Rocco Smith
Do you enjoy eating lemons and oranges? How about tangerines? Have you ever heard of Buddha’s hand or a Persian Lime? What about a kumquat or a pomelo?
You may be surprised to learn that there is a whole collection of citrus fruits beyond oranges and lemons, each with its distinct flavor.
Read on to learn about 25 different citrus fruits, where they come from, what they taste like, the dishes they enhance, and where you can try them.
Citrus Fruits
You’ll enjoy learning more about the citrus family and the different tastes around for you to enjoy.
Blood Orange
You’ve probably heard of the blood orange before, which has a similar appearance to the classic orange.
Blood orange is slightly smaller than other orange varieties, and upon opening the inside, you’ll see there’s a dark maroon-like color, which is where ‘blood’ comes from.
Blood oranges are grown in California and Florida and are a sweet tasty treat that is enjoyable in your cocktails, pastries, and other delights. They might look a little strange, but the taste is worth it!
The distribution of the trademark red, which is anthocyanin, depends on the variety of the fruit.
The season for blood oranges is December through April, so eat them up while you can; outside of that window, they can be tricky to find.
Citron
Citron is another unique citrus fruit that sometimes falls into the cracks.
Citron is an important symbol during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, as people of the Jewish faith will use it to create a bundle to bless their home each fall during the sacred holiday.
Citrons won’t be easily found at grocery stores, as they aren’t usually enjoyed for home consumption. Resembling a large, green lemon, citrons are very bitter and sour upon eating.
While the rind is easier to peel away than a lemon, there is typically more peel than the center.
Grapefruit
Have you ever rolled a grapefruit in sugar before? That’s only one way to eat this type of citrus fruit. Grapefruit is a larger citrus fruit, appearing like a larger orange.
On the inside, the flesh is a red color. Grapefruit is a bitter fruit, which is why some people enjoy coating a little sugar on it to soften that bitter taste.
Grapefruit can be very good for your diet, as there is plenty of fiber and vitamins A and C.
For those dieting, grapefruit can be an ideal choice because, at just 100 calories a serving, you feel full and hydrated.
If you like grapefruit flavor, check out some popular grapefruit beers to try.
Kumquat
Kumquats are a unique citrus fruit! How often do you eat the peels of your oranges or lemons?
Never, right? Kumquats are ideal for their peels, while the inside flesh is bitter.
Kumquats were originally only grown in China but now are grown in Florida and California in the United States, among other places.
Kumquats are a very healthy snack; there’s a strong water content in them, and it makes a great source of Vitamin C.
If you’re watching your weight, kumquats are a healthy option because they taste good, are good for you, and aren’t many calories per serving.
Lemon
Who doesn’t enjoy a nice lemonade in the summertime? The citrus fruit lemon has many wonderful qualities.
There are plenty of uses for lemons in cooking; desserts and dinners are aided with lemon juice and other parts of the lemon.
Lemon juice also helps remove stains, so remember that the next time you accidentally spill!
Lemons also have a wonderful impact on our health. Vitamin C is in it, and eating it can prevent diseases like anemia and kidney stones.
Check out some tasty lemon cocktails to indulge in this popular flavor.
Orange
Oranges are the staple citrus fruit; who doesn’t love an orange slice or a glass of orange juice in the morning?
Oranges are not only delicious but have nutritional value. While oranges are mostly water, there is a healthy dose of fiber and Vitamin C found in every serving of oranges.
The orange season starts in November, which brings you a tropical taste during those gray winter months.
You can enjoy dressing your salad with orange slices or eating them as they are. Oranges are a healthy snack containing folate, a vitamin responsible for maintaining the digestive system.
Pomelo
The Pomelo citrus fruit is big, with a greenish-yellow rind around its sweet center.
It’s sweeter than a grapefruit and has a whitish or pink inside, depending on the specific variety.
The peel, like most citrus fruit peels, is one you won’t enjoy eating because it’s very bitter and tart.
Pomelos are usually available at grocery stores all year long but are in season from December to February and are quite enjoyable as a snack or in a winter salad.
Pomelos are also a great source of Vitamin C for those looking for a pick-me-up.
Tangelo
Tangelo is a funny name, isn’t it? Tangelo is a cross of a tangerine and grapefruit.
Like other citrus fruits on this list, Tangelos are in season from December to February and are a great fruit to try if you’ve never had it before.
Tangelo will have an orange or reddish-orange peel about the size of your fist. You’ll also notice that Tangelos have a knob at the top of the fruit, like with a pear.
Tangelos have also been called ‘honey balls’ for their sweetness. They are also seedless and easy to peel; sweetness seems to sum it up about right!
Yuzu
Yuzu is a citrus fruit you might not have heard of before; it’s fun to say, and it’s a fun fruit too.
