Fruits Names With N: 20 You Should Know
When you try to remember fruit names with N, your mind might go blank after nectarines. But there are actually loads of them out there- some you can grab for pennies at Aldi, and others you’ll probably only spot on holiday. This list explores 20 varieties, covering everything from tropical sweet treats to rare citrus fruits.
Table of Contents
Everyday Fruits That Start with N
1. Nectarine
The undisputed king of N fruits is super juicy, and available all summer long as it’s essentially a peach without the fuzz. You can eat them plain, roast them, grill them, slice them over yogurt, or bake them into pies.
2. Navel Orange
Named for the tiny second fruit that forms at the blossom end, navel oranges are the seedless and easy to peel workhorses of the citrus world. They’re in season through the cold months when everything else is expensive, and while their juice is great, the zest is where the real power lives. Stir the zest through yogurt, brighten up a grain bowl like this Dense Bean Salad with a squeeze of fresh juice. It’s also the secret to the best dressing for a Tabbouleh Inspired Chicken Salad.
3. Nashi Pear
Also called the Asian pear, the nashi pear looks like a round apple but tastes like a very crisp and very juicy pear. It does not go soft, which makes it brilliant for eating fresh and adding to salads, while its natural enzymes break down muscle fibres beautifully. Grate a little into the marinade for a Beef Udon Stir Fry for a juicier result, or slice them thinly and serve them on top of 10 Minute Chilli Oil Udon or Gochujang Noodles to cool down the heat.
Citrus Fruits That Start with N
4. Naartjie
The naartjie is a South African citrus fruit that sits somewhere between a mandarin and a tangerine. It’s small, easy to peel, packed with vitamin C, and you can use it anywhere you would use a satsuma.
5. Naranjilla (Lulo)
Naranjilla is a small, round, orange fruit native to South America that reveals a brilliant green and gold interior when sliced open. The flavour sits somewhere between citrus, pineapple, and tomato, making it an intensely flavourful and perfectly tart ingredient. It works wonderfully as a base for fresh and zesty dressings, so try blending a little into the dressing for a Green Goddess Salad.
6. Narenj (Bitter Orange)
Narenj is the original sour citrus that predates sweet oranges in European cooking. The fruit itself is too bitter to eat fresh, but the zest and juice are packed with flavour and are frequently used as a meat marinade in the Caribbean. Try mixing the juice with soy and ginger for the dressing on a Tonkatsu Inspired Pork and Cabbage Salad.
Stone Fruit Hybrids That Start with N
7. Nectaplum
A cross between a nectarine and a plum, the nectaplum has smooth fuzz free skin but the deep red & purple flesh and jammy flavour of a plum. It caramelises beautifully when roasted, which deepens its natural flavour. Roast them with a little honey and serve warm over Cinnamon French Toast with Mixed Berries for the best weekend treat.
8. Nectacot
The nectacot is a wonderful cross between a nectarine and an apricot. It perfectly balances the sweetness of a nectarine with the gentle tartness of an apricot, while slicing cleanly and holding its shape when cooked.
Tropical and Exotic Fruits That Start with N
9. Noni Fruit
Noni is a lumpy fruit native to Southeast Asia with a famously strong smell that sits somewhere between ripe cheese and overripe fruit. Raw noni is not pleasant to eat fresh, but its juice and powder have been used in traditional medicine for centuries. When mixed with sweeter fruits, the earthiness adds interesting depth to recipes.
10. Nungu (Ice Apple)
Nungu, also called ice apple, is the flesh of the palmyra palm fruit. It looks like a translucent jelly egg and is delicately sweet with a watery and cooling texture. It’s the ultimate refreshing summer street food in South India.
11. Nam Dok Mai
Nam Dok Mai is Thailand’s most celebrated mango variety, translating roughly to ‘flower nectar’. It’s completely free of fibre, intensely sweet, and aromatic. Buy them ripe and eat them fresh, or toss a few slices into cold Chicken Vermicelli Noodles for a sweet and tropical contrast.
12. Nance Fruit
Nance is a small tropical berry native to Central America with a sweet and sour, kind of funky flavour. It tastes like a mix of tart cherry and banana. In Mexico, it’s eaten fresh, frozen as a snack, or fermented into traditional drinks.
Spices and Berries That Start with N
13. Nutmeg Fruit
Most people know nutmeg as a spice, but the tree produces a spectacular fruit that resembles an apricot. When it splits open, it reveals a seed covered in red mace, with the nutmeg seed safely inside. The fleshy fruit itself has a woody and floral flavour and is used to make jams in the Caribbean.
14. Nannyberry
The nannyberry is a native North American berry from the viburnum family. They taste like a raisiny & earthy cross between a prune and a blueberry, completely sweet with a faint hint of almond. If you forage them, they make excellent jam.
15. Naseberry (Sapodilla)
The naseberry looks like a small brown potato, but the flesh inside is a warm caramel colour with a flavour resembling brown sugar, malt, and honey. It adds natural sweetness without refined sugar, making it perfect for blending into smoothies. Try using it to sweeten up your morning Apple Pie Porridge for a great breakfast.
Apples, Pears, and Other Fruits That Start with N
16. Northern Spy Apple
The Northern Spy is an old American heirloom apple variety that is large and deeply flavourful. It’s ttart, spicy, and considered one of the best baking apples in the world because it holds its shape perfectly.
17. Nonpareil Apple
This is an ancient English apple with a name meaning ‘without equal’. Small and russeted, it has a rich, nutty, and aromatic flavour completely different from modern commercial apples. You will not find it in standard supermarkets, unfortunately.
18. Neopolo (Newton Pippin) Apple
This is one of the oldest American apple varieties, famously grown by George Washington. They have a sharp, spicy, and complex flavour when fresh. They also develop great depth when stored through the winter.
19. Nopales (Prickly Pear Cactus Pads)
Technically these are cactus pads, not fruit, but we’re bending the rules because they’re awesome. Dice them, rinse them well, and add them to Skillet Roasted Corn with lime juice for a brilliant and affordable Mexican inspired side dish.
20. Neem Fruit
The neem tree produces small and olive like fruits with edible pulp. The flesh is extremely bitter, but it’s used heavily in Ayurvedic medicine. Regional South Indian cuisines also use it precisely because of that intense bitterness.
For other food listicles, head over to my foods starting with j post and foods starting with z to learn more.
Fruit names with N FAQs
Fruits starting with n include nectarines, navel oranges, nashi pears, nectaplums, naranjilla, noni, nungu, naseberry, nutmeg fruit, and many more, so see the full list above for all 20.
Nectarines and navel oranges are by far the most widely known and used fruits beginning with n. They’re available in every supermarket, work in hundreds of recipes, and are super budget friendly.
The most well known citrus starting with n is the navel orange. Naartjie is a South African citrus, and narenj is a bitter orange used for marinades.
Nectarines are the most famous stone fruit starting with n. Nectacots, which are nectarine and apricot hybrids, and nectaplums, which are nectarine and plum hybrids, also qualify.
Several heritage apples start with n, including the Northern Spy apple, Nonpareil apple, and Neopolo or Newton Pippin apple.
Surprisingly, yes. While we use the seed as a spice, the nutmeg tree produces a fleshy & apricot-like fruit that is used to make jams and candies in the Caribbean and Indonesia.
