What Do Pawpaws Really Taste Like? We Taste Test Them For Ya

What does a Pawpaw actually taste like? It's important to know you actually LIKE a fruit before you decide to buy its tree (or trees, in this case, since it takes two to get fruit), plant it, tend it for half a decade, patiently waiting for your first harvest. If you can find someone local who grows pawpaws, it's best to try before you plant them in your garden.
Since many folks don't have the ability to taste-test pawpaws, y'all asked us to taste test them. Let's do it: Ruth, Bea, and I will do our best to to describe their aroma and flavor for you!
Books on PawPaws (I get a small commission if you purchase through these links):
Pawpaws: The Complete Growing and Marketing Guide
Kindle: amzn.to/3TfLqTU
Paperback: amzn.to/3EyliQ3
Pawpaw: In Search of America's Forgotten Fruit:
Kindle: amzn.to/3MkS9dj
Paperback: amzn.to/3VicbZS
Hardcover: amzn.to/3Ez3KUi
For the Love of Paw Paws:
Kindle: amzn.to/3Vi7gbg
Paperback: amzn.to/3RQVzpi
Complete Book List of books I've read and recommend on pawpaws: a.co/7ZBKHjQ
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[@merrireilly4614]

Both your girls have the gentlest spirits. Thank you for sharing this sweet moment with us. Oh yeah. And the pawpaws!!! 😊

[@user-de4lb6ng7g]

I was out finishing my deer stand this afternoon and seen these green things in a tree. I picked one and one knows what it is. I am 70, I thought back to my childhood and remembered my grand parents saying they should go back to the woods and get some paw paws. I never got to taste one, but I thought that is what I found. So I found your site and that is what I found, Paw Paws. They are not ripe yet. So i will keep an eye on them. thank you very much for your site.

[@RocketPipeTV]

I planted 2 of them 2 years ago and another 4 this year. They are 3 different kinds. The first 2 actually flowered last and this year. No fruit however, but that’s because they are still under 2 feet. I’m looking forward to trying them in the next few years 😃

[@UwU-Crew]

Hi Ruth! Your makeup looks really cute. 😊

[@plips71755]

Also get grafted trees and the two separate varieties. Grafted will fruit in about 4-5 years and seedlings will take 10, maybe more years to fruit.

[@blue03r6]

These grow in several parks in my area. They let you harvest them and even have signs up telling you when to harvest them which is September through October. The aroma in the woods where they grow always smells so good. Like mix of oranges and peaches maybe. I tasted one once and actually liked it. But I wasn't 100% sure if it was ripe or not yet. It was kind of soft like the sign says they should be. Im like your husband. A green banana i dont like. It has to start getting brown spots or almost getting some.

[@trishwest1809]

Thank you for sharing the taste test on the paw paw fruit. And it was great to see the girls'on what they thought about the taste of this interesting tropical fruit.

[@kadysonatha349]

Yay!!! I just got 3 pawpaw trees! I’m so excited for them!

[@dianepuskas6362]

Fun video with your family’s reactions!

[@michelebuisson6317]

Thank you, good info!

[@deanevangelista6359]

I get hundreds of paw paws from my two trees, because I hand pollinate them. I give away a lot of them, often to people who’ve never tasted them. I don’t know what varieties I’m growing, but when perfectly ripe, they taste a bit like cream soda.

[@kathmandu1575]

Excellent video - thanks!

[@doantp]

I grow PawPaw as the host plants for the butterfly...

[@Pizza-gb1ch]

Which species?

[@CoolBreeze640]

Thanks for posting this video! Wonderful overview of pawpaws. Your daughters are beautiful. 😊

[@karlineschrubberstiel]

I planted two mango paw-paw and one Allegheny paw paw several years ago and finally had fruit on one of them. 14 in total. I am hooked! Can't wait for the next season!

[@user-xv5mq1ei1s]

Bonjour celui ci est un Mango ?

[@plynwow]

The good ol' custard apple! It's like a really smooth banana, mango. I've made a dessert custard out of pawpaws and it was simply amazing!

