10 Ways to Eat a Mangosteen, the Elusive Tropical Fruit That Tastes as Good as It Looks

Mangosteen, a sweet-tart tropical fruit, is as impressive in taste as it is in appearance. Familiar to those who've explored other tropical delights like jackfruit and papayas, mangosteen may pose a challenge due to its tough purple rind. Despite its intimidating exterior and high cost, preparing and enjoying this rare fruit is straightforward and rewarding once you know how. Follow these expert tips to make the most of mangosteen's unique flavor and elegance.

Mangosteen 101

Native to Southeast Asia, mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana) is a tropical fruit that grows on evergreen trees. It takes about a decade to flower.

Appearance: Similar in size to a clementine, the mangosteen is round, with a thick purple rind that's seemingly bulletproof; the delicate white flesh tucked inside is conveniently divided into juicy segments, with one segment plumper than the rest.

Flavor Profile: The mangosteen is not only a stunner in looks—its taste is also off the charts. "It is best described as a combination of lychee, with strawberry and peach notes," says Desiree Pardo Morales, founder, and president of Tropical Fruit Box, a Miami-based online purveyor of tropical and exotic fruits—including mangosteen.

"It's sweet, juicy, unique, luscious, and you keep going back for more," adds Alex Jackson, vice president of sales and procurement for Frieda's Branded Produce, a California-based wholesaler specializing in unique fruits and vegetables.

How to Prep a Mangosteen

Once you have a precious mangosteen in your possession, it's simple to extricate the treasure within. Morales suggests taking these steps:

1. Twist the stem off the mangosteen.
2. Squeeze your thumbs through that opening to puncture it.
3. "Press on the sides so that the fruit easily pulls apart (in sections like an orange) to enjoy its white, creamy, flower-shaped flesh," she says.

Alternatively, Jackson says you can break them open with your palms, and eat them right of hand.

How to Eat a Mangosteen

Your initial foray is likely to be memorable—and transporting. "When you eat a mangosteen for the first time, you are instantly taken to a place you've never been before," Jackson says. Each segment, she adds, is like a tropical escape. "The eating experience is interactive and part of the fun."

Here are some suggestions for savoring mangosteen:

Fruit salad: "Mangosteen combines well with durian, dubbed the 'king of all fruits,' and other tropical fruits like mangos, bananas, and pineapple," Morales says. There's no better launching pad than our Tropical Fruit Salad.

Leafy greens: "They can be the pop of sweetness and fruitiness in a green salad," Jackson says. Consider topping a simple dish like our Tender Lettuce Salad with a few sliced segments.

Thai salads: Sweet-tart mangosteen can mellow out the heat of spicy salads like our Thai Chicken and Noodle Salad. Add a dash of mangosteen juice before serving.

Smoothies: Mangosteens lend a tropical note to smoothies. Make some magic by adding it to our Avocado Banana Smoothie or combine it with coconut milk and give it a whir.

Iced tea: Move over Arnold Palmer—lemonade isn't the only iced tea sidekick. Mangosteen juice or segments also pair well, particularly with black or green tea.

Hot tea: The rind also has its teatime applications. "Because of the abundance of antioxidants, the peel of the mangosteen has been used since its origin to treat skin problems or boiled and strained to make tea," Morales says.

Dehydrated or freeze-dried fruit: The peel can be dehydrated in a dehydrator or a low-temperature oven, while the whole fruit can be freeze-dried. Both can be ground into a powder and sprinkled into baked goods or curries, like our Quick Chickpea Curry.

Cocktails: Like other tropical fruits, mangosteen also makes a mean cocktail. The fruit can be juiced, or chopped and added to a simple syrup, then mixed with gin, vodka, or sake, a squeeze of lemon, and a squirt of club soda.  Or try tweaking our Lychee Martini to use mangosteen pieces.

Sorbets: "While I have personally never had a mangosteen sorbet, the flavor's resemblance to tart frozen yogurt leads me to believe a mangosteen sorbet would be delicious and refreshing," says Jackson. Take it for a test drive by adding pieces to our Peach Sorbet.

Panne Cotta: Mangosteen can also make creamy panne cotta sing. Try puréeing and juicing the fruit and folding it into our Panna Cotta.

Nutritional Benefits

As with other tropical fruits like mango, papaya, and acai, the mangosteen has superfood bona fides. It's packed with fiber and rich in xanthones, an antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties, and also contains vitamins B1, B2, B9, and C, manganese, magnesium, and copper.