Dragon fruit, once considered a rare and and somewhat exotic form of produce, is pretty easy to get these days. An ever-increasing number of grocery stores carry them, and rightly so—they taste amazing, and they’re mega-healthy, too. But this gorgeous, nutrient-packed fruit can sometimes be complicated to consume. Here are some tips on how to eat dragon fruit, along with ways you can pick the best, most delicious one.
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What Is Dragon Fruit?
Dragon fruit is a tropical fruit native to southern Mexico and Central America. While they might look like a melon because of their size (growing to be up to a pound), they actually fall into the berry family. Something else that adds to their mystique? They grow on huge cacti that flower overnight, and the flowers from the cacti “burn off” in the sun.
The dragon fruit (also known as pitaya, pitahaya, and strawberry pear) is one of the prettiest types of produce. It has a hard, leathery skin with spikes and, well, kind of looks like what you might imagine dragon skin looks like. Their bright pink skins with shades of green and white interiors patterned with black seed polka dots are a stunning gift to the world of #wellness (and Instagram-ready food photography).
Dragon Fruit Taste
If you like pears and kiwis, you’re in luck, as many people describe dragon fruit as having a taste that’s similar to a combination of those two fruits, with a hint of citrus. Additionally, the flesh of ripe dragon fruit—aka the yummy, edible portion—is slightly sweet and refreshing and has a texture similar to that of a ripe kiwi. However, if the dragon fruit isn’t ripe yet, the flesh will be harder and have little to no flavor.
How to Choose a Dragon Fruit
You can find dragon fruit year-round, but their peak season is summertime through early fall. To pick one that’s perfectly ripe and sweet, look for bright, evenly-colored pink skin. A few blemishes on the exterior are OK, but dragon fruit with lots of funky-colored marks on the flesh may be overripe. The skin should be a bit soft and tender when you press it with your thumb, but not mushy. If it still feels firm, allow it to ripen a couple more days.
Though dragon fruit was once difficult to find in the U.S., you can now locate the fruit in many supermarkets across the country. Target sells frozen dragon fruit chunks that are ideal for smoothies, whereas Whole Foods, Walmart, and Amazon sell whole, fresh dragon fruits.
As with other fruits, keep these out at room temperature for several days as long as they’re uncut. Once cut, eat your dragon fruit immediately or store it in the fridge for a day or so until it begins to brown. If you’d like to slow the ripening of uncut dragon fruit, store it in the fridge inside a plastic bag (to keep it from absorbing flavors and odors from other foods).
A dragon fruit is ripe when the skin is bright and smooth and has minimal blemishes. It should also give slightly when you apply pressure with your fingertips, without being too soft or mushy.
How to Eat a Dragon Fruit
They may look intimidating, but this fruit is super easy to eat:
- Lay it on a cutting board and slice it length-wise down the middle with a sharp knife.
- To remove the inedible skin from the sweet insides, run a small spoon around the interior circumference of each side’s skin to separate them.
Alternatively, you can use your knife to peel it, but this prevents you from saving the pretty and intact “bowl” of pink peel for serving. Once the skin’s removed, you can dice your dragon fruit or use a melon baller to make little spheres of it. Or eat the flesh right out of the skin using a spoon.
Ways to Enjoy More Dragon Fruit
Believe it or not, you can enjoy dragon fruit the same way you would enjoy many other fruits.
Breakfast
For breakfast, toss it in a blender (along with a few other ingredients) to create a dragon fruit smoothie, or throw in some bold dragon fruit slices as part of a vibrant tropical fruit salad. You could even put them on plain or vanilla yogurt if you’re looking for a hint of sweetness without a whole fruit salad.
Dragon fruit can also be used as a delicious base for smoothie bowls. Just freeze the flesh in chunks and toss it into a blender with some banana pieces and coconut water. You can also eat diced dragon fruit on top of Greek yogurt with macadamia nuts or toasted almonds.
Lunch and Dinner
For an entrée, add a few chunks of dragon fruit to a salad. Their mild flavor goes well in salads that call for pear or apples. You can even add dragon fruit to a charcuterie board, as its flavor complements bolder cheeses like sharp cheddars, blue cheeses, and goat cheese.
If you’re ready to really experiment with dragon fruit, use it to make granita, or flavor a salsa that’s perfect for chips and tacos! Or serve it alongside mahi-mahi (it pairs perfectly with fish). Any dish you might eat with mango, pineapple, or another tropical fruit is fair game.
Dessert
You can incorporate fruit of almost any kind into desserts. Dragon fruit works great as an ice cream topper, a cheesecake topper, or even on its own as a light ending to a meal. You could even turn it into a sorbet if you’re feeling industrious.
Dragon Fruit Nutrition and Benefits
Dragon fruit is super healthy—it acts as an anti-inflammatory and contains a decent amount of iron, magnesium, and heart-healthy fiber. Like many fruits, dragon fruit also contains several key nutrients, such as calcium and potassium, as well as vitamins like C and A.
Dragon fruit is also packed with vitamin B, antioxidants, and flavonoids, which boost your immune system by increasing white blood cell production. The omega-3 and omega-9 fatty acids that dragon fruit carries may improve cardiovascular health. Dragon fruit also has prebiotics, a plant-based fiber that helps the good bacteria in your gut thrive, which boosts overall gut health and digestion.
According to the USDA, a typical dragon fruit has about 2.3 grams of fiber, 3.2 milligrams of vitamin C, and 6.8 milligrams of calcium. A 75-gram dragon fruit is rich in folate, choline, and beta carotene, thanks to its bright hue.