Credit to mother nature and ingenious botanists, every English alphabet contributes to the naming of innumerable fruits. In this post, let’s talk about fruits that start with P!
It may interest you to know pineapples, papayas, and pears are just a few, but we’ll look into more that start with P in this post.
You’ll also learn their flavors, understand their health benefits, and discover the best ways to enjoy them.
Papaya Fruit
We have the famous papaya as one of the fruits that start with P.
Carica papaya, commonly shortened as papaya, is one of the most popular fruits in the tropics. Each has a pear or oval shape with a thin greenish-yellow or orange skin when mature. (*)
- Taste: The inner yellow/red-orange pulp has a juicy and sweet flavor.
- Benefits: They are rich in vitamins A, C, and E.
- How To Eat: When ripe, slice it open, then use a spoon to scoop out the soft, juicy flesh, and enjoy!
Passion Fruit
Next, the passion fruit is part of the list of fruits that start with letter P.
Passion fruits (Passiflora edulis) are round, hard-skinned fruits with yellow inner pulp and black seeds. (*)
- Taste: Their flesh is sweet but slightly tart.
- Benefits: Passion fruits are excellent sources of fiber and antioxidants. They also boost the body’s immunity.
- How To Eat: Like the soft papaya, you’ll only need a spoon to scoop out the flesh of the passion fruit!
Pawpaw Fruit
Here, we have the pawpaw as another fruits with P.
Scientifically called Asimina triloba, pawpaws are oblong, green-skinned fruits with yellow flesh and black seeds.
It’s easy to mistake them for papayas, but their shape is a significant distinction. Pawpaws are slightly smaller with a round shape, while papayas are more oval/oblong.
- Taste: People say it has a sweet and tropical flavor.
- Benefits: Pawpaws contain necessary nutrients, especially magnesium, manganese, and iron.
- How To Eat: After dissecting them in half, remove the seeds, and munch the flesh with a spoon.
Pomelo Fruit
The next one on our list of fruits begin with p is the pomelo.
Pomelos, known as Citrus maxima scientifically, are large citrus fruits most popular among Asians.
They have a teardrop shape, green-yellow skin, and thick rind.
- Taste: They taste like grapefruit but sweeter.
- Benefits: Pomelos promote weight loss and help fight cancerous cells.
- How to eat: You can cut out slices into any size and eat fresh or roasted first in an oven.
Peach Fruit
Let’s talk about peaches as one of the fruits that start with the letter p.
Prunus persica is their botanical name. Peaches are soft, round fruits with pinky-orange skin and yellow flesh that thrive well in warm environments.
- Taste: They have a floral sweetness & tartness, but the yellow cultivars are more acidic.
- Benefits: They are excellent sources of antioxidants and vitamin C.
- How To Eat: You can enjoy them fresh as a snack, in salads, jams, jellies, and juices.
Pequi Fruit
Have you ever heard about pequi?
Pequi fruits (Caryocar brasiliense) are indigenous to Brazil regions. They are spherical and yellow or green, enclosing yellow flesh and Pequi kernels.
- Taste: People who’ve tasted them say they have a distinct flavor hinting at cheese.
- Benefits: It is found that peaches can lower blood cholesterol levels and reduce body inflammation.
- How To Eat: Brazilians employ them in various dishes. But they are also great directly consumed from hand.
Prunes
You surely have heard about prunes! Add them to the fruits beginning with the letter p!
Prunes (Prunus domestica) are typically dried prune plums. These fruits are small and vary in color depending on their cultivar.
- Taste: Prunes taste like plums, although sweeter resulting from the drying process.
- Benefits: They have excellent dietary fiber, linked to providing laxative effects.
- How To Eat: They are employed in various sweet and savory dishes.
Plums
Let’s find out about plums from the list of fruits that starts with letter p.
Plums as prunes are called Prunus domestica botanically. They are purple-colored, medium-sized fruits with an oval to globose shape.
- Taste: Ripe plums are sweet, sometimes tart.
- Benefits: Prunes are found to have the potential to combat heart diseases and help relieve constipation.
- How To Eat: They are great for eating fresh-off-the-tree but can be sliced in salads or smoothies.
