White Guava FAQs

The white guava (psidium guajava) is a white fleshed version of the more popular red and pink varieties. There are over a dozen types of white guava, including Redland (confusing, we know.), Miami White, Webber, Hart, Behat Coconut, Chittidar, Habshi, Lucknow 42 and Lucknow 49, Sefada, Karela and Nagpur. We can really geek over guavas! 

White guava is a versatile fruit that’s perfect when eaten raw, or added to your favorite food and beverage recipes. It can be pureed into breakfast bowls, or drinks like smoothies, fresh juices,  cocktails and other drinks to add tangy sweetness and fragrant tropical flavor. Because it’s high in pectin, a natural substance that can thicken liquids and even turn them into flavorful gels, guavas are especially prized in candies, confections, desserts and sauces.

Like many guava varieties, white guavas are tropical plants. Varieties of white guavas can be found growing natively in the United States, reaching through Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Southeast Asia.

You may recognize red and pink fleshed guavas, but did you know there are even more varieties of white guava? There are over a dozen kinds of white fleshed guava, which look similar to other varieties of the fruit on the outside. White guavas have thin, yellowish green skin. Inside, the flesh is bright white with a texture that varies between an apple and a ripe pear. The edible seeds are yellowish white, distributed throughout the center of the fruit.

It’s easy to spot a ripe white guava! At first, it will be hard to miss it’s bright, tropical fragrance. The skin will be bumpy and a yellowish green color. The white guava will feel heavy in your hand for its size, and feel soft and yielding to gentle thumb pressure.

White guava fruits can be enjoyed raw, directly from the branch, sliced into salads, or cooked in a variety of preparations from candy to sauces. When ripe, the fruit is completely edible - skin, seeds and all! To easily prepare a white guava when raw, slice away the tip and the very bottom of the fruit. Slice it in half long ways and share with a friend!

White guavas contain edible seeds in the center of the fruit. Some seeds can be harder than others, giving the fruit a crunchy texture.

Like many guava varieties, white guavas are tropical plants. Varieties of white guavas can be found growing natively in the United States, reaching through Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Southeast Asia.

White guavas are tropical fruits that are known for their high vitamin C content, beta carotene, vitamin A and selenium. Delicious and nutritious, the peel, flesh and seeds of white guava are edible when ripe.

As a rare specialty fruit, it can be difficult to find reliable information about white guava nutrition facts. Here is the general nutritional information for guava according to the USDA, which could be different from the nutrition of the specific varieties we may ship to you.

Guava Nutrition (100g)

• Calories 68
• Protein 3g
• Fat 1g
• Carbohydrates 14g
• Fiber 5g
• Sugar 9g
• Calcium 18mg
• Magnesium 22mg
• Phosphorus 40 mg
• Potassium 417 mg
• Sodium 2mg
• Vitamin C 228mg

Luckily for fruit lovers like all of us, white guavas are available year round! They’re known to peak in the early spring, sometimes as early as February in the United States.

White guava is a versatile fruit that’s perfect when eaten raw, or added to your favorite food and beverage recipes. It can be pureed into breakfast bowls, or drinks like smoothies, fresh juices, cocktails and other drinks to add tangy sweetness and fragrant tropical flavor. Because it’s high in pectin, a natural substance that can thicken liquids and even turn them into flavorful gels, guavas are especially prized in candies, confections, desserts and sauces.

With their heady tropical fragrance, these delicious fruits are more delicate in flavor than pink and red fleshed guavas. The white flesh is somewhat firm yet juicy, with a lime-like sourness. White guavas have a tangy sweetness that’s fresh, fruity and a little musky in a way that reminds you of its tropical habitat.

White guava is as delicious as it is useful in many kinds of recipes. Slice up white guava as a raw after school snack, or tuck slices into a beautiful cheese board. Use this pectin-rich fruit in recipes for jellies, jams, marmalades, candies and savory sauces. When frozen, guava can be added to sorbets and granitas.

White guavas make impressive and delicious drinks for fruit fans of all ages! From fresh juice to tea, punch, cocktails and frozen beverages, white guava adds tropical sweetness and a dose of nutrition to all kinds of drinks. To make delicious alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, use your white guavas to make a basic syrup, for stirring into drinks.

White guavas have a relatively short shelf life, and knowing how to store them will help you enjoy them longer. White guava can be left on a cool, dry countertop for about three days to ripen. Once ripe, refrigerate them for up to four more days in an airtight container. 

To freeze white guava, wait until they are fully ripened. Freeze white guava whole or sliced on a cookie sheet with space between each piece. Once frozen, store white guava in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a year.

Yes! Your favorite good dog can chomp on white guava fruit. Over at FruitStand, we love sharing fruit with our wet-nosed friends, so we encourage you to clear the safety of any new fruits or veggies with your veterinarian before offering them your pooch.

Even though the white guava is snowy white inside, it can leave a brownish stain if it drops on certain fabrics (they’re hecka juicy sometimes!). Fruit Geek 101: 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 white guava on your clothing, table cloth or 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.

Here at FruitStand, we’re fanatical about, you guessed it, fruit. We’ve even written an in-depth article about guava varieties called Different Types of Guavas to get your juices flowing.

White guavas set themselves apart from the others by the color and flavor of their flesh. Rather than a rosy tone, these fruits are white inside. They are slightly more sour than other varieties, subtly sweet and oh so refreshing! Their flesh is more firm when ripe than other guavas varieties. 

Most guavas, regardless of variety, share a few common traits. They’re tropical fruits that pack a punch of pectin (the stuff in fruit that behaves a lot like gelatin), vitamin C, and beta carotene, vitamin A and selenium found in the seeds. Guavas are usually round or pear-like in shape, from the size of a ping pong ball to a softball. Growing from bushy trees, their edible skin has a greenish to yellow color. The flesh can be somewhat firm like an apple to quite soft, like a peach. Inside the center, you’ll see edible seeds that can be crunchy or soft.

Has your once sweet-smelling white guava gone from pleasant to pungent? It’s easy to get smells from white guava out of your house with a few simple steps. 

Start by discarding any spoiled white guava into the trash or compost. Then, clean the area where white guava was stored with hot, soapy water or home cleaning spray. Let it dry thoroughly.

To prevent bad smells from fruit in your kitchen, keep an old-fashioned box of baking soda in your fridge and anywhere you store food. Change it every two to three months to prevent unpleasant aromas before they start. Also, immediately refrigerate cut white guava in an airtight container in the refrigerator, not on the counter. When not refrigerated, store whole, fresh fruit in a cool, clean and well ventilated area.

If you’ve ever wondered where to buy white guava, we’ve got great news for you! FruitStand is proud to partner with small, specialty farmers to bring you exceptional quality white guava. To be the first to know when FruitStand is shipping harvests of these hard to find fruits, join our email newsletter!