13 Exotic Asian Fruits You Need to Try (A Local’s Guide)

Ever looked at a spiky, vibrant fruit in a market and wondered, "Can I actually eat that?" My name is Georgia, and after living in South East Asia for 9 years, I’ve become obsessed with the world of tropical fruits. From the "smelly" durian to the hairy rambutan, Southeast Asia is abundant with exotic fruits! Whether you're visiting a wet market in Kuala Lumpur or browsing a specialty store in the USA, here are the 13 must-try asian fruits from my personal tropical fruit favorites list!

A woman holding a blue basket filled with fresh mangoes at a vibrant local wet market in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — This is me at our local wet market in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This was during covid (spot the mask!). Here I'm buying mangoes but actually mangoes don't even make my list because there are some way cooler and more exotic fruits that I want you to try instead!

1. Durian (The King of Fruits)

A large pile of fresh green spiky durian fruit at a local Malaysian wet market during durian season — A pile of durians in Malaysia during durian season.

Musang King Durian fruit opened to show creamy yellow flesh on a plastic table. — The Musang King in Malaysia

Dubbed the king of all Asian fruits, durian is famous for its distinctive flavor and aroma. It is well known as the spiky asian fruit or the smelly asian fruit. People go absolutely nuts over it, and it’s considered a pricey delicacy that gets shipped worldwide.

The Taste: The taste of durian is a complex mix of sweet and savoury. The texture is very creamy but not like a mango creamy. Its smooth and creamy like baked pumpkin! That's what I believe and many people agree with me when I mention it. Also, something that many newbies to this fruit don't know, is that the taste of durian will vary depending on which durian type you try. Experienced durian lovers will usually go for a more pungent durian (such as the Musang King), whereas a beginner should choose a milder and sweeter type of durian (such as the Kampung or Udang Merah).
My Personal Insight: I actually hated my first try! To love it, you have to eat it fresh and you need to properly introduced to the fruit. You can read more about how to try durian properly in my in depth guide.
Where to try: Where and when to try durian, durian types, as well as what durian tastes like, is something I cover in more detail in my ultimate guide to durian.
Recipes: Check out my durian sticky rice recipe or my easy durian icecream recipe!
IG Video: Watch my Durian tasting guide for beginners

2. Cempedak (The Sweeter Cousin)

Close-up of ripe Cempedak fruit with honey-colored pods, an exotic jackfruit alternative. — This is me showing my IG followers how to cut open a cempedak

Cempedak is a unique tropical fruit that is only really known by the locals! I personally love this fruit and have become quite the expert at peeling it and cooking with it Watch my youtube video on how to peel open a cempedak or read how to cut open a cempedak here. Fresh cempedak can be hard to find, but in Malaysia, it’s easily available deep-fried as Cempedak Goreng—one of the country's most famous street food dishes!

The Taste: Like jackfruit but much creamier and also much sweeter. It is also quite similar to durian and is a great fruit to try first. I actually call it the "gateway fruit" to learning to like durian.
My Personal insight: Don't throw away the seeds! They are actually edible and extremely versatile. Check out my in depth guide on how to cook cempedak seeds.
Recipes: Checkout my archive of cempedak recipes including: Chocolate Cempedak Spread, Fried Cempedak Fritters, Breakfast Cempedak Cake, Cempedak Vanilla Cake Icing, Cempedak Pie, Cempedak Spice Latte, Cempedak Icecream Popsicples, and Cempedak Icecream.
IG Video: Click here to watch what cempedak looks like and how to open one as well as my most viral cempedak recipe, Mandai

3. Mangosteen (The Queen of Fruits)

Purple mangosteen fruit cracked open to reveal white segments, the Queen of Fruits.

A large box of the purple asian fruit, mangosteen at a local wet market

Mangosteen is easily one of my favorite tropical fruits! I can't believe I had never heard of this delicious, sweet fruit until moving to Southeast Asia. Inside, it looks a bit like garlic at first glance, but the flesh should be plump, juicy, and pure white. Nothing like garlic!

The Taste: It is extremely sweet but also a little but tangy and quite juicy. The flesh is soft, juicy and vert refreshing.
My Personal Insight: This is one of the tastiest fruits out there! I also make sure to buy a bunch when it is in season. Also, another cool fact is that you can tell how many segments are inside by counting the "star" petals on the bottom! Watch my mangosteen IG video to learn how to do this.
IG Video: I share The Secret "No-Knife" Method to Opening Mangosteen with my niece who had never tried mangosteen before.
Recipes: Learn how to make mangosteen sorbet!

4. Jackfruit

Several jackfruit in a box in a supermarket that sells asian fruits in Southeast Asia — Jackfruit in my local supermarket in Malaysia

yellow ripe jackfruit flesh in a pile on a white kitchen bench — A bunch of ripe jackfruit. The yellow color means it is ripe. Inside is the jackfruit seed.

Jackfruit is a large spiky fruit and is part of the same plant family as durian and cempedak. This is why they look so similar! How to tell the difference between a jackfruit and a cempedak can actually be quite tricky! One of the easiest ways to tell the difference is that jackfruit is seriously huge! Whilst cempedaks can also grow large, the jackfruit is so large that you will rarely come across the whole fruit. It is usually sold in individual pieces / pods like the photo above.

