Tropical Flavors You've Never Tried Before

In Greater Miami & Miami Beach, you can bite into a piece of tropical fruit that’s a color, texture, taste or smell you’ve never tried before!

Say the names aloud as you browse them in a supermarket, farmers market or specialty shop. They're often fun words that originate in Brazil, the Yucatan or Caribbean.

Tasting them is just as fun. Imagine a fruit that looks like a green tomato but is black inside (and tastes like chocolate pudding!) or mini purple bananas that are sweeter than your average grocery store variety. In Miami, tropical fruits grow aplenty in varieties you've likely never seen or heard of before. Take your time to get to know them while you’re here.

Look up and see what you can spot beyond the coconuts. Ask questions about unrecognizable fruit you see on trees around the city. There are fruit trees tucked into front and back yards of homes, in public parks and lining just about any walk you take in Miami’s lush neighborhoods.

Indulge in Miami’s tropical fruit varieties and get to know these rare, healthy, and sometimes strange fruits.

Tropical Fruit Climate

Miami is classified as having a “tropical monsoon climate,” a designation given to specific regions that have a warm climate, serious rainy season and designated dry time of year. It's a classification we share with parts of South and Southeast Asia, a bit of West and Central Africa, and primarily in South America and the Caribbean. As a result, you’ll find fruits that grow here in Miami that originated far beyond our pocket of the Caribbean – like India, the origin of our beloved mango.

Homestead & Redland

South Dade’s Homestead and Redland area is considered Miami’s agricultural heartland. Home to acres of farms producing tropical fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices, it’s a cornucopia of riches for farmers, chefs and foodies alike. While you’re probably familiar with oranges, tomatoes and avocados, all of which grow in abundance in the area and supply local restaurants and beyond, you’ll discover rare and exotic tropical fruits in Homestead and Redland.

Whether you visit a farm stand, park or farm-to-table restaurant, chances are you’ll be introduced to a whole new world of flavors.

Fruit and Spice ackee tree — Explore the tropical fruit at Fruit and Spice Park.

Where to Find Tropical Fruit Near Miami

You’ll find a selection of tropical fruit in most local grocery stores, but if you're ready to really dive in and explore the incredible diversity of fruit options available here you may need to dig a bit deeper. No fear, there are plenty of places to sample these local specialties. Here are just a few.

Fruit and Spice Park

For a deeper exploration for the seasoned fruit lover, the Fruit and Spice Park is a can’t-miss 37-acre tropical fruit park growing more than 500 varieties of fruits, vegetables, spices and herbs. It’s been around since 1944 and today hosts annual events including the Redland Heritage Festival, Asian Culture Festival and Redland Summer Fruit Festival.

Hop aboard a guided tram tour and you’re welcome to pick up fallen fruit to taste along the way.

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

The Tropical Fruit Collection at Fairchild Tropical Garden has the world’s largest collection of mango species. A visit to Fairchild is a wonderful way to see the diverse flora and fauna in the region and get to know more about tropical fruits. Beyond the annual International Mango Festival – an event that’s loved by fruit lovers and growers where you can taste, learn and even purchase rare species of mango trees – there are year-round tropical fruit-focused exhibits on display at the Whitman Tropical Fruit Pavilion.

Ask their experts questions about avocados, cacao, canistel, chocolate persimmon, jackfruit, mamey, sapote and more. Visit this expansive botanical garden to see tropical fruit trees living amongst a wide variety of botanic plants and trees in a stunningly beautiful setting.

Knaus Berry Farm

Established in the 1950s, Knaus Berry Farm is a seasonal fruit stand and farm specializing in strawberries. It’s also earned a cult following for its pilgrimage-worthy homemade cinnamon and sticky buns – but get there very early in the morning and be prepared to wait in line!

Fruits at Robert is Here — An assortment of fruit can be found at Robert Is Here.

Robert is Here

Robert is Here has been a Homestead tropical fruit stand staple since 1959. Here, you’ll find rare and exotic fruits and vegetables grown in South Florida farms, as well as local honey, preserves, hot sauce, breads and homemade guacamole. There’s also a petting zoo, play area and picnic tables with occasional live music. It’s one of the best spots in town to try a mamey milkshake or tropical fruit smoothies.

Schnebly Redland’s Winery & Brewery

One of the area’s most popular attractions, Schnebly Redland’s Winery and Brewery pioneered a novel approach to winemaking and brewing. Originally operating a produce packaging business in Redland, Peter Schnebly had the bright idea to experiment with winemaking using the area’s tropical fruit. The result is an entire winery devoted to lychee, avocado, starfruit wine and more. With the success of his winery, he decided to try his hand at brewing and now you can also enjoy craft beers like his Big Rod Coconut Ale and Shark Bait made with citrus.

