Follow image links from this list of fruits that grow in the Australian tropics to learn more about them.
Discover how to grow them, how to know when they are ripe and ready to eat, which are suitable for cooking, for making fruit smoothies or icecream - and when 'enough is enough'!
Many people are looking for information about fruit nutrition so there are general guidelines about that as well as specific tables in some instances.
Tropical fruit is delicious and packed with antioxidants but some do have drawbacks when eaten to excess, so eat them as fresh as possible and as part of a balanced diet, keeping in mind that it is fructose that gives them their delectable sweetness.
This list of fruits is a work in progress and only images with an asterisk * against their names link to information pages.
*Mango |
*Banana |
*Pawpaw (papaya) |
*Pineapple |
*Mangosteen |
Custard Apple |
*Lychee | |
*Longan |
*Black Sapote |
*Dragon Fruit (Pitaya) |
Miracle Fruit |
*Soursop |
Abiu |
Canistel |
Jakfruit |
Durian |
Granadilla |
*Carambola |
Breadfruit |
*Cacao |
*Coffee |
![]() Rambutan |
Star Apple |
Although the fruits listed above grow best in the hot, wet, coastal regions some, mangoes for example, also grow in drier or cooler areas, such as on the Atherton Tablelands near Cairns, inland areas of the Northern Territory and Western Australia and in sub-tropical regions.
This fruit list is but a sample of the huge variety grown in the Australian tropics, at various times of the year. In addition, there are fruits such as tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkin, avocado and corn, that have been listed with vegetables on this website, as that is how they are used (mostly in savoury dishes or raw in salads).
Some tropical fruit gives just the right touch to salads, too - for instance, juicy pawpaw cubes are so refreshing when added to a mixed salad, lime juice makes a perfect dressing ingredient or when squeezed over lightly grilled fish.
If you would like information about tropical fruits that have not been listed here please let us know and we will do our best to answer your queries.
As with the list of vegetables, nuts and spices, we will soon be uploading fruit based recipes for you to try - and will also be delighted to hear about your own favourites, whether they are your own invention or perhaps recipes handed down from your great-grandmother.
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