Taste and Smell Return After Quitting Smoking: What to Expect
Quick answer: The NHS says your senses of taste and smell are improving from 48 hours after quitting. Measured recovery is slower and uneven: in one study, taste on the tip and edges of the tongue recovered at two weeks, the back at about nine weeks and the top over two to eight months; smell tests showed a clear improvement at 45 days. At about three months, taste was better but still not a non-smoker's. Food does get more interesting — which is also one reason appetite rises.
Of all the physical changes that follow quitting smoking, the return of taste and smell is often the most enjoyable — and the most likely to catch people off-guard. Foods taste richer. Flowers actually smell. And cigarette smoke, which once smelled neutral or pleasant, becomes noticeably unpleasant.
How Smoking Impairs Taste and Smell
Smell: In a population study of 1,312 adults in Germany, current smokers were about 1.7 times as likely to have impaired smell, and heavy smokers (20 or more a day) had a higher risk of impaired taste as well. Smoke irritates the lining of the nose where smell receptors sit.
Taste: The same study found no raised risk of taste impairment for smokers overall — only for heavy smokers. Studies of people who quit show the damage is uneven across the tongue, and one found more taste papillae after quitting, with a trend toward better shape and blood supply. The authors of the main recovery study put the damage down to smoke constituents generally rather than to nicotine: their participants kept using nicotine replacement for three months and their taste still recovered.
When Does Taste and Smell Return?
48 hours: The NHS says your senses of taste and smell are improving. Some quitters notice it early, especially with coffee.
Two weeks: In a study of 24 people who quit, the first measurable taste recovery appeared on the tip and edges of the tongue after two weeks.
About 45 days: In a study of 28 heavy smokers, odour discrimination and identification had improved significantly 45 days after quitting — less so in people who had smoked for longer.
Nine weeks to eight months: In the same taste study, recovery at the back of the tongue was complete after nine weeks, while the top (dorsal) areas recovered only after two months or more — and in the 13 people followed for a year, those areas took about eight months to reach a non-smoker's typical threshold.
About three months: Another study retested 24 quitters 3.2 months after quitting: taste thresholds had improved significantly, but were still not a non-smoker's.
All of these are small studies, and the numbers are the best estimates available rather than settled constants.
If you vaped rather than smoked: there is no study of taste or smell after quitting vaping, so none of these dates can be claimed for vapes.
What the Recovery Actually Feels Like
Common experiences quitters report:
The first weeks: "Food has more flavor than I remembered." Coffee, in particular, often tastes noticeably different.
The following months: Fresh foods — fruits, vegetables — become more interesting. Cooking smells from other rooms become noticeable. Many quitters rediscover foods they thought they didn't like. This is one of many changes around the one-month milestone and after.
The aversion: Perhaps the most striking change — cigarette smoke starts to smell unpleasant. Ex-smokers notice how strongly smoke clings to clothing, rooms and other smokers.
The Appetite Connection
Better taste and smell is one of the contributors to increased appetite and post-quit weight gain. The NHS makes the same link: after 48 hours, your taste and smell get better, so food might also taste nicer, and you could feel hungrier.
Managing this:
- Choose low-calorie foods with strong flavours (spices, herbs, citrus) to enjoy the sharper taste
- Use it as a reason to explore healthier, more flavourful cooking
- Remember the increased enjoyment is partly your senses recovering — notice it, and choose on purpose
Permanent vs. Temporary Impairment
For most people, taste and smell improve substantially. But:
- In the smell study, the improvement at 45 days was smaller the longer people had smoked
- At about three months, taste thresholds were still not a non-smoker's
- Parts of the tongue took months, not weeks
Even with some residual impairment, the improvement from quitting is real.
Frequently Asked Questions
How quickly does taste come back after quitting smoking?
The NHS says taste and smell improve from 48 hours. The first measured taste recovery, on the tip and edges of the tongue, came at two weeks in one study; other parts of the tongue took nine weeks to several months.
Does smell fully return after quitting smoking?
It improves: one study found a significant improvement 45 days after quitting. How complete it gets depends partly on how long you smoked — the longer the smoking history, the smaller the improvement in that study.
Is it normal to find cigarette smoke revolting after quitting?
Yes — it's one of the most often reported changes after quitting. As your sense of smell improves, cigarette smoke (which smokers stop noticing) becomes obvious and often unpleasant.
Why does food taste so different after quitting smoking?
Smoke dulls taste and smell, and when it stops the senses recover — not all at once, and not evenly across the tongue. The recovery study credits the damage to smoke rather than nicotine, which is why taste recovered even in people still using nicotine replacement.