Kiwis are delicious, sweet fruits with a green flesh but how do you know when kiwi is ripe? Only when your kiwi is fully ripened, you can enjoy the sweet taste.
In order to tell if your kiwi fruit is ripe, it should smell sweet and fruity. You can also gently squeeze the fruit and check its texture. If the kiwi is soft, then it is ripe.
In this guide, we take you through a number of different methods on how you can check that your kiwi is ripe enough to eat.
How To Tell If A Kiwi Is Ripe
You don’t have to cut your kiwi to find out if it is ready to eat. There are a wide range of different ways to tell if your fruit is ripe.
Look For A Fully Brown Skin
A deliciously ripe kiwi has a brown skin with a soft fuzz on the surface. You shouldn’t see any green through the skin. If the fruit is still green on the outside or not completely brown, then your kiwi isn’t ripe yet.
In addition, the surface of your kiwi should have no blemishes. This ensures that your fruit is in great condition and you don’t mistake any soft spots for a sign of ripeness.
On the other hand, brown spots and soft blemishes often occur on overripe kiwis or fruit that have been damaged during harvest or transport.
However, this doesn’t mean that you should discard your fruit. Even a kiwi with a soft spot might be edible, so make sure that you also test the kiwi’s ripeness in other ways.
Check Your Kiwi Is Plump
A good-quality kiwi should have a bulbous, plump shape that is slightly soft to the touch. If the kiwi’s surface is firm and hard, then your kiwi is likely not ripe yet.
Saying this, if your kiwi doesn’t look smooth with a soft fuzz or it is wrinkled, then the fruit might be dried out and overripe.
Smell The Kiwi
Another easy way to tell if your kiwi fruit is ready to eat is by simply smelling it. Move your nose close to one end of the kiwi where the fruit was attached to the vine.
This is typically the spot where the fragrance is strongest. You should get a distinctive, fruity smell with a ripe kiwi. If this is not the case, then you have an unripe fruit.
Gently Squeeze The Kiwi
One of the most popular ways to ensure that you only cut a ripe kiwi is by giving it a gentle squeeze. Press your thumb on the fruit and check the texture.
If the flesh gives way a little bit when you press it, then your fruit is likely ripe and ready to eat. However, if the kiwi feels hard and firm, you should leave it to ripen for a few days.
Check The Inside Of The Fruit
If you check the outside of the kiwi and you are still not sure whether it is ripe or not, then you can also cut it open and check the inside.
The kiwi’s flesh should be a bright green color. It should have black seeds dotted throughout the center. Only when you spot these signs will your kiwi be ripe.
An unripe kiwi has yellow or green seeds and a pale green or white flesh.
Taste Test The Kiwi
The final taste that you can do to check on the ripeness of your kiwifruit is the taste test. Simply peel some of the skin away or cut off a slice.
Then, look at the flesh and taste it. If the flavor is sweet and fruity, then your kiwi is definitely ripe. But if it has a sour taste, then you need to let the fruit ripen for a couple more days.
How To Ripen Your Kiwi
Once you check your kiwifruits and you find that they are still unripe, then there are a few ways to quickly ripen them.
Leave Them On The Counter
Put your kiwi in a fruit bowl or on the kitchen counter for a couple of days and regularly check their ripeness.
Don’t leave them in direct sunlight as this could ripen them too fast making them mushy. The best temperature to ripen kiwi quickly is normal room temperature.
Ripen Kiwis With Other Fruit
One of the best ways to quickly turn your kiwis from unripe to ripe is by placing them near other fruit, such as bananas or apples. They give off ethylene gas which helps fruit to ripen.
You can also put them in a vented plastic bag or paper bag to speed up the process.
Store Unripe Kiwis In The Fridge
If you have a lot of kiwis and you want to eat them only one at a time, then you can store them in the fridge.
This slows down the ripening stage of the fruit preserving them for months. However, even kiwis stored in the fridge will eventually ripen, so make sure to check them regularly.
Final Thoughts
Kiwifruit have a beautifully tropical smell with a vibrant, green flesh. But only ripe kiwis taste delicious. Unripe kiwi fruits are usually firm, sour and without taste.
In comparison, ripe kiwis are slightly soft when you squeeze them. They also have a fruity aroma and sweet flesh.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is It Fine To Eat Hard Kiwi?
Yes, some kiwi varieties are firmer than others and they are okay to eat. However, many kiwifruit are usually unripe when they are still firm which means that they taste sour and unpleasant.
If you have an unripe kiwi, then just leave it on your kitchen counter at room temperature for a couple of days. This will ensure that your kiwi ripens as fast as possible.
How Long Does It Take For Kiwi To Ripen?
Most kiwi varieties ripen within 2 to 3 days but you can also speed up the ripening process. Simply place your kiwi together with other fruit, such as bananas, pears or apples.
Hello, my name is Valentina and I am the founder or ‘grower’ as I like to call myself of BonitaFruitTrees.com.
Cultivating my own fruit trees is definitely my passion, and has been for such a long time.
That’s what made me want to make this website. I wanted to create a place where I could share my experiences with others, teach more people how to grow fruit trees, and just help them have a little fun with it.
