Tangelo

Get to know it

Tangelos bring together a mandarin and a grapefruit or pomelo. Minneola, the bell-shaped one also called Honeybell, has juicy flesh with a rich flavour and a little grapefruit tartness. The neck at its stem end makes it easy to recognise.

What it is

A Minneola is usually 7.6–8.9 cm (3–3½ in) across, with thin, smooth, reddish-orange skin. Inside are 10–12 segments of tender, fragrant orange flesh.

Other tangelos look and taste different. Orlando is round to slightly flattened, with sweet, juicy, deep-orange pulp. Jamaica’s Ugli has loose pale-yellow skin with green patches. Wekiwa is a further cross between grapefruit and a tangelo, with tender flesh that tastes sweet and mildly tart.

Where it comes from

Early deliberate tangelo crosses were made in Eustis, Florida, in 1897 and Riverside, California, in 1898. Minneola followed as a cross between grapefruit and Dancy tangerine, released in Orlando in 1931.

Jamaica’s Ugli took a different route: it was found growing in a pasture at Trout Hall Estate around 1917. By 1934 it was being exported to England and Canada; shipments to New York followed by 1942.

How it's eaten where it grows

One Florida cook makes a Honeybell and arugula salad, pairing the citrus with strawberries and crumbled feta. The peppery leaves get a sweet, juicy contrast from the fruit, while a savoury granola adds oats, nuts and seeds seasoned with garlic and spices.

Honeybell juice goes into the dressing too, whisked with vinegar, mustard, honey, garlic and olive oil. The same fruit supplies both the salad’s pieces of citrus and the juice that dresses the leaves.

How it's grown

Minneola grows into a large, vigorous tree. Growers propagate it on other citrus roots, including Cleopatra mandarin. Nearby Temple or Sunburst trees supply pollen that helps Minneola set a larger crop.

Its late ripening matters in Florida: in colder parts of the state, freezing weather can arrive before the fruit is mature.

When and where you'll find it

In Florida, Minneolas usually mature from December through February. Fresh Honeybells are a fruit-stand and gift-box citrus there. At Riverside in southern California, Minneola usually ripens from January through March.

Australia’s calendar brings a crop at the other end of the year: around Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, tangelos are usually harvested from June through August.

Sources · 5

Get it near Detroit

What it tastes like

Honeybell tangelos are sweet, with a honey-like flavor. Other tangelo varieties can taste quite different.

Wekiwa, a different tangelo-related selection, is tender and juicy with sweet, mildly acidic flesh, though it becomes less pleasant when overripe.

How to buy it

1ChooseNecked, bell-like shape
Look for
Necked, bell-like shape
On the label
Minneola
Honeybell
A necked, bell-like shape often marks the Minneola tangelo, sold as Honeybell.

Detroit, Michigan

When it’s good here

Grown here

Ships from other states

11 growing areas, 4 countries

California
Coquimbo
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Ica
New South Wales
Northern Territory
O'Higgins
South Australia
You

Grows hereIn season nowOther monthsYou

1 of 3 areas · October

1

Growing areas by country

Australia4
United States4
Chile2
Peru1

In Florida, Minneola tangelos are usually mature from December through February.
Florida

17 varieties

See all 17 varieties

Cook it

Recipes 3

Strange but true

Sources

Tangelo · Fruitopia · checked Sep 22, 2026

What we don't know yet

Tangelos cross grapefruit and mandarin, in proportions that vary by variety.