You generally should not eat potatoes that are starting to sprout, especially if they are very sprouted or turning green, because sprouting increases natural toxins that can make you sick.

Quick scoop

  • As potatoes sprout and/or turn green, they build up natural toxins called glycoalkaloids (mainly solanine and chaconine), which can cause nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, diarrhea, headache, confusion, and fever if you eat too much.
  • Many food-safety and nutrition experts now advise avoiding clearly sprouted or green potatoes altogether, especially for children, pregnant people, and older adults, because cooking does not reliably destroy these toxins.

When a sprouted potato might still be used

If you really do not want to waste a potato, safety experts give a narrow “maybe” window:

  • The potato is still firm, not soft, wrinkly, or shriveled.
  • Sprouts are short and few, and there are no or minimal green patches on the skin or flesh.
  • You carefully cut away:
    • all sprouts and their “eyes”
    • any green-tinged areas
    • and preferably peel the potato fully.

Even then, some sources still recommend discarding, because it is hard to know how much toxin remains inside.

If you see multiple long sprouts, deep greening, or the potato feels soft or smells off, the safest move is to throw it out.

What the forums and everyday cooks say

On cooking and potato forums, many home cooks say they routinely snap off small sprouts and eat the potatoes if they are still firm, with no obvious bad smell or rot.

However, others point out the risk of glycoalkaloid poisoning and argue that any clearly sprouted or green potato is not worth the health risk, especially now that food-safety guidance is stricter than what older generations followed.

So there is a gap between “what people often do” and “what toxicology and nutrition experts recommend.” When in doubt, follow the stricter safety advice.

Practical tips to stay safe

  • Store potatoes in a cool, dark, dry place with good air flow (not in the fridge, not in direct light) to delay sprouting and greening.
  • Buy smaller amounts more often so potatoes do not sit around long enough to sprout heavily.
  • If you notice one potato in a bag sprouting badly or going green/soft, remove it so it does not speed up spoilage in the others.

Bottom line

  • Very mildly sprouted, firm, non-green potatoes might be salvaged by cutting away all sprouts and green areas, but this still carries some risk.
  • From a modern food-safety standpoint, the safest and simplest answer to “can you eat potatoes that are starting to sprout?” is: it’s better not to, especially if you are pregnant, older, cooking for kids, or the potato is very sprouted or green.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.