Exotic Asian fruits to try:

Trying out new exotic fruits isn’t just good for your health, but it’s also fun to try new things. Here are a few of my favorite exotic asian fruits to try!

Several of these fruits cultivated in South Asia, the Caribbean, and China are high in antioxidants, vitamin C, B vitamins, fiber, and other nutrients that aid in the development of a healthy immune system.

These are some amazing exotic fruits to try, with bright colors, distinctive shapes, and a fascinating variety of flavors.

Asian Pear

two whole asian pears, one pear cut in chunks

Asian pears have a round top-dimpled structure, similar to an apple. Their skin can be silky or spotty, and their hue can range from yellow to dark brown. They have a pear-like flavor instead of an apple flavoring. They have a rather acidic, sweet, flowery flavor than just an apple. Eat the asian pear raw and whole like you would a conventional pear or apple, leaving the seeds and core behind. You can also slice it up like apple as a freshening after-dinner treat.

Buy A Case of Freeze Dried Asian Pear

Dragon Fruit

cut red and yellow dragon fruit on cutting board

With strong green scales, there seem to be magnificent bright red, yellow or purple-skinned types. The fruit is pear-shaped, oval, or elliptical. The white or crimson fruit flesh is flecked with delicious black seeds. The flesh has a mildly sweet flavor with a touch of acidity to it. The meat can be eaten whole or sliced into little pieces and served to salads, smoothies, or fruit bowls. 

Buy Fresh Dragon Fruit at Whole Foods

Buy Frozen Dragon Fruit at Whole Foods

Yellow Dragon Fruit

Durian

whole durian, sections of durian fruit on white plate

The fruit has the appearance of a long sea urchin. The interior flesh is sweet and creamy, with little fluid. It has a gummy texture. Several people despise the flavor, whereas others enjoy it. It’s possible to consume it fresh or fried. It goes well with rice dishes as well as desserts like ice cream, smoothies, and cheesecakes.

Durian Fruit Benefits

Goji Berries

dried goji berries in wooden bowl

Goji berries are small red fruits. They are tasty and flavorful. Powdered or dried versions of these berries are commonly available. They’re also found in a variety of superfruit powders and beverage blends.

Buy Dried Goji Berries at Whole Foods

Health Benefits of Goji Berries

Guava

pile of guava, one cut in half

Guava is a tropical fruit with a circular to pear-shaped form and a diameter of roughly 3 inches. Many microscopic hard seeds can be found in the pulp. The meat is pink and the skin is yellow. The fruit can even have a musty, unpleasant odor, as well as a sweet pulp that several people dislike. Because guavas have a high pectin content, they help to harden the ingredients when added to sweets. They’re delicious when preserved and used as a spread over pastries and bread. 

Buy Guava Nectar at Whole Foods

Buy Guava Jam at Whole Foods

Red Guava (Guayaba)

Yellow Guava

White Guava

Jackfruit 

pieces of jackfruit in a bowl

A jackfruit is comparable in size to a huge watermelon. It is just the world’s largest tree fruit, measuring up to 100 pounds. It has a powerful musky odor and a taste similar to Juicy Fruit gum when it is ripe. Fresh ripe jackfruit is delicious, and it can also be used in ice cream and pastries. When jackfruit is still green, it can be ripped apart and used as a replacement for chicken, pork, or in other veggie main dishes. 

Buy Fresh Jackfruit at Whole Foods

Buy Frozen Jackfruit at Whole Foods

Get Dried Jackfruit at Whole Foods

More About Ripe Jackfruit

How To Tell If Jackfruit Is Ripe?

Kumquat

Kumquats are little, diminutive fruits that resemble oranges. The peel is a vivid orange color and is delicious. They have a tart flavor that is slightly sweet but extremely strong. They make great preserves and provide beverages and desserts with a wonderful sour flavor.

More About Kumquat

Kumquat Marmalade

Langsat

pile of langsat, one open

The elliptical Langsat fruit has a thick greyish-yellow covering. They look like potatoes, but they peel apart like a mandarin orange. The fruit has an acidic, sour, and sweet flavor that is slightly and juicy creamy. The flesh has a sticky texture to it.                                               

Loquat

branch of loquat fruit

Loquat fruits are one to two inches long and grow in circular clusters. They have clear skin that is orange or yellow but can also be crimson or deep pink. When completely mature, loquats are slightly acidic with citrus overtones. Loquats are wonderful when cooked into cakes, pies, or cobblers. Salad dressings and smoothies are also delicious with them.

