23 Tropical Fruits to try in Thailand

Tropical fruit is consumed in various ways in Thailand; the most obvious is washed, peeled or sliced and eaten as a snack. However, fruits in Thailand are often also eaten in salads, hot savoury dishes, as fruit drinks and smoothies or served with a chilli, salt and sugar concoction called prik glua. 

Do not visit Thailand without trying some of the fabulous tropical fruits!

While in Thailand, you will have ample opportunity to try the delicious array of tropical fruits because it is simply everywhere! Markets and fruit carts, juice and smoothies stalls, sweet and savoury salads and with your meals. How many of the 23 have you tasted?

1. Mangosteen

Thai name – มังคุด pronounced mang-kut
Scientific name – Garcinia mangostana
Also known as – Queen of fruits, mang cut, mangostan, sementah, san zhu, mangostáno and manggis
Season – April to December

This delicious fruit is known as the national fruit of Thailand. It is sweet and juicy and can be slightly sour. Be aware that the inedible rind, a reddish-purple colour, will stain your hands and anything else it comes in contact with. We have eaten some delicious savoury salads in Thailand made with mangosteen.

2. Starfruit

Thai name –  มะเฟือง pronounced ma-fu-neug
Scientific name –  Averrhoa carambola L
Also known as – Carambola, khế, balimbing, kamaranga and Omuzabibu
Season – October to December

Starfruit, once sliced, is star-shaped, hence its name. It is one of my favourite fruits to add to a fruit salad because it looks fabulous. It has a scrumptious crunchy texture and, when ripe, is deliciously juicy.

3. Jack Fruit

Thai name –  ขนุน pronounced ka-hoon
Scientific name – Artocarpus heterophyllus
Also known as – Khanoon, nangka, langka and jaca
Season – Available all year round, best October to May

Thais consume ripe and unripe jackfruit in both sweet and savoury dishes. We have eaten some delicious jackfruit curries. It has a nice meaty texture and is perfect for vegans.

4. Langsat

Thai name –  ลองกอง
Scientific name – Lansium parasiticum
Also known as – Lanzones, Lang-sard, longkong, duku, dokong
Season –  July to October

This delicious fruit is native to Thailand and grows in clusters on trees. It is juicy and slightly tart and a little like grapes. Best eaten raw.

5. Thai White Guava

Thai name – ฝรั่ง pronounced fa-rang (means foreigner)
Scientific name – Psidium guajava
Also known as – Abas, goyavier, guabang and kautonga
Season –  Available all year round.

Thai guava is often found at food carts and eaten sliced with prik glua. The flesh, skin and seeds are all edible and often eaten like an apple. It is also good in a salad.

6. Rose Apple

Thai name – ชมพู่ pronounced chom-poo
Scientific name – Syzygium malaccense
Also known as – Malay rose apple, mountain apple, Otaheite apple, pink satin-ash, plumrose and pommerac
Season – Available all year round

This fruit is only like an apple in its appearance. It is less sweet than an apple and may have a slightly bitter aftertaste and a floral aroma. Eat when fresh.

7. Tamarind

Thai name – มะขาม pronounced ma-kaam
Scientific name – Tamarindus indica
Also known as – Imlee, imli, tamarin, tamarindo, tamarinier, tamarinier d’Inde and tintiri.
Season – Harvested from November to January

The brown pod fruits contain a sweet, sour pulp. The pulp is used in cooking in Thailand. Our favourite way of consuming tamarind is as a sauce on deep-fried fish. Click here for my recipe for Thai-style fish with tamarind sauce.

8. Snake Fruit

Thai name – สละ pronounced sa-la
Scientific name – Salacca zalacca
Also known as – zalacca, salak, ra kam, rakam, rakum, kumbar and salak rengam
Season – Available all year round

Snake fruit is named such because of the texture of the skin. Only the flesh is edible; skin and seeds are not. The fruit is about the size of a fig, and the flesh has a moist crunchy consistency. It can taste a little acidic and sweet.

9. Logan

Thai name – ลำไย pronounced lam-yai
Scientific name – Dimocarpus longan
Also known as – Longanberry
Season – June to August

Logans are Dwayne’s favourite. They are similar to lychees, with a bark-like shell and a hard round seed, which you do not eat. The flesh is sweet, juicy, and succulent.

10. Dragonfruit

Thai name – แก้วมังกร pronounced gao-mung-gorn
Scientific name – Selenicereus undatus
Also known as – Pitahaya, or pitaya
Season – Available all year round

Dragonfruit is one of my favourites. In Thailand, the fruit’s skin is pink (I have seen yellow in Hong Kong), and the edible internal flesh is either pink or white with many little edible black seeds. This fruit is often served on fruit platters or as juice and smoothies. I made a delicious cocktail with pink dragonfruit; get my recipe here.

11. Papaya

Thai name – มะละกอ pronounced ma-la-kaw
Scientific name – Carica papaya
Also known as – Papaw or pawpaw
Season – Available all year round

Papaya is another of Dwayne’s favourites. This fruit is widely used in Thailand and is thus one of the most important crops. It is eaten fresh or used in juices and smoothies. Green papayas are used in salads or sliced and served with prik glua. We often make green papaya salads (Som Tam) get my recipe here.

