<p>Food security depends on four dimensions: availability, stability, access, and utilization. In rural Amazonian contexts, forests influence these dimensions through food provision, ecosystem services, and livelihoods, with uneven contributions across seasons, which have been understudied. This study examines the relationship between forest proximity and food security in rural Indigenous and mestizo households across several communities in the Colombian and Peruvian Amazon. We define ‘forest access’ as the spatial proximity of households to forests, opposed to rights-based frameworks. Using household-level panel data collected across rainy and dry seasons, we develop a multidimensional food security index covering availability, access, utilization, and stability. To address potential endogeneity in forest access, we use an instrumental variable strategy based on travel time to forest areas. Our results show significant heterogeneity between countries and communities. In La Pedrera, Colombia, Indigenous households living near less-degraded forests show higher food security, supported by traditional practices and forest biodiversity. In contrast, in Ucayali, Peru, the benefits of forest proximity are more limited and vary between Indigenous (Shipibo-Conibo) and mestizo communities, with mestizo households relying more on markets. Forest access enhances food security, but its impact is uneven across seasons and ethnic groups, reflecting the complex interactions between ecological conditions, market integration, and cultural practices. These findings highlight the importance of forest quality, local culture, and seasonal dynamics in shaping food security. We argue for policies that integrate forest conservation with culturally informed strategies to enhance food and nutritional outcomes in Amazonian communities.</p>