Ackee Fruit: How to Eat It Safely, Nutrition & Toxicity

Short answer: Ackee is safe to eat only when the fruit has ripened and opened naturally on the tree, and only the cream-colored arils are eaten. Unripe ackee, the seeds, the rind and the pink membrane contain hypoglycin A, a toxin that can cause severe vomiting, dangerously low blood sugar and death. Cooking doesn’t destroy it. In the US, the safest choice is canned or frozen ackee from an FDA-approved processor.

Ackee (Blighia sapida) is a tree fruit native to West Africa that was brought to Jamaica in the 1700s and became its national fruit. When ripe, the red pear-shaped pod splits open to show three soft, cream-to-yellow arils, each topped with a shiny black seed. Cooked, the arils have a mild, buttery taste and a texture often compared to scrambled eggs, which is why ackee and saltfish is Jamaica’s national dish.

This guide covers ackee fruit safety first, then its nutrition, how it’s prepared and how to buy it in the US. For more fruit guides, see our fruits section.

Ackee at a glance

Botanical name: Blighia sapida, soapberry family (related to lychee)
Edible part: Only the ripe, cream-to-yellow arils
Toxic parts: Unripe fruit, seeds, rind and pink membrane (raphe)
Toxin: Hypoglycin A, not destroyed by cooking
Taste: Mild, buttery, nutty; soft like scrambled egg when cooked
In the US: Sold canned or frozen from FDA-approved processors

Is ackee poisonous?

Parts of it are, and unripe ackee is poisonous throughout. The fruit contains hypoglycin A, a natural toxin that stops your liver from making new glucose (sugar) when your stores run low. Because it isn’t broken down by cooking, there’s no way to make unripe ackee safe in the kitchen.

How much toxin you get depends on ripeness and on which part you eat:

Unripe, closed fruit: very high levels in every part, roughly 1,000 parts per million (ppm) according to the FDA.
Ripe, naturally opened fruit: the arils have low levels, but the seeds and rind still contain dangerous amounts.
The pink membrane (raphe): the thin pink or red fibers where the aril attaches to the seed can also contain the toxin, so they’re always removed.

The FDA considers ackee with more than 100 ppm hypoglycin A unsafe to eat.

Ackee poisoning symptoms and what to do

Ackee poisoning is known in Jamaica as “Jamaican vomiting sickness” and medically as toxic hypoglycemic syndrome. Some people have only mild vomiting, but severe cases cause:

sudden, repeated vomiting
very low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), with sweating, shakiness and confusion
drowsiness and extreme weakness
seizures and coma

Children are most at risk. When the CDC and Jamaica’s Ministry of Health reviewed cases from 1989 to 1991, they found 38 people with toxic hypoglycemic syndrome, 8 of whom died. Most cases were linked to unripe ackee, and about three-quarters were in children under 15. Risky habits included cooking unripe ackee, buying fruit that had been forced open, and reusing the water unripe ackee was cooked in.

If you think someone has eaten unripe ackee

Call emergency services (911 in the US, 999 in the UK) if they’re very drowsy, confused, having seizures or can’t keep fluids down.
Otherwise, call Poison Control right away: 1-800-222-1222 in the US. In the UK, call NHS 111.
Low blood sugar is the main danger and needs hospital treatment with glucose. Don’t wait to see if symptoms pass.

How to tell when ackee is safe

The single most important rule: ackee must open naturally on the tree. A pod that’s been picked closed and forced open, or opened with heat, isn’t safe.

Safe to prepare: the pod is red to yellow-red and has split open by itself, showing the black seeds and fully formed cream-to-yellow arils.
Not safe: green or closed pods, pods that were cut or forced open, arils that are pinkish or not fully formed, and fallen fruit you didn’t see open.
Always discard: the seeds, the rind and every trace of the pink membrane.

Commercial processors buy fruit that’s unopened or just starting to split, then let it ripen on racks. Any fruit that doesn’t split fully within three to four days is thrown away. Forcing fruit open with heat is treated as a processing error.

Tip: unless you’ve been taught to prepare fresh ackee by someone experienced, buy it canned or frozen. The FDA advises not to prepare raw ackee yourself without training.

US import rules for ackee

Fresh ackee generally can’t be imported into the US. Canned and frozen ackee can be imported, mostly from Jamaica, Belize and Haiti, but only from processors the FDA has checked individually.

Under FDA Import Alert 21-11, processors that have shown they control ripeness and remove seeds and membranes are placed on a “Green List”. Products from other processors can be detained at the border without inspection. The FDA also tests ackee for hypoglycin A. When you buy canned or frozen ackee, choose a brand from a processor on the FDA’s Green List; the FDA’s import alert page lists them.

