Knowledgebase
Is it safe to eat Avocado pits? #826024
Asked April 17, 2023, 2:35 PM EDT
I was posting on my AgriLife Facebook page (I'm and agent in Calhoun County) and ran across part of an article that mentioned saving different food scraps to make vegetable broth, which is normal, but then they mentioned avocado pits as one of the things you could save as a scrap to add to this broth. I went and searched a few reliable sites, and found some that say they are mildly poisonous to humans, and other articles say they are perfectly safe and even provided recipes. What is the truth?
Calhoun County Texas
Expert Response
I worry that I am relatively under-qualified to answer an agent such as yourself, but here is how we approach a question like yours.
We search using appropriate search terms along with .tamu and .edu. In your case I search using these words: are avocado pits edible .edu .tamu
Nothing came up from AgriLife, but I found this: https://enewsletters.k-state.edu/youaskedit/2016/04/15/are-avocado-pits-edible/
They said, in 2016:
"A current topic of interest is consuming avocado pits. While there
are purported health benefits, there is not enough research to back up
those proposed benefits.
Penn State University did some research and state “although the
currently available data is promising, for most indications, it remains
very preliminary and further studies are needed” and “In addition, the
safety of the various extracts of the avocado seeds must be assessed in
order to more fully estimate the usefulness of this resource.”
Therefore, it is not recommended to consume avocado pits."
There are lots of differing opinions on the internet, it's true, but it's best to go with research-based information like this.
I hope this helps!
Happy Gardening,
Gregory
Travis County Master Gardeners
