33 Fruits That Start With B
Bananas are one of the most universally well-known and enjoyed fruit worldwide, often appearing in fruit salads, sundaes, and puddings, but do you know many other fruits that start with the letter B?
In this article, we offer descriptions of 33 fruits that start with B so you’ll be ready to experiment the next time you go shopping.
33 Fruits That Start With The Letter B
1. Babaco
When Babaco fruits are ripe, they have bright yellow skin and white, seedless, juicy flesh. The flesh has been compared to cotton candy in texture and a mix of papaya, pineapple, and kiwi in flavor.
The entire Babaco fruit is edible and is best enjoyed fully ripe off the tree. It is also a great fruit to use as a garnish for desserts or added to smoothies.
2. Baobab Fruit
Baobab fruit is a small, round, furry brown superfood that grows on those large baobab trees, primarily in western and southern Africa, Madagascar, and Australia.
The flavor of baobab has been compared to tangy cream of tartar. The seeds are generally roasted for a snack, or ground and added to drinks, sauces, and soups.
3. Bacuri
Bacuri are small fruits that grow mainly in the Amazon rainforest. Considered ugly by many, bacuri have a yellow and brown skin, similar to that of a bruised banana.
Inside, however, the fruit has juicy, aromatic pulp that is sour and sweet at the same time. Bacuri fruit is eaten happily when harvested ripe and fresh from the tree and can also be used to make jams and ice cream.
4. Bael Fruit
Bael is a round to almost pear-shaped fruit with a hard, thick outer shell, similar to a coconut. The inside flesh of fresh, ripe bael fruit can have a variety of different textures comparable to egg yolk, honey, and stringy fibers.
Bael fruit should be eaten fresh only in moderation, as it is a potent laxative. It’s more commonly dried and used in juices and medicinal teas. Bael has a complex flavor that is a mix of sweet, sour, citrus, and a little woody.
5. Balsam Apples
When young, balsam apples are green and warty, with bright red, sweet, sticky coating on the interior seeds. When they mature, the outer skin turns vibrant yellow and bursts open, almost like a blooming flower, to reveal the red seeds.
When balsam apples are young and still green you can eat the sticky sweet red flesh off the seeds, in moderation. However, when the fruit begins to ripen it becomes poisonous and should not be consumed.
6. Banana
Did you know this long, yellow-skinned fruit is actually classified as a berry? If you’re curious, we have another article talking more about other foods you never knew were berries.
Bananas have a white creamy flesh that has a sweet, tropical flavor. Bananas are a versatile, nutritious fruit that can be eaten fresh as well as added to baking, smoothies, and ice cream. Some even fry up the banana peel for a quick snack.
7. Barbadine Fruit
Barbadine fruit is the largest fruit in the passionfruit family and is also called a giant granadilla. When mature this fruit is yellow-green, soft, and quite large.
The insides are packed full of pulp-covered seeds, similar to passion fruit, surrounded by melon-like flesh. The juicy pulp and seeds have a sweet, bitter tropical flavor, while the flesh has little flavor but a texture like a ripe apple.
8. Barbados Cherries
Barbados cherries look like cherry-sized, bright red apples. They are soft and juicy and have a sweet and tart flavor similar to apples.
Barbados cherries are especially delicious fresh from the tree or market, but they can also be used to make juices, smoothies, and jams. Barbados cherries are a great addition to fruit or green salads.
9. Buffaloberry
Buffaloberry is a Canadian fruit with a long history of being used for medicines and dyes for food, clothes, and makeup.
Buffaloberries are an acquired taste as they are almost intolerably bitter before you’re used to them. This fruit will naturally sweeten up, but not until after the first couple of frosty nights.
Buffaloberry can be eaten raw off the tree, but only in moderation. Eating too many may cause serious illness.
10. Batuan Fruit
Batuan fruit, or batwan is a round, green fruit that looks similar to green tomatoes.
Batuan fruit can be eaten as is when it is ripe and turns yellow, although it is very sour. Batuan fruit is primarily used in the Philippines as a souring agent for traditional food dishes.
11. Bayberries
Bayberries are little red fruits that at first glance look like large, fuzzy cherries. They’re actually hundreds of individual pieces that all meet in the seed at the center.
