Fruits that contain I — 70 detailed entries

Below are fruits that contain the letter I anywhere in the name. Each of the 70 fruits below opens to a full profile.

Table of contents 70 entries

List of Fruits That Contain I

Abiu

Pouteria caimito

A bright yellow Amazonian fruit with translucent jelly-like flesh and a flavor reminiscent of crème caramel — sticky white latex and all.

Acai

Euterpe oleracea

A small dark purple Amazonian palm berry that briefly conquered Western health foods in the 2000s — the actual fruit is mostly pit, with a thin, oily, antioxidant-rich pulp.

African Cherry Orange

Citropsis articulata

A small, thick-skinned wild African citrus with intensely fragrant peel and tart pulp — used more for marmalade and traditional medicine than fresh eating.

Akebi

Akebia quinata

A Japanese vine fruit with a pale-purple pod that splits open along its length when ripe, exposing translucent white-grey flesh studded with tiny black seeds — eaten as a brief seasonal delicacy.

American Mayapple

Podophyllum peltatum

An odd umbrella-leafed forest plant with a single yellow fruit hidden under its canopy — edible only when fully ripe, and toxic in every other part.

Apricot

Prunus armeniaca

A small velvet-skinned orange stone fruit with a brief season — eaten fresh, dried, or jammed across cuisines from Persian to Provençal.

Bilberry

Vaccinium myrtillus

A small dark blue European wild berry — close cousin of the blueberry, but smaller, darker, more intensely flavored, and almost impossible to cultivate commercially.

A large green tropical fruit with starchy white flesh that bakes to a bread-like texture — staple food across the Pacific Islands and Caribbean, the cargo that triggered the famous Mutiny on the Bounty.

Calamansi

Citrus × microcarpa (syn. Calamondin)

A tiny citrus from Southeast Asia — a cross between mandarin orange and kumquat, producing a small round fruit with orange flesh and a thin green skin; intensely sour with aromatic orange notes, indispensable in Filipino and Malaysian cooking.

Canistel

Pouteria campechiana

A bright orange Caribbean fruit (also called egg-fruit) with the dry mealy texture of a hard-boiled egg yolk — eaten fresh, in shakes, or as a chilled custard.

Carolina Reaper

Capsicum chinense

A bred-for-extreme chili pepper that held the Guinness record as the world's hottest from 2013 to 2023, with an averaged 1.6 million Scoville heat units.

Caviar Lime

Citrus australasica

An Australian rainforest citrus whose elongated finger-shaped fruits burst with translucent pearl-like vesicles — a high-end garnish that exploded in popularity with molecular cuisine.

Cherimoya

Annona cherimola

A heart-shaped Andean fruit with green dimpled skin and creamy custard-like flesh — described by Mark Twain as "the most delicious fruit known to men," with a flavor that combines banana, pineapple, and strawberry.

Chico Fruit

Manilkara zapota

Another name for sapodilla — a small brown Mexican-Filipino fruit with grainy sweet flesh tasting of brown sugar and pear, tied to the same tree that produces chicle (chewing-gum sap).

Chile Pepper

Capsicum (genus, multiple species)

A diverse family of fiery fruits from the Capsicum genus — used fresh, dried, smoked, ground, and fermented across nearly every world cuisine.

Citron

Citrus medica

The ancient ancestor of all citrus fruits — a large, rough-skinned yellow fruit valued more for its thick, fragrant pith and essential oil than its sparse, acidic juice; the etrog used in Jewish Sukkot ritual and the source of candied peel worldwide.

Clementine

Citrus × clementina

A small, easy-peeling, seedless winter mandarin — accidentally created in an Algerian orphanage garden in 1902, now the most popular winter snack citrus in Western countries.

Dragon Fruit

Hylocereus undatus, H. costaricensis, H. megalanthus

The visually striking fruit of a Central American climbing cactus — bright pink-red shell with green spiky scales, opening to white or magenta flesh dotted with tiny black seeds.

Durian

Durio zibethinus

A spiky-shelled Southeast Asian fruit with intensely pungent custard-textured flesh — banned from many hotels and public transit in Asia for its smell, but called the "King of Fruits" where it's eaten.

Feijoa

Acca sellowiana

A small green ovoid fruit (also called pineapple guava) with intensely fragrant, jelly-textured flesh — a New Zealand orchard staple but virtually unknown elsewhere because it doesn't ship.

Fig

Ficus carica

A teardrop-shaped fruit with soft sweet flesh and tiny seeds, technically an inverted flower; one of the oldest cultivated plants and central to Mediterranean cuisine.

Finger Lime

Citrus australasica

An Australian native citrus shaped like a small finger that releases tiny "caviar pearls" of tart citrus juice when cut open — a fine-dining garnish prized for its visual drama and crisp acidity.

