Take this list of the best Fall fruits to eat when you go to the grocery store to get the freshest produce around! Fall has some of the best produce as the harvest approaches and the weather starts to cool.
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Aside from being full of health benefits, fruits add amazing flavor to food. So when you're thinking about baking some Fall desserts, capitalize on the tasty seasonal produce on offer and make a dish with one of these fruits in the fall season.
The Best Fall Fruits
1. Apples
Apples are one of the most popular Fall fruits because they are super tasty as well as super versatile. From pies and tarts to cobblers and sauces, there are so many apple desserts you can make, and apples pair unbelievably well with cinnamon desserts, too.
Some apple varieties, like Fuji apples, are sweeter, whilst others can be more tart (like Granny Smiths), so be sure to pick the right one for your dessert. Apples will always need to be peeled and cored before use in baking.
2. Pears
As soon as pears start to come into season, I am so happy because it means I can start baking pear desserts. Pears have a sweet and juicy flavor profile, although certain varieties are better for baking than others. Bartlett pears (also known as Williams pears) are considered a great all-rounder for baked desserts. Like apples, pears need to be peeled and cored before use in the kitchen.
What's more, pears taste delicious with so many other flavors, too, like caramel. Try serving pears with walnut desserts to give some added earthy crunch.
3. Figs
Figs are sweet, soft, and chewy and work just as well with savory dishes as they do with desserts. They pair well with goat cheese and with nuts, especially almonds, like in this fig and frangipane tart. The entire fig is edible, and they certainly look beautiful when cut open to reveal the deep purple skin and vivid red interior.
4. Quinces
The bright, golden glow of ripe quince fruit is unforgettable, but it's one of those unique fall fruits that not everyone is familiar with. Quince is quite a hard fruit and remains tart in taste even when ripe. But they shine brightest when cooked, as the cooking process brings out the flavor that is aromatic with floral notes. Or, why not add some quince puree to your apple desserts and see how good they taste!
5. Pumpkin
Did you know everyone's favorite winter squash is actually a fruit? In fact, in terms of botany, pumpkins are berries. A pumpkin's skin will be tough and hard when it is ripe enough to harvest; you won't be able to pierce the exterior with a fingernail, and there won't be soft spots. Pumpkins are excellent for Fall baking due to the natural sweetness and moisture that pumpkin puree brings to baked goods like muffins, pies, and cakes.
And of course, how could I not mention everyone's favorite Fall flavor: pumpkin spice? Try making one of these pumpkin desserts this Fall to see for yourself!
6. Grapes
Grapes ripen throughout the warm and sunny summer months and are finally ready to be picked in late September or October. As well as wine, you can make delicious grape jelly and other desserts like fresh fruit salads. Seedless grape varieties are best for desserts and baking and are readily available in grocery stores. Green grapes are the sweetest, followed by red and then black grapes.
7. Cranberries
This small red fruit has a vibrant color and tart, bright taste. You will have tried it with Thanksgiving dinner in the form of cranberry sauce and perhaps drunk cranberry juice, but this Fall fruit is also delicious in desserts.
Cranberry and orange are a flavor combination made in foodie heaven; try baking my cranberry orange bread to see for yourself.
8. Pomegranates
Pomegranate seeds resemble beautiful red jewels, and the way they burst with sweet, juicy goodness as you eat them is one of life's great joys. You need to scoop them out with a spoon and avoid the white pith, but that's half the fun. Scatter pomegranate seeds over everything from yogurt and granola in the morning to cakes and brownies as a sweet treat.
Ripe pomegranates are not perfectly spherical; they have flattened, angular sides so look out for this at the grocery store.
9. Persimmons
If you like ripe summer peaches, try persimmons! They're soft and juicy when ripe and taste delicious when made into puree filling for tarts and pies or drizzled over vanilla ice cream. Persimmons are easy to prepare and use because they have no seeds, pips, or stones, and you can eat the skin, which also means there is no waste.
10. Key Limes
Key limes might look similar to regular limes when you see them on the tree and pick them, but this citrus fruit actually turns yellow as it ripens. You can use the juice and zest of key limes to make the famous key lime pie, and they have a delicious, sweet, tangy taste that isn't too acidic.
11. Kumquats
Kumquats are tiny, vibrant citrus fruits with a refreshing sour yet sweet flavor, and you can use them in many dishes. Unlike other citrus fruits, you can eat kumquats whole, so there is no need to peel them! Candied kumquats taste delicious on top of cheesecakes, and kumquat compote is delicious with yogurt or ice cream.
12. Guava
I love the unmistakable contrast of guavas' bright pink flesh and vivid green skin. The taste of guava is normally likened to a cross between a strawberry and a pear, so it's unsurprising that most people love it! Apart from the stem, the entire fruit is edible so guava makes an easy sweet snack and can also be sliced up and served on top of fresh custard fruit tarts.
13. Passion Fruit
Passion fruit is another exotic fruit that pairs beautifully with other flavors, so it is a brilliant ingredient for baked desserts. I love it with chocolate, like this chocolate and passion fruit tart, or keep it with other tropical flavors like my coconut passion fruit pana cotta. You need to slice through the tough outer rind to scoop out the flesh and edible seeds, and then either drizzle over desserts or use in recipes as required.
Wondering how to tell if passion fruit is ripe? Look for the plump, fully colored ones with slightly wrinkled exteriors.
14. Dates
Whilst you can eat fresh dates, they are not very sweet so you are more likely to use them in a dried form where the sugars have concentrated and given them a deeper flavor. You can dry raw dates at home by pitting them and placing them in sunlight covered with mesh cloth. Leave for 5 days, turning occasionally.
Dried dates are extremely useful in desserts like sticky toffee pudding or even ground down into a sugar substitute. They have a delicious caramel taste that can add a deep flavor to baked goods like brownies, muffins, and cookies.
15. Plums
Have you ever eaten a baked plum cobbler? I beg you to try it. The soft, juicy bubbling baked plums taste unbelievably with the crispy topping, and when served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream it is out of this world. Plums are a stone fruit so you will need to halve them and remove the stone before using them in your baked goods, but you can leave the skin on.
16. Kiwi
Kiwis resemble large fuzzy grapes, but they have this incredible interior with bright green flesh and seeds that look like an explosion of fireworks. The cross-section of a kiwi is really beautiful, and they are a great way to add visual interest arranged on top of desserts like cheesecakes. Whilst you can eat the skin of kiwis, it can taste a bit fuzzy! So, most people prefer to peel kiwis before consuming them.
Fall Fruits FAQs
Apples, pears, quince, figs, pumpkin, pomegranate, and grapes are just some of the fruits in the Fall season to enjoy.
Yes! Pumpkin is a fruit that grows from the seeds of a plant. And it's one of the best Fall fruits in season to bake with.
A fruit is the edible produce of a tree or plant that develops from its flowers and seeds.
Vegetables are edible parts of plants and can be roots, stems, leaves, or the entire plant. For example, root vegetables like carrots and potatoes.
Pumpkins, pears, apples, passion fruit, key limes, kumquats, and persimmons are available in November. Also, Sweet potatoes, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, and Brussels Sprouts are just some of the fall vegetables you can enjoy in November, too.
Related Fall Recipes
Have you tried these recipes?
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