Can I Eat Peanut Shells?
Nutrition & FitnessDiet & Nutrition

Are Peanut Shells Safe to Eat?

Are Peanut Shells Safe to Eat?
Lilit Amirkhanian/iStock
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Updated on July 31, 2025
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Peanuts are a favorite snack food, packed with vitamins and nutrients. But what about  the shells, which some people also eat?

Although peanut shells can be eaten, they do not provide as many nutrients as the nuts themselves and may cause digestive issues. They might also be contaminated with pesticides. Therefore, it’s important to consider the potential risks of peanut shells before adding them to your diet.

Peanut Shell Nutrition

According to National Peanut Board, some people report enjoying peanuts with the shells on.

 But what exactly is in them? Peanut shells contain:

  • Dietary fiber: 84 percent
  • Protein: 6 percent
  • Fat: 5 percent
  • Water: 3 percent
  • Ash: 2 percent

The composition of peanut shells differs based on peanut varieties and manufacturing environments. Other than dietary fiber, they offer little nutritional value.

Intestinal Blockage Concerns

Eating peanut shells may provide fiber, but they may also interfere with normal digestive function. Rarely, if eaten in large amounts, indigestible materials like peanut shells can accumulate in the gastrointestinal tract.

Referred to as a “bezoar,” the term typically relates to ingesting hair or fibers. However, it also applies to a collection of any consumed material that lodges in the abdomen. In extreme cases, surgery may be required to remove a bezoar.

Contamination Concerns

Because peanuts mature underground, they are more vulnerable to contamination from aflatoxins, which are toxins produced by certain fungi.

According to the National Cancer Institute, aflatoxin exposure is linked to an increased risk of liver cancer.

However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has a strict monitoring program that tests for the presence of aflatoxin and other fungi-related toxins.

 There have been no reported outbreaks of illness caused by aflatoxins in the United States.

Additionally, the shells of peanuts may be less likely to contain aflatoxins because of their low moisture and antimicrobial properties.

Farmers and people who process peanut crops may be at greater risk.

Feeding Disorder Considerations

Eating peanut shells may reveal problems beyond simple snack cravings. The habitual consumption of nonnutritive items could indicate a feeding disorder, known as “pica.”

Common in children, people lacking certain nutrients, and those with developmental disabilities, pica can also affect healthy adults.

Cravings for certain tastes and textures can sometimes compel people to eat unusual materials. If you eat peanut shells every day and think your habit has become an obsession, contact a healthcare professional. Ask about tests and treatment for nutritional deficiencies and behavior modification techniques.

The Takeaway

  • In general, peanut shells may be safe to eat in moderation.
  • While some people eat peanut shells, they do not provide much nutritional value, aside from dietary fiber.
  • Regularly consuming large amounts of peanut shells may increase your risk of a bezoar, a type of intestinal blockage. It can also be an indication of a feeding disorder.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Snacking With Shells On. National Peanut Board.
  2. Fan R et al. Characterization of the Structure and Physicochemical Properties of Soluble Dietary Fiber From Peanut Shells Prepared by Pulsed Electric Fields With Three-Phase Partitioning. Molecules. April 3, 2024.
  3. Sealey AJ et al. Peanut Phytobezoar: An Unusual Cause for Small Bowel Obstruction. Journal of Surgical Case Reports. August 28, 2024.
  4. Bezoar. MedlinePlus. August 5, 2023.
  5. Aflatoxins. National Cancer Institute. July 3, 2024.
  6. Mycotoxins. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. September 26, 2024.
  7. Gerber S et al. Peanut Hulls, an Underutilized Nutritious Culinary Ingredient: Valorizing Food Waste for Global Food, Health, and Farm Economies — a Narrative Review. Frontiers in Nutrition. August 19, 2024.
  8. Al Nasser Y et al. Pica. StatPearls. June 26, 2023.
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Kayli Anderson, RDN

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Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine

Kayli Anderson has over a decade of experience in nutrition, culinary education, and lifestyle medicine. She believes that eating well should be simple, pleasurable, and sustainable. Anderson has worked with clients from all walks of life, but she currently specializes in nutrition therapy and lifestyle medicine for women. She’s the founder of PlantBasedMavens.com, a hub for women to get evidence-based, practical, and woman-centered guidance on nutrition and cooking, hormone health, fertility, pregnancy, movement, mental well-being, nontoxic living, and more.

Anderson is board-certified in lifestyle medicine and serves as lead faculty of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine’s (ACLM) "Food as Medicine" course. She is past chair of the ACLM's registered dietitian member interest group, secretary of the women's health member interest group, and nutrition faculty for many of ACLM's other course offerings. She is the coauthor of the Plant-Based Nutrition Quick Start Guide and works with many of the leading organizations in nutrition and lifestyle medicine to develop nutrition content, recipes, and educational programs.

Anderson frequently speaks on the topics of women’s health and plant-based nutrition and has coauthored two lifestyle medicine textbooks, including the first one on women’s health, Improving Women's Health Across the Lifespan.

She received a master's degree in nutrition and physical performance and is certified as an exercise physiologist and intuitive eating counselor. She's a student of herbal medicine and women's integrative and functional medicine. She lives with her husband in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, where you’ll find her out on a trail or in her garden.

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