Durian

Get to know it

Durian is Southeast Asia's thorny giant: one fruit can weigh up to 8 kg (18 lb). Inside its spiky husk lie pods of soft, sweet flesh as smooth as custard, with a smell that can suggest garlic, onion or strong cheese over a fruity background.

What it is

A durian is oval or round and up to 30 cm (12 in) long. Its thick, tough husk is covered in stout, sharp spines that hurt to hold without gloves. Inside, five compartments hold creamy-white, yellow, pink or orange flesh around 1 to 7 chestnut-like seeds. This flesh, the aril, is only 20 to 35% of the fruit's weight.

Some durians have almost no smell, others a strong one. The Thai variety Chanee smells stronger and is smaller than Monthong, the 'Golden Pillow', which weighs 2 to 5 kg (4½ to 11 lb).

Where it comes from

Durian is thought to be native to Borneo and Sumatra, and it is grown from Sri Lanka and southern India to New Guinea. Four hundred years ago, durians were carried from Lower to Upper Burma, where the royal palace prized them.

In 2018, Thailand was the world's biggest durian exporter. Chanthaburi province alone grows half of Thailand's crop. Malaysia's Musang King was found in Gua Musang, Kelantan, in the 1980s. China is the great buyer: in 2023 it imported 1.4 million tonnes, worth US$6.7 billion.

How it's eaten where it grows

In Thailand, durian is eaten fresh with sweet sticky rice, and Thais like the firmer flesh of less ripe fruit, while buyers in Singapore want it fully ripe. Malays salt the flesh to keep it all year for eating with rice. In Kelantan, fermented durian, tempoyak, is mixed with onion, chilli, lime juice and budu, an anchovy sauce, and eaten with rice. Javanese make the flesh into a sauce for rice, and in Palembang it is fermented in earthen pots.

In Vietnam, sinh tố sầu riêng is a thick durian shake made sweet and creamy with condensed milk. Durian also flavours ice cream, and its pulp is dried into 'durian cake'.

How it's grown

Durian grows on forest trees 27 to 40 m (90 to 130 ft) tall; grafted trees usually stay at 8 to 10 m (26 to 32 ft). It needs a hot, wet climate with plenty of rain. Grafted trees bear in 4 to 5 years, while seedlings in India take 9 to 12.

The fruit matures 3½ to 4½ months after it sets and falls to the ground when ripe. To keep it from falling, growers may tie the fruit to the branch or cut it at maturity, judging it by the days since flowering and by a hollow sound when they tap it with a stick or knife.

When and where you'll find it

In Thailand, durian is sold all year, with the peak usually from April to August. Around Cairns in Tropical North Queensland it usually turns up from February to July and in December.

A fallen durian is fully ripe in 2 to 4 days and past its best in 5 or 6. Ripe fruit and flesh are also frozen for export. Commercial supplies come from Thailand and Malaysia, and big cities far from the tropics have buyers who know it well. Where it grows, roadside and market stalls cut the fruit open and sell the flesh, with its seeds, in wrapped trays.

Sources · 8

Get it near Detroit

What it tastes like

As soft as a banana, as mild as a peach≈

Not sweetlemonbananaSweet

MildbananaapplelemonSour

SoftpearappleCrisp

More about the taste

Durian has smooth, custard-like flesh, often sweet, with aromas that can suggest onion, garlic or strong cheese against a fruity background. Intensity varies from fruit to fruit.

Durian's aroma ranges from mild to strong, with garlic-, onion- or cheese-like notes against a fruity background, and sweet, custard-like flesh. Chanee tends to have a stronger aroma than Monthong.

A tasting invitation

Write separate notes for aroma, sweetness, bitterness and texture. Try a second named variety before deciding that one sample defines durian. Comparisons such as custard or onion are useful tasting language, but different fruit can taste quite different.

Choose, ripen, store, eat

1ChooseVariety and harvest stage
Look for
Variety and harvest stage
Ignore
Tapping
Husk color
For a whole durian, ask the seller about the variety and harvest stage — tapping or husk color alone isn't a reliable way to judge it.
2RipenRipens after picking2–4 days
Ripens after picking
Chanee2–4 days
Monthong4–6 days
Ripening time varies by variety: harvested Chanee durian typically takes about two to four days, Monthong four to six.
3StoreFreezer, frozen pulp
1. FreezerFrozen pulpPackage instructions
For frozen durian pulp, follow the package's storage and thawing instructions.
4EatAril · not husk, seeds
Eat
Aril
Not eaten
HuskSeeds
The soft aril around the seeds is the edible part; the spiny husk and the seeds themselves are not eaten.

More tips

A useful detail The edible part is the pulpy aril around the seeds, inside a segmented, spiny capsule. Ripening can be uneven, leaving part of the flesh hard and poorly flavored even in one fruit.

Worth knowing

Named durians are a good starting point, and preferences for aroma and texture differ widely.
A durian's eating window depends on its variety and when it was harvested.

Detroit, Michigan

When it’s good here

Grown here

Ships from other states

14 growing areas, 5 countries

Chanthaburi
Chiang Mai +1
East Java
Hawaii
Johor
Malaysia
Northern Territory
Pahang
Queensland
You

Grows hereIn season nowOther monthsYou

3 of 6 areas · October

21

Growing areas by country

Thailand5
Malaysia4
Australia2
Indonesia2
United States1

In Thailand, durian is harvested with the stem attached, and retailers wrap the stem in leaf or paper to slow wilting. Fruit that's collected after falling naturally has a shorter handling life and a higher risk of injury.
Thailand / Southeast Asian handling systems

216 varieties

See all 216 varieties

28 names in 14 languages

durenroot
ಡ್ಯುರಿಯೊ ಜಿಬೆಥಿನಸ್Kannada

Cook it

How to serve it first

For a first tasting, buy a small portion of prepared flesh from a knowledgeable seller. Taste it plain before combining it with anything else. This also makes the experience easier to organize than learning to open a large spiny fruit at the table.

Recipes 2

5 durian festivals

Chanthaburi Fruit FestivalMayChanthaburi, Thailand · Organiser ↗May

Rayong Fruit FestivalMayRayong, Thailand · Organiser ↗May

Penang Durian FestivalJun–JulNibong Tebal, Penang, MalaysiaJun–Jul

Southern Fruit Festival Suoi TienJun–AugHo Chi Minh City, Vietnam · Organiser ↗Jun–Aug

Timpupo FestivalAugKidapawan, Cotabato, Philippines · Organiser ↗Aug

Festivals this month →

Strange but true

If you like Durian

Tastes alike

Same plant family

Nutrition, sources

Nutrition

Durian, raw or frozen · per 100 g

Energy147kcal · 615 kJ

Carbohydrate: 27 g
Fiber: 3.8 g
Protein: 1.5 g
Fat: 5.3 g
Vitamin C: 20 mg
Potassium: 436 mg

Sources

Durian · Fruitopia · checked Sep 21, 2026