What to Do If a Popcorn Kernel Is Stuck in Your Throat

Use one of these tricks to get rid of a stubborn kernel

Co-authored by Andrea Rudominer, MD, MPH

Last Updated: December 29, 2024 Fact Checked

Whether you’re eating popcorn from giant tubs at the theater or tiny bags from your microwave, it’s a classic movie night favorite. But when a piece of the hull (outer shell) gets stuck in your throat and you spend the rest of the night trying to dislodge it, you vow to never eat popcorn again. Sound familiar? We're here to help you get a popcorn kernel out of your throat. We’ve done the research to find advice that’s actually helpful and not harmful, and included the best of it below.

1

Take a drink.

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Wash the kernel down with soda, water, or juice. The part of the popcorn that typically gets stuck in your throat is the hard, crunchy outer shell of the popcorn kernel.^{[1]
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Research source} Just the act of swallowing liquids may moisten, soften, and loosen the stuck hull.^{[2]
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Trustworthy Source

Cleveland Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals

Go to source} If you have a carbonated beverage (like soda or seltzer), this is likely the best option since there is both anecdotal and empirical evidence to support its effectiveness.^{[3]
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PubMed Central
Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health

Go to source} If you don’t have a carbonated beverage nearby, try drinking fresh lemonade, orange juice, pineapple juice, tomato juice, or water.
- Some ER doctors use carbonated beverages as a first-line approach to dislodging food stuck in the esophagus.^{[4]
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  Research source} The release of carbon dioxide gas that occurs when you drink a carbonated beverage may play a role in loosening or disintegrating the stuck food.^{[5]
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  Trustworthy Source
  
  PubMed Central
  Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health
  
  Go to source}
- Though purely anecdotal, some people believe that drinking a viscose and acidic juice (like the ones mentioned) may help with removing stuck popcorn hulls.

2

Eat something.

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Try a soft, crunchy, or sticky snack to dislodge the popcorn hull. People report successfully removing popcorn hulls from their throat by eating something. While there's no scientific evidence that these foods will solve the problem, many people have found relief from eating foods like: peanut butter, bananas (mashed and pieces), crackers, bread (crusty bread and soft), chips, pretzels, ice cream, rice (cooked and sticky), warm honey, olive oil, and egg yolks.^{[6]
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Research source}
- It makes sense, of course. If there’s a tiny popcorn hull hanging out in the back of your throat, the ingestion of anything has the potential to scrape it, soften it, or loosen it.

3

Use a water flosser.

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Use a water flosser to spray the kernel loose. If you own a water flosser, this can be a good strategy. Since water flossers can be used to remove tonsil stones (a buildup of food and debris around the tonsils), they may also be able to help remove a stuck popcorn hull, depending on the location of the hull in your throat. If the hull is in the back of your throat, where you can potentially reach it with the spray from a water flosser, you have a shot.
- Make sure the spray is on the lowest setting. A powerful spray may be too much for the sensitive tissues in the back of your throat. Start outside of your mouth and slowly approach the back of your throat with the spray. If you feel any pain or discomfort, stop.

4

Try coughing it out.

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Depending on where the hull is located in your throat, it may be possible to dislodge it with some intentional coughing. However, don’t overdo it. Too much intentional coughing and throat clearing can actually have the effect of further irritating the lining of your esophagus.^{[7]
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Cleveland Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals

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5

Seek medical help if needed.

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Go to the ER or call your doctor if you think there’s a serious problem. Call 911 or go to the nearest hospital if your airway is obstructed in some way or it’s difficult to breathe; it feels genuinely painful or uncomfortable (beyond a mere annoyance, distraction, or irritation); you’re having trouble swallowing your own saliva or feeling shortness of breath.^{[8]
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Trustworthy Source

Cleveland Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals

Go to source}
- Though a tiny popcorn hull is unlikely to pose a life-threatening situation, the presence of anything in your throat for a prolonged period can cause irritation, inflammation, and erosion.^{[9]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  
  Cleveland Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
  
  Go to source} If days pass without relief, or if you feel pain or discomfort in your throat, it’s probably time to call your doctor, who may recommend a visit with an ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) specialist.

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What do I do if it cut into my tonsil?

Community Answer

Go to the nearest emergency room and have them take a look at it.

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Warnings

Only use the Heimlich maneuver if you’re actually choking (i.e. conscious, but unable to breathe), but not as a strategy to try to remove the kernel from your throat.^{[10]
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