Green Fruits: Names, Facts & Unripe Varieties

Green fruits are fruits that are either naturally green when ripe or commonly eaten while still green. Some keep their green skin even at full maturity, while others are harvested early for cooking or salads.

This guide focuses on fruits that are genuinely associated with the color green in everyday use, avoiding artificial labels or misleading names.

Green Fruits

Green fruits are fruits that have a green skin or green flesh when ripe, or fruits that are commonly consumed in their unripe (green) stage. In daily language, these fruits are recognized by their natural green appearance rather than by adding the word “green” artificially to their names.

Typical examples include avocado, lime, kiwi, honeydew melon, and Granny Smith apples. Some fruits, such as green mango or green papaya, are eaten before they fully ripen and are especially common in savory dishes.

List of Green Fruit Names

Avocado
Granny Smith apple
Kiwi
Lime
Green grape
Green mango (unripe mango)
Green papaya
Honeydew melon
Anjou pear
Green plum
Green banana (unripe banana)
Green fig
Guava
Green olive
Green tomato
Breadfruit
Custard apple
Gooseberry
Noni
Feijoa
Chayote
Tomatillo
Kiwano (horned melon)
Cucamelon
Pomelo

Common Green Fruits with Facts

Avocado: A creamy fruit rich in healthy fats. Unlike most fruits, avocado is low in sugar and widely used in savory dishes.
Lime: A small citrus fruit with a sharp, acidic taste. Its green color is a defining feature, even when fully ripe.
Kiwi: Brown on the outside but bright green inside, with tiny black seeds and a fresh, tangy flavor.
Granny Smith apple: Known for its vivid green skin and crisp, tart taste, often used in baking.
Green mango: An unripe mango eaten for its sour crunch, especially popular in salads and pickled dishes.
Green papaya: Firm and mild in flavor, commonly shredded for salads such as papaya salad.
Starfruit: Named for its star shape when sliced. It belongs to the Oxalidaceae family, not the citrus family.