Galia Melon

Cucumis melo var. reticulatus

An aromatic Israeli muskmelon hybrid created in the 1970s — netted yellow skin with pale green sweet flesh, considered the most fragrant of the supermarket melons.

Grapefruit

Citrus paradisi

A large bitter-tart citrus, a hybrid of pomelo and sweet orange that emerged in 18th-century Barbados, eaten fresh or juiced and famous for drug interactions.

Grewia Asiatica

Grewia asiatica

The botanical name for falsa — a small purple South Asian summer berry, also known as Phalsa, used in cooling drinks and Ayurvedic medicine across the subcontinent.

Hala Fruit

Pandanus tectorius

A spectacular spiked Pacific Islander fruit that looks like a colorful pineapple-grenade hybrid — eaten fresh in some islands, used as floss thread or paint brush in others.

Imbe

Garcinia livingstonei

A small bright orange African fruit related to the mangosteen, with a thin skin enclosing tart-sweet juicy flesh — eaten fresh or fermented into a drink.

Jabuticaba

Plinia cauliflora

A Brazilian wonder fruit that grows directly on the trunk and branches of its tree — dark purple berries that look like grapes glued onto bark, with mild grape-lychee flavor and a brief shelf life.

Jackfruit

Artocarpus heterophyllus

The largest tree-borne fruit in the world — up to 35 kg — with sweet yellow flesh when ripe and a meaty texture used as a vegan meat substitute when unripe.

Juniper Berry

Juniperus communis

Not actually a berry but the female cone of the juniper tree — a small dark blue spice used for centuries to flavor gin, game meats, and northern European preserves.

Kaffir Lime

Citrus hystrix

A bumpy-skinned Southeast Asian citrus whose **leaves matter more than the fruit** — fragrant double-lobed leaves are an essential herb in Thai, Malaysian, and Indonesian cooking.

Kiwano

Cucumis metuliferus

An African horned melon with bright orange spiky skin and electric-green jelly flesh — striking enough to be sold as decoration, with a mild banana-cucumber-lime flavor.

Kiwifruit

Actinidia deliciosa

A small fuzzy brown fruit with vivid green flesh and tiny black seeds, originally a Chinese gooseberry, rebranded by New Zealand growers to global fame.

Lime

Citrus aurantiifolia (Key); Citrus latifolia (Persian); others

A small, intensely acidic green citrus — the namesake of "limey" sailors, the soul of margaritas and ceviche, with the Persian and Key versions producing distinct flavors despite similar appearance.

Lingonberry

Vaccinium vitis-idaea

A small, tart red berry of the boreal forests of Scandinavia, North America, and Russia — similar in appearance to cranberry but smaller and sharper; the essential condiment of Swedish cuisine, served with meatballs, game, and pancakes.

Mandarine

Citrus reticulata

A small loose-skinned orange citrus — the original ancestor species behind clementines, satsumas, tangerines, and most modern winter snack-citrus varieties.

Marionberry

Rubus 'Marion'

An Oregon-bred blackberry hybrid, named for Marion County — the defining berry of Pacific Northwest pies, jams, and ice cream, prized for its complex sweet-tart flavor.

Miracle Fruit

Synsepalum dulcificum

A small West African red berry that **temporarily makes sour foods taste sweet** — chewing one transforms lemon and vinegar into sugary treats for about an hour.

Momordica Fruit

Siraitia grosvenorii

A bumpy bright-orange East Asian fruit (also called luo han guo or monk fruit) — its concentrated extract has become a popular zero-calorie sweetener that's hundreds of times sweeter than sugar.

Monstera Deliciosa

Monstera deliciosa

The fruit of the Swiss cheese plant — a fragrant tropical curiosity that ripens over 12 months, tastes like pineapple-banana, and is mildly toxic until fully ripe.

Nashi Pear

Pyrus pyrifolia

The Asian pear — round, apple-shaped, with golden-yellow skin and exceptionally crisp, juicy, grainy white flesh; doesn't soften like European pears but is eaten firm and crunchy, with a clean sweet flavour.

Nectarine

Prunus persica var. nucipersica

A smooth-skinned variant of the peach, the same species genetically with one gene difference, often slightly more tart and aromatic than its fuzzy cousin.

Noni

Morinda citrifolia

A striking, waxy, pungent tropical fruit — the noni (Indian mulberry) produces lumpy, white-yellow fruit year-round on small trees throughout the Pacific and Indian Ocean tropics; the ripe fruit has a powerful, distinctively unpleasant smell that has earned it nicknames including cheese fruit and vomit fruit; despite this, it has been consumed by Pacific Islander peoples for millennia and became a major health food fad in the early 2000s.

Olive

Olea europaea

A small drupe whose **inedible-fresh** bitter flesh becomes an essential Mediterranean food only after curing — eaten as table olives or pressed into the world's oldest culinary oil.

Paradise Pear

Pyrus communis

A Russian heritage cultivar of small ornamental-style pears, often used for preserves and country-style cookery, prized for hardiness in cold climates.

