Your ultimate guide to tropical fruits

From juicy, sweet mangoes to tangy passionfruit, we’re celebrating the best of the tropics with this sun-filled guide to tropical fruits, with plenty of vibrant recipes to put them to good use.

Food Editor

Malou Herkes

What are tropical fruits?

From bananas and mangoes to papayas and pineapples, tropical fruits thrive in warm, humid climates near the equator, from Southeast Asia to Central and South America to the Caribbean. Unlike the UK, these regions experience little to no frost, with temperatures generally above 18ºC, and lots of rainfall, too. Tropical fruits are often bright in colour, with intensely sweet and sour flavours and textures that range from buttery sweet to crunchy and fresh.

Fresh fruit in store

What types of tropical fruits are there?

There are so many types of tropical fruits to try. Some you’ve probably heard of, like mangoes, pineapples and bananas, and others you may not have. Have you tried fruits like mangosteens and rambutans? Since they're available in our Foodhall, it's time to give them a go.

Mango – With a buttery, sweet flavour and golden, juicy flesh, mangoes are a natural source of Vitamin C.

Banana – An everyday staple, bananas grow in so many sizes and flavours. Unlike the seedless ones we usually eat, some wild varieties actually have seeds inside.

Passion fruit – Native to South America, passion fruits have a tangy-sweet pulp and crunchy seeds inside a hard, purple exterior.

Mangosteen – A soft, juicy, sweet and tangy fruit, mangosteens taste a bit like a cross between a peach and a strawberry, with a hint of citrus.

Rambutan – Native to Southeast Asia, rambutan is closely related to the lychee fruit, with a flavour that’s sweet, creamy and slightly acidic, with a subtle floral undertone.

Star fruit – A refreshing, floral fruit with a high water content and distinctive star shape.

Pineapple – Known for its spiky exterior and sweet, tangy flesh, pineapples grow from the centre of a leafy plant, and are rich in Vitamin C.

Dragon fruit – With a spiky pink or yellow skin and a speckled white or red flesh, filled with tiny black seeds, dragon fruit has a mildly sweet flavour, often described as a cross between a kiwi and a pear.

Papaya – With a buttery texture and sweet musky flavour, ripe papaya will enrich your smoothies and salads. In Thailand, green (unripe) papayas are often used to make savoury dishes, like Thai green papaya salads.

Best ways to eat tropical fruit

Tropical fruits lend their bold flavour to all sorts of desserts, puddings and drinks – blitz them into smoothies, chop them into fruit salads, or pile them onto creamy desserts.

1. Thai-style coconut rice pudding

Coconut rice pudding is a traditional Thai dessert or breakfast, made with glutinous rice, coconut milk and sugar. This is a take on those puddings, topped with buttery mangoes, tangy-sweet passion fruit and toasted desiccated coconut.

Thai-style coconut rice pudding

2. Totally tropical pineapple carpaccio

The simplest of desserts and a fantastic palette cleanser, this is a true celebration of tropical pineapples. Using a sharp knife, slice the pineapple as thinly as possible into rounds, then arrange on a platter, topped with citrus, fiery chilli, cooling mint and sweet honey.

Tropical pineapple carpaccio

3. Fantastically fruity salads

Chop, slice and scoop your way to an old-school fruit salad with a twist. An easy way to enjoy a mix of both tropical and local fruits, this vibrant fruit salad recipe is a colourful combination of juicy, sweet tropical mango and other vibrant fruits, like Yellow Flesh Watermelon, sun-ripened peaches and zingy Mandagold Mandarins. Swap in any tropical fruits you have to hand.

Tropical fuit salad recipe

4. Vibrant cocktails

Tropical fruits lend themselves well to vibrant, bright-flavoured cocktails. Sip on a sophisticated passion fruit martini with vanilla vodka, fresh passion fruit and lime, topped up with prosecco or go with this Halloween-inspired spiced rum and pineapple punch – a grown up treat for the adults to enjoy.

More cocktail recipes

5. Creamy cheesecakes, pavlovas, and more

Bright mango and tangy passion fruit work brilliantly with creamy textures. Combine them on top of this no-bake mango and passion fruit cheesecake or super summery mango and passion fruit pavlova – beautiful desserts that taste as good as they look.

Mango and passion fruit cheesecake

6. Smoothies and fro-yos

Mangoes and bananas freeze really well, so chop them up and pop them in the freezer next time you have a surplus. The best part? You'll be minutes away from this mango and banana smoothie or tropical mango and lime fro-yo puds.

Make this smoothie

Published 8.28.2025