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Fruits · Tropical fruit

Papaya

Pear-shaped tropical fruit with soft orange flesh and black seeds; eaten ripe with lime or green in salads.

Also called: pawpaw, papita, lechosa

6 recipes with it

What it is

Ripe papaya has yellow-green to orange skin and soft, buttery, salmon-orange flesh around a cavity of peppery black seeds. It is milder and muskier than mango. Unripe green papaya (a separate entry) is firm and crunchy and shredded for salads. Papaya contains papain, an enzyme that tenderises meat.

Carica papaya

How it’s used

  • Eaten ripe with a squeeze of lime
  • Blended into smoothies and juices
  • Added to fruit salads and salsas
  • Mashed into marinades to tenderise meat

Characteristics

Taste
Sweet, mild and musky.
Texture
Soft and buttery.
Sold as
fresh, dried
Cooking uses
Usually eaten raw

Kinds in our pantry

Storage

At room temperature. Ripen at room temperature until it gives slightly, then refrigerate and eat within a few days.

Diet, allergens and safety

No major allergens in typical versions.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
43 kcal
Protein
0.47 g
Carbohydrate
10.82 g
Fat
0.26 g
Fibre
1.7 g
Sugars
7.82 g

USDA FoodData Central: Papayas, raw.

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

  • Mango — In smoothies and salads; sweeter.
  • Melon — In fruit salads; milder and more watery.

Related ingredients

Recipes with papaya

More tropical fruit