[@garrettpeters3438]

Thanks for this video. I was about to ask which varieties you grow which you answered later in the video. 🥭🍌🍍

[@user-jw6sr7nc5g]

The reason the pawpaw is called the Indiana banana because it has so many characteristics. 😆 And yet I’ve never heard of an Indiana banana. I didn’t know they grew bananas in Indiana.

[@alankern9490]

I was considering the pawpaw for my orchard, but was a bit hesitant because of the short shelf life. The interesting flavors you talked about put me back on board. Off to buy some.

[@Giganfan2k1]

You can freeze them. I love the ephemeral nature of a seasonal treat. Like morel mushrooms, or fried sucker.

[@johnwilcox4078]

I make pawpaw smoothies, delicious!😋

[@beckymiller6703]

So, you have two varieties, I'm interested to know what the other taste like, too. I've seen others do a taste test, they say it was banana / pineapple and since she had it shipped I'm sure she didn't know the variety grown. .. It's great that your daughter Ruth has a foodie ability to share the after effects of the far taro root. 😉 fun to share though.

[@ParkrosePermaculture]

I have three : Susquehanna, Rappahannock, and Allegheny. This is an Allegheny. I don't find a lot of difference in flavor between the three. It's more shape of the fruit (oblong v round), a slight difference in the color of the flesh (more yellow or more cream colored), and they ripen at different times. Any of the Peterson improved varieties are going to be quite good.

[@beckymiller6703]

@@ParkrosePermaculture thanks for your response.

[@ryanwuryan7584]

I love the video I want to grow pawpaw so this is cool

[@AAHomeGardening]

i cannot wait for my pawpaw to fruit

[@fabricdragon]

Pennsylvania (and a few other states) have Paw Paw festivals. you can sample different varieties, and usually buy seedling trees. York County Pennsylvania has a very famous one, but there are others.

[@loriki8766]

If you do this go EARLY. At our festivals, the paws paws sell out early and there's never enough samples. There usually are tree vendors though. I'd suggest the most mature tree that you can afford.

[@olafemio]

I hope they get popular over here in the UK! The Southeast's climate should be perfect for them.

[@alexriddles492]

They are native where I live in Missouri. I have cousins that grew up in London. They tell me the winters are colder here and the summers are hotter here than London. I have paw paws growing at my home. The problem with them is that in the early years they are prone to drying out and dying in the summer heat. They have a deep taproot that takes several years to develop, once it does they are much more hardy. Your maritime climate should make that less of a problem.

[@simplement8639]

Merci de France 😊

[@injunsun]

Oh, wait, you had an oops at about 6:15 in. You said, "We don't eat banana peels." In America, no, but in much of the rest of the tropics, the peels are used as meat substitutes and extenders, when diced and fried. They are rich in vitamins and fibre.

[@ParkrosePermaculture]

Really?? I didn’t know this. Thank you! (But also don’t eat Pawpaw peels, they’ll upset your tummy).

[@klauskarpfen9039]

... and all the pesticides on banana peel, one of the most sprayed fruits on earth.

[@injunsun]

@@klauskarpfen9039 We routinely scrub fruits, like apples, peaches, pears, and citrus fruits before using peel shavings, so what is your point? Soap exists.

[@klauskarpfen9039]

@@injunsun No idea that pesticides migrate INTO the skin?

[@erikb8979]

My opinion is if you get these just right they are wonderful. Little to ripe to me it gets medicine flavor. There are a woods around my area that has these trees. I suggest people to try it.

[@Sypherz]

I remember having a mango for the first time. My cousin said she got a new fruit from the store and was going to cut it up so all of us kids could try it. There were about a dozen of us and I was the only one who liked it. They were all put off by the funky pine-like flavor that mangoes can have - I LOVED it! Like a herby peach. I think if the rest of them had more open expectations, they would have enjoyed it too. Mangoes are still one of my favorite fruits. I haven't tried pawpaws, but I'm sure I'll like them - funky flavors and all :)

[@CampingforCool41]

Well ripened mangos and Ataulfo mangos shouldn’t have a super strong pine taste

[@aleksandrakrolak]

Now I want them even more xD

[@RiceTeaLover]

I love this video! I have room for a few more fruit trees. What are your must have fruit trees if you could only pick 2-4?

