3 Ways To Tell If A Dragon Fruit Is Ripe - WikiHow

Home » How To Know When Dragon Fruit Is Ripe » 3 Ways To Tell If A Dragon Fruit Is Ripe - WikiHow

Maybe your like

Skip to ContentQuizzes
  • Home
  • Random
  • Browse Articles
  • Quizzes & Games
  • All QuizzesHot
  • Love Quizzes
  • Personality Quizzes
  • Fun Games
  • Dating Simulator
  • Learn Something New
  • Forums
  • Courses
  • Happiness Hub
  • Explore More
  • Support wikiHow
  • About wikiHow
  • Log in / Sign up
Terms of Use wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Learn why people trust wikiHow How to Know When a Dragon Fruit Is Ripe & Ready to Eat PDF download Download Article Pick a dragon fruit that's sweet and ripe every time Co-authored by Andrew Carberry, MPH

Last Updated: October 27, 2025 Fact Checked

PDF download Download Article
  • What to Look For in a Ripe Dragon Fruit
    • |
  • What to Feel For
    • |
  • Best Time to Harvest Dragon Fruit
    • |
  • Video
    • |
  • Expert Q&A
|Show more |Show less X

This article was co-authored by Andrew Carberry, MPH. Andrew Carberry is a Food Systems Expert and the Senior Program Associate at the Wallace Center at Winrock International in Little Rock, Arkansas. He has worked in food systems since 2008 and has experience working on farm-to-school projects, food safety programs, and working with local and state coalitions in Arkansas. He is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and holds a Masters degree in public health and nutrition from the University of Tennessee. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 707,348 times.

Dragon fruit, or pitaya, are cactus fruit that come in three types. They can have either red or yellow skin. The varieties with red skin can have white or red flesh, while the yellow-skinned variety has white flesh. For any of the three varieties, you can determine if a dragon fruit is ripe by looking at and touching the fruit before eating. If you grow your own dragon fruits, harvest your fruits at the right time to ensure ripeness.

Tips to Tell When Dragon Fruit Is Ripe or Bad

A ripe dragon fruit is red or yellow in color, with withering leaves extending off of the fruit. When squeezed slightly, the skin is soft to the touch, but not mushy. An overripe dragon fruit has dark spots all over the skin, leaves falling off of the fruit, and mushy brown flesh.

Steps

Method 1 Method 1 of 3:

Looking at a Dragon Fruit to Determine its Ripeness

PDF download Download Article
  1. Step 1 Look for dragon fruit that is red or yellow in color. 1 Look for dragon fruit that is red or yellow in color. When a dragon fruit is not ripe it will be green in color. As the fruit matures and ripens, the outer skin color changes to red or yellow, depending on the variety.[1]
    • When ripe the outer skin should be bright and even-colored. If the fruit has a lot of dark blotches on the skin, similar to bruises on an apple, then it may be overripe. A few spots, however, are normal.
  2. Step 2 Determine if the “wings” on the fruit have started to wither. 2 Determine if the “wings” on the fruit have started to wither. Dragon fruit wings are the leafy part that extend off of the fruit. When they start to dry out, turn brown, and wither, the dragon fruit is ripe and ready to be eaten. Conversely, if the wings are still colorful (ie red or yellow), that means the fruit is underripe and still needs more time to ripen.
    • Once the dragon fruit has reached the stage of ripeness where the wings start to wither, the fruit should come off the vine fairly easily with a light twist. If the fruit falls off the vine on its own, it is overripe.
    Advertisement
  3. Step 3 Cut open... 3 Cut open the dragon fruit. The inside of a dragon fruit is usually white, deep pink, or purple, depending on the variety, and contains tiny black seeds.[2] The black seeds are edible and are similar in appearance to those found in a kiwi. When ripe the inside of a dragon fruit should appear juicy yet firm in texture: like a cross between a melon and a pear.
    • When a dragon fruit is overripe the inner flesh will turn brown in color, similar to the bruised flesh of a banana. You should not eat fruit that is brown or dried out.
    4. Advertisement
Method 2 Method 2 of 3:

