They always seem to taste a little sweeter and are so beautiful to look at! I love incorporating blue fruits into my cooking. Sometimes, that means adding a few blueberries to my morning oatmeal. At other times, I’ll roast blue tomatoes for my pasta sauce. Whatever the meal, there are always a few blue fruits you can work into it. If you’re drawing a blank on blue fruits other than grapes and blueberries, keep reading! I’ve got several options for blue-hued foods to jog your memory.
1. Blueberries
Blueberries are probably the most well-known blue fruits. Most people have tried them, and those who haven’t still know what they are. They’re small, round berries with skins ranging from blue to nearly black. They have a sweet taste with just a hint of tart tanginess now and then. You can eat them raw, toss them in recipes, or turn them into jams and jellies.
2. Juniper Berries
In appearance, juniper berries and blueberries are pretty similar. Blueberries are slightly larger, on the whole, but the two can be easy to confuse. The two taste nothing alike, however. Whereas blueberries are sweet and tart, juniper berries are pretty pungent. They have a bold, piney taste reminiscent of herbs and spices. You can eat juniper berries raw in small doses, but most people don’t. In large quantities, they can cause severe stomach upset. For that reason, most people only use juniper as a spice/seasoning.
3. Blue Tomatoes
Blue tomatoes are more purple or purplish-black than blue. Sorry to disappoint you. Those pictures of brilliant, cobalt-blue tomatoes online are almost certainly fake. Despite not being truly blue, blue tomatoes are incredible. They’re spectacularly juicy and have a robust, sweet flavor. Their unique color comes from the plant’s many anthocyanins. Pigments responsible for turning fruits blue, purple, or bluish-black.
4. Damson
Damsons are a type of plum. But unlike typical grocery store plums, damsons are blue, not purple. They also have a more oval-like shape. Their taste isn’t as sweet as traditional plums, either. It’s more bitter and astringent. You can eat them ripe, but most people don’t. Instead, they add them to jams and jellies.
5. Concord Grapes
Concord grapes are bluish-purple grapes used to make wine, juice, jellies, and jams. Manufacturers also use them to make grape flavoring for various things. Occasionally, stores sell them to eat, but that’s rare.
6. Blue Honeysuckle Fruits
Honeysuckles are known for their sweet-smelling flowers. However, some of them also produce odd-shaped blue fruits high in antioxidants. Also known as the ‘fly honeysuckle,’ the fruit isn’t yet widely consumed but is gaining in popularity. Its taste is somewhere between blueberries, raspberries, and black currants.
7. Ceylon Blue Olives
Primarily limited to Sri Lanka, blue olives are a variant of Ceylon olives. Unlike other olives, they’re almost perfectly round and have lovely, bright blue skins. They have a sour taste and what most people describe as an “avocado-like” consistency. You can eat them cooked, pickled, or raw.
8. Bilberries
If you live in the U.S., it’s likely you’ve never seen bilberries. They’re a softer, juicier version of blueberries, often called European blueberries. They taste fantastic, like blueberries, only much stronger. Unfortunately, transporting them is nearly impossible. So they’re hard to find outside of their home countries.
9. Blue Marble Fruit
Although the two are very different, blue marble fruit and Ceylon blue olives look a lot alike. Like the olives, blue marble fruits are round, bright blue, and about the size of shooter marbles. They taste a bit like dates. However, most people use them decoratively, in crafts, or to make buttons, beads, etc. They have some medicinal uses, as well.
10. Sloe Plums
Sloe plums are round, bright blue drupe fruits. They grow on blackthorn trees and have a sharp, somewhat bitter-sour taste. They aren’t poisonous, but people rarely eat them. Instead, companies in the countries where they grow use them to make liquor. You can also make jams, jellies, and chutneys from them. Some people add them to pies, as well.
11. Saskatoon Berries
Do you live in the U.S. or Canada? If so, you may know Saskatoon berries as juneberries or service berries. Whatever you call them, they’re the same tasty fruit. They’re small, grape-sized berries with hues ranging from reddish and blue to black. They grow on the Amelanchier alnifolia shrub and ripen in the summer. Most people compare their flavor to that of raisins or black cherries. They’re juicy and sweet, with darker, richer notes underneath.