Bayberries are also known as yumberries or tree strawberries. They have a sweet and tart flavor that is similar to common strawberries. They’re best eaten fresh, soon after harvesting, but can also be made into juice and wine.
12. Beechnut
Beechnuts are brown, woody, bitter fruits that are housed in a prickly, Velcro-like shell. They are edible but quite bitter. The most common way to eat beechnuts is to toast them with your favorite seasonings.
13. Betel Nuts
Betel nuts are very popular in South and Southeast Asia. They’re used as a stimulant, comparable to having a cup of coffee and a cigarette at the same time, and betel nuts are just as addictive.
The nuts are used by putting lime powder or paste on a betel vine leaf and wrapping it around the betel nut. The nut is then chewed for up to 15 minutes. Take care if you want to try the betel nut, they are known to cause mouth and esophagus cancer.
14. Bignay Fruit
Bignay are small berry-like fruits that grow in clusters, similar to grapes. They are whitish-green when young and quite sour. Bignay fruits mature into a deep red, sometimes purple color, and develop a sweet and tart flavor.
Bignay berries can be eaten fresh right off the tree but they are more commonly used for jams and jellies or nutritious teas.
15. Bilberries
Bilberries are a European fruit related to blueberries. They have the same shape as blueberries, but bilberries do not have the star shape where the flower used to be.
The small round fruit is very dark blue to black-purple when ripe. They have a sweet and tart flavor that is often enjoyed fresh off the tree or bush. Bilberry fruit is also used for jams, jellies, desserts, and liquors.
16. Bilimbi Fruit
Young, unripe Bilimbi fruit look almost like smooth cucumbers. When this fruit ripens it turns golden yellow, with a white, almost translucent inner flesh. Bilimbi can be eaten fresh raw but is extremely sour.
Bilimbi is used as a souring agent in some fish or pork recipes. It’s not unusual for this fruit to be served with salt and spices to make the fruit more palatable. Bilimbi fruit is sometimes added to juices and jams but is most commonly pickled.
17. Bitter Melon
Bitter melon, or bitter gourd, is named for its flavor. Bitter melon is the most bitter of all fruits.
They look like green, warty cucumbers when young and unripe, with flesh that is also similar to cucumbers. When fully ripe they turn bright yellow to orange.
Bitter melons are harvested and used when they are still unripe and green, they get more bitter as they ripen.
Bitter melon can be eaten fresh off the vine but cooking with the fruit is much easier to eat. It’s used in curries, stir-fries, deep-fried, or stuffed with pork or other sweet meats.
18. Black Sapote
Black sapotes resemble persimmons, round and chubby. When black sapote fruits are young they are very firm and green and have an unappealing flavor.
It’s not until they are fully ripe that they are at their best. When fully ripe and ready to eat, they become brown and very soft, looking almost like they’ve gone bad.
Black sapote fruits are nicknamed the chocolate pudding fruit because, when at their prime, they have a sweet chocolate taste and a texture like pudding or custard. Black sapote can be eaten raw with a spoon or used in many different treats like baked goods, pudding, ice cream, smoothies, and drinks.
19. Blackcurrants
Blackcurrants are small, round, shiny blue-black fruits with a pale green, translucent pulp.
Blackcurrants are a tart or bittersweet little fruit that can be eaten raw when ripe but are more commonly used as an ingredient in baking, jam, juice, smoothies, desserts, and alcoholic beverages.
Blackcurrant leaves are also harvested to make nutrient-rich teas and the fruits can be used as a coloring agent for foods, fabrics, and makeup.
20. Blood Limes
Blood limes are a fairly new hybrid fruit created in Australia. They’re a mix between red fingers limes and Ellendale mandarin oranges.
In shape, they are similar to the regular green limes you can find in a supermarket, but they’re blood red. The edible flesh is also red and has hundreds of finger-like vesicles that have a strong, bitter-sour taste.
