Allergies Food Allergies Living With Is Almond Extract Safe If You Have Nut Allergies? By Victoria Groce linkedin Victoria Groce is a medical writer living with celiac disease who specializes in writing about dietary management of food allergies. Learn about our editorial process Victoria Groce Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Daniel More, MD on September 08, 2020 Daniel More, MD, is a board-certified allergist and clinical immunologist. He is an assistant clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine and currently practices at Central Coast Allergy and Asthma in Salinas, California. Learn about our Medical Review Board Daniel More, MD on September 08, 2020 Print Verywell / Zorica Lakonic Certain almond extracts actually may be safe for people who are allergic to tree nuts. This is because almond extract isn't always made from almonds. Imitation almond extract (which isn't made from almonds) would be safe for someone with a nut allergy, while real almond extract (which is made from almonds) shouldn't be consumed by someone with a nut allergy. However, you should use extreme caution in trying anything that lists almond extract as an ingredient if you're allergic to nuts. Don't try a product that contains almond extract unless you're sure you're getting the safe (imitation) kind of almond flavoring. Sources Almond extract and almond flavoring can be created from three different sources—almonds, the pits of certain fruits, and from chemicals produced in a factory. Most almond extracts and flavorings you see as ingredients in food products are actually made from the kernels of peach or apricot pits or are synthetically produced. This may seem counterintuitive, since you'd expect something claiming to be the extract of almonds actually to be made from almonds. However, peach and apricot kernels carry the same flavor compounds as almond oil, and they are less expensive to obtain and process. In addition, similar compounds to those found in almonds, peach pits, and apricot pits can be derived synthetically in labs or from cassia (a plant with a flavor similar to cinnamon) to create artificial extracts. Ingredients Pure almond extract is made from three ingredients—almond oil, alcohol, and water. Any almond extract product with those ingredients is not safe for someone with a tree nut allergy. The ingredients list will look like this: water, alcohol, and oil of bitter almond. You also should avoid "almond flavor" and "almond flavoring" products that include almond oil in the ingredients. An almond extract made from peach and/or apricot pits will not be labeled "pure," and will not have almonds or almond oil listed as ingredients. Instead, the ingredients likely will list "natural almond flavor." This generally means that extracts from fruit pits were used to make the flavoring. There's little or no information about whether extracts derived from peach and apricot pits are safe for a nut-free diet. So you should proceed with caution, and most likely should avoid foods that contain "natural almond flavor." Artificial almond extract owes its almond-like flavor to a chemical called benzaldehyde, which is made from chemicals in an industrial setting. It's not made from almonds, peach pits, or apricot pits. It's considered a safe choice for almond flavoring, and it has the bonus of almost always being less expensive than "natural" sources of almond flavor. Look for the words "imitation almond extract" on the label, and "artificial flavor" in the ingredients. Why Peach Pits Taste Like Almonds Most food allergies fall into one of eight categories, and tree nuts are one of those categories. Although almonds are included in the "tree nut" group for the sake of allergic labeling, they are not tree nuts at all. Instead, they're what are called drupes. Drupes actually are a type of fruit with an outer fleshy covering over a hard-shelled nut. Nutmeg is a drupe, as are walnuts and pecans. Drupes that we think of as "fruit" include peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries, and apricots, and are referred to as "stone fruit" (literally, fruit with stones in the middle). Almonds are in the same family (the Prunus family) as peaches, apricots, plums, and nectarines. That's why the compounds released from peach and apricot pits taste the same as those released from bitter almond oil, and why it's possible to use fruit pits to make an almond-flavored extract. Those compounds from fruit pits are bioidentical to those in almonds. The chemical benzaldehyde is the primary component of bitter almond oil. It was first extracted from almond oil. However, it's less expensive to make it from other chemicals than it is to extract it from almonds or fruit pits. Almond allergy may predispose a person to other tree nut allergies. Other tree nuts include hazelnuts, brazil nuts, pistachios,cashews, walnuts, and pecans. A Word From Verywell Artificial almond extract doesn't have the flavor profile purists prefer, since it's difficult or impossible to obtain that flavor from anything other than pure almond extract that's made from almonds. However, the artificial version has its upsides. It's safe for people who are allergic to tree nuts, and it's almost always less expensive than the nut-based variety. So look for "artificial flavor" or "benzaldehyde" in the ingredients to be sure you're getting almond flavoring that's safe for those with almond allergy. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Get one simple hack every day to make your life healthier. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Alasalvar C, Shahidi F. Tree nuts: Composition, phytochemicals, and health effects. Tree Nuts Nutraceutical Science and Technology. 2008. doi:10.1201/9781420019391.ch1 Additional Reading Roux KH, Teuber SS, Sathe SK. Tree Nut Allergens. Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2003; 234-244.