✔ Updated · 58 fruits, sorted by category
Fruits that start with N include nectarines, navel oranges, nashi pears, naranjilla, nance, Natal plums and Nagami kumquats.
This list rounds up 58 real N fruits, from supermarket staples to tropical rarities, African and Australian bush fruits, and named apple, grape, berry, citrus and melon varieties. Each entry says what the fruit tastes like and where it grows, and a quick A-to-Z list at the end is handy for alphabet games, quizzes and Scattergories.
Fruits that start with N, from everyday favorites to rare finds. The most popular:
Common Fruits That Start With N
Apples, pears, grapes and persimmons that start with N. I love a crisp Asian pear, which some stores sell as nashi.
Northern Spy Apple
A classic New York apple from the 1800s with red-striped skin and crisp, juicy, tart flesh, a favorite for pies.
Newtown Pippin Apple
A historic green apple from Queens, New York, with crisp, tangy flesh that turns sweeter and more aromatic in storage.
Nonpareil Apple
An old English russet apple with rough greenish-gold skin and firm, nutty, sweet-sharp flesh, grown since the 1600s.
Nittany Apple
A Pennsylvania State University apple from Golden Delicious and York, with red skin and crisp, juicy, tart-sweet flesh.
Northwest Greening Apple
A large green apple from Wisconsin in the 1870s with firm, tart flesh, used mainly for pies, sauce and baking.
Norland Apple
A very cold-hardy early apple from the Canadian prairies with red-striped skin and juicy, mildly sweet-tart flesh.
Nashi Pear
The round Asian pear from China, Japan and Korea, with crisp, very juicy flesh and a sweet, mild flavor like apple and pear.
Niitaka Pear
A very large Japanese Asian pear with brown russeted skin and crisp, juicy, mildly sweet flesh, popular as a gift.
Niagara Grape
The leading white grape of New York and Ontario, with juicy, slip-skin berries and a sweet, intensely foxy flavor.
Neptune Grape
A green seedless grape from the University of Arkansas with large, crisp berries and a sweet, fruity flavor.
Nebbiolo Grape
A dark red wine grape from Piedmont, Italy, with thick, tannic skins and flavors of sour cherry and rose, used for Barolo.
Nocera Grape
A dark red grape from northeastern Sicily with deeply colored, juicy berries and a fruity, slightly tart taste, used in local wines.
Nikita's Gift Persimmon
A cross of Asian and American persimmons from the Nikita Botanical Garden in Crimea, with honey-sweet orange flesh when soft.
Berries That Start With N
Wild berries and named berry varieties that start with N.
Nannyberry
Blue-black berries of a viburnum shrub from the northern US and Canada, with soft, sweet flesh that tastes like prunes or raisins.
Nagoonberry
Also called arctic raspberry, a small red berry from Alaska and Scandinavia with a very sweet, intensely aromatic flavor.
Navaho Blackberry
A thornless blackberry from the University of Arkansas, with firm, glossy berries that taste very sweet with little tartness.
Natchez Blackberry
A large, early, thornless blackberry from Arkansas with long, shiny berries and a sweet, mildly tangy flavor.
Nova Raspberry
A hardy red raspberry from Nova Scotia, Canada, with firm, bright berries and a tangy, sweet, classic raspberry flavor.
Northland Blueberry
A half-high blueberry from Michigan bred for cold winters, with small, dark berries that taste sweet like wild blueberries.
Northblue Blueberry
A low-growing blueberry from Minnesota with large, dark blue berries and a sweet, mildly tart flavor, hardy to harsh winters.
Citrus That Start With N
Oranges, mandarins and kumquats that start with N. Navel oranges are my winter snack.
Navel Orange
A seedless orange with a navel at one end, first found in Brazil and grown in California, with sweet, juicy, easy-peel segments.
Naartjie
The South African name for a tangerine, a small, loose-skinned citrus with sweet, juicy segments, popular as a winter snack.
Nagami Kumquat
An oval kumquat from China eaten whole, with sweet, edible skin and very sour, juicy flesh, often candied or pickled.
Narenj
The Persian name for bitter orange, grown in Iran and the Middle East, with very sour juice and fragrant peel used in jams and stews.