The Taste: Ripe jackfruit is sweet with a tropical flavor and a slightly crunchy texture. There are difference types of jackfruit that vary in sweetness. In Malaysia, the honey jackfruit is the most sweet and most tasty in my opinion!
My Personal insight: Jackfruit can be eaten fresh (ripe jackfruit), or cooked in curries and stews as a vegan meat substitute (young jackfruit). Ripe jackfruit is yellow and sweet whereas, young jackfruit is white in color and harder to touch.
Interesting to know: Young jackfruit has become popular in the West as a vegan meat substitute, such as this jackfruit popcorn chicken recipe. But, did you know that locally in Southeast Asia it is mostly eaten as the ripe raw fruit or in a sweet dessert like Es Teller in Indonesia?
Recipes: Check out my other jackfruit recipes such as jackfruit sorbet and jackfruit icecream.
IG Video: One of my most popular recipes on IG is this dairy free jackfruit cheesecake that is made with the ripe jackfruit.

5. Rambutan

Hairy red Rambutan fruits in a basket. Spiky asian fruit — red rambutan

Hairy red Rambutan fruit, peeled to show translucent white asian fruit. — Peeled red rambutan with translucent white fruit inside.

Rambutan is a hairy-looking tropical fruit. It can be red or yellow, with red being the most common. It is very similar to lychee but is not the same! You can buy these in big bunches at any local supermarket or wet market during season. You can read more about rambutan here in my ultimate guide to rambutan!

The Taste: Similar to lychee but firmer and crunchier. I personally prefer rambutans to lychees and many people agree with me!
My Personal Insight: Don't let the hairy exterior scare you! Its very tasty. You can also open this fruit just with you nails! Whilst using a knife may seem easier, its actually better to use your nails. Doing this keeps the fruit inside in one piece and it is easier to eat.
Recipes: You can make rambutan jam , rambutan icecream, rambutan popsicles, rambutan pudding, rambutan cheesecake, rambutan juice or a local favorite is rambutan asinan.
IG Video: To understand how to peel a rambutan and to see more of what they look like, watch my IG reel where I show my followers this delicious tropical fruit.

6. Dragon Fruit (Pitaya)

vibrant yellow and purples dragonfruit in a bunch at a market in thailand — Dragonfruit at a market in Thailand

Vibrant pink dragon fruit sliced in half on a wooden table — Red dragonfruit

A yellow dragonfruit sliced in half in Thailand with the beach in the background — Yellow dragonfruit

Dragon fruit is one of the most fascinating fruits out there! It comes in three varieties—red, white, and yellow. Inside, it has bright white or deep purple flesh, speckled with tiny black seeds. The yellow dragonfruit variety is always white on the inside. The purple skin dragonfruit is either white, pink or red on the inside.

The Taste: Mildly sweet and crunchy, like a kiwi but softer and not tangy. The yellow dragonfruit is usually the most sweet!
My Personal Insight: The sweetness varies greatly! Some dragonfruits are incredibly sweet, whilst others taste like nothing! If you get a bland one, don't give up - keep trying, and you'll eventually find a juicy, flavorful one! Dragonfruit can also be "tasteless" if it has been harvested too early. This is a common complaint about imported dragonfruits. But if you come to Southeast Asia to try dragonfruit, I promise you will be pleasantly surprised by the sweetness!
Interesting watch: Let me show you the three simple ways to cut a dragon fruit in my YouTube video on how to cut dragon fruit as well as my in-depth guide on how to cut a dragon fruit.
Recipes: Check out my archive of dragonfruit recipes including a local favorite, dragonfruit sambal!
IG Video: Learn how to tell the difference between red and white dragonfruit in my IG video. I also share this with my niece on my IG!

7. Salak (Snakefruit)

A large wooden bowl of salak fruit or snake fruit, taken from above, showing the brown scaly skin — A bowl of snake fruit.

Snakefruit, or Salak, is a tropical fruit native to Indonesia and grown across Southeast Asia. It gets its name from its scaly skin, which resembles a snake’s.

The Taste: A crunchy mix of apple and pineapple. Inside, it has a single large seed. It is crunchy like an apple but not as juicy as an apple.
Georgia's insight: Make sure the scales of the fruit are shiny. I have seen salak sold in Thailand that has gone bad; the skin has a dusty look to it when the fruit is no longer fresh.
IG Video: Watch me open and describe one of the world's strangest fruits, salak!

A peeled snake fruit or salad fruit, showing the white crunchy flesh — A peeled snake fruit. Each white piece of flesh has a hard black seed inside.

8. Ciku (Sapodilla)

A large box of sapodilla fruit at a fruit market in Southeast Asia — A box of ciku / sapodilla at a wet market in Southeast Asia

a girl holding a sapodilla fruit, sliced in half, ready to eat — Sapodilla / Ciku fruit sliced in half and ready to eat

Sapodilla is called "ciku" in Malaysia and that is why you will see me call it that often! It is an extremely unique tropical fruit that it is extremely sweet. It is the sweetest fruit I have personally ever tried and many people agree with me.

