How to eat rambutan? - What does it taste like?

We love trying new foods, and there are so many wild things to try! If you are as curious as we are, you are in the right place.

Some foods are cultural or local to places you don’t have access to, which means they aren’t “normal” options back home. Rambutan is one of those unique foods, if you’re from the US.

It does come from a tree, but it’s not something you won’t find in every produce department at the supermarket, like apples, oranges, and bananas. It is a tropical fruit found mainly in Southeast Asia.

So how do you eat rambutan?

You can peel it and enjoy it fresh, but there are several ways to enjoy this fruit, such as adding it to a fruit salad or tropical cocktail, making smoothies or juices, and even adding it to curries.

Although it may seem scary to someone unfamiliar with it, rambutan is a deliciously juicy fruit that is gaining popularity around the world for a reason.

In this guide, we’ll share with you how you can eat rambutan, give you some tips on different ways to enjoy this exotic fruit, and explain its flavor.

Stay with us to learn how to eat rambutan and much more.

What is rambutan?

We’ve touched on this topic briefly, but let’s break it down piece by piece.

We’ve included a reference photo for you, and as you can see, this alien-looking fruit looks almost like a sea urchin, or a furry strawberry.

Rambutan is similar in color to strawberry and is a small round fruit. The outer layer has little green fibers sticking out all over it. This is the skin. When you remove that outer layer, the rambutan is yellow on the underside of the skin and mostly milky white on the inside of the fruit.

In the US, we don’t see them in traditional grocery stores very often, but they come from Southeast Asia and are a popular snack in many tropical countries and locations.

Rambutan is harvested from December to January, so its harvest season is short. However, from August to September, they produce a secondary crop, so people get two crops a year from their rambutans.

If you look at the rambutan fruit and it looks scary thanks to those crazy fibers, don’t be alarmed. It may look uncomfortable and gross, but the fibers are actually soft and the fruit is quite tasty.

You just have to know what to expect and the best ways to enjoy it.

What does rambutan taste like?

People prepare the rambutan fruit in many different ways. You can enjoy it simply raw, but there are other great ways to eat it as well. We’ll talk about those options in a bit. But what does it taste like in the first place?

It is a tropical fruit, so it will have the sweet, sour and tropical notes that fruits like kiwi and pineapple have. This fruit is described as creamy and sweet at the same time. It has a slightly woody flavor, also depending on its maturity.

If you’ve ever had lychee, the flavors are similar, but it has a creamy note to the flavor that lychee doesn’t. Rambutan is soft and tender to eat. The best way to describe its flavor is a combination between a date, a pear and a grape.

It is sweet, smooth and tasty. It may also have a slight hint of bitterness in the taste.

What is the texture of rambutan?

The texture of rambutan is quite unique. The exterior has a soft but protective shell with lots of little hairs or fibers sticking out of it, sort of like an unpeeled chestnut.

Although it looks like they could be prickly, they are actually quite soft. This is the outer layer, a shell or skin that surrounds the actual fruit.

When you look under the skin, you will find a soft, juicy center. The texture of that fruity center is compared to things like grapes for how it feels in the mouth.

It’s soft and juicy and tender when you bite into it, even a bit meaty. It also has a seed inside it and some people feel that the area around the seed can be bitter at times.

How to eat the rambutan fruit

How exactly should you eat the rambutan fruit when you decide to try it? Most people just eat it fresh to begin with. They separate the inner part of the fruit from the outer skin.

The outer skin can be a bit hard to cut, but it is smooth to the touch. If you get a ripe rambutan, it’s pretty easy to work with.

Rambutans are green while they are growing, but when they start to ripen, they change color. They can be different colors, but ripe rambutan fruits will be orange, yellow, or red in color.

When harvested, the outer hairs are bright green. However, those spines change color and even harden slightly after harvesting.

When the hairs change color, it doesn’t mean the fruit is bad, but it could be getting close, so it’s a good sign that it’s time to eat them before they go bad.

Before eating the fruit, you will want to separate the skin.

Here’s how to eat a rambutan:

1. Use a knife to make a cut along the length of the skin, somewhere near the center of the fruit. Be sure to cut through the skin and furry exterior, but try not to pierce the meat underneath.
2. Once you’ve cut or torn the skin, go ahead and break it open. It tears quite easily once you rip it off. If you pluck just one side, the fleshy fruit inside will come out quite easily.
3. Be careful not to press too hard, as the fruit is soft and juicy. You should notice that the fruit itself is pale yellow or white in color, and may even appear translucent.
4. The fruit has a seed inside so you can open it up and remove it as it is inedible. Depending on the type of rambutan you have, the seed may be slightly attached to the flesh of the fruit.
5. Once you have removed the skin and the seed, you can eat the rambutan without further ado. Put it in your mouth or cut it in half if you want. You can also use it in recipes, and there are many options for enjoying rambutan in different ways.

If you want to experiment a bit more with rambutan, we’ve put together a list of ways to eat it.

1. Fresh rambutan

The best way to enjoy rambutan is to eat it fresh. It is so juicy and tasty that you can put it in your mouth and taste its flavor.

This is the most popular way to enjoy rambutan, although you can use it for many other things as well.

If you like tropical fruits and grapes, you will surely like eating these fresh fruits on their own.

