How to Eat Apricot Seeds

Co-authored by Kyle Hall

Last Updated: September 6, 2019 References

Apricot seeds, also known as apricot kernels, are found inside the hard pit at the center of apricots. Apricot seeds contain a compound called amygdalin, which releases cyanide after it's consumed. If you're going to eat apricot seeds, make sure you're not eating more than the recommended daily amount or you could get cyanide poisoning.^{[1]
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Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Consuming Apricot Seeds Safely

1
Avoid eating more than 3 small apricot seeds a day if you're an adult. According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), adults that eat more than 3 small apricot seeds a day are at risk of developing cyanide poisoning. If you're going to eat apricot seeds, carefully count the number of seeds you're consuming so you don't accidentally eat more than 3.^{[2]
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2
Don't give more than half of one apricot seed a day to toddlers. The safest way to avoid cyanide poisoning in toddlers is to avoid feeding them apricot seeds altogether. If you do decide to feed a toddler apricot seeds, cut one seed in half and limit their daily intake to half of one seed.^{[3]
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3
Contact a medical professional if you feel ill after eating apricot seeds. Symptoms of cyanide poisoning include nausea, headaches, insomnia, thirst, nervousness, body pain, fever, and low blood pressure. If you experience any of these symptoms after eating apricot seeds, stop eating the seeds and contact your doctor.^{[4]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Removing Apricot Seeds from an Apricot

1
Use a sharp knife to slice halfway through the apricot along the seam. Don't cut all the way through the apricot. Once you hit the pit in the center of the apricot with the knife, stop cutting.^{[5]
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2
Pull the apricot apart using your hands. You need to use your hands to split the apricot in half since you can't cut through the pit in the center with a knife.^{[6]
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3
Remove the pit from the middle of the apricot. The pit is the hard brown part in the center of the apricot. The apricot seed is inside of the pit.^{[7]
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- Once you've taken out the pit, slice up the rest of the apricot if you want a snack. The actual fruit part of the apricot doesn't contain amygdalin and it won't cause cyanide poisoning if you eat it.^{[8]
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4
Use a nutcracker to crack the apricot pit open. Place the apricot pit at the end of the nutcracker and squeeze the handles together to crack it open. Once you've cracked the pit open, dispose of the broken pieces and remove the apricot seed. There should be 1 apricot seed inside of the pit.
5
Limit yourself to 3 small apricot seeds if you're an adult. If you're feeding the apricot seed to a toddler, cut the seed in half with a knife and don't give them more than half a seed per day. Eating more seeds than this can lead to cyanide poisoning.^{[9]
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