A Yuzu will share a yellow outside, like a lemon, but will be rounder in shape.
The Yuzu fruit originates in both China and Japan and is a staple in Japanese dishes.
While the taste is very sour and has less juice compared to other citrus fruit varieties, Yuzu is an up-and-coming fruit that elevates many dishes with the distinct flavor it provides.
Yuzu, like lemon or lime juice, would be a perfect additive for a salad vinaigrette or in pasta sauce.
There are endless combinations however, you just have to research to see.
Tangerine
Tangerines are a variety of mandarin oranges, which some might not know.
Tangerines are popular for how small they are; they’re easy to put in your pocket or into a kid’s lunch to get in a serving of fruit. They’re also very delicious, like many other mandarin citrus fruits.
Tangerines have a few health benefits besides that hearty serving of Vitamin C; making tangerines a regular part of your diet can reduce the chance of kidney stones and reduce high cholesterol.
Tangerines were first grown in Florida in the 1800s and have been enjoyed ever since.
Buddha’s Hand
The citrus fruit called Buddha’s hand looks exactly like a hand but in a lemon-yellow hue.
Probably one of the most interesting fruits on this list, right?
What sets Buddha’s Hand apart from its shape is its lack of juice, pulp, and seeds. Instead, Buddha’s Hand fruits are usually used for their zest, which is when one shaves the skin with a peeler.
The zest can be used in cooking and baking and offers a distinct fragrance. This fragrance also leads to people using the Buddha’s Hand in perfumes.
Above all, the Buddha’s Hand is a special symbol in religious ceremonies in Japan and China.
Clementine
Clementines are what is called a tangor, a citrus fruit hybrid between a mandarin orange and a sweet orange.
You may recall those tiny oranges; those are clementines. In comparison to oranges, these clementines are small, easy to peel, and very sweet.
They also are seedless most of the time, which makes them an ideal snack for younger children because they can peel it on their own, and won’t choke on the seeds.
Clementines are chock-full of antioxidants and Vitamin C, making them a great option for a snack for those young and old. They’re also pretty cute, too.
Finger Lime
Finger limes are another unique citrus fruit you probably haven’t heard of before!
While they look more like little jalapenos, the ‘lime’ part of the name is just right because the taste is just as sour and tart as the flavor in a lime.
Finger limes are interesting because of the texture on the inside.
While most citrus fruits we’ve talked about so far have fruit flesh and seeds, finger limes appear to look more like caviar when you cut a finger lime open.
Not very big, but they are a good snack to have if you can find them.
Kaffir Lime
The Kaffir Lime is an interesting sight to behold. With a similar green hue to lime, the Kaffir Lime has lots of bumps and knots that make up its skin.
They almost look like brains if you see a cluster of them on a branch. The taste is half bitter, and pleasant, which makes it a good agent in cooking.
The Kaffir lime is native to areas in Asia and is a handy citrus fruit that can assist in oral health, and can improve the digestion system, and lower inflammation in the body.
Kaffir lime can also be used to ward off mosquitoes and other vermin; just brush a little juice on your skin and watch them stay far, far away.
Key Lime
Key Limes are a citrus fruit you’ve run into before. Key Lime Pie is a popular dessert you’ve probably heard of, and that’s just the start of possibilities for what you can do with key limes.
Key limes are sour, round, and have bright green skin. Eating them brings Vitamin C and loads of antioxidants into your diet.
The Key lime is also smaller and more acidic compared to other limes in the lime family.
While you’re probably more familiar with a key lime slice on your drink or lime juice to season tacos, key limes are a popular citrus fruit that can help improve health when you add it to your diet.
Mandarin Orange
Mandarins originated in China, which is where the word ‘mandarin’ comes from.
If you’ve eaten mandarins, you’ll have noticed that they’re easy to peel and aren’t as round as oranges are. Mandarin oranges are sweet, tasty, and a popular genus in the orange family.
Mandarin oranges are in season between October and April, which makes them a great fruit for spring-inspired dishes, or a pop of color for meals during the winter months.
Mandarin oranges are also a citrus fruit easily enjoyed by youngsters because it’s a taste even pickier eaters can enjoy.
Bitter Orange
A bitter orange citrus fruit is exactly what it sounds like; an orange with a bitter taste.
Despite that taste, it’s enjoyed most often in marmalade and toppings for other dishes.
Making bitter oranges part of your typical diet can help with weight loss and give you a healthy serving of Vitamin C, as seen in many other citrus fruits on this list.
Bitter Orange is also a traditional source of medicine in Chinese culture; it’s believed to assist with symptoms of indigestion, nausea, and other stomach ailments.
Applying it to the skin is also believed to be helpful for topical issues.
Ugli Fruit
Ugli fruit, or the Jamaican Tangelo, which is another name, is a hybrid fruit produced by crossing a tangerine or an orange with a grapefruit.
The result is an Ugli fruit, which is a fruit of either yellow, green, or a mix of the two, colored skin. The fruit is bumpy, almost looking like it’s rotting.
The Ugli Fruit is full of Vitamin C, like other citrus fruits. And despite its unappetizing appearance, the Ugli fruit is quite sweet and tasty for those who try it.
Similar to how oranges and lemons have the flesh separated on the inside, the Ugli fruit has the same structure.
Calamondin
Calamondin is a citrus fruit with an orangish or yellow peel. If you’ve ever tried calamondin, you’ve probably noticed that it’s very sour.
Despite that taste, calamondin is a popular ingredient in Filipino, Malaysian, and Indonesian meals.
Calamondin usually isn’t eaten by itself and instead, is used to make condiments, beverages, marinades, and other cuisines.
The signature sour taste helps to elevate lots of meals and adds strong flavor if you’re willing to take a chance.
Using it in baking can help you find recipes that could become your new favorite.
Kinnow
The Kinnow citrus fruit is in season from January to March and is a very sweet variety of mandarin.
Slightly larger than oranges and bearing smoother skin, the Kinnow citrus can be challenging to remove the rind off.
Once one does, one can enjoy a juicy fruit, but beware of seeds!
Kinnow is now a very popular mandarin hybrid crop grown in Pakistan, but it was first developed at the University of California’s Citrus Experiment Station in 1935 by Howard B. Frost. Pretty interesting, right?
Meyer Lemon
The Meyer Lemon is a citrus fruit native to China that lemon lovers will enjoy!
What’s unique about the Meyer lemon is that you can eat everything about it, including its peel.
Everything can be used in cooking too; like other lemons and oranges, the zest can add flavor to your baked goods.
The juice can go in lemonades and cocktails and will add some seasoning to salads, baked goods, and seafood dishes.
Cutting, slicing, or dicing the Meyer lemon is a common practice that elevates many delicious and classic recipes. Just try it once and you’ll see!
Persian Lime
The Persian lime is a key lime and lemon hybrid. Green skin molts into yellow skin when it’s fully ripe.
When you pick it up at the grocery store, it should feel heavy in your hands; that indicates a lot of juice!
Native to Persia, these limes are available year-round in the United States for cooks and lime connoisseurs to enjoy.
You can pair the zest in desserts or use the juice to help season your seafood dishes or to add to your flavorful cocktails.
Persian limes are versatile and can add a little extra something to your recipes.
Sweet Lime
Sweet Lime is a citrus fruit variety that’s available in the late fall through winter.
It comes with a rind that is easy to peel off and hosts many flavorful juices.
The juice of Sweet lime is used in many dishes; salads, seafood, drinks, limeades, and other recipes can benefit from a little squeeze of the sweet lime.
Sweet Lime is native to Iran and has a few health benefits. While it has a heavy amount of Vitamin C, the sweet lime can also aid in weight loss and can flush out kidney stones, among other benefits.
Rangpur Lime
The Rangpur lime is a hybrid citrus fruit resulting from a cross between a mandarin orange and a citron fruit.
In cooking, you can use a Rangpur lime in exchange for a regular lime in a pinch.
Rangpur limes, unlike their namesake, have orange skin. They might even look a little like oranges, but once you taste them, you’ll know better.
The taste is exceptionally sour, but the zest is still beneficial in baking and marinades; making marmalade is a common practice with Rangpur limes and one worth trying!
Bergamot Orange
Do you enjoy sipping tea? How about Earl Grey Tea flavor?
Earl Grey tea comes from the bergamot orange, a citrus fruit roughly the size of an orange with a peel that is either yellow or green, depending on its ripeness stage.
The Bergamot Orange is grown primarily in Italy, and while it is tasty in tea, that’s not its only contribution to the world.
The Bergamot Orange is a popular scent in many perfumes and many essential oils; it’s believed to add in fighting depression, reduce cholesterol, and help lessen instances of schizophrenia.
Citrus Fruits
- Blood Orange
- Citron
- Grapefruit
- Kumquat
- Lemon
- Orange
- Pomelo
- Tangelo
- Yuzu
- Tangerine
- Buddha’s Hand
- Clementine
- Finger Lime
- Kaffir Lime
- Key Lime
- Mandarin Orange
- Bitter Orange
- Ugli Fruit
- Calamondin
- Kinnow
- Meyer Lemon
- Persian Lime
- Sweet Lime
- Rangpur Lime
- Bergamot Orange
What is Your Favorite Citrus Fruit?
When you think of citrus, you probably just think lemons, limes, and oranges, but there are many more varieties to enjoy. Try adding different citrus flavors to your recipes and see what happens!