Natsumikan
A large Japanese summer citrus from Yamaguchi with thick yellow-orange rind and juicy, sharply sour, refreshing segments.
Nova Mandarin
A Florida cross of Clementine and Orlando tangelo, with thin, deep orange skin and very sweet, juicy segments.
Nules Clementine
The leading Spanish clementine from Nules in Valencia, seedless and easy to peel, with sweet, juicy, mildly tangy segments.
Nadorcott Mandarin
A Moroccan mandarin with deep orange, easy-peel skin and seedless, very sweet, juicy segments, ripening in late winter.
Nippon Orangequat
A cross of Meiwa kumquat and satsuma mandarin with spongy, sweet skin and mildly tart flesh, eaten whole.
Tropical Fruits That Start With N
Warm-climate N fruits from the Americas, Asia, Africa and the Pacific. I’ve only seen most of these at specialty markets.
Naranjilla
A fuzzy orange fruit from Ecuador and Colombia with green, juicy pulp tasting like a mix of lime, pineapple and rhubarb.
Nance
Small yellow fruits from Mexico and Central America with a strong, cheesy aroma and sweet-tart, oily flesh, often preserved in syrup.
Naseberry
The Jamaican name for sapodilla, a brown, rough-skinned fruit from Central America with grainy flesh like brown sugar and pear.
Noni
A lumpy, pale fruit from Southeast Asia and the Pacific islands with a pungent, cheese-like smell and a bitter, sour taste.
Natal Plum
A bright red fruit of a South African shrub with juicy, sweet-tart flesh like cranberry and plum, made into jams and sauces.
Nam Dok Mai Mango
A slender Thai mango with golden skin and fiberless, very sweet, fragrant flesh, the classic choice for mango sticky rice.
Neelum Mango
A late-season mango from South India with small, yellow fruits and juicy, sweet, aromatic flesh.
Nendran Banana
A large plantain from Kerala, India, with firm flesh that is sweet when ripe, famous for Kerala banana chips.
Ney Poovan Banana
A small, thin-skinned dessert banana from South India with creamy flesh that tastes very sweet with a slight tang.
Stone Fruits That Start With N
Nectarines, hybrids, cherries, plums, apricots and peaches with a single pit.
Nectarine
A smooth-skinned peach first grown in China and now worldwide, with juicy yellow or white flesh that tastes sweet and tangy.
Nectaplum
A California cross of nectarine and plum with smooth, dark red skin and white, very sweet, juicy flesh.
Nectacotum
A California hybrid of nectarine, apricot and plum with speckled skin and sweet, juicy flesh tasting of all three.
Nanking Cherry
Small, bright red cherries from a hardy shrub native to northern China, with soft, juicy, sweet-tart flesh.
Napoleon Cherry
A European sweet cherry, also called Royal Ann, with yellow skin blushed red and firm, sweet flesh used for maraschino cherries.
Nubiana Plum
A California plum with purple-black skin and firm, amber flesh that tastes sweet with a slightly tart skin.
Newcastle Apricot
An old, early-ripening California apricot with small orange fruits and sweet, juicy flesh, suited to warm climates.
Nectar Peach
A white-fleshed California peach from the 1930s with red-blushed skin and very sweet, juicy, low-acid flesh.
Melons That Start With N
Heirloom melons and watermelons that start with N.
Noir des Carmes Melon
A French heirloom cantaloupe once grown by Carmelite monks, with dark green rind and sweet, aromatic orange flesh.
Nutmeg Melon
An old American heirloom muskmelon with heavily netted skin and green flesh that tastes sweet and spicy.
New Hampshire Midget Watermelon
A small icebox watermelon from the University of New Hampshire, bred for short summers, with sweet red flesh.
Rare & Exotic Fruits That Start With N
Wild and unusual N fruits that rarely reach grocery stores.
Nutmeg Fruit
A yellow, apricot-like fruit from Indonesia's Banda Islands holding the nutmeg seed, with tart, astringent flesh made into jam and candy.
Nere
The pod of the African locust bean tree from the West African savanna, with sweet, yellow, powdery pulp eaten raw or in drinks.
Nonda Plum
A yellow fruit from northern Australia with dry, mealy flesh and a sweet taste, traditionally eaten by Aboriginal people.
