Skip to content
Aroy Mak Mak

Dragon Fruit

แก้วมังกร

Kaew mangkon: a pink, flame-shaped fruit with speckled white or magenta flesh.

Dragon Fruit

Dragon fruit is the fruit of a climbing cactus. Its bright pink skin has green-tipped scales like flames, and inside is white or magenta flesh speckled with tiny black seeds that you eat, like kiwi seeds. The Thai name kaew mangkon means “dragon crystal”.

Pronunciationgaeo mang-gon
FlavourMild and lightly sweet, like kiwi and pear; red-fleshed is sweeter
SeasonYear-round, best from June to September
EatenFresh and chilled, in shakes and fruit salads

White and red dragon fruit

White-fleshed dragon fruit is the most common and has a mild, refreshing taste. Red- or magenta-fleshed dragon fruit is sweeter and more flavourful, with striking colour, and is used in shakes and smoothies. Be warned: the red flesh stains hands, boards and clothes.

How to eat it

Cut it in half and scoop out the flesh with a spoon, or cut it into wedges and peel back the skin. Chill it first; it tastes better cold.

Choosing and storing

Choose bright, evenly coloured fruit that gives slightly when pressed, with fresh scales. Dry, brown scale tips mean older fruit. It keeps for about a week in the fridge.

In Thai markets

Dragon fruit is grown all over Thailand and is also imported from neighbouring Vietnam, so it is cheap and easy to find all year. Fruit carts sell it peeled and cubed in bags, and markets sell it whole by the kilo. Yellow dragon fruit, a different species with a yellow, spiny skin and sweeter white flesh, appears in upmarket supermarkets at a much higher price.

Ways to eat it

Beyond eating it chilled, Thais blend red-fleshed dragon fruit into vivid pink shakes with ice and a little syrup, add cubes to fruit salads and serve it on fruit plates next to watermelon and pineapple. The mild white type is best paired with something sharper, such as lime juice or passion fruit, which gives it the flavour it lacks on its own.

Cook’s tip

A squeeze of lime over chilled dragon fruit brings out its gentle flavour.

More Fruits

All Fruits