More About Loquat

Loquat Tea

Loquat Cheesecake

Longan

longan cut in half close up with whole longan in background

The flesh of the longan is translucent, and the seeds are huge black round seeds with white patches. The flesh smells musky and has a sweet taste like lychee fruit. Fresh, canned, or dried longan are all options. Jellies, desserts, salads, and smoothies can all benefit from it.

Buy Dried Longan on Amazon

Lotus Fruit

Lotus blooms are pink or white and grow in shallow water. The seeds, which resemble peas, can also be eaten. The tubers and stems of the Lotus plant have a mild, mildly sweet flavor. The seeds have a delightful flavor.                                               

Lychee

wooden overflowing bowl of lychee, one open

Lychee’s skin is pink or red. Small pointy protuberances cover the flesh, which is rough-textured. They resemble sweet gum tree seed pods, but with longer soft spikes. Lychee has a pleasant flavor that is similar to a cross between a strawberry and a watermelon, and is very similar to the aforementioned longan fruit. It is delicious in juices, frozen desserts, or on its own.

Buy Canned Lychee on Amazon

Mango

whole mango and half mango cut in cubes

Mangos are fruits that are oval, circular, or kidney-shaped. They can be different in size, from plum-like to five-pound fruit. Colors range from red and yellow to drab green. The flesh is pale orange and has a pit in the middle. Mangos are highly juicy and have a peach-like feel. They have a buttery flavor and are quite sweet.

Buy Red Mango at Whole Foods

Buy Dried Mango on Amazon

How to Eat Mango?

Mango Juice

Mango Lemonade

Mangosteen

mangosteen cut in half on cutting board, background with bowl of mangosteen

Mangosteen fruit is spherical with a flattened end and the size of a little orange. The rind is a vivid purple-reddish color. The fruit has a tangy and sweet flavor, although it’s a little fibrous.

Buy Mangosteen Powder on Amazon

All About Mangosteen

Noni

pile of noni, one cut in half

Noni might be green, yellowish, white, or maybe even a milky translucent tint. Their skin resembles that of an amphibian and is covered in rough, wart-like growths. The flavor of fresh noni is acidic and sour with a. “ripened cheese” undertone. It has a fish sauce-like flavor when fully mature. For this reason, it is more commonly consumed for health benefits, rather than for pleasure. Read about Noni’s Amazing Health Benefits. 

Buy Noni Juice on Amazon

Passion Fruit

varieties of passion fruit, one cut in half

The passion fruit is three inches in diameter and spherical. It has a thick, heavy rind. Sacs loaded with orange-colored liquid and little crunchy seeds can be found in the flesh. The flavor of passion fruit is fruity and acidic at the same time. The fruit is edible uncooked. Sauces, salad dressings, tarts, and sweets can all be made using it. 

Buy Frozen Passion Fruit at Whole Foods

Buy Fresh Passion Fruit at Whole Foods

Yellow Passion Fruit

Persimmon

pile of persimmons

Persimmon trees have been cultivated for their delicious fruit and gorgeous wood for centuries. Persimmons, with orange-colored fruits, are famous for their sweet, honey-like flavor. While there are hundreds of variations, the Fuyu (pictured) and Hachiya are two of the most famous.

Buy Dried Persimmon on Amazon

Fuyu Persimmon

Persimmon Bread

Banana Persimmon Muffins

Persimmon Smoothie

Pomelo

pomelo splitting into sections

Pomelo is a huge citrus fruit that looks and tastes like grapefruit. The rind is greenish to yellowish. The flesh is either creamy white or pink. The pith of this citrus fruit is deeper than that of most others. Pomelo has a similar flavor to grapefruit, but with much less bitterness.

Florida Pomelo

Pulasan

close up of half peeled pulasan

Although pulasan and rambutan have a similar appearance, they are not the same fruit. The skin of a pulasan is thick and leathery, featuring short, blunt spikes on the outside. The exterior skin is a combination of purple and green. A white-yellow orb appears inside the flesh when peeled. The flesh is rich and creamy, with the same sour and sweet mix as a rambutan, but it is sweeter.

Rambutan

rambutan half peeled on wood

Rambutan is ripe when it turns orange, yellow, or red. It’s skin has black spines that look like hair. In it is a white ball of luscious flesh with a seed in the middle. The flesh has a sweet flavor when peeled. Salads, ice cream, and juice can all benefit from the sweetness of the flesh.