12. Custard Apple

Thai name – น้อยหน่า pronounced noi-na
Scientific name – Annona cherimoya
Also known as – Sugar apple and bullock’s-heart
Season – June to September

Only eat the flesh of the custard apple. It is moist and super sweet. Best eaten fresh.

13. Durian

Thai name – ทุเรียน pronouced tu-ree-an
Scientific name – Durio zibethinus
Also known as – The king of fruits
Season – April to August

Eat fresh or cooked, made into sweets and smoothies. You either like it or hate it. Dwayne likes it, and I hate it. It has a powerful odour and is an acquired taste.

14. Rambutan

Thai name – เงาะ pronounced noor
Scientific name – Nephelium lappaceum
Also known as – chôm chôm (Vietnam – meaning messy hair), rambotan or rambustan
Season – April to September

The word rambutan comes from the Malay word rambut meaning ‘hair’ due to their hairy appearance. They are native to Southeast Asia and similar to the lychee, but not as sweet. They are eaten raw and used in juices and smoothies.

15. Pomelo

Thai name – ส้มโอ pronounced som-o
Scientific name – Citrus maxima
Also known as – Pummelo, pommelo, haddock, jabong, jambola and bhogate
Season – All year round but best from August to October

This fruit is native to Southeast Asia and is similar to a grapefruit. They are big, and you can often get them already segmented at fruit stalls. We have also eaten savoury pomelo salads in Thai restaurants.

16. Thai Tangerine

Thai name – ส้มบางมด pronounced bang-mod
Scientific name – Citrus reticulata
Also known as – Bang Mot and mandarin orange
Season – September to February

They have green to green/orange skin with juicy orange flesh on the inside. They are easy to peel and very sweet. The fruit is eaten raw and served at street carts as juice.

17. Sapodilla

Thai name – ละมุด pronounced la-muud
Scientific name – Manilkara zapota
Also known as – Chiku, chico, dilly, lomut, naseberry, nispero, sapoti, zapote, and zapotillo
Season – September to December

Peel the fruit and remove the seeds; only the flesh is edible. Sapodilla can be peeled and eaten like an apple or cut in half, and the flesh scooped out with a spoon. It has a sweet malty flavour. Only eat when they are ripe.

18. Lychee

 
Thai name – ลิ้นจี่ pronounced lin-chee
Scientific name – Litchi chinensis
Also known as – litchi, lichee nut
Season – April to June

Lychees are eaten raw, as juice & sweets or served in savoury dishes such as red curry. Only the flesh of the lychee is edible; discard the skin and seed. Lychees are sweet, a little like a grape. They can have a slightly floral aroma.

19. Coconut

Thai name – มะพร้าว pronounced ma-prow
Scientific name – Cocos nucifera
Also known as – Kelapa, niu vai and niyog
Season –  Available all year in Thailand

Yes, coconuts are fruits, and you find them in abundance in Thailand. You will find coconut shakes and coconut water at street stalls. If you drink from the coconut and want to eat the flesh inside, most stall owners will cut the coconut for you and even provide a spoon if asked.

20. Mango

Thai name – มะม่วง pronounced ma-muang
Scientific name – Mangifera indica
Also known as – Aam, mangga and mangue
Season – March to June

Nam Doc Mai is the most popular species of mango in Thailand. The Thai use ripe and unripe fruit in both sweet and savoury dishes. Fruit stalls often sell juices and smoothies, and salads. Ripe mango is soft and sweet, while green mango is crunchy and tart. Click here for my mango salad recipe.

21. Banana

Thai name – Kl̂wy n̂ảŵā pronounced loo-way nam-waa
Scientific name – Musa acuminata x balbisiana
Also known as – Plátano, pisang, saving, chuoi xiem and kluai nam wa
Season – All year in Thailand

There are over 50 species of banana grown in Thailand. Gluay naam waa is the most popular banana and one of our favourites. They are short, plump bananas with thin skin. The skin of a ripe Thai banana is almost black. Banana smoothies are popular in Thailand, and we love banana roti. The Thai use many parts of the banana plant in cooking. The banana and the banana flower in sweet and savoury food, and the leaf to wrap, cook and serve food. Have a look at my banana flower salad recipe.

22. Watermelon

Thai name – แตงโม pronounced teng-mor
Scientific name – Citrullus lanatus
Also known as – Semangka, tembikai, pakwan and sandía
Season – All year in Thailand

Watermelons are not strictly tropical fruit, as they can grow in temperate areas. However, they need temperatures higher than 25 °C (77 °F) to thrive and thus grow all year round in Thailand. You will see watermelon on fruit platters, juices and smoothies.

23. Pineapple

Thai name – สับปะรด pronounced sap-a-rot
Scientific name – Ananas comosus
Also known as – Piña, nanas and pinya
Season – Available all year in Thailand

You will find pineapple everywhere in Thailand – at roadside stalls, on your fruit platters, in juices and smoothies and, of course, pineapple fried rice.

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