Do Blueberries Have Seeds?

Many of us enjoy tucking into a bowl of blueberries, and these distinctive little blue fruits are eaten around the world. Commonly referred to as a superfood, blueberries have the advantage of being sweet, tasty, and highly nutritious!

If you’re a fan of blueberries, have you ever wondered if blueberries have seeds? Blueberries do have seeds, with around 10-20 seeds found inside each fruit. These are soft in texture and taste similar to the flesh of the blueberry fruit, which is why many people do not notice them.

Let’s take a look at everything you need to know about blueberries and their seeds!

What Are Blueberries?

Blueberries are a delicious soft fruit, highly prized for their nutritional benefits. These little fruits, from the same family as cranberries, bilberries, and huckleberries, grow on shrubs native to North America.

There are two types of blueberries: highbush and lowbush.

The lowbush varieties grow in the wild, particularly in Canadian provinces. Highbush blueberries are the type cultivated by farmers and bought by us in the shops.

The blueberry is a small rounded berry, around 1/2” in diameter. They have a distinctive dark blue color, and a dimple in one end where the stalk attaches.

They grow in large clusters on the plant and are dark green in color until they ripen to blue.

 These little berries are packed full of beneficial nutrients and are widely regarded as a superfood. They can be eaten freshly picked or can be purchased either frozen or canned for use in desserts and cakes.

Blueberries are a popular topping for pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, cereal, or yogurt. They are commonly added to smoothies, and the blueberry muffin is one of the finest muffin varieties available.

The compound that gives blueberries their color, anthocyanin, is responsible for many of their health benefits.

As well as all this, one cup of blueberries provides nearly a quarter of your daily recommended vitamin C intake. Not bad for a rather ordinary-looking little berry!

Types of Blueberries

Several types of blueberries are grown in North America, Canada, and even a few European countries. Here are some of the most popular types:

Highbush Blueberries

Highbush blueberries are one of the most common types of blueberries in North America.

They are grown in large and tall bushes that can grow up to 12 feet!

The blueberries produced by this species are the preferred choice for farmers due to their favorable characteristics and demand. 

Highbush blueberries have a tender and plump exterior with a juicy interior.

They are sweeter and provide subtle woodsy and floral notes along with a very mild acidic aftertaste.

There are also some subspecies of highbush berries that are noticeably juicer and sweeter due to selective breeding practices.

These berries are grown in large orchards and agriculturists regularly test the flavor of the berries to determine which bush produces the sweetest berries.

The bush that produces the sweetest fruit is then naturally “cloned” using grafting techniques where a branch from the bush is replanted to reproduce the same types of berries. 

Lowbush Blueberries

In contrast to highbush berries, this species has a slightly different growing habit – and are commonly found in the wild. The bush only grows to about 20 inches and produces multiple berries that hang near the ground. 

The berries from this species are noticeably tart.

Their intense flavor is used in several baking and cooking recipes – but other than this, their shape and overall appearance are similar to other types of blueberries, except that some wild berry species can also be larger. 

Rabbiteye Blueberries

Rabbiteye blueberries may not have any resemblance to a rabbit’s eye when mature, but before they fully bloom and ripen, they start with a whitish and reddish color that slowly develops into the iconic blueberry color.

These blueberries are known for their robust flavor and smaller size.

Their flesh is firm and they provide a fantastic flavor that can be used in the same way as the other blueberry species described above. 

Do Blueberries Have Seeds?

So, to the burning question of the day—do blueberries have seeds? You’ll perhaps have eaten many blueberries in your life without realizing this, but yes, they do have seeds!

The reason that you probably haven’t noticed the seeds in blueberries is that they are very small and can easily be missed.

In fact, just one single blueberry fruit can contain 10 or 20 seeds, so they must be pretty tiny for us to never have spotted them!

The other reason that it is difficult to locate the seeds in a blueberry fruit is that the seeds are very soft, and are contained within the flesh of the fruit.

When we eat a blueberry, the texture of the seeds is very similar to the flesh, which is why people often think that blueberries are a seedless fruit.

If you were to eat an overripe blueberry, there is a better chance that you will notice the seeds.

As the fruit ripens and starts to become soft and mushy, the seeds become harder. Many people liken this to eating a blueberry that has a sandy texture in the middle.

Most blueberries are eaten before they get to this stage, so the seeds are still soft and barely noticeable.

Can You Eat Blueberry Seeds?

Blueberry seeds are contained within the flesh of the fruit and are perfectly safe to eat. If you’ve ever eaten a blueberry, then you will have eaten the seeds as well, without coming to any harm.

The seeds of blueberries are soft and very small, and humans have no problem digesting them. Unlike stone fruits, such as peaches and plums, the seeds of the blueberry are harmless when eaten. 

Not only are blueberry seeds edible, but they happen to be as nutritious as the fruits themselves.

Blueberries are not called a superfood without good reason!

As we’ve already discussed, the blue color of blueberry comes from an antioxidant called anthocyanin, which is highly prized for its enormous health benefits.

