Can You Eat an Avocado Seed? (Benefits and Uses)

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Last updated: August 21, 2021

We all know how delicious, healthy and nutritious avocados are, but what about that big, bulky seed inside?

Most people will consider it as waste and throw it out, but did you know that the pit of an avocado is actually edible? Not only that, there are lots of other uses of avocado seeds that may surprise you.

So, what’s the deal with avocado seeds? What nutritional benefits do they offer, and how can we best eat them? Let’s find out!

Some people might believe that the pit of an avocado is toxic and not suitable for human consumption. This is actually not true; avocado seeds are in fact edible and even offer nutritional value.

They do taste bitter though, so they will probably never win the award for most delicious treat!

So, what makes an avocado seed healthy and nutritious? What are the potential health benefits of consuming the pit of an avocado?

Rich in Antioxidants

The pit of an avocado is rich in antioxidants. In fact, the pit contains more antioxidants than the the flesh of an avocado!

Antioxidants are essential in keeping our bodies healthy and in preventing illnesses.

Rich in Dietary Fiber

Avocado seeds are also rich in dietary fiber, which helps with weight loss, helps lower cholesterol, and helps to keep our blood sugar stable.

Fiber is essential for a healthy digestive system, so it’s important to make sure you’re not deficient. One seed of an avocado can give us the recommended fiber intake for one day.

Other Nutrients

Other nutrients in the seed of an avocado that are worth mentioning are potassium (a mineral that helps nerves and muscles to function properly) and phosphorus (good for our bones and teeth).

As with all foods, moderation and balance is key. While an avocado seed may be nutritious, consuming too many of them can turn out to be counterproductive, or even harmful.

Always try and maintain a healthy and balanced diet, making sure you consume different types of nutrients from different types of food sources.

Also note that you don’t need to consume the seed of an avocado in order to get certain nutrients in, because all nutrients found in avocado pits can just as easily be obtained from other fruits and vegetables.

The seed of an avocado is obviously very hard, and with the bitter taste, it’s not exactly something anyone would like to munch on. So the best way to eat an avocado seed is to actually blend it.

To remove the pit from the avocado, cut it in half around the circumference. You then have a few options to remove the pit.

One way is to insert a knife into the seed and pull it out carefully. Another option is to use a spoon to lift the seed out.

Or you could also cut the half with the seed in half again, which makes it somewhat easier to pull the seed out.

Blending

If you have a strong and powerful blender, like a Vitamix or a Blendtec machine, you can put the whole seed in the blender together with other ingredients and it will turn into liquid.

Or otherwise, cut the seed in half with a sharp knife if you don’t want to challenge your blender too much.

If you have a blender that is perhaps not as powerful, it may be wise to grind the seed first before blending it with other ingredients.

You could use a food processor for this, or you could put the seed in a little plastic bag and crush it with a hammer or something similar that can do that job.

You can also blend an avocado seed by itself, and use the resulting powder to sprinkle on salads or any other meal that you find suitable.

If you want to store avocado seeds for later use, make sure you clean them properly and let them dry. You can then keep them in the fridge or in any cool place for at least a few days.

I have been using avocado seeds in my green smoothies for quite some time now, ever since I heard about the nutritional health benefits.

When it’s blended with other fruits and vegetables, you can hardly taste the bitterness, which makes blending the perfect way to consume avocado seeds.

Here’s a nice recipe with an avocado seed that I’ve tried quite a few times:

Blend it all together and enjoy! You’ll be surprised that you won’t taste anything of the avocado seed.

You could add a teaspoon of honey for a bit of extra sweetness if you have a bit of a sweet tooth.

What else can we do with avocado seeds besides eating them?

Check out the following list and you may find one or two useful for in your own household.

Make an avocado pit infusion or tea

Boil an avocado pit for 10 minutes in 0.5 liter of water and let it rest for a few minutes. This way you will still get some of the nutrients without having to actually eat the seed.

Grow an avocado tree

Read this excellent article that explains in detail how you can grow your very own avocado tree.

Or otherwise, watch this YouTube video that shows a very interesting time lapse of growing a little plant from the seed.

Play games

With a little bit of fantasy, there are lots of fun games you can play with avocado seeds.

Collect and clean three avocado seeds and go juggling with them. Or collect a few more and play lawn bowling or pétanque in the park.

With a bit of imagination, there are so many fun game you can play with an avocado pit.

Make a wind chime

Clean one or more avocado seeds and use them, together with other little objects, to create a wind chime.

You can also paint the seeds if you like, to make them look prettier. A great way to spend a rainy afternoon!

Make dye

Believe it or not, but avocado seeds are a great way to make your own natural dye. What may even be more surprising is that the color of the dye made with avocado seeds is actually pink!

Hand stress ball or foot massage

Place a bunch of seeds in a little bucket and roll your feet over them for a nice massage. Or otherwise, use them as natural hand stress balls.

Make an avocado seed scrub

Blend a couple of avocado seeds, and mix the ground avocado with olive oil and mashed bananas for an all natural facial and body scrub.

Hopefully this article has inspired you to look at avocado seeds a bit differently. Avocado seeds are indeed edible and offer some very surprising nutritional health benefits.

However, as noted above, there is no need to start consuming avocado pits, because the nutritional benefits can also be obtained from regular fruits and vegetables.

As a green smoothie fanatic though, I do enjoy adding an avocado pit to my green smoothies, as it’s an easy and quick way to take advantage of the nutrients it offers.

And if you don’t feel like eating the pit of an avocado, then maybe try one of the other ways to put your avocado seeds to good use. Nature can be awesome sometimes!