How to Eat Dragon Fruit

Co-authored by Ed Kuoha

Dragon fruit has leathery, bright red skin and sweet, kiwi-like flesh. It's part of the cactus family, and is high in fiber, vitamin C and B vitamins. You can cut it in half, and eat it with a spoon, or cut it into cubes and grill it. Alternatively, you can toss it into a blender with some yogurt, and make a smoothie. Read on for more tasty ways to enjoy dragon fruit.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Preparing Dragon Fruit

1
Find dragon fruit. The hardest part of eating dragon fruit might be finding it first, depending on where you live. It is commonly sold in Asia, but is less available in the US and Europe. If your local grocery store does not stock dragon fruit, check Asian markets in your area.^{[1]
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2
Select ripe fruit. Dragon fruit should be bright red or pink. Like a kiwi or a peach, it tastes best when it's fully ripe.^{[2]
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- Press the flesh of the dragon fruit. If it has a little give, it is probably ripe. If it is too soft, that means it is overripe, and the texture will not be as good. If it is hard, give it a few days before you eat it.^{[3]
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  Ed Kuoha
  Chef
  Expert Interview. 9 November 2021.}
- Avoid fruit that has dark blotches or bruises, brown dry spots, or dry spines.
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3
Cut the dragon fruit in half.^{[4]
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Expert Source

Ed Kuoha
Chef
Expert Interview. 9 November 2021.} Use a sharp knife to slice right through it. You will find bright white flesh that looks similar to a kiwi inside, with tiny black seeds distributed throughout the fruit.
4
Scoop out the flesh with a spoon.^{[5]
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Ed Kuoha
Chef
Expert Interview. 9 November 2021.} Run a spoon along the edges of the skin and then scoop underneath to loosen the flesh. If the fruit is ripe, is should separate easily from the skin.^{[6]
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5
Eat the dragon fruit. Spoon it directly into your mouth, cut it up into quarters like an apple, or use it in one of the recipes below.You can also cut it into fifths and create a really cool pattern.
- Dragon fruit tastes especially delicious cold. Consider refrigerating your dragon fruit.
- Avoid eating the dragon fruit skin. It has an unpleasant taste and is generally considered to be inedible.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Making Dragon Fruit Kebabs

1
Soak some wooden skewers. You will need one skewer for each kebab. Soak as many as you need in a bowl of water for ten minutes. This will prevent the wood from charring when you grill the kebabs.^{[7]
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- If you prefer to use metal skewers, those will also work fine. They do not need to be soaked.
2
Light a grill. Fruit kebabs should be grilled over even, medium-high heat. Use an electric or charcoal grill.
- A stovetop grill will also work will for grilling kebabs.
- If you don't have a grill, the kebabs can be cooked under the broiler in your oven. Light it to high in preparation for cooking the kebabs.
3
Prepare the fruit. Dragon fruit pairs well with any type of tropical fruit. For these kebabs, try mango and pineapple.^{[8]
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- Cut a ripe dragon fruit in half. Scoop out the flesh and slice it into bite-sized chunks.
- Cut a ripe mango in half. Remove the skin and slice it into bite-sized chunks.
- Cut a pineapple in half. Slice off the skin and then slice the flesh into bite-sized chunks.
4
Thread the fruit onto the skewers. Alternate fruits so you have equal amounts of each fruit on the skewers. Leave space on either end for lifting the kebabs.
5
Lay the kebabs on the grill. Cook them until they are lightly browned on one side, then turn them over to cook the other side.
- If you're using a broiler, place them on a baking sheet and put them in the oven. Allow them to cook for 2 minutes, then remove them from the oven, turn them over, and place them back in the oven to cook for another 2 minutes.
6
Remove the kebabs from heat. Place them on a serving dish and serve immediately with a bowl of sugar for sprinkling.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Making Dragon Fruit Smoothies

1
Prepare the fruit. Dragon fruit pairs well with bananas, berries, and any other fruit you like to eat with smoothies.^{[9]
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- Cut the dragon fruit in half. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon, then dice it.
- Peel a banana. Slice it into pieces.
- Wash a pint of blueberries.
2
Choose a base. Dragon fruit has a creamy flesh that tastes delicious paired with a creamy base. Choose from the following:^{[10]
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- Yogurt, or Greek yogurt, plain or your favorite flavor.
- Milk - whole, partial fat, or skim, according to your preference.
- Soy milk, plain or your favorite flavor.
- Nut milk, such as almond or cashew milk.
3
Consider adding extras. If you like your smoothies extra sweet and flavorful, choose from these additional ingredients:
- Apple or grape juice.
- A few spoonfuls of sugar, syrup or honey.
- Peanut butter or almond butter.
4
Add the ingredients to a blender. Throw in the dragon fruit, banana, and blueberries. Top with a cup of your chosen base and a few spoonfuls of any extra sweetener or nut butter you'd like.
5
Blend the ingredients. Use the "pulse" function on your blender to blend the ingredients until smooth.
- If the smoothie seems too thick, add a little milk, juice, or water to thin it out.
- If you want a thicker smoothie, add some instant oatmeal.
6
Pour into glasses and serve. Drink the smoothie with a straw, or if you made it extra thick, eat it with a spoon.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Making Dragon Fruit Sorbet

1
Process 2 dragon fruits. Cut them in half and scoop out the flesh from both sides. Chop the flesh into chunks.^{[11]
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- The pretty dragon fruit skin makes an excellent serving dish for sorbet. Save the halves in your freezer if you wish to serve the sorbet in them.
2
Blend the dragon fruit with other sorbet ingredients. Place the dragon fruit in a blender with ¾ cup water, 2 Tablespoons sugar, and 1 tablespoon (14.8 ml) lemon juice. Pulse until the ingredients are smooth.
3
Pour the mixture into an ice cream freezer. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to freeze the sorbet.
- If you don't have an ice cream freezer, you can still make sorbet by following these directions:
  - Pour the sorbet mixture into a baking dish. Cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer.
  - After 2 hours, the mixture should be partially frozen. Use a spoon to stir it thoroughly, then cover it and place it back in the freezer.
  - Continue stirring the sorbet every two hours over 8 hours.
  - After 8 hours, allow the sorbet to freeze solid overnight.
4
Spoon the sorbet into the dragon fruit halves. Serve with angel food cake, pound cake or another light pastry.

Expert Q&A

Question

How do you properly cut a dragon fruit?

Ed Kuoha
Chef
Ed Kuoha is a Chef and the Owner of Kuoha Culinary based in Aiea, Hawaii. He has more than 20 years of experience in various culinary kitchens and settings such as Morimoto Waikiki, where he received hands-on training from Iron Chef Morimoto. Chef Ed specializes in small catering events and private chef requests. He holds an Associate’s degree from The Culinary Institute of the Pacific at Kapiolani Community College.

Ed Kuoha

Chef

Expert Answer

There's no right or wrong answer here. There's lots of variation! For example, you could cut it like a papaya, cutting off the tips and opening it in half, scooping the inside to eat. Or, you could stand it up and cut it little by little around the sides, turning it so you have only the inner dragon fruit.
Question

Does it set well adding it to Jello?

Community Answer

Yes! It works great. I highly recommend using strawberry Jello.
Question

Do we wrap it into a bag or something or do we just leave it out and freeze it?

Community Answer

To avoid freezer burn, you should always cover anything you freeze, including dragonfruit.

Warnings

If you find dragon fruit that is damaged, it's best not to eat it. Even if it doesn't make you sick, it won't taste nice.

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