Breadfruit

Get to know it

Breadfruit is a tree fruit that can take the place of a potato on your plate. Cooked while firm and mature, it is starchy and mild; left to ripen fully, it becomes soft, sweet and creamy. Young cooked fruit has yet another flavour, closer to artichoke hearts.

What it is

Breadfruit, Artocarpus altilis, is a round or oval fruit about 10–30 cm (4–12 in) long. Its green or yellow skin carries a pattern of five- or six-sided marks; inside, the flesh runs from creamy white to pale yellow. Some varieties contain seeds, while others have none.

The stage matters as much as the variety. Firm, mature fruit is cooked before eating. Soft, fully ripe flesh can be eaten raw or used for sweet dishes.

Where it comes from

Breadfruit comes from New Guinea and the Indo-Malay region. Pacific islanders carried it on their voyages and established it across the islands.

In 1793, William Bligh’s second breadfruit expedition brought trees to St Vincent and Jamaica. It followed the failed Bounty voyage, whose breadfruit plants were thrown overboard during the mutiny. The fruit became part of Caribbean cooking as well as Pacific island meals.

How it's eaten where it grows

In coastal Karnataka and Goa, Konkani cooks make jeev kadgi podi: breadfruit slices coated with rice flour, chilli and spices, rolled in semolina, then fried crisp. It is a dish for Ugadi celebrations as well as other gatherings.

In Jamaica, breadfruit accompanies ackee and saltfish, the national dish. Yellow-heart breadfruit also appears roasted at roadside stands. Its firm flesh can fill the starchy part of a meal, much as potatoes do elsewhere.

How it's grown

Growers usually start new trees from root shoots or pieces of root. These make copies of the parent tree, keeping the variety’s traits. Mature trees prefer full sun and soil that drains well.

A tree usually starts bearing after three to five years, and a single tree can keep producing food for more than fifty.

When and where you'll find it

In Hawaiʻi, the fresh market season usually runs from July through December. In Darwin, northern Australia, harvest usually falls in December through February and again in July and August.

In season, whole fresh breadfruit turns up at local markets in Hawaiʻi. It also comes par-cooked and frozen, ready for a recipe: the Hawaiʻi ʻUlu Cooperative sells it that way, alongside ready-made breadfruit foods.

Sources · 5

Get it near Detroit

What it tastes like

As mild as a pear, no sweeter than a grapefruit≈

Not sweetlemonapplebananaSweet

MildapplelemonSour

SoftbananaappleCrisp

More about the taste

Firm mature breadfruit is starchy and can stand in for a root vegetable. Fully soft-ripe, the flesh turns sweeter and creamy; very young cooked fruit tastes something like artichoke.

Mature firm fruit is starchy; fully soft-ripe fruit turns sweet, aromatic and custard-like, while cooked immature fruit tastes something like artichoke hearts.

A tasting invitation

Notice whether a cooked piece feels floury, creamy or firm. Compare it with a familiar starch as a reference point, then give breadfruit its own description. A ripe-fruit dessert can become a second chapter rather than a substitute for the savory experiment.

Choose, ripen, store, eat

Only fully soft-ripe breadfruit is suitable raw.

1ChooseFirm mature fruit
Look for
Firm mature fruit
Soft, aromatic fruit for sweeter dishes
Ignore
Latex
Size
For savory slices or fries, look for firm mature fruit; soft, aromatic fruit belongs to a sweeter stage. Ask the grower about variety rather than relying on latex or size, which aren’t reliable maturity signs.
2RipenRipens after picking1–3 days
Ripens after picking
1–3 days
Breadfruit can soften within one to three days of harvest, so plan around the dish you want before it moves past the firm, starchy stage.
3StoreFreezer, cooked
1. FreezerCooked
For longer keeping, freeze cooked breadfruit.
4EatCooked fruit · not tough core, peel
Eat
Cooked fruit
Not eaten
Tough corePeel
Cook firm breadfruit before eating, removing the tough core and peel. Only the fully soft-ripe stage is suitable raw.

More tips

A useful detail Only soft, ripe breadfruit is eaten raw; firm mature fruit should be cooked. Preparation means managing sticky latex, removing the hard central core, and peeling either before or after cooking — cooked skin is easier to remove.

Worth knowing

Label frozen breadfruit by ripeness and preparation — that matters more for later use than a bag marked only “breadfruit.”
Choose the stage for the dish: firm mature breadfruit and soft ripe breadfruit are both good, depending on the preparation.

Detroit, Michigan

When it’s good here

Grown here

Ships from other states

Orderable$89Checked Oct 19Breadfruit (Panapen, Ulu) Box · Regular Box (4 Breadfruits) · Tropical Fruit Box$89

7 growing areas, 5 countries

Analanjirofo
East Java
Hawaii
Northern Territory
Pará
Yogyakarta
You

Grows hereIn season nowOther monthsYou

2 of 4 areas · October

2

Growing areas by country

Australia2
Indonesia2
Brazil1
Madagascar1
United States1

Breadfruit varieties spread through Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia over generations, becoming an important staple woven into local agroforestry.
Pacific island agroforestry

112 varieties

See all 112 varieties

36 names in 25 languages

ʻuluHawaiian

Cook it

How to serve it first

Try steamed pieces first to understand the plain flavor and texture, then roast or pan-fry a portion using a recipe written for breadfruit. A side-by-side plate can show what browning and seasoning add without requiring an elaborate meal.

Recipes 3

2 breadfruit festivals

Breadfruit FestivalAugNorth Leeward communities, Saint Vincent, St. Vincent & Grenadines · Organiser ↗Aug

ʻUlu FestivalSepCaptain Cook, Hawaii, United States · Organiser ↗Sep

Festivals this month →

Strange but true

If you like Breadfruit

Tastes alike

Peruvian apple cactus fruit

Close relatives

Nutrition, sources

Nutrition

Breadfruit, raw · per 100 g

Energy103kcal · 431 kJ

Carbohydrate: 27 g
Fiber: 4.9 g
Sugars: 11 g
Protein: 1.1 g
Fat: 0.2 g
Vitamin C: 29 mg
Potassium: 490 mg

Sources

Breadfruit · Fruitopia · checked Sep 21, 2026