Grapefruit

Get to know it

Grapefruit is a large citrus fruit with juicy, sharp-tasting flesh that can be almost white, pink or deep red. A pale Marsh has few or no seeds; its tender segments are full of juice.

What it is

A grapefruit measures about 10–15 cm (4–6 in) across. Under its yellow, sometimes pink-blushed skin, the flesh ranges from almost white through pink to deep red. The juice has a sharp acidity.

Marsh is a pale-fleshed variety with few or no seeds and tender, juicy flesh. Frost Marsh needs plenty of growing heat to develop its flavour.

Where it comes from

Grapefruit first appears in the Caribbean: it was described in Barbados in 1750. It is a cross between two other citrus fruits, pomelo and sweet orange. In 1823, seeds travelled from the Bahamas to Safety Harbor, near Tampa in Florida.

Today, Florida, Texas, California and Arizona all grow grapefruit. In Texas, pink and red varieties go to fresh-fruit markets and into gift boxes.

How it's eaten where it grows

Grapefruit halves can also go under the grill. A recipe for Florida grapefruit covers them with brown sugar, ginger and cinnamon, then broils them until the sugar melts and turns a deep amber. Yogurt, granola and a drizzle of honey go on top.

In Mexico, grapefruit gives the Paloma, one of the country's most popular tequila cocktails, its citrus bite. The drink mixes tequila with grapefruit and a fizzy mixer, adds lime, and arrives over ice in a glass with a salted rim.

How it's grown

Grapefruit grows on a tree with evergreen leaves, and it does best in a warm subtropical climate. The warmer the place, the faster the fruit matures: at Riverside, California, it takes 13 months from flower to ripe fruit, and in the hotter Imperial Valley only 7 to 8 months.

Growers join a bud or shoot of the chosen variety to another citrus plant’s roots; this is called budding or grafting. Texas growers pick the ripe fruit by hand. Once picked, grapefruit does not grow sweeter in the fruit bowl.

When and where you'll find it

Florida grapefruit is usually in season from November to May, with winter and spring its peak. Texas fresh-market fruit is usually picked by hand from October to May, and some of it goes into seasonal gift boxes. Some Florida citrus shippers also sell from grove stands.

A grapefruit keeps for up to three weeks in the refrigerator’s crisper.

Sources · 8

Get it near Detroit

What it tastes like

As soft as an orange, tarter than a kiwifruit≈

Not sweetlemonapplebananaSweet

MildbananaapplelemonSour

SoftpearappleCrisp

More about the taste

Grapefruit is juicy with a distinctly acidic taste. Flesh can be pale yellow, pink or deep red, so the variety is useful context when tasting.

The flesh is juicy and acidic across all pulp colors.

The Frost Marsh variety is pale-fleshed, juicy and tender, and needs adequate growing heat for good quality.

Choose, ripen, store, eat

1ChooseFlesh color alone
Ignore
Flesh color alone
Ask which variety you are buying: pale, pink and red flesh all occur, and flesh color doesn't tell you sweetness.
2RipenDoesn’t ripen after picking
Doesn’t ripen after picking
Picked citrus does not keep getting sweeter in a fruit bowl. Buy grapefruit ready for the use you have in mind.
3StoreFridge, grapefruit
1. FridgeGrapefruit
Refrigeration helps grapefruit keep longer. Judge by the fruit's condition rather than assuming a long shelf life remains from harvest.
4EatFlesh
Eat
Flesh
Use the flesh fresh, squeeze it for juice, or cook it into preserves. Candied peel is a separate preparation.

Detroit, Michigan

When it’s good here

Grown here

Ships from FloridaAt their best

32 growing areas, 7 countries

California
Castellón
Coquimbo
Eastern Cape
Florida
Georgia
Granada
Hawaii
Ica
Lambayeque
Limpopo
Mpumalanga
New South Wales +1
Northern Territory
O'Higgins
South Africa
Spain
Tucumán
Victoria
You

Grows hereIn season nowOther monthsYou

5 of 9 areas · October

131

Growing areas by country

Spain8
Australia6
South Africa6
United States5
Chile3
Argentina2
Peru2

and 2 more countries

The Marsh variety traces to a chance seedling found in Florida; Frost Marsh is a later seedling selection from it, dating to around 1915–1916.
Florida history and UC Riverside collection

30 varieties

See all 30 varieties

Cook it

Recipes 3

1 Grapefruit festival

Texas Citrus FiestaJanMission, Texas, United StatesJan

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Strange but true

If you like Grapefruit

Close relatives

Nutrition, sources

Nutrition

Grapefruit, raw, pink and red and white, all areas · per 100 g

Energy32kcal · 134 kJ

Carbohydrate: 8.1 g
Fiber: 1.1 g
Sugars: 7 g
Protein: 0.6 g
Fat: 0.1 g
Vitamin C: 34 mg
Potassium: 139 mg

Sources

Grapefruit · Fruitopia · checked Sep 21, 2026