Rambutan Nutrition and Benefits

How to Cut Rambutan?

Rose Apple

otaheite apple rose apple on wood

Rose apples would be most closely related to guavas, and while there are several species, the most widely consumed form is Syzygium Jambos. The plant is native to South Asia, and it has become popular as an ornamental plant all over the world.

More about Rose Apple (or Otaheite Apple).

Santol

three santol, one cut in half

The fruit, Santol, is commonly consumed in the Philippines. It  looks similar to mangosteen, but has a more sour flavor. It is really difficult to harvest these fruits. The people of the Philippines need to climb on a tall tree of Santol fruit and use sharp edge wooden sticks to cut them down from the branches. The main thing is to grab them to avoid free fall and waste of fruit.

Sapodilla

naseberry sapodilla cut in half on cutting board

When mature, the sapodilla is structured like a chicken egg and has a rough, brown exterior. The inside of the fruit is a gritty golden fruit. The fruit is delicate, sweet, and juicy when fully mature, similar to a pear. After removing the peel and seeds, the fruit can be eaten raw. Salads, pies, sauces, syrups, and other baked items all benefit from it.

Buy Sapodilla Powder from Amazon

More About Sapodilla (Naseberry)

Sapodilla Cake

Snake Fruit

three salak, one partially skinned

Snake fruit is about the same size as a fig. The tough skin is dark brown and has the look of snake scales when grown. It has the spiky texture of a cactus. The flesh on the inside is creamy white and is separated into three lobes. The seeds are not harmful. The flesh of the fleshy fruit is sweeter than honey with a hint of sourness, similar to that of a pineapple.                                   

Soursop

cut soursop on metal platter

The fruit of the soursop, also known as guanabana, is round and has spiky green skin. It’s eight inches long on typical and can weigh up to ten pounds. The flavor of soursop is similar to that of an apple and strawberries, with a tinge of citrus. Soursop is a pleasant fruit juice that goes well with smoothies.  

Buy 100% Soursop Juice from Amazon

Benefit of Soursop

Soursop Juice

Starfruit

two whole star fruit and a few slices on wood

The star fruit can be yellowish or greenish. Once cut, the fruit is three to four inches long and has the appearance of a five-pointed star. The surface is hard and clean. Larger fruit is sweeter than a smaller fruit, which is a little sour. Fresh star fruit is delicious in salads and smoothies.

Buy Starfruit at Whole Foods

More About Starfruit

Starfruit Juice

Sugar Apple

two sweetsop, one cut in half, on tree stump

Sugar apples have white or reddish-yellow flesh and a green or slightly yellow quilted exterior. Once ripe, the fruit is divided and tends to pull apart. The sugar apple is known by various names; in some stores, it is referred to as sweetsop. The meat has a custard-like flavor.                                       

Tamarillo

two tomatillo, one cut in half

Tamarillo is an oval-shaped plant that develops to be around two to four inches long. It has shiny, perfect skin. It comes in a wide range of colors. The flesh is brilliant orange to pale yellow in color and includes delicious black seeds. The bitter-tasting outer skin was peeled away. Like guava or kiwifruit, the flesh is tart and faintly sweet.                                              

Tamarind

tamarind pods, one cracked

The delicious, pod-like fruit of the tamarind tree is widely utilized in cuisines all over the world. The pulp of the apple is luscious and delicious. Whenever the flesh turns reddish-brown, it’s ready to eat. Asia’s tamarinds contain larger pods that carry six to twelve seeds. The seeds are shiny dark and slightly curved. The tamarind is high in B vitamins, tartaric acid, sugar, and calcium, and has a sweet and savory flavor. 

Buy Tamarind at Whole Foods

More About Tamarind

Tamarind Balls

Tamarind Juice

Yuzu

two yuzu on branch with leaves

Yuzu is a citrus fruit that resembles a hybrid between a mandarin and a lemon-orange in appearance. When fully mature, it has somewhat wrinkled skin and an orange-yellow tint. With a taste of lemon, the flavor is a mix of mandarin orange and grapefruit.                                              

Conclusion on exotic Asian fruits to try:

One of the nicest things you can do in any Asian country is sample new and interesting meals, and fruits are a terrific place to start. You will never be too far away from several of these exotic fruits thanks to the number of food stalls and food markets found throughout Asia.

More exotic fruits:

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