What Is Rambutan and How to Eat It

Native to southeast Asia, rambutan is a unique fruit that grows best in the tropical climates of Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia—though it also grows in Mexico and Hawaii.

The fruit is best known for the soft, flexible spikes—called spinterns—that grow on the outside of its thick skin. These spinterns helped give the rambutan its name, which comes from the Malay word for “hair.”

Once you break inside their beautiful-yet-rough exterior, rambutans offer a floral, sweet flavor similar to a grape. Scientists, however, are looking to these colorful fruits for more sustainable uses beyond the plate.

How to Eat Rambutan

It takes rambutan trees at least three months after flowering to produce the bright red color that indicates the fruit's ripeness. Rambutans grow in clusters—like grape bunches—that harvesters cut off in a group.

It's best to enjoy these fruits right after harvesting since they begin losing moisture rapidly after being picked, but you can also keep them covered in the refrigerator for up to one week to help them retain water. It's most common to eat rambutans on their own, but they're also great in smoothies, fruit salads, and jam.

To eat a rambutan, use a sharp knife to cut a shallow sliver into the rind or chop off the tip of the fruit where the stem connects. Gently tear the skin open to expose the fruit and squeeze it out of the shell.

Avoid the large, bitter seed in the middle; some people simply bite the flesh off the pit, however, you can use a knife to cut around the diameter of the fruit and then peel the fruit off the pit (this is helpful when using rambutan in recipes).

All parts of the rambutan fruit contain important bioactive compounds. The edible part is rich in carbohydrates, lipids, phosphorus, vitamin C, niacin, iron, calcium, copper, protein, and fiber.

The peel’s high antioxidant content has also been shown to possess bioactive nutrient chemicals with antimicrobial, anti-diabetic, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and anti-hypoglycemic effects in various tests.

Environmental Impact

Studies show that rambutans have the potential to be a low-cost additive to increase sunscreen efficiency. Research in 2020 found that using the extract from rambutans could result in a 45% reduction in the cost of sunscreen production. Additionally, methods for extracting fat from otherwise inedible rambutan seeds, are currently being examined—the fat could be a beneficial alternative edible fat for the food industry.

Fermented waste from rotten rambutan has been studied as a renewable biofuel source—specifically for the biomass briquettes used for electricity generation, heat, and cooking fuel in developing countries.

A 2017 study in Indonesia on tropical fruit waste from durian, coconut, coffee, cacao, banana, and rambutan found that rambutan represented the lowest level of ash content and the lowest energy demands to produce bio-briquettes. Renewable biomass briquettes not only produce clean and efficient energy but also help preserve forests and help mitigate climate change.

Rambutan may have economic value, as well. The Food and Agriculture Organization agency of the United Nations organized a tree-planting project in the Philippines to increase the area’s resilience to drought, heavy rainfall, and agricultural pests and diseases, and to serve as a source of additional income for locals. The trees were planted in vacant plots of land and nearby forested areas with low vegetation covers, and local agroforestry rangers estimated that the trees could provide a stable income for cultivators for anywhere from five to 25 years.

Culinary Uses for Rambutan

Rambutan are commonly eaten fresh, but you can also use them in different dishes and recipes. Here are a few examples of how you might serve rambutan: 

• As a garnish on top of desserts like cakes, ice cream, sorbet, or tarts. 
• To make freshly squeezed juice, or blend the whole fruit into smoothies.
• In tropical cocktails; the fruit can be used as drink garnish with or without its peel.
• Peeled and pitted and added to fruit salads. 
• As a sweet ingredient in curries and sweet sticky rice recipes.
• Cooked to make jellies or jams.