Touching a Dragon Fruit to See if it is Ripe

PDF download Download Article
  1. Step 1 Press the dragon fruit gently with your thumb. 1 Press the dragon fruit gently with your thumb. Hold the dragon fruit in your palm and try pressing the skin with your thumb or fingers. It should be soft, but not too mushy. If it is really mushy, then the fruit is likely overripe. If it’s very firm, it will need a few days to ripen.[3]
    • Only use this method if you are growing and harvesting your own dragon fruit. Squeezing a dragon fruit can leave the fruit bruised, which is inconsiderate to vendors and other customers in a store or market setting.
    • You can purchase or harvest a dragon fruit that is underripe and leave it out on a counter for a few days at room temperature. It will likely ripen in a couple days. Test the ripeness daily by pressing the skin.
  2. Step 2 Check for impurities or damage to the skin. 2 Check for impurities or damage to the skin. Dragon fruit can get damaged skin from rough handling and transportation mishaps. For example, if the fruit is not packaged properly during transportation, they may roll into each other. They might also become bruised from being dropped. If damaged the fruit will contain noticeable blemishes and will be much smaller and shriveled due to moisture loss.[4]
    • Check all sides of the fruit and avoid purchasing fruit that has been cracked, split open, or damaged.
  3. Step 3 Avoid fruits with dried out stems. 3 Avoid fruits with dried out stems. One sign that a dragon fruit may be overripe is a dried out stem. Touch the fruit to determine if the stem is brittle, shriveled, and dried out.
    4. Advertisement
Method 3 Method 3 of 3:

Harvesting Dragon Fruit at the Appropriate Time

PDF download Download Article
  1. Step 1 Harvest dragon fruits when they are close to fully ripe. 1 Harvest dragon fruits when they are close to fully ripe. Dragon fruits, unlike many other fruits, do not ripen as much after harvest and as a result should be harvested when they are almost fully ripe.[5]
    • Once the color of the fruit has changed from green to yellow or red, then it is ready to harvest.
    • The small leaves on the sides of the fruit (also known as the “wings”) will also start to fade or turn brown as the fruit ripens.[6]
    • You can also determine the ripeness by counting the days after the plant flowers. Typically the fruit is ripe a minimum of 27 to 33 days after the plant flowers.
    • Proper time of harvesting is four days after the color of the fruit changes. For export purpose, however, it is important to harvest slightly sooner, a day after the color changes.
  2. Step 2 Remove the thorns... 2 Remove the thorns from the fruit before picking. You can remove the thorns by using pliers, brushing them off, or with gloves. When the fruit is ripe the needles should begin to shed anyways, and as a result they should not be too difficult to remove. However, you should always wear gloves and be cautious because the needles are very sharp.[7]
  3. Step 3 Detach the dragon fruit from the vine by twisting. 3 Detach the dragon fruit from the vine by twisting. When a dragon fruit is ripe and ready to be harvested, it will detach from the plant easily by twisting a few times.[8] If you have to pull too hard on the fruit then it is likely not ready to be harvested.
    • Do not wait until the dragon fruit has fallen off the plant. This means that the fruit is overripe.
    4. Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Search Add New Question
  • Question What time of year should you eat a dragon fruit? Andrew Carberry, MPH Andrew Carberry, MPH Food Systems and Gardening Expert Andrew Carberry is a Food Systems Expert and the Senior Program Associate at the Wallace Center at Winrock International in Little Rock, Arkansas. He has worked in food systems since 2008 and has experience working on farm-to-school projects, food safety programs, and working with local and state coalitions in Arkansas. He is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and holds a Masters degree in public health and nutrition from the University of Tennessee. Andrew Carberry, MPH Andrew Carberry, MPH Food Systems and Gardening Expert Expert Answer Dragon fruit harvest is generally mid summer through early fall. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 8 Helpful 28
  • Question When should I harvest dragon fruit? Andrew Carberry, MPH Andrew Carberry, MPH Food Systems and Gardening Expert Andrew Carberry is a Food Systems Expert and the Senior Program Associate at the Wallace Center at Winrock International in Little Rock, Arkansas. He has worked in food systems since 2008 and has experience working on farm-to-school projects, food safety programs, and working with local and state coalitions in Arkansas. He is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and holds a Masters degree in public health and nutrition from the University of Tennessee. Andrew Carberry, MPH Andrew Carberry, MPH Food Systems and Gardening Expert Expert Answer Harvest your dragon fruit when the wings on the sides of the fruit begin to fade in color. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 12 Helpful 33
  • Question Is it bad if a dragon fruit leaks juice? Community Answer Community Answer If your dragon fruit it leaking juice it likely means that the skin was damaged at some point during handling and transportation. As a result the interior of the fruit may not be as juicy as normal and the fruit may be dried out. Avoid fruits that are leaking when at the grocery store or market. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 16 Helpful 33
See more answers Ask a Question 200 characters left Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Submit Advertisement

Video

Tips

Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published Name Please provide your name and last initial Submit Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