Passion Fruit

Passiflora edulis

A small purple or yellow tropical fruit with intensely fragrant pulp full of crunchy edible seeds — the wow ingredient of cocktails, sorbets, and Latin American desserts.

Persimmon

Diospyros kaki (Asian); D. virginiana (American)

An orange-red fall fruit with two distinct varieties — astringent (must be fully ripe) and non-astringent (eaten firm) — central to Korean and Japanese autumn traditions, dried into kaki sticks.

Physalis

Physalis peruviana

The golden berry in a papery lantern — physalis (cape gooseberry) is a small, bright orange berry enclosed in a papery husk that peels back like a Chinese lantern to reveal the sweet-sharp fruit inside; used as a decorative garnish on desserts, eaten fresh, and made into jam; not related to the gooseberry despite the name.

Pineapple

Ananas comosus

A tropical multiple fruit with spiky armor and a crown of leaves, sweet and acidic, eaten fresh, juiced, grilled, or canned.

Pineberry

Fragaria × ananassa

A white strawberry with red seeds and intense pineapple-vanilla flavor — a re-bred near-extinct South American wild strawberry that's become a viral specialty fruit since 2010.

Pitaya

Selenicereus undatus

A stunning cactus fruit from the Americas — sold worldwide as dragon fruit — with brilliantly pink or yellow skin and speckled white or vivid red flesh dotted with tiny edible seeds, mild in flavor but extraordinary in color and nutrition.

Plantain

Musa × paradisiaca

A starchier cousin of the banana, eaten cooked across tropical cuisines from West Africa to Latin America to South Asia — fried, mashed, boiled, or grilled, but rarely raw.

Quince

Cydonia oblonga

A pear-shaped, fragrant, hard-fleshed fruit eaten almost exclusively cooked — the basis of Spanish *membrillo* paste and a foundational ingredient in Mediterranean and Persian sweets.

Raisin

Vitis vinifera (dried)

A dried grape — concentrated sweetness from the most ancient food-preservation method, central to baking, snacking, and cuisines from Persian to Mexican to American school lunchboxes.

Rose Hip

Rosa canina (and other Rosa species)

The fruit of the rose plant — a small, red to orange oval berry produced after the flower fades; one of the richest plant sources of vitamin C; made into syrup, jam, herbal tea, and soup, most famously as rose hip syrup distributed to British children during WWII rationing.

Sapodilla

Manilkara zapota

A small brown tropical fruit with grainy sweet flesh tasting of brown sugar and pear — the same species as chico fruit, with an even longer history as the original chewing-gum source.

Serviceberry

Amelanchier canadensis (and other Amelanchier species)

North America's versatile wild fruit — small, blueberry-sized purple-red berries from the Amelanchier shrub/tree, with a sweet, almond-flavoured flesh beloved by birds and foragers; also called Juneberry, Saskatoon, or Shadbush.

Seville Orange

Citrus aurantium

The bitter orange used for the world's most celebrated marmalade — too sour and pungent to eat fresh, its thick peel and intensely flavoured juice are perfect for jam-making; the brief winter season (January–February) is eagerly awaited by British marmalade makers, and the orange's history in Spain stretches to the Moorish period.

Star Fruit

Averrhoa carambola

A tropical fruit with a distinctive five-ridged shape that produces a perfect five-pointed star when sliced crosswise — crisp, juicy, and sweet-tart, and widely used in Asian cooking as much as a vegetable as a dessert fruit.

Surinam Cherry

Eugenia uniflora

A small red ribbed Brazilian backyard fruit (also called pitanga) with intense complex flavor between cherry, raspberry, and tropical resin — extreme polarity between underripe (terrible) and ripe (delicious).

Tamarillo

Solanum betaceum

A small egg-shaped tropical fruit also called tree tomato, with tangy red-orange flesh that bridges fruit and vegetable in cooking.

Tamarind

Tamarindus indica

A sticky brown pod-fruit with intensely tart-sweet pulp — fundamental to Indian, Southeast Asian, Mexican, and Caribbean cuisines, providing sour acidity in pad thai, chutneys, and chamoy.

Tangerine

Citrus tangerina (a mandarin variety)

A small, sweet, easy-to-peel citrus fruit, a member of the mandarin orange family that gives most modern citrus hybrids their sweetness.

Ugli Fruit

Citrus reticulata × paradisi

A bumpy, lopsided Jamaican citrus hybrid of grapefruit, orange, and tangerine — the trademarked name reflects its homely appearance, which conceals juicy, sweet flesh.

Umeboshi

Prunus mume

Japanese salt-pickled sour plums — not actually a plum but a pickled ume apricot, intensely sour and salty, eaten as a rice accompaniment, used as a natural preservative, and believed in Japan to cure everything from hangovers to bacterial infections.

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