Avocado pit (seed) tea is a traditional/home-remedy drink, but there’s an important caveat: human safety and health benefits of consuming avocado pits have not been established well enough to recommend it as a regular wellness drink. Avocado seeds contain compounds such as persin and tannins, and research on human consumption is limited.
If you still want to prepare it occasionally, here is a conservative recipe rather than treating it as a proven medicinal tea.
Avocado Pit Tea Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 fresh, ripe avocado pit
- 3–4 cups (700–950 mL) water
- 1–2 teaspoons honey, optional
- 1 small cinnamon stick, optional
- 1–2 teaspoons lemon juice, optional
- 2–3 thin slices of fresh ginger, optional
Preparation
- Remove and wash the pit
- Remove the pit from the avocado.
- Rinse it thoroughly under running water to remove any remaining avocado flesh.
- Pat it dry.
- Cut the pit carefully
- The pit is extremely hard. Don’t try to slice it with excessive force.
- You can leave it whole for a simpler preparation, or cut it into several smaller pieces using a sturdy knife and a stable cutting board.
- Never consume the pit whole, because it can be a choking or gastrointestinal-obstruction hazard.
- Boil the water
- Add 3–4 cups of water to a saucepan.
- Bring it to a boil.
- Add the pit
- Add the cleaned pit or pieces to the boiling water.
- Reduce the heat to low.
- Simmer
- Cover and simmer for approximately 10 minutes.
- A traditional preparation uses grated avocado pit simmered in water for about this length of time.
- Steep
- Turn off the heat and allow the tea to stand for another 5–10 minutes.
- Strain thoroughly
- Remove all pieces of pit using a fine-mesh strainer.
- Don’t leave seed fragments in the finished drink.
- Flavor
- Add lemon juice, ginger, cinnamon, or a small amount of honey if desired.
- The tea can be served warm or chilled.
What does it taste like?
Avocado-pit tea is generally described as earthy, somewhat bitter and astringent. Lemon and a little honey can make it considerably more pleasant.
Claimed vs. established benefits
Avocado pits contain phenolic compounds and other bioactive substances, and laboratory research has demonstrated antioxidant activity. Some sources also describe possible anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, blood-sugar, and cardiovascular effects. However, these potential benefits have not been adequately demonstrated in human clinical trials, so the tea shouldn’t be considered a treatment for diabetes, high cholesterol, inflammation, weight loss, or other medical conditions.
There has been some interesting food-science research into processing avocado seeds: one 2023 study found that an experimentally processed avocado-seed snack had reduced persin compared with the raw seed. But that doesn’t establish that homemade avocado-pit tea is safe or beneficial.
Important safety precautions
Because the human safety data are limited, I’d avoid making avocado-pit tea a daily habit or drinking large quantities. There isn’t an established safe therapeutic dose for avocado seed consumption.
Also:
- Don’t give avocado pit tea to children.
- Don’t give avocado pits or pit preparations to pets; persin can be toxic to several animal species.
- Avoid it during pregnancy or breastfeeding unless your healthcare professional specifically approves it.
- If you take prescription medications or have a chronic medical condition, ask your clinician before consuming it medicinally.
- Stop drinking it if you develop nausea, abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, or another unusual reaction.
Bottom line: If you’re looking for a pleasant herbal beverage, I’d choose a better-studied tea such as ginger, peppermint, or chamomile. Avocado-pit tea is interesting as a traditional preparation, but its advertised health benefits currently go considerably beyond the human evidence.