You Might Also Like

Pick Dragon FruitHow toPick Dragon Fruit Cut Dragon FruitHow to Cut and Eat a Dragon Fruit Store Dragon FruitHow toStore Dragon Fruit How toPeel a Dragon Fruit 6 Simple Ways to Tell If Passion Fruit is Ripe How toOpen a Durian Eat Dragon FruitHow toEat Dragon Fruit Tell if a Pineapple Is RipePicking the Best Pineapple & Knowing When It’s Ready to Eat Pick GrapefruitHow toPick Grapefruit Buy a Ripe PapayaHow toBuy a Ripe Papaya Tell if a Mango Is RipeIs Your Mango Ready to Eat? Easy Ways to Test Ripeness How Can You Tell If a Pineapple Is RipeDiscussionHow can you tell if a pineapple is ripe? Tell if Apples on Your Tree Are RipeHow toTell if Apples on Your Tree Are Ripe Choose a Honeydew MelonHow toChoose a Honeydew Melon Advertisement

References

  1. ↑ https://postharvest.ucdavis.edu/produce-facts-sheets/dragon-fruit
  2. ↑ https://postharvest.ucdavis.edu/produce-facts-sheets/dragon-fruit
  3. ↑ https://uwyoextension.org/uwnutrition/newsletters/exotic-dragon-fruit/
  4. ↑ https://uwyoextension.org/uwnutrition/newsletters/exotic-dragon-fruit/
  5. ↑ https://postharvest.ucdavis.edu/produce-facts-sheets/dragon-fruit
  6. ↑ https://postharvest.ucdavis.edu/produce-facts-sheets/dragon-fruit
  7. ↑ https://youtu.be/Gw7lnHjV7LM?t=20
  8. ↑ https://www.uog.edu/_resources/files/extension/publications/Dragon_Fruit.pdf

About This Article

Andrew Carberry, MPH Co-authored by: Andrew Carberry, MPH Food Systems and Gardening Expert This article was co-authored by Andrew Carberry, MPH. Andrew Carberry is a Food Systems Expert and the Senior Program Associate at the Wallace Center at Winrock International in Little Rock, Arkansas. He has worked in food systems since 2008 and has experience working on farm-to-school projects, food safety programs, and working with local and state coalitions in Arkansas. He is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and holds a Masters degree in public health and nutrition from the University of Tennessee. This article has been viewed 707,348 times. 14 votes - 93% Co-authors: 8 Updated: October 27, 2025 Views: 707,348 Categories: Harvest and Storage Article SummaryX

If you want to tell if a dragon fruit is ripe, first look for fruit that is red or yellow, since a green fruit means it’s unripe. Next, pick one in which the leafy wings coming off the fruit have started to wither and brown, because that’s a good sign that it’s ready to eat. Additionally, check that the dragon fruit is soft, but not mushy when you gently push it with your thumb. If it’s still very firm, it needs a few more days to ripen. Did this summary help you?YesNo

In other languages Spanish Italian Russian Portuguese French Indonesian Arabic Dutch Chinese Hindi Vietnamese Korean Japanese
  • Print
  • Send fan mail to authors
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 707,348 times.

Reader Success Stories

  • Virginia Hunt

    Virginia Hunt

    Oct 2, 2019

    "After reading this article, I was able to understand how to select a dragon fruit ripened and ready to eat. I just..." more
More reader stories Hide reader stories Share your story

Did this article help you?

Yes No Advertisement Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Andrew Carberry, MPH Co-authored by: Andrew Carberry, MPH Food Systems and Gardening Expert Co-authors: 8 Updated: October 27, 2025 Views: 707,348 93% of readers found this article helpful. 14 votes - 93% Click a star to add your vote Virginia Hunt

Virginia Hunt

Oct 2, 2019

"After reading this article, I was able to understand how to select a dragon fruit ripened and ready to eat. I just..." more Gloria Jacome

Gloria Jacome

Sep 9, 2018

"We have some plants with fruit, and I wanted to know what they look like when they are perfectly ripe so we can..." more Amy Whetten

Amy Whetten

Mar 10, 2017

"I just saw and purchased my first dragon fruit. It looks amazing, but I had no idea how to tell whether it might be..." more Bobbie McCray Riplie

Bobbie McCray Riplie

May 30, 2017

"I have been wanting to try dragon fruit and now I know how to tell if it's ripe. Thanks!" Kieno Cheah

Kieno Cheah

Jul 30, 2017

"It was amazing. I did not know how to tell if dragon fruits are ripe or not." Rated this article: Share yours! More success stories Hide success stories

Quizzes & Games

What Fruit Am I QuizWhat Fruit Am I QuizTake QuizWhat Veggie Am I QuizWhat Veggie Am I QuizTake QuizWhat Flower Am I QuizWhat Flower Am I QuizTake QuizWhat Time of Day Am I QuizWhat Time of Day Am I QuizTake QuizWhat Plant Am I QuizWhat Plant Am I QuizTake QuizWhat Is My Color Aura QuizWhat Is My Color Aura QuizTake Quiz

