Cyanide in apple seeds: Can eating them be dangerous?

We've all heard the warnings—"Don’t eat apple seeds! They have cyanide!" But how much truth is there to this claim? Can munching on apple seeds really be your last snack? Let’s crack open the facts (and not the seeds) to find out.

The not-so-sweet secret of apple seeds
Apple seeds contain amygdalin, a compound that can release hydrogen cyanide when broken down in the body. Cyanide, as you might know, is famously deadly—it’s the villain in spy movies, the poison of choice in mystery novels, and the reason we avoid random blue liquids in test tubes. But before you start dissecting every apple you eat, let’s see how much cyanide we’re actually talking about.

So... how many apple seeds does it take to kill you?

Here’s the math (don’t worry, it’s simple):

• Each apple seed contains about 0.6 mg of amygdalin.
• When metabolized, this can release about 0.01 mg of cyanide per seed.
• The lethal dose of cyanide for humans is roughly 50–200 mg.

That means you’d need to eat 150–200 crushed apple seeds to reach a dangerous level. Since one apple has around 5–10 seeds, you’d have to eat about 15–20 apples' worth of well-chewed seeds in one sitting. That’s a lot of apples.

What happens if you eat apple seeds?
If you accidentally swallow a few whole seeds, relax—your stomach won’t magically turn into a cyanide factory. The seed’s tough outer shell usually passes through undigested, meaning no cyanide gets released.

But if you decide to chew or grind a bunch of seeds, you might experience:

• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Headaches
• Shortness of breath

Worst case scenario? Cyanide poisoning, which could lead to coma or death (but only if you go completely overboard).

Should you start de-seeding every apple?
Not really. If you’re casually snacking on apples, just don’t make a habit of eating the seeds like they’re candy. A few seeds? No problem. A whole jar of crushed apple seeds? Bad idea.

Apple seeds do contain cyanide, but the dose makes the poison. Unless you’re blending up an entire orchard’s worth of apple seeds into your morning smoothie (please don’t), you're going to be just fine. So, enjoy your apples—just maybe don’t eat them like a goat.