Ackee nutrition

USDA FoodData Central has no entry for ackee, so there are no official US nutrition facts. Lab studies agree on one unusual feature: for a fruit, the arils are very high in fat, much of it oleic and linoleic acid, the same types found in olive and other vegetable oils.

Composition of dried ackee arils, as reported in one study
Component	Per 3.5 oz (100 g), dried
Fat	52–57 g
Carbohydrate	14–21 g
Protein	11–12 g
Fiber	3.6–3.9 g
Potassium	425–476 mg
Vitamin C	30–36 mg

Source: Dossou et al. (2014), International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences. Values are for oven-dried and freeze-dried arils with about 5% moisture, so fresh or canned ackee has far lower amounts per 100 g because it contains much more water. We haven’t calculated % Daily Values for this reason.

A Jamaican study comparing tree-ripened and rack-ripened ackee found rack-ripened arils had slightly more fat and protein, while tree-ripened arils had more oleic and linoleic acid. Canned ackee is packed in brine, so it adds sodium; check the label.

Ackee health benefits

There’s very little research on ackee as a food, and none in people beyond the poisoning reports. Each point below carries an evidence label, explained in our editorial policy.

A plant source of unsaturated fat Limited evidence

The fat in ackee arils is largely oleic and linoleic acid. Diets that replace saturated fat with these unsaturated fats are linked with better heart health, but ackee itself hasn’t been studied for heart effects, and it’s usually cooked with saltfish and oil, which changes the picture.

Some potassium and vitamin C Limited evidence

Lab analyses of dried arils show potassium and some vitamin C. Without reliable figures for fresh or canned ackee, we can’t say how much a serving gives. Brined canned ackee adds sodium, which works against potassium’s blood-pressure benefit.

Traditional and lab uses Limited evidence

Parts of the ackee tree are used in West African traditional medicine, and lab studies have looked at antioxidant activity in the arils. None of this has been tested in people, and given the toxin in other parts of the plant, home remedies made from ackee leaves, bark or seeds should be avoided.

Who should be careful

Children: they’re the group most often seriously poisoned. Only give children canned or frozen ackee from an approved processor, or fresh arils prepared by someone experienced.
People with diabetes: hypoglycin A lowers blood sugar. Combined with diabetes medicine, even a mildly unsafe batch could cause dangerous hypoglycemia. Stick to approved canned ackee.
Undernourished people or anyone who’s been fasting: low glucose stores may make poisoning worse.
Liver disease: hypoglycin A acts on the liver; take particular care with fresh ackee.
Pregnancy: canned ackee from an approved processor is the safest option. There’s no specific research on ackee in pregnancy.
Salt-restricted diets: brined ackee and saltfish are both high in sodium. Rinse canned ackee and soak saltfish well.

How ackee is cooked

Ackee is almost always eaten cooked. To prepare fresh ackee safely, experienced cooks remove the seeds and every trace of the pink membrane, rinse the arils, boil them briefly in fresh water and throw that water away. Canned ackee is already cooked and only needs gentle heating.

The classic dish is ackee and saltfish: salted cod is soaked and boiled to remove excess salt, then flaked and sautéed with onion, tomato, sweet pepper, thyme and Scotch bonnet pepper. The ackee goes in last and is folded in gently, because the arils break up easily. It’s usually served for breakfast with fried dumplings, boiled green bananas, breadfruit or rice.

Ackee also works in vegetarian dishes: try it sautéed with callaloo or spinach, in curries, or as a vegan “scrambled egg” on toast.

Planning a balanced plate? Look up the nutrition of breadfruit, callaloo, plantain and other foods you serve with ackee.

Food nutrition lookup

Ackee FAQ

Is canned ackee safe?

Canned ackee from a processor on the FDA’s Green List is considered safe, because those processors control ripeness, remove the toxic parts and are checked for hypoglycin A. Avoid cans with no clear brand or origin, and dented or swollen cans.

Can you eat ackee raw?

Ackee is normally eaten cooked. Cooking doesn’t remove the toxin, so it doesn’t make unripe ackee safe, but properly ripened arils are traditionally boiled before use and the water thrown away.

How long after eating unripe ackee do symptoms start?

Symptoms can start within hours, often with sudden vomiting. Low blood sugar can follow. Get medical help immediately rather than waiting.

Is ackee the same as lychee?

No, but they’re in the same plant family. Unripe lychee also contains related toxins and has been linked with hypoglycemic illness in children who ate lots of lychees on an empty stomach.

Why was ackee banned in the US?

Because of the poisoning risk, the FDA blocked ackee imports for many years. Today, canned and frozen ackee can be imported from processors the FDA has approved, while fresh fruit generally can’t.

Ackee Fruit: How to Eat It Safely, Nutrition and Toxicity