Blueberry fruits and seeds are also a great source of fiber, and vitamins C and K. The seeds contain an oil that is rich in omega-3, 

Here are just a few of the incredible health benefits of blueberries:

• They contain iron, phosphorous, magnesium, calcium, manganese, and zinc, all of which contribute to building and maintaining bone strength and structure.
• Iron and zinc also maintain the strength and elasticity of joints.
• Vitamin K improves calcium absorption, helping to build strong bones.
• High levels of vitamin C help to prevent skin damage from sun and pollution, reducing wrinkles and improving skin tone.
• Studies have shown that eating certain fruits such as blueberries three times per week can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
• The vitamins and antioxidants in blueberries help to maintain a healthy heart and cardiovascular system.
• Blueberries have powerful antioxidant properties, helping to protect cells from damage caused by free radicals.
• Research has shown that blueberries can help to maintain mental health, as they slow down age-related cognitive decline.
• Eating blueberries can be helpful for people trying to lose weight. The high levels of dietary fiber work to maintain a healthy digestive tract and help people to feel fuller for longer.

What Do Blueberry Seeds Taste Like?

The seeds of blueberries are soft and barely distinguishable from the juicy flesh of the blueberry fruit. They do not taste noticeably different from the flesh, and you will most likely have never even realized there were any seeds inside the fruit!

The flavor of blueberries is difficult to describe, as they are quite unlike any other fruit.

One thing that many people agree on is that the taste of blueberry fruit is incredibly rich and packed full of flavor, and it is all too easy to quickly polish off a bowlful of these delicious fruits!

Both the flesh and the seeds of blueberries have an intense fruity flavor, similar to a cross between a juicy green grape and a rich red grape.

They are slightly sweet with a hint of acidity or sourness, and the flavor pops in your mouth as you bite into the fruit.

Can You Extract Blueberry Seeds?

It is possible to extract blueberry seeds, but quite frankly, it is not worth the hassle!

The only reason you would want to extract blueberry seeds would be if you wanted to grow blueberry plants from seed, but these seeds are available to buy commercially at a very reasonable price.

There are no nutritional benefits to extracting the seeds from blueberry fruit. Both the flesh and the seeds of these little berries are very nutritious, and the seeds do not pose any threat to your health.

And as most people barely even notice that there are seeds inside a blueberry, there seems little point in going to the trouble of extracting them!

If you’re determined to try separating some blueberry seeds from the flesh of the fruit, you will need to gently mash or squash the flesh.

This can be done with a potato masher or a food grinder. The seeds are then identified and picked out of the flesh, but you’ll need good eyesight to find them all!

Related Questions

Now we’ve got everything we need to know about blueberry seeds all figured out, let’s answer some other questions about these super fruits!

Why do blueberries look moldy?

Many people are put off eating blueberries because of their strange appearance. These little fruits have a deep blue flesh inside, but the outer skin often looks like it has a white mold-like substance on the surface.

This silver shimmering coating might seem like mold, but it is in fact highly beneficial and something that is regarded as a sign of a good blueberry.

This grey-blue sheen is a natural protective layer and has no detrimental effects if eaten.

However, it is always advisable to wash any type of fruit before consumption, to remove any traces of chemicals such as pesticides or herbicides.

Do you have to thaw blueberries before eating them?

This depends on how you want to use the berries.

If your goal is to use them directly for milkshakes, dessert recipes, or even for cooking, then you don’t have to thaw them.

But if you want to enjoy them on their own then we recommend thawing them in the fridge overnight. 

Thawed blueberries will last 3-4 days and must be consumed at the earliest for the best experience. Also, once thawed, avoid refreezing them to maintain their freshness.

What is the best way to store blueberries?

To preserve their incredible nutritional benefits, blueberries should be consumed whilst they are as fresh as possible.

They should be stored in a refrigerator, in a breathable container (such as these ones) with an absorbent paper towel at the bottom. Kept in this way, they will be good to eat for up to 10 days.

If you need to store blueberries for longer than this, they can be frozen. Frozen blueberries do lose some of their texture when thawed, but they are great for adding to smoothies, pancakes, and cake recipes.

Frozen blueberries do lose their antioxidant properties over time, so should be consumed within 6 months.

Blueberries can also be canned, and this method of preserving blueberries is commonly used for pie fillings.

Alternatively, you can turn a surplus of blueberries into jams, jellies, and preserves, or make up a batch of blueberry pancakes for the freezer. Delicious!

Are blueberries difficult to grow?

Blueberries are not difficult to grow, in fact, blueberries can also be grown at home using simple planting techniques. You can also buy soil with a high acidic content to support the growth of the blueberries when planting them at home. 

There are two ways to plant blueberries: the first method is to individually remove the seeds from the fruit and then plant them, and the other method involves using a single blueberry to grow a blueberry plant. 

The first method is best for people who have tried and failed to successfully sprout blueberries at home.

Since you will be working with more seeds, you will have a higher chance to successfully sprout a plant.

Take a handful of blueberries and grind them in a food processor with 3-4 cups of water.

Make sure that you use a plastic mixing blade instead of a steel blade to avoid damaging the seeds.

Once the flesh of the berries has been punctured, simply strain them.

Then remove the pulp by running it under tap water. This will separate the flesh from the seeds. Voila! You now have multiple blueberry seeds that you can plant!

The second method involves using just one blueberry.

Since every blueberry has multiple seeds, this method may also work for some people. Simply squish a blueberry, and plant it in the soil. Then water the blueberry and cover it with a plastic bottle to trap moisture. 

Once the seeds sprout, regularly water the sprout and allow it to grow to 2-3 inches.

When the plant gets too big for the pot, you can transfer it into a larger pot or replant it in your garden. One blueberry plant can produce up to 5 lbs of blueberries! 

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