Nepali Hog Plum
Called lapsi in Nepal, a small yellow fruit with very sour flesh, made into sweet-sour candy, pickles and chutney.
Nipa Palm Fruit
The clustered fruit of a mangrove palm from Southeast Asia, whose translucent, jelly-like seeds taste mildly sweet.
Nungu
The Tamil name for the palmyra palm fruit from South India, with jelly-like, translucent flesh that tastes like mild lychee.
Botanical Fruits Eaten as Vegetables That Start With N
Fruits in the botanical sense that are cooked and served as vegetables.
NuMex Big Jim Pepper
A very long green chile from New Mexico State University with mild to medium heat and a sweet, grassy flavor for roasting.
Nebraska Wedding Tomato
An orange heirloom tomato from Nebraska, traditionally given as a wedding gift, with a sweet, tangy, well-balanced flavor.
Nadia Eggplant
An Italian-type eggplant with glossy black-purple skin and tender, mild, creamy flesh that is never bitter.
Did You Know?
- A nectarine is a peach with a single gene difference that gives it smooth skin instead of fuzz, and peach trees occasionally produce nectarines and vice versa.
- Navel oranges are seedless, so every navel orange tree is grown from a cutting or graft, and they trace back to a single mutated tree found in Brazil in the 1800s.
- The nutmeg spice is the seed of a fleshy yellow fruit from Indonesia's Banda Islands, and the fruit's tart pulp is made into jam and candy there.
- Naranjilla means little orange in Spanish, and its juice is so popular in Ecuador and Colombia that it is sold as a refreshing drink called lulada or jugo de naranjilla.
Quick List: All 58 Fruits That Start With N
Handy for alphabet games, quizzes and Scattergories. The full list, A to Z:
Naartjie, Nadia Eggplant, Nadorcott Mandarin, Nagami Kumquat, Nagoonberry, Nam Dok Mai Mango, Nance, Nanking Cherry, Nannyberry, Napoleon Cherry, Naranjilla, Narenj, Naseberry, Nashi Pear, Natal Plum, Natchez Blackberry, Natsumikan, Navaho Blackberry, Navel Orange, Nebbiolo Grape, Nebraska Wedding Tomato, Nectacotum, Nectaplum, Nectar Peach, Nectarine, Neelum Mango, Nendran Banana, Nepali Hog Plum, Neptune Grape, Nere, New Hampshire Midget Watermelon, Newcastle Apricot, Newtown Pippin Apple, Ney Poovan Banana, Niagara Grape, Niitaka Pear, Nikita's Gift Persimmon, Nipa Palm Fruit, Nippon Orangequat, Nittany Apple, Nocera Grape, Noir des Carmes Melon, Nonda Plum, Noni, Nonpareil Apple, Norland Apple, Northblue Blueberry, Northern Spy Apple, Northland Blueberry, Northwest Greening Apple, Nova Mandarin, Nova Raspberry, Nubiana Plum, Nules Clementine, NuMex Big Jim Pepper, Nungu, Nutmeg Fruit, Nutmeg Melon
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most popular fruit that starts with N?
The nectarine is the most popular fruit that starts with N, closely followed by the navel orange. Nashi pears, Nagami kumquats and Northern Spy apples are also widely sold in season.
What is the difference between a peach and a nectarine?
A nectarine is a type of peach with smooth skin instead of fuzz, caused by a single gene. Nectarines are often a little firmer and tangier than peaches, but they can be swapped for peaches in most recipes.
What does naranjilla taste like?
Naranjilla has juicy green pulp with a sour, refreshing flavor often compared to a mix of lime, pineapple and rhubarb. It is rarely eaten raw. In Ecuador and Colombia it is blended with water and sugar into a popular juice.
What is a nashi pear?
A nashi pear is an Asian pear from China, Japan and Korea. It is round like an apple, with crisp, very juicy flesh and a sweet, mild flavor. Unlike European pears, it is eaten crisp rather than soft.
Is noni fruit edible?
Yes, noni is edible, but it has a strong, unpleasant smell often compared to blue cheese and a bitter taste. In Polynesia and Southeast Asia it is eaten in small amounts or pressed into juice, often mixed with other fruit juices.
More fruits by letter:
