A ripe mangosteen is a dark purplish red color. When it’s not ripe a mangosteen may appear yellow or green in color.

The color and feel of the mangosteen will help you know when it's ripe. You’ll know that a mangosteen is ripe when it feels a bit heavy in your hand, the outer peel is smooth, purplish red in color, and yields slightly with gentle pressure from your thumb.

Unripened or over ripened mangosteen will be hard (like, knock-knock hard) on the outside and darker colored peel. Whole mangosteen are not recommended for use in food fights, even friendly ones.

The easiest way to eat a ripe mangosteen is to carefully score the circumference of the rind with the tip of a spoon or sharp paring knife. Then, gently twist the rind with your hands and it will easily pop apart. Slide out the sections of mangosteen and enjoy!

Each mangosteen has a large, inedible seed in one of the sections that resembles a plum pit. Luckily, it’s usually pretty easy to find the pit because it tends to be in the largest section of mangosteen. Other sections of mangosteen may have soft seeds in the center that are edible and easy to eat.

Mangosteen grows natively in Southeast Asia on a tropical evergreen tree known to reach heights of over 80 feet. Because mangosteens have very particular needs, they thrive only in tropical climates. Today mangosteen is cultivated in tropical climates in the United States and Colombia.

Mangosteen shares a dark, purpley color with fruits known to be superfoods that are packed with anti-inflammatory benefits and beneficial plant compounds like xanthones. The edible portion of the mangosteen, however, has different nutritional benefits. Extracting nutrition from the peel is a whole ‘nother thing. Here at The Stand, we’re humble fruit geeks, not doctors. We’re here for the love of the fruit! That said, mangosteen packs a nutritional punch that’s worth knowing about.

100g of mangosteen contains:

• Calories 63
• Carbs 15g
• Dietary Fiber 5g
• Sugar 16g
• Sodium 7mg
• Potassium 48 mg
• Vitamin A 1%
• Vitamin C 12%
• Calcium 1%
• Iron 2%

Want to know more about the nutrition facts of mangosteen? Check out the USDA Food Data Central.

Mangosteen is in peak season during the summer. Depending on where it's cultivated in the world, mangosteen season runs from about April through August.

Mangosteen is often enjoyed raw directly from the rind. It is a prized ingredient in Southeast Asia, particularly in Thai cuisine. Mangosteen makes a great snack on its own, but is delicious in salads, juices, desserts, drinks and savory meals as well! You can pair mangosteen easily with flavors like coconut, lemongrass and mango.

Mangosteen’s unique taste is often described as “hard to describe”, making it a truly singular fruit flavor experience! The flavor of mangosteen is often explained as surprisingly sweet and floral with a tanginess that’s both juicy and mild. Mangosteen has a mild fragrance that’s sparkly sweet and topical.

Mangosteen makes a great snack on its own, but is delicious in salads, juices, desserts, drinks and savory meals as well! You can eat mangosteen raw or cooked into sweet or savory recipes.

Mangosteen is a delicious addition to fresh juices, enhanced water, cocktails and smoothies.

To make delicious alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, use your mangosteens to make a basic syrup, then add it to your drinks.

Mangosteens must be eaten fairly quickly before they spoil. We recommend storing your mangosteens in the refrigerator and eating them within 2-3 days. But the best place to store mangosteens? In your belly, of course.

Yes! Good dogs can have a piece of mangosteen fruit here and there. Make sure to not feed dogs mangosteen pits or any part of the rind because they could cause digestive concerns.

Your FruitStand fam encourages you to clear the safety of any new fruits or veggies with your veterinarian before offering them your pooch.

The outer rind of mangosteen is a deep purple color that’s known to get a little...messy. While mangosteen fruit is light colored, it could still leave a stain if it comes in contact with certain fabrics.

Keep a portable stain stick on hand for impromptu fruit feasts. Quickly treating a fruit juice spot greatly increases your chances of avoiding a stain.

In life, a little fruit must fall. If you drop a bit of mangosteen on your clothing, table cloth or fabric napkins, first treat the spot with a stain remover that’s safe for that particular fabric. Follow the directions on the product to prevent the spot from setting, and pop the item into the washer as soon as you can.