Persian Limes
We have the Persian limes as next of the fruits with P.
Persian limes are suspected hybrids of Mexican limes. This medium-sized lemon-shaped fruit has dark green, thick skin.
- Taste: It is described that they have an acidic flavor.
- Benefits: Persian limes have the potential to prevent kidney stones and aid iron absorption.
- How To Eat: The taste of their flesh is acidic; you may prefer them squeezed into juices.
Pomegranate
Don’t forget the pomegranates as part of the fruits with P!
Pomegranate (Punica granatum) has a smooth leather-like skin when grown with a brown-yellow to red exocarp. They are as large as oranges, with flesh divided into chambers.
- Taste: Pomegranates are characteristically sweet-tart in flavor.
- Benefits: Studies have proven its effectiveness in preventing breast, lung, colon, and prostate cancers.
- How To Eat: You’re probably no stranger to pomegranate juice, but you can also enjoy the flesh after removing the seeds.
Pears
Did you know? There are over 2,000 different types of pear in the world that vary in shape, size, color, and even content.Its scientific name is Punica granatum.
- Taste: Most pears are sweet and crispy.
- Benefits: They are excellent sources of vital dietary fiber, antioxidants, and plant compounds.
- How To Eat: Many pears have an edible exocarp and flesh, but be mindful of the seeds.
Persimmon
Ever thought about persimmons?
Persimmon, which botanists may prefer calling Diospyros kaki, are berries with light yellow to dark-orange skin. They range in size and shape, based on the cultivar.
- Taste: Persimmons are typically mildly sweet.
- Benefits: They richly contain manganese, which helps in blood clotting, vitamins A & C.
- How To Eat: Their skin is edible. So you may fancy a big bite.
Pineapple
We have the lovely pineapple as one of the fruits with P.
Pineapples are one of the most widely-known and produced fruits. Ananas comosus is their scientific name.
They have green, tough leathery skin, enclosing a juicy white to yellow flesh when ripe.
- Taste: Pineapples have a sweet-tart flavor. They are sweeter at the bottom due to the concentration of sugar present.
- Benefits: Pineapples can help boost the immune system and ease arthritis symptoms.
- How To Eat: To access pineapple’s sweet flesh, carefully slice off its tough skin with a knife.
Pitaya
Pitaya is an aesthetic tropical fruit with other names: Dragon fruit, strawberry pear, and botanically, Selenicereus undatus.
They form from many cactus responsible for their distinctive appearance.
- Taste: Pitayas have a mildly sweet flavor reminiscent of earthly watermelon.
- Benefits: They help lower blood sugar and strengthen the body’s immune system.
- How To Eat: Cut the fruit in half with a knife and spoon out the flesh.
Plantains
Thinking of bananas? Just say plantains!
Plantains are omnipresent fruits almost everywhere around the globe. They resemble bananas but are usually larger thicker-skinned. Its scientific name is Musa × paradisiaca.
- Taste: Plantains’ flavor hints at bananas but is not very sweet when green (unripe).
- Benefits: They contain antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and essential nutrients.
- How To Eat: Although no one can stop you from eating them like bananas, they’re best when fried and usually incorporated into other dishes.
Peumo
Let’s talk about the peumo as one of the fruits tha start with P.
Cryptocarya alba or Peumos are red berries containing large, heavy seeds. They grow on trees up to 65 feet native to Argentina and Chile in South America.
- Taste: People say they are distasteful unless submerged in warm water.
- Benefit: The oil extracted from their edible seeds contain oleic and linoleic acids, essential for Tocopherols and beta-sitosterol.
- How To Eat: You can consume them directly as a snack.
Physalis
We have another berry in our list of fruits begin with P – the physalis!
Physalis peruviana or Physalis fruit is a yellow to orange berry, identical to tomatoes in shape and size.
- Taste: Many describe its flavor as tropical sweet and tart. It incredibly hints at pineapples, figs, cherry tomatoes, and strawberries.
- Benefits: The vitamin C content of Physalis helps in wound healing and maintaining a healthy immune system.
- How To Eat: You can slice the berries before eating or consume them whole as every part is edible.