Worry less about how to turn them into something fancy, and let Mother Nature serve you her own simple recipe.

2. Tropical cocktails

Many people like to use rambutan to make mixed drinks.

Many different types of drinks can be made and in some places the skin of the rambutan is even used as a garnish in mixed drinks. In other places, the fruit itself, without the skin, is also used as a garnish.

Here are some cocktail or mixed drink options to consider:

• Mojito with rambutan
• Rambutan Martini
• Sweet and Spicy Rambutan Cocktail
• Rambutan Martini with Limoncello
• vodka mix with rambutan
• Rambutan alcoholic lemonade

These are just a few basic examples, but you can create almost any fruity or tropical cocktail you desire.

3. Fruit syrup

Another great use for rambutan is to create a sweet syrup with it. You can use this syrup to make juices, smoothies, cocktails or even to garnish dishes.

To make a syrup, we recommend that you simmer the peeled rambutan with some aromatic or floral substances. You can also mix other fruits if you want to create your own tropical atmosphere.

4. Fruit salad

Rambutans can make for a really impressive fruit salad. Try to make a tropical fruit salad and you will be disappointed.

Everyone loves a good fruit salad, but it’s always nice to change it up a bit and go for tropical fruits instead of the traditional melons, grapes and berries.

5. Cookies

There’s a terrific recipe for Rambutan Marshmallow Sugar Cookies from Kelly Lynn’s Sweets and Treats that we’ve linked for you to check out.

If you get the chance, you should try this recipe. It is super delicious, with all the sweetness and exotic tropical flavor of rambutan.

This simple recipe uses rambutan, marshmallows, lemon juice, powdered sugar, and a few other traditional baking ingredients.

6. Smoothies and juices

Another popular use of rambutan is to make homemade smoothies or even homemade juices with it. These juicy fruits add great flavor to any of these options and pair well with other fruits, too.

Anything that goes with a tropical fruit can be used to make juices or smoothies, and the results will be delicious!

7.Curries

Our last food recommendation for rambutan is the summer rambutan curry. The sweet flavor of rambutan makes it a really great summer dish.

Rambutan is combined with elements like garlic, turmeric, kaffir, and chillies to create a sweet and spicy curry dish that is absolutely delicious.

Do you eat the skin and seeds of the rambutan?

Both the skin and the seeds of the rambutan are inedible. It is not recommended to eat these parts of the fruit.

You can roast the rambutan seeds and enjoy them like that, but you certainly shouldn’t eat them raw.

Both parts taste bitter and don’t even taste good. The usual practice is to get rid of them, and there is no evidence that they offer any benefit.

In fact, there is potential evidence that eating excessive amounts of the skin is potentially toxic, but there are too few studies to know for sure on this topic.

In general, we recommend that you do not eat the skin or seeds of the rambutan fruit.

We do want to mention that it is not uncommon for the seeds to be roasted. You probably don’t want to eat them raw, but you can try toasting them if you’re curious.

The downside of roasting them is that, again, you have to do more research. Even roasted, they tend to be bitter and are questionable as having narcotic properties, so not really a great choice.

Health benefits of rambutan

Rambutan is believed to have some associated health benefits.

Although there are certainly no guarantees, it is always interesting to know what the possible health benefits are, or at least the positive aspects of the fruit and whether it is worth consuming regularly.

In this section, we will take a look at some of the anticipated health benefits and key nutrients of rambutan. Keep in mind that these benefits are not guaranteed, but are possible depending on the nutrients it contains.

1. Antioxidant properties

Rambutans are loaded with antioxidants. In addition, they contain great compounds, vitamins and minerals.

The antioxidant properties are believed to be beneficial for your digestive health. It is high in fiber and most of the fiber is found in the pulp of the fruit. This pulp is actually insoluble, so when it passes through your intestine, it does so undigested.

This makes the pulp insoluble fiber, which can contribute to digestive health and help both constipation and loose stools.

Some people find it a great option for improving gut health, as it also contains short-chain fatty acids that can improve the gut and reduce inflammation.

2. Vitamin C

Rambutan is rich in vitamin C. Vitamin C is also known for its antioxidant properties. Vitamin C may also be beneficial for absorbing iron.

The positive thing about vitamin C is that it promotes the health of your body’s cells and strengthens your immune system.

3. Copper

Did you know that rambutan contains copper? And copper has health benefits. Copper may be helpful for the growth and maintenance of the cells that make up your bones, brain, and heart.

Related questions

We hope you find this guide on how to eat rambutan a valuable resource.

It is a unique fruit, but very tasty and a healthy option. If you like tropical fruits or sweet fruits, rambutan cannot fail you.

We invite you to take a look at the following Q&A section for some additional details that might be helpful.

Can you eat raw rambutan?

Of course. In fact, this is the most popular way to consume rambutan.

You’ll need to remove the skin and seed before eating it, but once those parts are out of the equation, rambutan is considered safe to eat raw and is quite delicious this way, too.

Are rambutan seeds poisonous?

They are not necessarily poisonous in small amounts, but they could be toxic in large doses. Rambutan seeds have been shown to contain saponin, which is considered toxic in large doses. These seeds are also known to have narcotic properties.

How many rambutans should you eat?

There is not necessarily a magic number. According to studies, 5-6 rambutans contain about 50% of the daily recommendation for vitamin C.