How to Tell If a Papaya Is Ripe

Love seeing papaya on your breakfast table or a buffet? You're not alone. Besides the beautifully bright color, the reasons papaya is such a prized fruit seem to go on and on. The biggest draw is its luscious orange flesh, tasting somewhere between a cantaloupe and mango, with a texture that's almost creamy in the mouth.

Papaya pops up often in cuisines like Caribbean, Asian, Thai, and Indian; in all sorts of preparations that utilize the fruit raw or cooked. Between that and its delectable flavor, you're likely to find yourself in a store searching for one.

Papayas like to remain mysterious until they're cut open, and that's not exactly something that can be done before you get home. In effort to swap confusion for enthusiasm, here are a few tips.

How Do You Know When a Papaya Is Ripe?

Papaya comes in different varieties that range in size from small to large. They come in pear, oval, and oblong shapes. But no matter where the fruit falls in these ranges, the most important thing to pay attention to is color.

A papaya's skin is green when unripe and turns yellow as it ripens. Look for an almost fully yellow or orange fruit that's a bit soft to the touch. If it's mushy when you press, it's overripe and the fruit inside will be mealy and bland, not overly sweet or juicy like you might expect.

Finally, take note of whether or not you can smell a bit of a sweet, rich, or even musky scent through the skin. If you can, it's good to go.

How to Ripen a Papaya Quickly

It's best to purchase papayas that are already ripe if you plan to eat right away — but since they will continue to ripen on the counter once they've been brought home, it's not a do-or-die situation.

If you're in a hurry to eat your papaya, simply chuck it into a paper bag, then fold or roll it closed. This will speed up the process, turning it into a 2–3-day thing, depending on how unripe it was to begin with. To take it even further, add an apple, banana, or other ethylene-producing fruit to the bag to be friends with the papaya. It'll knock off roughly a day.

For pro-level ripening of papayas needed ASAP, score the papaya's skin vertically with a sharp paring knife. Your goal is not to pierce through the skin to the flesh, but to make light scores in the skin.

If you pierce through to the flesh, you'll risk the papaya rotting before you even get to eat it. These lines in the skin will encourage the fruit to release its ethylene more quickly, so the fruit ripens faster and gets extremely sweet.

How to Slow the Ripening Process

On the opposite end of the spectrum, you might find yourself with a ripe papaya you're not ready to use. Place it in the fridge should hold for up to a week, but if you can eat it in 2 days, it'll be best. If possible, opt for unripe fruit in the store if it'll be a bit before you can/want to get to it.

How to Cut a Ripe Papaya

Cutting a ripe papaya isn't too different from cutting a small melon. Inside is an easily scoopable core of edible seeds. Once cut into and scooped, the desirable flesh can be scooped out of the skin into balls for a salad or directly into your mouth, or the skin can be peeled away to dice or slice the whole thing.

For in-depth instructions, see our step-by-step guide.

How to Use Ripe Papaya

Papaya is delicious any time of day or night.

Squeezing a little lime juice over the fruit enhances its natural flavor. Enjoy it raw, right out of its skin with a spoon, or use its handy cavities to hold other fruits. Dusting some chili powder on papaya wedges makes a sweet and spicy snack.

Chop up papaya for a tropical fruit salad, salsa, or savory toast topped with bell peppers, diced papaya, and fresh basil. Add thin strips to a spring roll or blend some in a smoothie for a bright pop of flavor.