What Will Happen if You Eat a Raw Potato?

January 1, 2026 •

4 min read

Raw potatoes contain naturally occurring toxic compounds called glycoalkaloids, which are more concentrated in green or sprouted potatoes. So, what will happen if you eat a raw potato? While a small, fresh piece may cause no harm, consuming a larger quantity can lead to unpleasant digestive and neurological symptoms.

Quick Summary

Eating a raw potato can cause unpleasant digestive issues like bloating, gas, nausea, and stomach cramps due to difficult-to-digest resistant starch and antinutrients. Green or sprouted raw potatoes pose a greater risk of solanine poisoning, which can cause severe illness. Cooking significantly reduces these risks and makes potatoes safer and tastier.

Key Points

Toxicity: Raw potatoes, especially green or sprouted ones, contain toxic glycoalkaloids like solanine that can cause poisoning with digestive and neurological symptoms.
Digestive Distress: The high concentration of resistant starch in raw potatoes is difficult to digest and can lead to uncomfortable gas, bloating, and abdominal pain.
Antinutrient Effects: Lectins present in raw potatoes are antinutrients that can hinder the body's ability to absorb other essential nutrients.
Foodborne Illness: Uncooked potatoes carry a higher risk of harboring bacteria from the soil, which cooking effectively eliminates.
Cooking is Key: Heat from cooking neutralizes toxins, breaks down resistant starches, and removes lectins, making potatoes safe, palatable, and easier to digest.
Taste and Texture: Raw potatoes have an unappealingly hard, bitter, and starchy texture, whereas cooking creates a soft, flavorful, and enjoyable food.

The Core Risks of Eating Raw Potatoes

Eating raw potatoes is generally not recommended due to several health risks, primarily stemming from naturally occurring compounds and potential pathogens. Unlike many other vegetables, potatoes are members of the nightshade family, which is known for containing toxic substances called glycoalkaloids.

Glycoalkaloids: The Potato's Natural Defense

Glycoalkaloids, mainly solanine and chaconine, act as a natural pesticide to protect the potato plant from insects. While present in low concentrations in fresh, healthy potatoes, their levels increase dramatically in green potatoes or those with sprouts. Exposure to light also contributes to higher glycoalkaloid levels, which is why potatoes should be stored in a cool, dark place.

Consuming high levels of glycoalkaloids can lead to solanine poisoning, with symptoms that typically appear within a few hours. Mild cases may involve:

Nausea and vomiting
Stomach cramps and diarrhea
Headaches and dizziness

In severe cases, solanine poisoning can cause neurological issues, including hallucinations, paralysis, and loss of sensation. Fatalities are extremely rare but have been reported in historical cases involving extremely high doses.

Lectins: The Antinutrient Problem

Raw potatoes also contain high levels of lectins, a type of protein that can bind to carbohydrates and interfere with nutrient absorption in the gut. Lectins are considered antinutrients because they can impair the body's ability to digest food effectively. Large amounts of lectins, as found in raw potatoes, can lead to:

Nausea
Stomach upset
Diarrhea

Cooking is an effective way to deactivate lectins, with some studies showing a 50–60% reduction through heat.

Difficult Digestion and Gut Issues

Another significant issue with raw potatoes is their high content of resistant starch. While resistant starch can have health benefits in smaller, more controlled amounts, the large quantity found in raw potatoes can lead to digestive distress. Since the body cannot easily digest this starch, it passes into the large intestine, where gut bacteria ferment it, leading to:

Gas
Bloating
Abdominal cramps

Contamination from Soil

As root vegetables, potatoes grow underground and can be exposed to bacteria and other contaminants in the soil. Cooking provides an extra layer of protection by killing these potential pathogens. Unwashed or improperly handled raw potatoes carry a higher risk of harboring bacteria that could cause foodborne illness. Proper washing and peeling are essential, but cooking is the only surefire way to eliminate this risk.

Raw vs. Cooked Potatoes: A Comparative Analysis


Feature	Raw Potato	Cooked Potato
Toxicity	Contains potentially high levels of glycoalkaloids (solanine), especially if green or sprouted.	Significantly reduced levels of glycoalkaloids; heat-deactivated.
Digestibility	Resistant starch can cause bloating, gas, and discomfort due to fermentation in the gut.	Starches are broken down, making them much easier to digest.
Nutrient Absorption	High lectin content (an antinutrient) may interfere with nutrient absorption.	Lectin content is significantly reduced by cooking, improving absorption.
Risk of Pathogens	Higher risk of carrying bacteria from the soil that can cause foodborne illness.	Cooking kills potential soil-borne bacteria, ensuring safety.
Nutrient Profile (Vitamin C)	Higher levels of heat-sensitive Vitamin C per gram.	Lower levels of Vitamin C due to heat degradation.
Taste and Texture	Hard, bitter, and starchy with an unappealing flavor.	Soft, palatable, and develops complex, savory flavors through the Maillard reaction.

The Verdict: Just Cook It

For the average person, consuming a small amount of a raw, healthy potato is unlikely to cause serious harm, but the risks greatly outweigh any potential benefits. The higher vitamin C content in raw potatoes, for instance, can be obtained from many other, more palatable and safer sources. While the resistant starch has its own set of benefits for gut health, it comes with a high price of digestive discomfort.

Cooking potatoes, on the other hand, makes them not only safe but also more delicious and digestible. The heating process neutralizes harmful compounds like solanine and lectins, eliminating the risk of poisoning and making the nutrients more accessible to your body. If you are determined to consume resistant starch, a safer method is to cook and then cool the potatoes, which actually increases the resistant starch content without the risk of toxicity.

Ultimately, the cultural practice of cooking potatoes before eating them exists for very good reasons. It's a simple step that transforms a potentially harmful tuber into a nutritious, safe, and delicious dietary staple.

For more information on food safety and nightshade vegetables, you can visit authoritative sources like the US National Institutes of Health.

Conclusion

In summary, while a small, accidental bite of a raw potato isn't a cause for major alarm, intentionally eating them is ill-advised. The presence of toxic glycoalkaloids, antinutrients like lectins, indigestible resistant starches, and the potential for soil-borne pathogens make it a risky and unpleasant endeavor. The culinary and safety benefits of cooking potatoes are clear, making it the only recommended preparation method. By properly storing and cooking your potatoes, you can avoid the risks and enjoy this versatile vegetable with confidence and flavor.

Frequently Asked Questions

A small taste of a raw potato is unlikely to cause any harm, especially if the potato is fresh and free of green spots or sprouts. Any symptoms, such as mild indigestion, would likely be minor.

Solanine poisoning is caused by consuming toxic glycoalkaloids found in potatoes, particularly green ones. Symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, headaches, and in severe cases, hallucinations or paralysis.

Yes, green potatoes and those with sprouts contain significantly higher concentrations of toxic glycoalkaloids, including solanine. The green color indicates increased light exposure, which stimulates toxin production.

Raw potatoes are high in resistant starch, which the body cannot break down easily. It ferments in the large intestine, producing gas as a byproduct and leading to bloating and other digestive discomforts.

Cooking does degrade some heat-sensitive nutrients, like Vitamin C. However, it also neutralizes harmful compounds like solanine and lectins, making cooked potatoes both safer and more digestible.

Eating the peel of a raw potato is even riskier than eating the flesh, as it contains the highest concentration of glycoalkaloids and is more likely to carry soil-borne bacteria.

Yes, sweet potatoes are not part of the nightshade family and do not contain solanine. While they can be eaten raw, they are still harder to digest than when cooked.