Is Almond Extract Safe for Someone With a Tree Nut Allergy? (2024)

Almonds are off-limits if you have a tree nut allergy, but you don't necessarily need to avoid almond extract. Pure almond extract can trigger an allergic reaction. However, imitation almond extract is safe even with a tree nut allergy.

Imitation extract has the same almond flavor but none of the nut's allergy-causing proteins. The challenge is checking the products you consume to be sure you're getting safe, imitation almond extract.

Sources

Almond extract is made from three sources: almonds, peach or apricot pits, and synthetically produced chemicals. Though you'd expect "almond extract" to come from almonds, many food products use artificial extract produced from fruits or chemicals. The details about their ingredients explain the differences between extracts and why one is safe and the other isn't.

Ingredients

The ingredients in almond extract depend on whether the extract is pure or artificial.

Pure Almond Extract

Pure almond extract contains three ingredients: almond oil, alcohol, and water. Almond oil is extracted from the nut. The resulting oil may or may not contain nut proteins (which trigger allergies), depending on the extraction process used to pull the oil from the nut.

Refined oils are extracted using high heat or chemical agents. They generally don’t contain almond proteins. However, unrefined oils are cold-pressed and retain nut proteins.

There's usually no way to know the refining process used for the oil in almond extract. However, tree nuts are one of the nine major food allergy groups. As a result, the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) requires products containing tree nuts or pure nut extracts to carry an allergy warning on the label.

Since tree nut allergies can cause severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis), it's crucial to avoid pure almond extract. If you're not sure about the type of extract, you can protect your health by reading the food label, checking the ingredients, and looking for an allergy warning.

Artificial Almond Extract

Artificial almond extract owes its flavor to benzaldehyde. Benzaldehyde is naturally found in almonds and many other fruits and plants, where it's responsible for the almond odor and flavor.

Manufacturers can produce benzaldehyde synthetically or extract it from peach and apricot pits (which naturally contain the chemical). Additionally, producers extract benzaldehyde from the cassia plant. Cassia contains cinnamaldehyde, an essential oil that converts into benzaldehyde.

When synthetically produced, benzaldehyde retains the almond flavor without containing actual almond compounds or proteins. As a result, it creates an artificial almond extract that's safe for people with tree nut allergies.

Products containing artificial almond extracts should not have almonds or almond oil listed as ingredients. They also won't carry an allergy warning. The label typically says "imitation almond extract" and the ingredients may list "artificial flavor."

However, almond extract from peaches, apricots, or the cassia plant may state "natural almond flavor" on the label. Natural almond flavor sounds like it could be a pure extract, but it's not. That phrase means the extract came from natural plant sources rather than a chemical.

Why Peaches are Used

Almonds are considered tree nuts, but botanically speaking, they're not true nuts; they're drupes. Drupes are fruits with an outer fleshy covering over a hard-shelled nut in the center.

Drupes include peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries, and apricots. (You may also hear them referred to as stone fruits.)

The pits in all stone fruits contain benzaldehyde. However, manufacturers typically use peaches to make almond extract because they contain more benzaldehyde than other drupes.

Summary

Like all tree nut allergies, an almond allergy can cause a range of symptoms, from mild to a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction. Almond extract made from natural almonds is dangerous if you have a tree nut allergy.

If you love the flavor of almonds, you have options. Imitation almond extract provides the flavor but contains no almond proteins that can trigger your allergy.

By Victoria Groce
Victoria Groce is a medical writer living with celiac disease who specializes in writing about dietary management of food allergies.