Before you throw away that avocado seed, find out if there is something you can do with it!
There are endless possibilities to be done with an avocado seed, such as making enchilada sauce or a smoothie!
The next time you’re eating an avocado, don’t throw away the seed!
Like the flesh, avocado seeds are a great source of dietary fiber, antioxidants, and other nutrients.
You can grind them up and use them as a seasoning, add them to smoothies or juices, make avocado seed flour to bake with, or simply roast them and munch them as a healthy snack.
In addition, you can make avocado tea from the seed.
High in antioxidants and with numerous health benefits, avocado tea has a slightly sweet and nutty flavor.
To make avocado tea, start by removing the pit from an avocado.
Cut the pit into small pieces and then steep in hot water for 5-10 minutes, and presto! Avocado tea.
You can sweeten the tea with honey or stevia if you want, and enjoy your healthy beverage!
Avocado Seed Powder
In addition, you can also make avocado seed powder for inclusion in smoothies, juices, and salads.
Wash the avocado pits and dry them first, make sure to get any extra green off of them.
Now to dry them out, there are two ways.
The first way is to place them on a sunny windowsill for a few days and wait for them to dry out.
The faster way is to cut them into quarters and place them on a cookie sheet at 180º F or 83º C in the oven until they are dried.
Take your dried avocado pits and place them in a plastic bag.
Crush them into small pieces with a rolling pin or hammer, then turn them into powder by placing them in a blender or food processor.
This avocado powder can be added to practically any food, or even into your face wash or hair wash.
Before you throw out that avocado pit, think about growing your own avocado tree.
All you need to grow your own avocado tree is the pit and some patience.
- First, remove the pit from the avocado and rinse the seed. If there is any green left sticking to it, you can soak the pit for 10 minutes. Make sure not to damage the covering of the seed during this part if you have to scrub the excess fruit off of the seed.
- Then, find the side of the seed with a point, this will be the top.
- Place 3 to 4 toothpicks around the edges of the seed to hold it on top of the water.
- Grab a glass or jar and place the seed on top.
- Fill the jar with water until the bottom of the seed is under the water.
- To get the best results, keep that bottom half wet.
- Wait for a few weeks until roots have grown and a stem starts to come out of the top.
- When the stem is around 6 inches long, cut it in half, when it is back to 6 inches, pot it with potting soil.
- With a little sun and some pruning, you can grow your own avocado tree!
- While it may not produce fruit for a while, it still will make a great houseplant and is easy to care for.
More fun ideas for avocado pits
- Split the pit and blend it in with your smoothie
- Dehydrate avocado pits and create avocado powder to use in different ways
- Grow your own avocado tree
- Create your own pink dye from avocado pits and dye some fabric
- Grind up the pits and make a DIY face mask or exfoliant
- Grate or grind the pit up and compost it or add it to plant mulch
- Avocado pits make great crafts for kids as well, and you can make wind chimes, jewelry, or other decorations out of them
Can avocado seed be eaten raw?
No, avocado seeds should not be eaten raw.
Tough, hard, and bitter-tasting, avocado seeds are also a choking hazard.
It would be difficult to eat a raw avocado seed and if you want to enjoy the numerous health benefits of avocado seeds, you’re going to have to cook them first.
In addition, raw seeds contain a small amount of cyanide, which our bodies convert to hydrogen cyanide.
While small quantities will not harm us, consumption of large enough quantities might.
Are avocado pits poisonous?
Avocado seeds in large quantities can be toxic to humans and animals.
There is a toxin called persin present inside avocado pits, and while it isn’t toxic enough in small quantities, it can harm us if consumed excessively.
If eaten alongside certain medications, the persin contained in avocado pits can put you at risk of unwanted side effects, like interacting with the efficiency of anti-cancer drugs like tamoxifen.
Are there any benefits to eating avocado seeds?
Avocado seeds have been shown to lower cholesterol and reduce blood sugar in rats and mice in early research.
Avocado seeds are also known to have strong antioxidant contents that can be helpful.
Based on some studies, seed extracts may aid in reducing blood pressure and helping against heart disease.
There have not been enough human-based studies to conclude that there are clear benefits to eating avocado seeds.
Early evidence points to some possible benefits, but there is also a lot of uncertainty around it.
It is best to proceed with caution, and not eat large amounts of avocado seeds until further research is conducted and stronger conclusions are reached.
Can I boil avocado seeds and drink them?
Yes! Avocado tea is a well-known antioxidant drink that can easily be made by boiling avocado seeds.
You’ll need to boil your avocado seeds for some time until they are extremely soft.
Once they are, cut the seeds up and steep them in water.
After steeping for several minutes, strain the water, and voila!
The tea is said to have many health benefits similar to its fruity counterpart, such as reducing inflammation, aiding in digestion, and helping to lower cholesterol.
You can add different flavorings depending on your taste but two common additions to avocado seed tea are honey and agave.
There are several ways to make avocado tea.
If you want to ingest the avocado seed, you will need:
7 Steps to creating an avocado drink
- Start by washing the avocado seed and remove any pulp or mass left over
- Fill a pot with about 2 cups of water and set it to boil
- Cut the avocado seed in half, lengthwise
- Add the avocado halves to the boiling water
- Allow the avocado and water to boil for about 10 minutes
- Remove the pot from heat and allow it to cool for a few minutes
- Steep the tea leaves or bag in the hot (but not boiling) water
Add any sweetener you might want and you’re good to go! Popular choices for natural sweeteners include honey and agave.
Conclusion
So, there you have it – everything you need to know about avocado seeds.
The next time you cut open an avocado, think about using the seeds and enjoying similar nutritional values as the flesh of an avocado!
I’m Chris Watson & the Founder of EatForLonger.com. I’m a food and wellbeing enthusiast researching and sharing foodstuffs and simple food-based concepts, such as fasting and clean eating.
I hope it inspires you to make tiny changes to what you eat and when you eat while optimizing your healthspan and all-around well-being.
Read more About Me here.