Have you got your hands on some nice dragon fruit and don’t know how to store it ? No worries, we’ve got just what you need.
As special as dragon fruit is, you really don’t want to let one spoil and go to waste.
This is why today we’ll be talking about how to store dragon fruit, so it lasts longer.
How to store dragon fruit
Dragon fruit is meant to be stored a cool temperatures, as long as it is ripe.
Like any other fruit, if unripe it must be ripened on the counter for 2-3 days. You’ll notice it becomes ripe when the coloring on the skin is even, and the wings (the green spikes) are starting to turn brown near the tips.
So here are the main ways to store dragon fruit, depending on what you need and what storage space you have available.
On the counter
Storing dragon fruit on the counter should only be done if you plan to eat it in the next 2-4 days. This is because ambient temperature is going to ripen the fruit if you keep it out for too long.
If you forget about it on the counter it will actually spoil, and this will ruin your day if you were looking forward to it.
When storing dragon fruit on the counter be sure to keep it away from other smelly or flavorful foods, since it can and will absorb flavors.
In the fridge
Dragon fruit can be kept in the fridge, but only when ripe. Keeping an unripe dragon fruit in the fridge will keep it unripe, and you will be very disappointed with the flavor.
A key point when talking dragon fruit is how much of a hit or miss these things are. Get an unripe one and they’ll be the blandest, most watered down fruits you can imagine.
Get a nice, ripe one and you’ll be very pleased with your sweet and refreshing exotic fruit.
This is why you should only keep already ripe dragon fruit in the fridge.
In a way, it’s like storing avocado. Keep it on the counter to ripen, keep it in the fridge to stop it from spoiling.
Now, be advised that cutting dragon fruit and storing it in an airtight container will significantly reduce its shelf life. It will be good the next day, but not the one after that.
In the freezer
You can keep dragon fruit in the freezer for as long as you like. We recommend using anything you have in the freezer within 3 months, to stave off freezer burn and not lose too much flavor.
That being said, when you do put dragon fruit in the freezer don’t put it whole. If you do, there inside will be still frozen while the outside will be mushy when you thaw it.
Instead cut it into cubes, and you have two options.
If your freezer allows this in terms of space, get a sheet pan or something similarly wide and shallow, line it with baking paper, and set the cubes on it.
Make sure the cubes don’t touch each other, and leave in the freezer overnight.
Once completely frozen, transfer to a container and place that in the freezer. This way you can get only a few cubes if that’s all you need.
Your second option is to freeze all the cubes somewhat spaced out, in a very thick plastic bag that will not tear when you open it to get just a few cubes.
This way you can freeze them in a single layer and they won’t touch that much, making breaking off a few cubes easy.
An important point about freezing dragon fruit: it will become mushy once thawed, as all fruits. Your best bet is to use it while still frozen in smoothies, it adds lots of great texture and looks great.
Read Also:Does Dragon Fruit Grow On Trees ?
How long does dragon fruit last ?
Dragon fruit has a somewhat short shelf life. This is mostly mitigated by the timing the farmers use to harvest the fruit.
That is, dragon fruit is often picked like bananas – unripe, and it ripens during transport.
If you’ve got your hands on fresh, ripe dragon fruit we advise you don’t wait more than 24 hours to eat it. Best to keep that one in the fridge so make sure it doesn’t spoil.
If you bought unripe dragon fruit last week and kept it on the counter, it may be on the verge of spoiling now.
Generally, dragon fruit will keep up to a week in the fridge, if ripe.
It will only keep for about 24 hours on the counter, if ripe.
And it will keep for as long as you need it to, in the freezer. Just be sure to not let it stay there more than 3 months, you’re losing a lot of flavor.
Now, if you’re wondering how long dragon fruit lasts in the first place, you may be wondering how you can tell it’s gone off. Check out there signs.
Signs your dragon fruit is going off
Unfortunately dragon fruit doesn’t keep very long, but there are some ways you can definitely tell it’s off.
Some say that dragon fruit tastes best when it’s nearly spoiled. This is very similar to the way bananas work. The more the fruit has aged, the more the starches turn to sugars and make the fruit sweet.
But finding that balance between just right an almost good enough to throw is key. Here’s what to look for when dragon fruit is spoiling.
The dragon fruit skin is splitting
One of the most obvious signs that your dragon fruit has already spoiled is if the outer skin has cracked. Worse, if you can see right through it to the flesh inside it’s definitely gone.
The main trouble with this is that the inside flesh (whether white or red) is very sensitive to air, and will rot very quickly. This is why if you cut up dragon fruit and store it in the fridge, it absolutely needs to be in an airtight container.
The color is fading
Another way to tell your dragon fruit is going to spoil soon is when the color of the outer skin will change.
Ripe dragon fruit is a nice, even color. The wings will be green with a slightly darker, brownish tip.
A spoiling dragon fruit will begin to get blotchy on the outside, with darker, brownish spots appearing everywhere. The wings will turn brown and start to dry off.
At this point it won’t look as appetizing anymore.
Read Also:Here’s How Long Dragon Fruit Takes To Grow
There is a weird smell
While dragon fruit doesn’t taste or smell too strong, you will definitely smell a rotting one.
Now, it if smells it’s definitely long gone. There isn’t as much sugar in dragon fruit to make it really smell strongly once spoiled, but it will have a vaguely unpleasant odor.
It will also be a bit soft and mushy to the touch.
Hopefully you’ll never have to deal with the sadness that is spoiled dragon fruit. This fruit is really one of the most interesting out there, even if it’s sometimes not the most flavorful.
Store it right, and you’ll definitely have something to impress your guests with.