You Might Also Like

Pick Dragon FruitHow toPick Dragon FruitCut Dragon FruitHow to Cut and Eat a Dragon FruitStore Dragon FruitHow toStore Dragon FruitPeel a Dragon FruitHow toPeel a Dragon Fruit

Featured Articles

What Are the Korean Animal Face Types? (And Which Type Do You Have?)What Are the Korean Animal Face Types? (And Which Type Do You Have?)Being the Little Spoon While Cuddling: Is It Better Than the Big Spoon?Being the Little Spoon While Cuddling: Is It Better Than the Big Spoon?115+ Funny “Get Well Soon” Messages to Make Someone Laugh115+ Funny “Get Well Soon” Messages to Make Someone Laugh110+ “Fun Facts” for Interviews, Introductions, & Icebreakers110+ “Fun Facts” for Interviews, Introductions, & IcebreakersHow Long Would You Survive In A Zombie Apocalypse?How Long Would You Survive In A Zombie Apocalypse? Roast Someone in a Rap Battle (Plus the Best Bars of All Time)How to Roast Someone in a Rap Battle (Plus the Best Bars of All Time)

Trending Articles

How Many People Had a Crush on You In 2025?How Many People Had a Crush on You In 2025?Attractiveness Score QuizAttractiveness Score QuizKissHow toKissWhat Are My Soulmate's Initials QuizWhat Are My Soulmate's Initials QuizWhat Song Was #1 On My Birthday?What Song Was #1 On My Birthday?Am I Chopped QuizAm I Chopped Quiz

Featured Articles

What Turns a Girl On? 31 Things to Try on Your PartnerWhat Turns a Girl On? 31 Things to Try on Your PartnerLove AnalyzerLove AnalyzerSending Your Sweetie a Love Note? Here are 200+ Romantic IdeasSending Your Sweetie a Love Note? Here are 200+ Romantic IdeasExercise Your BrainHow toExercise Your BrainBe a Fun Person to Hang out WithHow toBe a Fun Person to Hang out WithWhat Does Your Morning Routine Say About You?What Does Your Morning Routine Say About You?

Featured Articles

Develop Productive HabitsHow toDevelop Productive HabitsPractice Self CareHow toPractice Self CareWhat Song Matches Your Life Right Now?What Song Matches Your Life Right Now?Your 2026 Vision: What Does Next Year Hold?Your 2026 Vision: What Does Next Year Hold?Understanding the Most Attractive Face Shapes (& Determining Your Own)Understanding the Most Attractive Face Shapes (& Determining Your Own)Type A B C D Personality TestType A B C D Personality Test

Watch Articles

Deep Clean Your Kitchen Sink (& Keep It Clean)How to Deep Clean Your Kitchen Sink (& Keep It Clean) Curl Your Hair: 8 Easy & Quick WaysHow to Curl Your Hair: 8 Easy & Quick WaysThicken Sauce with FlourHow toThicken Sauce with Flour Brighten Up White Shirts and Other GarmentsHow to Brighten Up White Shirts and Other Garments Cook White Rice without a Rice CookerHow to Cook White Rice without a Rice Cooker Clean Out the Inside of a Glass Bottle (With or Without a Brush)How to Clean Out the Inside of a Glass Bottle (With or Without a Brush)

Trending Articles

Discover the Secret Meaning of Your First NameDiscover the Secret Meaning of Your First NameLose Belly Fat in 2 WeeksHow toLose Belly Fat in 2 WeeksAnswer These Questions, And We'll Judge YouAnswer These Questions, And We'll Judge You10+ Scary Phone Numbers to Call10+ Scary Phone Numbers to CallWho's My KPop Lookalike QuizWho's My KPop Lookalike QuizHow Vanilla Am I QuizHow Vanilla Am I Quiz

Quizzes & Games

What Color Am I QuizWhat Color Am I QuizTake QuizWhat Age Is My Brain QuizWhat Age Is My Brain QuizTake QuizWhat Is My Chinese Zodiac Sign QuizWhat Is My Chinese Zodiac Sign QuizTake QuizWhat Skin Type Do I Have QuizWhat Skin Type Do I Have QuizTake QuizWhat Dinosaur Am I QuizWhat Dinosaur Am I QuizTake QuizWhat Bird Am I QuizWhat Bird Am I QuizTake Quiz wikiHow
  • Categories
  • Home and Garden
  • Gardening
  • Harvest and Storage
wikiHow Newsletter You're all set! Helpful how-tos delivered toyour inbox every week! Sign me up! By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy.
  • Home
  • About wikiHow
  • Experts
  • Jobs
  • Contact Us
  • Site Map
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Info
  • Not Selling Info
  • Contribute

Follow Us

×

wikiHow Tech Help Pro:

Develop the tech skills you need for work and life

Let's do this! X --635

Tag » How To Know When Dragon Fruit Is Ripe