Is It Safe to Eat Cherry Pits

While it may be OK to accidentally ingest a few cherry pits, as a general rule, you should remove them before eating. To remove the pits, you can use a tool like this one from OXO, or simply spit the pit out before consuming the rest of the fruit.

Are Cherry Pits Actually Toxic?

We love celebrating summer with backyard barbecues and refreshing cocktails, but the real star of the season is produce. It’s the best time of the year to enjoy fruits like watermelon, strawberries, peaches, and cherries. But beyond worrying about finding the ripest and sweetest fruit, there’s a precaution that’s much more serious: cherry pits.

The stones in the center of cherries are something we always have to eat around, but sometimes we may accidentally end up swallowing one. Unlike watermelon seeds, however, the pits at the center of cherries are anything but harmless, so it’s important to proceed with caution.

We consulted Rosemary Trout, program director of culinary arts and food science at Drexel University, to unpack everything you need to know about cherry pits so you can snack safely this summer.

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• Are Raw Oysters Safe To Eat?
• Is Rare Steak Safe To Eat?
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Is It Safe To Eat A Cherry Pit?

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There are several health risks posed by eating cherry pits, which is why you should avoid them. Firstly, their small size makes them especially easy to swallow accidentally, which may cause choking (particularly with children). But blocking your windpipe isn’t the only thing you need to worry about.

Cherry pits contain concentrated amounts of a substance called amygdalin that can be extremely dangerous when consumed. “Amygdalin is a compound that interacts with enzymes in your saliva to form cyanide, a highly toxic chemical,” Trout says.

The CDC reports that even small doses of cyanide can quickly cause chest pain, difficulty breathing, dizziness, and vomiting. In more severe cases, it can even kill you.

Other types of stone fruit, like peaches, apricots, and plums, also have pits that contain amygdalin. But the concentration varies across fruits, and even within the same species of fruit based on where it’s grown.

What Happens If You Eat A Cherry Pit?

PHOTO: JOSEPH DE LEO; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE

The severity of the health risks depend on how cherry pits are consumed. All of the harmful amygdalin is stored in the center of the pit, so the kernel surrounding it acts as a protective coating.

“If pits are whole and unbroken, the amygdalin is not accessible to interact with saliva to form cyanide,” Trout says. “If you accidentally swallow a single pit, it likely will travel through your digestive tract in tact and won’t cause problems.”

The dangers of cherry pits present themselves when they’re broken, when the amygdalin is released and can convert to cyanide. The tough kernel is fairly difficult to crack with your teeth, so the risk of poisoning when snacking on the fruit is fairly low. The more likely risk is adding whole cherries, pits and all, to a blender when making a smoothie.

The amount of broken cherry pits needed to cause acute cyanide poisoning isn’t known, but adverse reactions can happen from extremely small amounts of the toxin. So if you happen to consume a cracked pit, experts recommend calling Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.

Our Favorite (Pit Free) Cherry Recipes:

• Cherry Pie Slab Bars
• Frozen Cherry Coke Slushies
• Cherry Bomb Mimosas

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Is It Safe to Eat Cherry Pits?

Cherry season is in full swing—should you be concerned if you eat a pit? Find out if cherry pits are poisonous.

Alex Loh is EatingWell‘s associate food editor. As part of the food team, she creates healthy, delicious recipes for the EatingWell audience. Alex also writes informative food and cooking articles that range from how to store ground beef to the best picks from Trader Joe’s. Alex conducts product and taste tests to find the best options, from salad spinners to salsas.

Updated on August 9, 2024
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From sour cherries to sweet ones, the antioxidant-packed fruit is one of the highlights of summer. Cherry season is fleeting, roughly lasting from June through August, so we understand if you eat as many as you can while they’re available. But in your haste to enjoy the fresh summer fruit, you may accidentally swallow a cherry pit—is that safe? Read on to learn about cherry pit poisoning and if they’re toxic for humans.

Are Cherry Pits Poisonous?

Cherries are from the Prunus family, which contains other stone fruits like plums, apricots and nectarines. According to a 2021 review published in Molecules, cherry pits contain amygdalin, a naturally occurring compound that our bodies convert into hydrogen cyanide, a dangerous toxin. When ingested or inhaled in large amounts, hydrogen cyanide can lead to cyanide poisoning, with symptoms including dizziness, nausea and more, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Cherry pits can be poisonous—however, one would have to consume a large quantity for potential side effects. As Kait Brown, Pharm.D., DABAT, clinical managing director at America’s Poison Centers, explains, “Fortunately, the amount of hydrogen cyanide released from cherry pits is in such small quantities that no harmful effects are expected from accidental ingestion of a few pits.”

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Is It Safe to Eat Cherry Pits?

While it may be OK to accidentally ingest a few cherry pits, as a general rule, you should remove them before eating. To remove the pits, you can use a tool like this one from OXO, or simply spit the pit out before consuming the rest of the fruit.

If you do swallow a pit or two, the Missouri Poison Center states that the potential risk for toxicity is low. The pit will pass through your body intact and be expelled in your stool. The amygdalin in the cherry pit is only released when it has been crushed or chewed. However, the risk of crushing the pit is low, as it has a hard exterior.

As Brown notes, “Typically, accidentally swallowing a whole cherry pit or two will not pose more than a choking hazard. Accidentally pulverizing a small number of cherry pits in a blender while making a smoothie is also unlikely to cause symptoms.” Since the amount of amygdalin can vary in each cherry pit, though, it’s best to take things on a case-by-case basis if you accidentally swallow a pit.

It’s important to note that children may be more affected by swallowing cherry pits than adults are since kids are more likely to choke on them—or if they’ve eaten too many, may end up with a blockage in their intestines. If the pit was chewed, they may also be more likely to experience symptoms.

If you or your child do swallow a few cherry pits, here’s what you should do:

1. Wipe or rinse out your mouth.
2. Drink water.
3. Call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222 for further instruction.

“It is especially important to speak to an expert if someone is intentionally swallowing whole or pulverized cherry pits, has accidentally consumed pulverized cherry pits or if someone is experiencing symptoms after eating cherry pits,” recommends Brown. The Poison Help line is a free service available 24/7 should you need help. Symptoms can include headaches, vomiting, confusion and more, according to the CDC.

With this advice in mind, you can enjoy cherry season to its fullest, minus the pits. And if you want to make the best of this fleeting summer fruit’s season, find out how to store cherries so they last.