Blood limes can be eaten fresh and raw but can be hard to take because of the acidity. Blood limes are mostly used to add a bitter or sour taste to meals
21. Blood Oranges
Blood oranges are naturally occurring oranges with a few differences from conventional navel oranges. They have thicker rinds that are a deeper hue of orange with a red tint. The delicious, juicy flesh of these fruits is a crimson, or blood red color.
Blood oranges are less acidic and sweeter than navel oranges, with hints of raspberry and strawberry. They can be enjoyed raw and fresh, but are also used in desserts, main dishes, drinks, and smoothies.
22. Blue Tongue Fruit
Blue tongue fruit grows on ornamental bushes with red branches that have pretty, fragrant purple flowers. This plant grows quite easily but is often considered a weed because of how fast it spreads.
After the flowers are done blooming, small blue-black berries take their place. The edible berries are sweet and juicy and will turn your tongue blue, making them a fun, messy favorite with kids.
23. Blueberries
These berries have a rich blue edible skin and pale translucent flesh. Blueberries have a sweet and slightly tart flavor, best enjoyed raw and fresh off the bush or from nearly any produce market.
Blueberries are often the star ingredient in muffins, pies, ice cream, yogurt, jams, and other delectable desserts. They’re also used to add a delicate sweet flavor to juices, smoothies, and alcoholic beverages.
24. Bolwarra
Bolwarra is a berry that ripens in the winter months in Australia. Before bolwarras are ripe, they are green and firm, turning yellow-brown when ready to harvest.
They have a sweet and spicy flavor and can be eaten raw when freshly harvested or added to baking and juices for a spicy flavor.
25. Bottle Gourds
Although bottle gourds are melons, they’re usually harvested when young and unripe and used as a vegetable, more similar to what we would call squash.
Bottle gourds have light green skin that is commonly marred with brown imperfections, and white flesh. They’re shaped like a bottle, hence their name.
The narrow neck is usually discarded and not eaten and they are always peeled before being cooked. They have a spongey center, similar to eggplant, which is hollowed out to create crescents, ideal for adding to stir-fry, curry, or diced up in chutney. They hold spicy flavors well.
26. Boysenberry
Boysenberries are one of the largest and most delicate of berries. These fruits resemble a mix of blackberries and raspberries with their deep purple color that shows hints of red when mature.
Boysenberries are sweet and juicy and make excellent fresh treats. These berries are also used to make jam, juice, syrup, and added to baked goods.
27. Brambles
A bramble is a generic all-encompassing term for berries that grow on bushes. Raspberries, blackberries, and boysenberries are all brambles.
28. Brazilian Guava
Brazilian guavas are small, round yellow fruits with delicate smooth skin that is easily bruised.
When ripe, the yellow flesh dense and creamy, with a consistency similar to a banana. They also have several small, hard yet edible seeds creating even more texture when eaten fresh.
Brazilian guavas have a signature tropical flavor, tasting like a combination of pineapple, strawberry, and banana.
29. Breadfruit
Breadfruit is a huge prickly green fruit, that can weigh up to 12 pounds. It has cream-colored flesh that is amazingly versatile.
When young, breadfruit can be baked or cooked in any dish like potatoes. As it ripens, the flavor becomes much sweeter and it is more commonly enjoyed like a fruit, eaten fresh and raw with a spoon.
30. Brush Cherries
Brush cherries are native to New Zealand and Australia. They look like tiny, bright red apples, but, although these fruits are edible for people, they’re generally left on the trees for the birds.
31. Burmese Grapes
Burmese grapes are a rare fruit found in Asian countries.
Their leathery skin varies in color from bright red to light yellow. Underneath the thick rind is juicy, translucent pulp with several small, flat seeds. The texture is similar to lychee fruit, but more fibrous.
Burmese grapes can be eaten fresh or stewed to make wine.
32. Buddha’s Hand
Buddha’s hand is a vibrant yellow citrus fruit with finger-shaped partitions. This fruit is not juicy like conventional citrus fruits, so it is usually dried and candied or used to flavor alcoholic beverages.
33. Button Mangosteen
Button mangosteens are small, yellow-orange fruits with a similar shape to the more common purple mangosteen fruit.
Button mangosteen is usually eaten fresh out of hand when they are ripe and have a sweet, citrus flavor that has been compared to tangerine.
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