Can You Really Eat Avocado Pits?

Did you know avocado pits are technically edible? Clearly, taking a bite out of a rock-hard avocado pit would be ill-advised. We would not recommend it. But that doesn't mean that the brown pit in the middle of an avocado is inedible. There is, in fact, a way to prepare the pits that make them suitable for eating. The pits, which can take up to as much of a third of the avocado fruit, according to Delish, can serve a purpose other than heading straight for the trash can. The best way to consume these pits is to turn them into a powder, says Delish. But how do you do that?

According to Healthline, you first need to completely dry out the avocado pit. Healthline suggests that in order to achieve this, the pit be dried out in an oven, at high heat, for a few hours. Specifically, Healthline recommends setting your oven to 250 degrees F. and leaving the pit in there for at least two hours.

Once the pit is dried out, it's time to grind it into a flour of sorts, says Delish. To do this, chop up your dried pit as best you can, and then toss it into a food processor or blender to pulverize it. (Delish also suggests you might want to cover your ears while you pulverize.)

But what are the benefits to eating an avocado pit? Delish says that the pit can function as an antioxidant and can potentially help reduce bad cholesterol levels in the body. According to Healthline, however, the heat involved in the drying out process can reduce antioxidant effects of the pit, so it's unclear just how effective eating the powdered pit will be.

When it comes to flavor, Healthline notes that the pit-turned-powder is extremely bitter. One way of consuming it is adding it to a smoothie. If you do so, Healthline suggests adding extra sweetness to counteract the bitterness of the powder. In addition to adding it to smoothies, Delish recommends trying the powder sprinkled onto cereal. Be warned: even though the powdery product may look like flour, Delish notes that it shouldn't be used in baking, as it lacks the rising agents needed to produce fluffy, delicious baked goods.

Next time you crack into an avocado, think twice before tossing out the pit.