seed in all forms and have not reported one incident of illness yet. Avocado seed is toxic to many animals, though, as described in the article. I wish you good luck with your school project.
Bertie
What nutrients are lost when going from the seed I smash with a hammer and vitamix….to a dried product. Clearly one dries on low heat, but at what point does cooked avocado seed lose nutritional value?
Richard Rosenfeld
I’m experimenting with using a fine grater and adding it to my bread dough. Any foreseeable problems?
HealthClover
That’s an innovative idea. Shouldn’t be a problem. Let us know how it goes.
Kellie
I have started just scraping the skin off the seed, taking half the seed and dicing it up very small. I toss it in the rice cooker with my rice. Never know its in there..fast and easy….no roasting needed…
Eyonese
I blend the avocado seeds raw. Is it safe to drink that way?
HealthClover
Avocado seed in all forms is safe to consume.
Delia
I leave the seed on the counter for 2-3 days to dry. Then remove the brown skin, cut it in cubes, and grind it. Then I steep a teaspoon to make a tea. There’s no bitter taste this way.
Alan Yates
Why not cube the pit before drying? Easier to cut and it will dry quicker.
Ann-Marie
I also let the seed dry overnight and peel with a sharp paring knife. I read that if you bake the avocado seed it loses much of its nutritional content through the cooking process. Not sure if that is truth or myth.
In any case, some protein powder, frozen berries, coconut milk and the avocado seed mixed together makes a great smoothie and you never even taste the avocado seed. I only buy organic avocados to ensure they are not a GMO product and there are no pesticides or other nasty pollutants being absorbed into the avocado or the seed.
Wanda La Cuesta
Do you store the seed powder in the fridge or leave it sitting out on the counter?
HealthClover
Fridge is better, but the counter is fine, too.
Katie
How long can you store the powder?
HealthClover
Dry powder can be stored for months. Keep away from heat and light.
Glenda J Sanders
There are only a few crops that are GMO, avocado is not one of them. Even conventionaly grown they’re fine, being one of the most naturally pest-resistent crops. The skin is thick as well, not much gets through it.
Erica
I did not look at this site before I consumed avocado seed. I removed the skin and then grated it and mixed it with my green salad and chicken. Let me know if that is also okay to do. Thank you.
HealthClover
Yes, you are safe to eat the seed in this way.
Merriam
Which type of avocado seeds are safe to consume?
HealthClover
All varieties of avocado seeds are safe for humans to eat.
Jou
I use a potato peeler to skin the avocado pit while the seed is still wet. Next, dry it and grind it into fine powder. Then, mix it in coffee or tea.
HealthClover
Great idea about mixing with coffee and tea. I have updated the article to add your recommendation.
Reynaldo Perez
I smash two avocado pits and soak them in 32 ounces of water over night. Then I blend it in a blender and strain into a half gallon of water. Is this okay to consume?
HealthClover
That is an innovative way to prepare avocado seeds, and yes it is safe for you to do so. Thanks for the contribution. Update: I have added your tips to the article itself.
Annette
Hey, thanks for the idea of soaking the pit and making avocado water! That can also be included in the fruit smoothie, too!
Odie
Place the avocado seed on a baking sheet in the oven at a preheated 250 degrees for 1 1/2-2 hours depending on how large the seed. The outer skin will be dry. Peel away skin, slice and pulse the seed to powder in a food processor.
HealthClover
Thanks so much for sharing your methods on preparing avocado seeds for eating. I have updated the article with your advice.
Anonymous
I let my avocado pit sit out overnight and used an old fashioned hand grater. Beautiful fine powder. Now I think I’ll let that dry to put in my smoothie.
HealthClover
Great idea on how to prepare your avocado seed for consumption. Putting the powder in a smoothie is one of the most popular ways. Thanks for posting.
Molly
That’s a fabulous idea. I was thinking along those lines as well, but putting it into a gelcap.
HealthClover
Molly, thanks for the tip about adding the powder to capsules.
Marysa
Any truth to the assertion that the peel around the avocado seed contains cyanide and should be removed before grinding up and consuming the seed powder?
HealthClover
Update: I have moved the answer to this question to inside the article itself. Thanks for raising the topic of cyanide in avocado seeds.
Victor
The resplendent quetzal, national bird of Guatemala, lives on a diet consisting partly of a wild avocado with very small fruit.
Grace
Yeah, well my small chicks got into some avocado and it killed them within one day. So maybe the national bird of Guatemala is fine but on the whole keep avocado from any North American birds. And these were Araucana birds from South America, too.