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    Home » How-Tos » How to Peel Lychee Fruit

    How to Peel Lychee Fruit

    Jul 15, 2020 · by Valentina · 9 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe
    Learning how to peel lychee fruit is easy, and this lovely and unique, tropical fruit is a delicate, sweet treat. They're delicious on their own, and used in recipes. (No special tools necessary!)
    pile of lychees spilling out of a bowl

    As soon as you learn how to peel lychee, the exotic, tropical fruit might just become one of your favorites!

    Lychees are native to Southern China, and are grown in tropical climates all over the world.

    Just a bit bigger than an average-sized grape, they have a stunning reddish-pink, slightly bumpy skin.  The flesh of a lychee is translucent and white and has a dark brown seed.

    What does lychee taste like?

    The flesh of lychee fruit is deliciously sweet and juicy with a soft, chewy, jelly-like texture.

    I think the flavor is reminiscent of a sweet pear.

    Lychee are very aromatic, and many people think lychee taste like the scent of a rose.

    (The skin is inedible.)

    one lychee on black background

    When is lychee season?

    Fresh Lychees are available in late spring through mid-summer.

    pile of lychees on wooden table

    How to Peel and Pit Lychee Fruit

    one lychee fruit with red skin sliding off

    - Gently use your fingers to easily remove the skin from the fruit.

    One, whole, peeled lychee on black background

    The skin will probably come off in a few small pieces.

    One peeled lychee fruit with the flesh pulling away from pit

    - Use your fingers to carefully dig into the lychee a bit to remove the pit.

    You’ll likely notice a thin, brown layer of color from the pit, that will remain on the the inside of the fruit. Don’t try to remove this — it’s very soft and doesn’t detract from the flavor of the fruit. (If you try to remove it, you’ll loose a lot of juice in the process.)

    One peeled and pitted lychee fruit

    (More detailed instructions are below.)

    How to Use Fresh Lychees

    As with most produce, eating the fresh fruit on its own is amazing! And they are also delightful in recipes.

    A sweet and a savory recipe with Lychee Fruit

    • Lychee Ice Cream with Chocolate (pictured below)
    • Chicken and Lychee Green Curry

    When in season (late spring through mid-summer), you'll be able to find them in most Asian markets.

    Lychee Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

    Lychee Ice Cream in a light green bowl

    Other Exotic Fruits and Their Uses

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    • Three Cherimoyas on black background.
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    • How to Cut a Cactus Pear: A Photographic Guide | cookingontheweekends.com
      How to Eat and Juice Prickly Pears

    Enjoy! I think you'll love how a lychee tastes.

    brown striipe bowl with fresh lychees falling out of it

    Peeled Lychee

    Valentina K. Wein
    Learning how to peel lychee fruit is easy, and this lovely and unique, tropical fruit, native to China, is a delicate, sweet treat.
    Print
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 10 minutes mins
    Course Snack, Ingredient
    Cuisine Asain
    Servings 2
    Calories 65 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 dozen fresh lychee fruit

    Instructions
     

    • A ripe lychee should be easy to peel with your fingers. Be very gentle as you carefully remove the thin skin from the fruit. It will likely come off in just a few pieces.
    • Use your fingers to dig into the lychee a bit to remove the pit. It should slide right out.
      You’ll notice a very thin, brownish layer from the pit, that will remain on the the inside of the fruit. Don’t try to remove this — it’s very soft and doesn’t detract from the flavor of the fruit. (If you try to remove it, you’ll loose a lot of juice in the process.)

    NOTES

    Calorie count is only an estimate.

    NUTRITION

    Calories: 65kcal
    Keywords exotic fruit desserts, exotic fruits
    Have you tried this recipe?I'd love to see it on Instagram! Tag me at @cookingontheweekends or leave a comment & rating below.

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      How to Cut and Peel Avocado
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. MImi Avocado

      July 27, 2012 at 3:06 pm

      Beautiful! Yes, I want to try some lychees! Wonder if I can find some in Vermont?

      Reply
    2. Kim

      July 29, 2012 at 6:24 pm

      Hi Valentina! So good to see you at the food crawl; thank you for coming! Great tips. 🙂

      Reply
    3. Cathy @ She Paused 4 Thought

      October 03, 2013 at 2:17 am

      Wow. I have always been intimidated by a lychee. I can't wait to get my hands on some and try your ice cream.

      Reply
    4. Satish chandra

      June 26, 2019 at 9:56 pm

      I peeled off the cover and slit through the fruit dent line and pulled the seed from bottom up, worked like a breeze, Thank you.

      Reply
      • valentina

        June 27, 2019 at 4:16 pm

        That's great! So happy it worked for you. 🙂 ~Valentina

        Reply
    5. rohit aggarwal

      December 19, 2019 at 1:29 am

      thank you cookingontheweekends for giving me wonderful information

      Reply
      • valentina

        December 19, 2019 at 9:31 am

        Thank you!

        Reply
    6. angiesrecipes

      July 15, 2020 at 9:22 pm

      So plump and juicy! I miss some good quality lychees and longans!

      Reply
      • valentina

        July 16, 2020 at 1:18 pm

        🙂 I love them, too. 🙂 ~Valentina

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Valentina, certified chef, owner, recipe developer and photographer at Cooking on the Weekends. I'm also a mom of two boys and a Los Angeleno. I use seasonal whole foods to create unique and comforting recipes for casual entertaining.

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