Visit the onsite restaurant The Redlander for brunch, lunch or dinner and try dishes that incorporate the areas locally grown fruit like guava-glazed chicken wings, avocado bites with a cilantro dipping sauce, key lime pie and more — all paired with their tropical fruit wines for the maximum experience.

Miami Fruit

Dedicated to providing the highest quality tropical fruit to people in Miami and throughout the United States, Miami Fruit harvests a bounty from local farms (including its own) each week to sell at local markets and fulfill orders shipped elsewhere. Want to know what’s available now? Check out their wildly popular Instagram feed.

Tropical Fruit at Robert is Here — Enjoy the variety of tropical fruit in Miami.

A Tropical Fruit Primer

Need help navigating the tongue-twisty world of tropical fruit? Here is a short primer to get you started.

Mango

The sweet, juicy mango is a fruit you’re probably familiar with – typically orange on the inside with a tough skin that can range from green to red and beautiful sunset shades in between. The smooth, buttery flesh is both sweet and tart with flavor profiles ranging from pineapple and coconut to lemon and peach.

Mango season runs from late April through September, when hundreds of varieties grow abundantly in Homestead and the Redland. If you’ve never tried a mango before it's ripe, give that a taste too. It's a tart, almost sour, flavor that is often spiced up with lime, salt or hot sauce to create a refreshing beach snack.

Avocado

You may think you know the avocado from the ubiquitous avocado toast and much-beloved guacamole, but did you know those are both made from Hass avocados? Here in South Florida, we grow a different variety. The larger fruit comes in a lighter green color and lower fat content. Because of this, they hold their shape better in a salad than the Hass variety and yield a lighter guacamole. Try one for yourself and see which one you prefer.

Sapodilla, Canistel, Mamey

Sapodilla, canistel and mamey are all in the sapote fruit family, distinct for their soft fruit, hard shells and oversized egg shapes. They’re most often enjoyed as the star ingredient in a milkshake, smoothie or ice cream sundae, like those you’ll find at Azucar Ice Cream Company.

Sapodillas have a rich brown-sugar flavor and a gritty pear texture. Canistels are often called eggfruit for their shape and firm golden pulp some say is quite like a pumpkin in consistency. Mamey has russet skin that looks like a fuzzy potato with a creamy, sweet orange-colored or dark red pulp.

Jackfruit

Part of the mulberry family and often growing larger than a watermelon (it can weigh up to 80 pounds, so you won't be able to throw one of these into your carry-on for an airplane snack), the jackfruit is found inside a prickly green shell with tough flesh that can be eaten raw when it’s ripe offering flavors resembling pineapple or banana.

More often, it’s boiled immature and consumed as a vegetable or a meat substitute for vegan dishes, like green jackfruit curry. Look for jackfruit on vegan menus used as taco fillings or mixed with BBQ sauce.

Cacao

While more commonly grown in Central and South America, you’ll also find cacao in South Dade. These pods are filled with juicy flesh surrounding the cacao bean, which produces chocolate. Look for cacao at farmers markets throughout Homestead and Redland, including the Southwest Community Farmer’s Market.

Lychee, Longan, Mamones

With an incredibly short season during May and June, the lychee is a delicacy with origins in China. The golf ball-sized fruit has roughly textured brown skin with a slippery clear flesh beloved for its floral flavor. When lychee season ends, its cousin the longan appears in South Dade. Similar in look and size, they’re milder in flavor than the lychee, but no less delicious. While they’re wonderful to eat on their own, you’ll often see lychees and longans as garnishes to cocktails or as ingredients in sorbet or limeade.

Another cousin to the lychee is the mamon, also known as mamoncillo, Spanish lime or guinep. Eat these by peeling off the tough green shell (it’s okay to use your teeth as a tool) and then pop it in your mouth to suck off the bit of flesh surrounding the large seed. Or you can peel them, pour hot water over the pile and then pull the flesh off to make a tasty juice.

Dragon Fruit, Passion Fruit, Papaya

Dragon fruit, passion fruit and papaya all belong to another delicious tropical fruit family. They have a similar look with edible seeds and flesh ranging in color from deep red to white and orange.

Dragon fruit blossoms on vining cactus with a sweet, mild flesh that’s either magenta or white and flecked with seeds that look like sesames. Papaya is technically an herb and has a juicy orange flesh with a mild and sweet aromatic flavor. Passion fruit comes in a variety of colors ranging from yellow and red to purple with a sweet, tart flavor profile.

Keep an eye out for these as a beautiful topping on acai and fruit bowls in health food restaurants and juice bars around the city.