Phalsa
Phalsa (Grewia asiatica) are round tiny fruits that grow in open clusters.
While developing, the skin changes from green to purple-red and eventually dark-purple or almost black.
- Taste: Their flavor combines bitter, sour, and acidic.
- Benefits: Phalsa juice with rose water can relieve nausea and vomiting. With rock salt and ginger, they help overcome hiccups and respiratory ailments.
- How To Eat: You can savor Phalsa fresh and whole or squeeze them into juice.
Pigeon Pea
Then, we have the pigeon pea as one of the fruits name start with p.
Pigeon peas (Cajanus cajan) are from the Fabaceae family in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
They are commonly green, flat, straight pods growing on short legumes.
- Taste: People describe their flavor as nutty.
- Benefits: They aid weight loss, improve the digestive system, and promote a healthy heart.
- How To Eat: They are good as snacks or in salads when immature but should be cooked when mature.
Pigeon Plum
For the next of the fruits name with p, we have the pigeon plums.
Ripe pigeon plums (Coccoloba diversifolia) are small, purple, and pear-shaped.
- Taste: They are sour and astringent.
- Benefits: In the Bahamas, they are employed in treating gastrointestinal problems like diarrhea.
- How to eat: People relish them raw. You can also make them into wine or jelly.
Pigface
Native to Australia, Pigface (Carpobrotus glaucescens) is a red to purple fruit that matures between Summer and Autumn.
- Taste: People say that their flavor is reminiscent of fig. Others say it clues salty apples.
- Benefits: They are excellent antioxidant sources.
- How To Eat: You can eat them fresh or include them in salads.
Pili Nut
Next on our list of fruits thats start with P is the pili nut.
Canarium ovatum, pili nuts are single seeds of drupes pili fruit enclosed by hard, thick-shelled pits.
- Taste:They have a light flavor hinting at sunflower seeds.
- BenefitsThey keep your brain in shape and fight inflammation.
- How To Eat: They serve as perfect fresh snacks.
Pineberry
If you think of strawberries, just remember pineberries for fruits that begin with P.
Pineberries are cultivars of white strawberries. They are similar in shape & size to strawberries but have a pale cream exocarp studded with red seeds.
- Taste: They hint at pineapple flavor more than strawberry.
- Benefits: Pineberries boost the immune system.
- How To Eat: You can enjoy them fresh or garnished.
Prickly Pear
We have a thorny-looking fruit as part of the fruits that start with letter p – the prickly pear.
Prickly pears are typically green, red, or orange fruits with black spots. Scientifically, they are known as Opuntia.
- Taste: An enclosed juice tastes like watermelon.
- Benefits: They help maintain healthy blood pressure.
- How To Eat: The flesh and seeds are edible, so feel free to eat whole!
Pulasan
Nephelium mutabile, Pulasan is a somewhat large, ovoid, variably-colored fruit with a leathery rind.
- Taste: The pulasan aril can be sweet, sour, or sweet-sour in flavor.
- Benefits: Pulasan facilitates weight loss.
- How To Eat: Generally, they are eaten fresh, but you can freeze or dry them.
Pummelo
Pummelo is one of the most enormous citrus fruits that range from round to pear-shaped. They are pale-yellow or green-yellow when ripe with dotted minute green glands.
- Taste: They are acidic.
- Benefits: Pummelos are rich in minerals and nutrients.
- How To Eat: Peel the skin and enjoy fresh or squeezed juice.
Purple Mangosteen
Purple Mangosteen fruits are medium round fruits with a reddish-purple rind when ripe.
- Taste: They taste sweet & tart, hinting at strawberry & peach.
- Benefits: Mangosteen fruits support blood sugar control.
- How To Eat: The opaque-white flesh is appreciated fresh by most.
Final thoughts
If you’re looking to taste new fruits, try some of these fruits that start with P. You might just find a new favorite.
And if you’ve tried most of these fruits, how tasty or unimpressive were they? Which do you recommend we try first?
We can’t wait for your response!
After checking a list of fruits with names starting with the letter P, you might also want to check another fruits name list:
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, R, Q, S, T, U, V, X, Y, Z.
