What Does Rambutan Taste Like? - Make It Vegan

So you’ve stumbled upon this post, asking yourself, “what does rambutan taste like?”

Underneath the outer shell comes a yellow flesh with a mildly chewy texture, with both a sweet flavor and sour flavors combined. It’s quite remarkable.

The Origin of Rambutan

The word rambutan comes from the Malay word rambut, meaning hair due to diverse hair-like, soft spines on the outside. The outer shell looks like a sea urchin with a floral undertone.

Rambutan’s vibrant red skin will catch the eye of those in supermarkets and groceries stores because it’s unlike any tropical fruit most of us have ever seen.

The skin is easy to peel, has a juicy flesh inside, and is quite a delicious fruit.

A rambutan tree bears fruit twice a year. It takes 5 to 6 years after planting before fruit starts to appear on the rambutan tree.

Facts About Rambutan

Rambutan is a tropical fruit native to Southeast Asia, known for its spiky exterior and bright red color. This succulent fruit has a sweet taste that is often compared to lychee and longan.

When you eat a rambutan, you discover its translucent flesh, which has a juicy texture and a flavor that is similar to lychee but with a hint of tangy acidity. The ripe rambutan is the best option, as overripe varieties lose their delightful tropical taste.

What Does Rambutan Feel Like?

Picking them up, they did feel like short hair. Well, sorta. Their outer skin was very rough and the hairy skin felt like steel wool.

After holding these exotic fruits in my hand for a while, these are the thoughts that popped into my head:

• blood vessels?
• same family as maybe lychee or longan?
• were there other rambutan varieties?
• if this is what an uncut rambutan looks like, what about the inside?
• do fresher ones have similar flavors?
• is it sweet?
• how long have these been on the shelf? Should they be eaten fresh?

Where Can You Buy a Rambutan?

The other day I was at the grocery store (Asian market) getting my normal array of fruits and vegetables when I noticed this odd-looking tropical fruit sitting next to the ginger.

Out of curiosity, I picked one up, squished it with my fingers, and realized this was something I could eat! Clearly, yes, this was a tropical variety of some sort but what was it?

How Do You Pronounce Rambutan?

I’m sure I had other thoughts but I was trying to think of how to pronounce this new find… RAM-bue-tan. At least that’s how I say it.

What Does Rambutan Taste Like?

The taste of rambutan is different from anything I’ve tried. I can’t think of a better way of describing the flavor/texture other than it kept reminding me like lychee and a grape. The texture of the flesh was like a peeled grape. The skin covered outside reminded me of grape vines.

It was a blend of sweet and slightly tart. I wasn’t sure if I should eat the brown seed inside the white flesh but later found out not to eat it.

They weren’t as sweet as grapes and gave my mouth a strange after-feeling; you know, like when you eat with a wooden spoon and it leaves your mouth feeling dry like cotton?

I could only consume a few of them before I lost interest. However, I will say that if I’m ever in a Southeast Asia country, I will definitely try them again because I know to eat rambutan or other varieties, they need to be FRESH.

How to Eat a Rambutan

To eat, simply grab the outer peel with the thumb and index finger (with both hands) and twist in opposite directions. The skin should separate down the middle to reveal the white flesh.

Get Fresh Tropical Fruit

The problem with trying exotics like durian, lychee, rambutan, jackfruit, etc, is that there really isn’t a good way to transport these fruits from the country they’re grown in.

It either takes weeks to deliver (and the food goes bad before it gets to the store), the food is under ripe before it ships (and never ripens successfully), or the fruit just isn’t good when it’s shipped (and it goes to the store like that).

A lot of times you’ll see a frozen version of the fresh fruit or items laid out on counters, covered in saran wrap.

Nutrients in Rambutan

There is so much good stuff found in a rambutan:

• vitamin C
• vitamin A
• iron
• potassium
• sodium
• calcium
• fibre
• beta carotene
• magnesium
• protein
• zinc
• niacin

With so many vitamins and minerals in rambutan, I think I’m going to juice them in my Nama J2 Juicer or Nama Vitality 5800 for a nutritious afternoon drink!

Tropical Fruits

In my quest to add to my favorite fruits list and find delicious goodies that are high in vitamin C like rambutan, these are some other fruits I’d LOVE to try:

• Lychee (lychee fruit) / Litchi – can be canned lychee
• Longan
• Jackfruit (I’ve tried the canned version)
• Dragon fruit (I’ve only tried the white flesh. I want to taste the red flesh fruit)
• Papaya (Not my favorite flavor)
• Mangosteen
• Soursop (Just tried a soursop drink and I’m hooked!)
• Coconut (I’ve had young Thai coconut and LOVE it!)
• Pineapple (who hasn’t eaten pineapple before??)
• Guava
• Sapindaceae (soapberry fruit)
• Star fruit (tried it, some are delicious, some aren’t)

Overall, I did enjoy my experience trying rambutan, though the flavor wasn’t my favorite. I like trying new foods. I’m looking forward to the day where I can also try the above fruits.

I remember seeing a video once (couldn’t find it on YouTube) where this guy traveled to Hawaii’s Ono Farms and did an exotic fruit tasting.

What He Tried

He tried things like: peanut butter fruit, custard apple, cherimoya, and others. Those are the types of videos that get me excited to try different fruits.

Have you tried rambutan?

In conclusion, rambutan helps aid a healthy digestion and if you do end up with a dinner party or afternoon lunch bunch, make sure to serve rambutan fresh instead of 8-week old food (like I tried). This new snack contains dietary fiber, complex carbohydrates, and I don’t see any reason to avoid rambutan unless you live in the Malay Peninsula where it’s widely cultivated and you’ve eaten so much you’re completely full!

I Need Your Help!

What does rambutan taste like, really?!?! If you live in Thailand or Southeast Asia and you’ve tried sweet, fresh rambutan, can you leave a comment explaining exactly what fully-ripe rambutan tastes like?? I need to know!

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