How to know if the dragon fruit is ripe or not?

Dragon fruit is the fruit of the cactus, including three types. The skin of the dragon fruit is red or yellow. The red-skinned fruit has red or white flesh, and the yellow-skinned fruit has white flesh. With all three types of dragon fruit, you can determine if the fruit is ripe by observing and touching the fruit before eating. If you grow dragon fruit trees, harvest the fruit at the right time to ensure the fruit is ripe.

Table of Contents

Observe dragon fruit to determine ripeness

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Look for red or yellow dragon fruit. Unripe dragon fruit will be green. When the fruit is old and ripe, the rind will turn red or yellow, depending on the type. ^{[1] X Research Source}

When the dragon fruit is ripe, the skin will be bright and even. If there are dark spots on the skin similar to the dark spots on an apple, it is probably overripe, but if there are only a few dark spots, it is still normal.

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Observe the “ears” on the dragon fruit to see if they have begun to wilt. The ears of the dragon fruit are the leaf-like pieces that grow from the fruit. When they start to dry out, turn brown and wilt, the fruit is ripe and edible. Conversely, if these ears are still fresh (red or yellow), then the fruit is not ripe and needs to wait for a while. ^{[2] X Research Source}

When the dragon fruit is just ripe, ie the ears begin to wilt, the fruit will come off the branch quite easily with just a slight twist. If the fruit falls on its own, it is overripe.

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Cut the dragon fruit out. The flesh of dragon fruit is usually white, dark pink or purple, depending on the species, with numerous tiny black seeds. Dragon fruit seeds are edible and similar in appearance to kiwi fruit seeds. When ripe, the flesh of the dragon fruit will be succulent but still have a firm texture like half pear, half watermelon. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

When ripe, the inside of the dragon fruit will turn brown, similar to the bruises in the inside of a banana. You should not eat brown or dried fruits.

Squeeze the dragon fruit to see if it’s ripe

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Gently press the fruit with your thumb. Hold the dragon fruit in the palm of your hand and try pressing gently on the rind with your thumb or other fingers. Ripe fruit will feel soft but not too spongy. If it feels spongy, it means the fruit is overripe. If the fruit is still too hard, it will take a few days to ripen. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Only use this method if you are growing and harvesting dragon fruit yourself. Touching can cause the dragon fruit to darken and cause damage to sellers and other buyers in stores or markets.
You can buy or harvest unripe dragon fruit and leave it on the table for a few days at room temperature. The fruit will ripen in a few days. You should press test every day to see the ripeness of the fruit.

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Check for defects or damage on the pods. The skin of the dragon fruit can be damaged by mishaps during handling and transportation. For example, if not properly packaged during transport, dragon fruit may collide with each other. They can also get bruised from being dropped. If damaged, the dragon fruit will have visible bruises, will be smaller and wrinkled due to dehydration. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Check all sides of the dragon fruit and avoid buying cracked, cracked or damaged fruits.

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Avoid picking fruits with dried stems. One sign that the dragon fruit may be overripe is the dried stalk. Feel free to touch the dragon fruit to see if the stem is crispy, shriveled or dry. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Harvest dragon fruit at the right time

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Harvest dragon fruit when the fruit is almost fully ripe. Unlike other fruits, dragon fruit does not ripen much more after picking, so you should pick it when the fruit is almost fully ripe. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

When the color of the fruit changes from green to yellow or red, you can harvest.
The small leaves on the fruit (also called “ears”) will also begin to pale or turn brown as the fruit ripens.
You can also determine the ripeness of a dragon fruit by counting the days after the plant blooms. Normally, the fruit will ripen 27 to 33 days after the plant blooms.
The right time to harvest is 4 days after the fruit changes color, but for export, people will have to harvest it earlier, at 1 day after the fruit changes color.

Steps

Observe dragon fruit to determine ripeness

Squeeze the dragon fruit to see if it’s ripe

Harvest dragon fruit at the right time

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