[@generalsmedleybutler340]

ones that you like and are well suited to your climate (consider self fertility also)

[@ParkrosePermaculture]

Where are you located?

[@ParkrosePermaculture]

This video might be helpful: What Should I Plant in My Food Forest? 3 Questions to Guide Plant Selection kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYiYfaCcg8d0qc0

[@dawnkirk2838]

We have six or so paw paws. Planted two in 2014, took til 2021 to bear fruit. I laughed at " honking" size.

[@Tybold63]

The taste sounds intriguing and good. However, I am very sensitive to texture and it seems rather "mushy" and soft which is not my preference. Cheers from Sweden.

[@plips71755]

So she had a goat baby… this is my kid. 😂 corny I know. That funky is why they recommend yellow on the tree before picking and eating right away or use a net to catch them. That short shelf life is why you won’t find them in grocery stores- they don’t store, ship or then sit in the store.

[@plips71755]

Could you put the fruit in ice cube trays and then use fresh mango or some other fresh seasonal fruit to brighten it and make smoothies?

[@deanevangelista6359]

Never dehydrate paw paws. In that state, they can cause a gastrointestinal “event” one will never forget.

[@permiebird937]

Waiting on my pawpaw patch.

[@RamonCrystal]

Looks like a custardy texture

[@AnnaRoginska]

Thanks!

[@ParkrosePermaculture]

Thank you!

[@kevinbanks6456]

Brown spotted bananas are the best bananas

[@klauskarpfen9039]

Nobody here talks about the most prominent aroma that I could taste from my paw paws (first harvest from "Prima 1216" auto-pollinating variety) - caramel! I found them mostly like a mixture of caramel and banana. Mango? Difficult, cannot remember any of that.

[@taylora.buckner5970]

y'all are too cute

[@Thegirlwhomakesart]

Is This the same fruit known as soursop or guanabana? Would be nice to see how you grow them.

[@ParkrosePermaculture]

Not the same but distantly related. I have lots of videos on growing them check out my growing pawpaws playlist. :)

[@ChatO-xo8ze]

I don't know if PawPaw is sold here in IL. I would love to try them.

[@ParkrosePermaculture]

I think they may grow wild where you are. They certainly do in Indiana and Missouri.

[@zeahlessley6108]

I wonder if they're like durian with the funkiness. Do you have any experience eating them to compare?

[@ParkrosePermaculture]

Yes, there is a similarity in the funkiness, but not nearly as pronounced as durian. Now an overripe pawpaw (multiple other youtubers who aren't gardeners have reviewed them and eaten what I would consider overripe and unpleasant pawpaws: very brown) has MUCH stronger funk and is more like a durian. Not quite the same, but the same idea.

[@beef4cat4tuna]

I'm offered a pawpaw sapling. I googled pawpaw and found it needsa second tree.

[@ParkrosePermaculture]

Yes you need 2 of two different varieties to get fruit!

[@user-xv5mq1ei1s]

Bonjour de quelle variété s'agit il svp ?

[@ireneeggerman1763]

How do you freeze them? Cut up, whole?

[@ParkrosePermaculture]

Remove skin and seeds and freeze pulp in plastic bags.

[@miabagley2202]

I'm thinking it may make some excellent nice cream.

[@klauskarpfen9039]

05:15 Like socks? Used socks? Yummy - used socks!

[@ll3174]

There are paw paws trees about 12-18” in tall for 10.00 on Etsy I just bought two they are not the name brand I just thing if your gonna give it a try it’s better not to learn and fail on a big expensive ones.

[@hunam3876]

You want the real breed. None of that rando stuff.

[@klauskarpfen9039]

Only (to my knowledge) "Prima 1216" and "Sunflower" are self-pollinating varieties. With other varieties (seedlings) you need two different ones and if you are in Europe, where we do not have the kind of flies, that pollinate paw paw, you need to (cross-) pollinate by hand.

[@iowndvc]

How does the taste/texture compare to a cherimoya?

