Can You Eat Earthworms? The Truth About Safety and Nutrition

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Many of us grew up with the hilarious and slightly revolting premise of How to Eat Fried Worms, hoping we would never have to stomach such a bet. While Billy and his friends turned 15 earthworms into a culinary challenge, parents everywhere were left with a more practical concern: Can you eat earthworms, and is it actually safe? While the Western world often dismisses worms as mere bait or garden helpers, human consumption is not at all uncommon. Behind the “gross-out” factor lies a nutritious, protein-packed reality that many cultures have embraced for centuries.

A split-screen image showing a person holding an earthworm over their open mouth and a close-up of several live earthworms, illustrating the question: can you eat earthworms?

The Western World sees worms as disgusting and inedible. They are something that lives in waste and eats into your brain after you die. They are potent enough to have been a linchpin in the portrayal of fast food as dirty and evil. Legends of the McWorm Burger forced McDonald’s to print full-page ads in newspapers on the West Coast, where the legend was most active.

If you’ve ever bought a small bucket of nightcrawlers for bait, though, you’d know that beef is a whole lot cheaper, and McDonald’s would not make money off a worm burger.

Mealworms, the larval form of the mealworm beetle, or Tenebrio molitor, which are perfectly edible by humans, and used in some cultures, have also been said to have been a protein source in McDonald’s burgers. Again, this would make for one expensive burger.

In Consuming the Inedible: Neglected Dimensions of Food Choice, the authors recount an American folk song, which apparently came from a 1930’s cartoon called “Minnie the Moocher,” where the miserable European immigrant child sang ¹

I know what I’ll do by and by
I’ll eat some worms, and then I’ll die
And when I’m gone, just wait you see
They’ll all be sorry that they picked on me

And then another children’s song:

Nobody loves me
Everybody hates me
Think I’ll go eat worms

The worms crawl in
The worms crawl out
They eat your guts
And spit them out

So, eating worms, as far as these chants are concerned, is eating the inedible, not only as a rebellious act but as a suicidal one. And lots of kids, similar to Billy, have eaten a worm on a dare, or even gotten one shoved down their throat by bullies, to no ill effects.

If worms weren’t such a symbol, the gummy worm would never have been so successful! But this is a hangup of the West. People in other parts of the world eat worms, grubs, and insects, not as a matter of survival, but with enthusiasm.

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So, Can You Eat Earthworms?

The fact is that all species of earthworms are edible, and if you’ve ever wondered, can you eat earthworms found in your own garden, the answer is technically yes. They are considered a delicacy by the Maoris of New Zealand. They even make them into pies in Japan. They are eaten also in parts of Africa, New Guinea, and, it is believed, South America.

In the Philippines, the Perionyx excavatus species is bred in vegetable waste and then processed with herbs and seasoning to make steaklets for humans to eat. There was also a food supplement called Eugeton, made out of cultured African Nightcrawlers.

They have also been used for medicinal purposes. ¹ Earthworms may also be a valuable source of high protein food for livestock, and of course, they are fish food.

Pygmy Chimpanzees regularly eat earthworms, as well, but it is hard to understand why. They will dig for them, by hand, for hours, and they do not get a lot for such a labor-intensive and long foraging session.

Perhaps more strange is that they hardly seem to chew them at all and the worms remain intact in the feces. ² They probably do not get much nutrition from them so perhaps they like the feel of them slivering down their throats! Bonobos and Gorillas eat them as well, but I have found no reference as to whether they chew them or not.

Earthworms are Packed With Protein

But if you were to chew, the earthworm, pound for pound, is packed with protein, at 82% of the body weight of the worm. You’ll also be eating the decaying organic matter inside them. They eat soil, which is ground in a gizzard, and then the waste is ejected as a casting out their rear end.

These castings are used to line the burrow or are deposited at the entrance. Anything in the soil, including pesticides and parasites, could be inside the worm.

assortment of fried insects including spiders at market in Cambodia

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Safety Concerns For Eating Earthworms

Earthworms harbor infectious parasites. Our canine friends sometimes like to munch on them, but note that it is dangerous for dogs to eat earthworms.

If there are pesticides in the soil, they will be in the worm. And of course, any bacteria that is in the soil will also be present in the worm. So, you may want to think twice before rushing to the backyard to forage for earthworms to nibble on, and if you should stop your dog from eating them, if possible.

Generally, when earthworms are eaten, the soil is first removed from the gut of the worms, and they are cooked by boiling, baking, or other cooking method to a temperature that is sufficient to kill most parasites.

Are Nightcrawlers Edible?

Large and robust earthworms known as nightcrawlers are the most common type of earthworm in the United States and they are as edible as any other earthworm. Their scientific name is actually Lumbricus terrestris. In Britain, this is called the lob worm or common earthworm, and in Europe, it might be called simply the red worm.

In Canada they are called the dew worm or Grandaddy Earthworm. Ironically, the “common” nightcrawler in North America is an invasive, introduced species.

In fact, a great many of the earthworms found in the United States, 45 to 60 species or more, were introduced. The nightcrawler, the largest of these invasive earthworms, came to North America with European settlers, along with others, beginning in the 16th century.

McDonald’s Worm Burger Controversy

These worms probably arrived in the soil used as ballast on ships, or on the root balls of plants. They continued to arrive with imported ornamental plants, but also as intentional and permitted importations of live bait into the U.S from Canada.

If you are old enough to remember that old commercial jingle on the TV show WKRP, you know another of the most common introduced species: “Red wrigglers, the Cadillac of worms!”

Red wrigglers were what were usually sold as bait or for composting when I was growing up in the South…at least as far as I can remember, and we sometimes found them in the ground. But the nightcrawler was by far the most plentiful, and was easier to find, especially when it was growing dark, at which time they come closer to the surface.

We usually think of earthworms as beneficial to the soil, however, these invasive species can be destructive when introduced into areas where earthworms did not exist before, especially in forests, where their decomposing action on the leaf litter can alter the ecology in such a way as to make the environment unsuitable for certain trees and plants.

Earthworms do not normally spread very quickly if left to their own devices, but they are easily helped along by humans, such as fishermen who dump leftover bait worms onto the ground.

What Do Earthworms Taste Like?

Many people who report having eaten an earthworm failed to remove the “dirt” from inside the worm. They therefore say that the worm was gritty and tasted like dirt. Some are more generous and say the earthworm tasted “earthy.” For best results, including safety, the earthworms should be purged of all the dirt in their digestive tract, before consuming.

It is said that Native Americans prepared earthworms by first soaking them in water so they would discharge their dirt. They then fed the worms other things to displace more of the dirt and change the taste of the worm. They then dried or smoked them to keep them for the winter.

Once they are properly prepared and cooked, they will still taste earthy, it will not be as if you are eating dirt. They are variously reported as tasting nutty and when cooked, something like bacon. Some people notice a distinct “insect” taste, but you would have had to have eaten insects to understand this reaction.

Summary: Can You Eat Earthworms?

Edibility: Technically, all species of earthworms are edible for humans.
Nutrition: Earthworms are a potent protein source, consisting of 82% protein by body weight.
Cultural Context: While often viewed as “gross” in the West, they are considered a delicacy or medicinal staple in parts of New Zealand, Japan, Africa, and the Philippines.
Safety Risks: Eating raw garden worms is dangerous because they harbor parasites, bacteria, and concentrated pesticides from the soil.
Preparation: If consumed, worms should be “purged” of soil and thoroughly cooked (boiled or baked) to kill any existing pathogens.
Environmental Impact: Many common U.S. earthworms, like the nightcrawler, are actually invasive species that can disrupt forest ecosystems.

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