The Taste: Like a pear soaked in maple syrup. Very sweet!!
My Personal Insight: It looks like a potato but tastes like dessert! It is also extremely hard to pick a ripe and ready sapodilla fruit if you have never done it yourself. You can watch my IG videos below to see what a ripe sapodilla should look like.
Recipe: Ciku or sapodilla is delicious on it's own, but you can try this sapodilla smoothie recipe.
IG video: Watch me share this fruit with followers as well as share this fruit with my friends!

9. Longan (Dragons Eye)

a girls hand holding a bunch of longan fruit with a Thailand beach in the background — Longan fruit in Thailand

On the outside, a longan is similar to a lychee, but it has a thinner, lighter-colored shell. On the Inside, it looks similar to lychee as well, with a juicy, translucent white flesh.

The Taste: A deliciously juicy and sweet fruit. Similar to a lychee!
Longan VS Langsat: Longan and langsat look very similar, and even I’ve confused them before! While their exteriors are hard to tell apart, the difference is inside—longan has a single, round, juicy flesh, while langsat peels away in slices, like garlic or mangosteen. If you get the chance to try langsat then make sure you do too!
IG Video: Watch me share longan as one of the fruits I hadn't tried before moving to Malaysia! You can also watch me share a langsat fruit as well.

Langsat fruit being peeled open, exposing the translucent white flesh of this asian fruit — This is the langsat fruit

10. Pulasan

a large bunch of pulasan in a bowl, a red spiky tropical fruit — A large bowl of pulasan.

A hand holding an asian fruit, pulasan, sliced in half, showing the translucent white flesh — Pulasan cut in half.

Pulasan is another fruit on this list that is similar to lychee or rambutan. It is most similar to a rambutan but I actually prefer pulasan! It is actually a lot harder to find these days so if you come across a bunch of pulasan at your local wet market you have to buy it!!

The Taste: Like a "superior" rambutan—chewier and sweeter.
My Personal Insight: "Pulasan" means "twist" in Malay—which is how you open them! Watch me share this trick with my niece!
Interesting Recipe: You can actually eat the pulasan seeds! Watch this recipe to learn how to eat and cook the pulasan seeds.
IG Video: Watch this viral IG video to see what pulasan looks like!

11. Soursop (Custard Apple or Sugar)

Georgia Papas holding a ripe, bumpy green soursop fruit, also known as a custard apple, up to the camera with a smile

Soursop, also known as sugar apple or custard apple, has a spiky green exterior and a creamy white interior.

The Taste: It's creamy interior is sweet and tangy, and is often compared to a mix of pineapple and strawberry.
Interesting Recipe: Packed with vitamin C, fiber, and antioxidants, it’s well known as a superfruit and can be enjoyed as a soursop juice or soursop smoothie.
TikTok Video: Watch me share this fruit with my followers as well as trying it with my friends for the first time!

12. Papaya

a bunch of large maradol papayas on a wooden bench — Papaya's at a local wet market

A hand holding a ripe papaya, sliced in half to show the orange flesh and black seeds in the centre — A local Malaysian papaya cut in half

Papaya is a well known fruit around the world but did you know that it is actually considered Malaysia's national fruit alongside the smelly durian? The papayas in Malaysia are next level tasty and that goes for any fresh papaya in Southeast Asia. You can read more about the different types of papaya, how to cut papaya and how to eat papaya in my in depth article.

The Taste: Papaya is a tropical fruit with soft, orange flesh and a slightly sweet but extremely mild flavor. Its smooth texture is similar to rock melon. A lot of people are actually put off my the smooth texture of papaya, but I personally love it!
My Personal Insight: Papaya is likely available where you live, but if you're visiting Malaysia or anywhere in Southeast Asia, you must try it! The papayas here are truly special and much sweeter, fresher and tastier than anywhere else in the world.
Interesting to know: You can eat the papaya seeds! This is how to cut a papaya, step by step!
Recipes to try: I have a very large archive of papaya recipes you should try! But if I could only recommend a few, I'd recommend this 2 ingredient papaya pudding, a papaya smoothie, or baked papaya.
IG Video: A popular and unique recipe that I have shared with my followers is this papaya cheesecake recipe!

13. Starfruit

a bunch of green starfruit, as well as sliced green startfruit, exposing the crunchy interior and star shape — Green starfruit

Starfruit is a tropical fruit with a distinct star shape when sliced—hence its name! You can get either green or yellow starfruit and it is important that you try both! This is because they taste quite different!

The Taste: The green starfruit is a very tangy and tart flavor, whereas the the yellow starfruit is a sweet and tangy flavor. I personally prefer the yellow starfruit and I recommend this is what you try! I would compare its sweet and tangy flavor to a mix of apple, grape, and citrus.
My Personal Insight: I’ve only ever tried green starfruit, which was very tart—I didn’t like it at all! However, I’ve heard that the sweet variety can be quite delicious.