[@deanevangelista6359]

Similar in texture. They two trees are related.

[@oliverg6864]

I want to plant a pawpaw and I was reading up about the Peterson varieties. On their website they mention that you shouldn't cook with pawpaws. Is this true? Specifically he says "Beware however that baking with pawpaws may make you sick. Use caution when baking, try a little bit first and see how you feel before serving the goods to others." Do you think this is true in your experience or are they just being unnecessarily cautious?

[@klauskarpfen9039]

I'd rather go with the self-fertile varieties Prima and Sunflower.

[@nmnate]

What does being grafted have to do with the seedling genetics?

[@ParkrosePermaculture]

The graft is essentially a clone. That’s how you get consistent fruit quality. The seed expresses the genetic diversity of the parents and won’t be just like that parents. It’ll be a surprise.

[@nmnate]

@@ParkrosePermaculture My comment was more about whether or not the tree is grafted in that case (since scion genetics don't care about rootstock) is a moot point 😅

[@klauskarpfen9039]

@@nmnate Most paw paw varieties are not auto-pollinating, so your seedlings most likely won't be. You either need two different varieties / seedling and if you are in Europe, you need to pollinate by hand with a brush, or you plant autopollinating varieties Prima 1216 and Sunflower.

[@mom97402us]

I am trying to imagine the funk. Is it like a musky mango? Or more like a durian?

[@ParkrosePermaculture]

More like durian. But not nearly so strong.

[@klauskarpfen9039]

Just smell some old used socks!

[@colbywilliams7595]

I've read that they sucker pretty badly and need alot of maintenance. Has that been your experience?

[@ParkrosePermaculture]

I have gotten only ONE sucker off one tree. Perhaps bc my soil is not ideal (clay) for pawpaws, they don’t sucker hardly at all for me. But YES they do sucker and in the wild can form a clonal patch.

[@klauskarpfen9039]

Once they are established and beyond the very young age, when snails can ruin them, there is just about no need for any maintenance at all. A complete no-spray fruit tree, no pests, no diseases. Bind them to a strong post, maybe fertilize them with enough nitrogen in the first couple of years as they have a tendency to grow very slowly in the beginning. Oh yeah - and plant auto-pollinating varieties such as Prima and Sunflower, unless you want to mop around with a brush, at least if you grow here in Europe, where we do not have insects that can bring pollen form one variety to a different one.

[@loriki8766]

After having my paw paw trees for 4 years, one sent out 2 suckers. Broke my heart but my yard wasn't big enough so I dug them up and gave them to a very happy friend. That tree only has half the usual amount of paw paws on it this year so maybe it's unhappy with me for digging up it's suckers.

[@AttorneyBCollins]

They said in one source I read that they can pollinate from their own suckers, so there is that. Mine aren't too old (5 years I think) and have never had suckers yet. Clay soil here too but they are growing fast but very compact and pyramid shaped in mostly sun.

[@loriki8766]

Difference varieties of paw paws taste different. @Emmymade also did a video where she taste tested them. The first paw paw I tried tasted like a tropical pumpkin. The paw paws I grow on my trees taste completely different. Very tropical but not like a mango. Texture is smooth like banana but softer almost to the point of being pudding-like. Mild flavor, sweet, and just slightly tart. I always save my paw paw seeds for friends who want them. I put them in slightly moist coffee grounds and store in the fridge. After 3 months in the fridge, they can go into dirt to be sprouted. It takes 5-7 years to grow a paw paw tree from seed to maturity when it will fruit.

[@MelMar-fm7cy]

It taste like a sousop

[@oh_k8]

I love your daughter's eye makeup.

[@RamonCrystal]

You can eat banana peels

[@TheKrisnicole28]

What going on with ur daughters eyes shadow..

[@outdooorsman]

uuummmmm whats wrong with yourl's eyebrows?oh thats makeup lmao plz tell her,she dont need it!wow if she wants to have makeup on plz teach her how to use it.what ?wow

[@ParkrosePermaculture]

Son, you must be a very fragile person to attempt to insult the appearance of a stranger. That's so sad for you.