12. Huckleberries
Anyone who’s ever watched Tombstone has heard of huckleberries. In fact, I heard the word long before I ever knew what it was. (Thanks, Val Kilmer! Oh, and yes, he does say huckleberry and not huckle bearer, as some people insist.) But what is a huckleberry? It’s a berry the same approximate size and shape as a blueberry. It can be blue, reddish, or even black and ranges in flavor from tart to sweet. Unlike blueberries, huckleberries aren’t sold in grocery stores. If you can find them, though, they’re certainly tasty.
13. Blue Sausage Fruit
Native to China, blue sausage fruit is a strange-looking food. It looks like an oversized green bean and is a bright shade of blue. But don’t let that or its ‘dead man’s fingers’ nickname scare you away. It’s very yummy. To eat it, you pull it apart to get at the sweet flesh within. Neither the outer skin nor the seeds are edible. The edible meat, however, is delightful and tastes almost melon-like. The root of the blue sausage fruit plant is also popular in Chinese medicine.
14. Kastoree Mango
When you think of mangoes, you probably don’t picture them blue. That’s precisely what color the Kastoree mango is, though. (Well, blue to dark purple anyway.) They almost look like giant plums, though their inner flesh is orange. They taste like a more robust version of any typical mango and are far juicier than most. They also smell incredible. They have a sweet, tropical scent that can fill up an entire kitchen when they’re ripe.
15. Laurestine
Unless you’ve spent time in the Mediterranean, you may not be familiar with laurestine. Also known as viburnum tinus, it’s a fragrant shrub that typically has pink or white flowers. The fruits of the laurestine are small and strangely shaped. They’re primarily circular with pointed ends. They’re blue to blue-black and have a metallic sheen. The berries smell just as good as the plant, but are they edible? Yes, they are, but their taste isn’t great. They have a mild, greenery-like taste. Most people use them only for medicinal purposes and decoration.
16. Blue Corn
Nope. I’m not cheating. I know most people think of corn as a grain. However, according to botanists, it’s a fruit. Plus, blue corn just looks cool, so it had to make the list. Blue corn is like any other corn you’ve ever had. The only difference, of course, is that it’s blue or deep purple. You can use it any way you’d use corn. You can cook it, turn it into flour or mill, make tortillas from it, etc.
17. Filius Blue Pepper
Like corn, peppers are also botanically classified as fruits. That includes the deep bluish-purple filius blue pepper. Eventually, these peppers turn from blue to red. However, they also get milder, so most people pick them while they’re blue. That gives them the hottest flavor. So if you’re looking for a pepper with lots of kick, give this one a try.
18. Texas Blue Giant Fig
I love Texas blue giant figs because they look like something from a fantasy movie. They’re massive, for one thing. They also have deep, rich-colored skins. (Purple to bright blue.) They also taste incredible. They’re rich and sweet and surprisingly nutritious! They contain tons of iron, calcium, and various vitamins. Just be careful because they’re also super high in carbs. That can make them a problem for people who have blood sugar issues. Still, in moderation, these are phenomenal.
19. Blue Java Banana
Unfortunately, blue java bananas don’t get as blue as the pictures online. Even so, they’re greenish-blue, unlike the yellow bananas we know and love. They’re a manufactured hybrid banana species with a terrific taste. They’re deeply sweet, almost vanilla-like. Additionally, most people claim their texture is like that of ice cream. They’re a must-try for any banana lover.
20. Ribier Grapes
Although not as famous as Concord grapes, ribier grapes are pretty much everywhere. They’re on the large size for grapes and have bluish-purple skins. Like most table grapes, they’re juicy and sweet. These also have few seeds, which makes them pretty desirable. These taste great when eaten raw. However, you can also use them to make fruit juices, jellies, jams, etc. Click on a star to rate it!
Average rating 5 / 5. Vote count: 1 No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.
Share on social media: Let us improve this post!
