How To Eat A Papaya: The Best Ways To Cut And Use The Tropical Fruit

With their refreshing yet creamy texture and subtle sweetness, papayas are wonderfully versatile fruits that can fit into a range of sweet and savory dishes. There are a few different approaches you can take to preparing a whole papaya. We're focusing on ripe papayas here, which have tender, vibrant orange flesh. Green papayas, on the other hand, are not fully ripened and have a firmer texture that's better suited for julienning (and are great in a Thai salad).

Once you've selected a perfectly ripe papaya at the store, it's time to get to work. We highlighted three key prep methods, all of which are super quick and easy to execute. With the tough outer skin and seeds discarded, you can slice, dice, or scoop to create uniform chunks, half-moon shapes, or balls. Just follow the simple steps below, and you'll be tucking into that sunny papaya flesh in no time.

For this method, we'll dice the papaya into chunks. The first step is slicing the fruit in half lengthwise.

Using a spoon, scoop out and discard the seeds from the middle of the papaya.

Slice each half lengthwise down the middle, so you have four quarters.

Using a sharp knife, slice away the skin, separating it from the flesh.

Dice each quarter into chunks.

Another simple and effective method is to slice the papaya into thin half-moon shapes. To start, cut off both ends of the fruit.

Carefully slice off the papaya's skin using a sharp knife.

Cut the papaya in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and thinly slice each half into half-moons.

A melon baller can also come in handy when preparing papayas. As with the dicing method, you'll first need to slice the papaya in half and scoop out the seeds. Then, simply push the melon baller into the fruit and carefully rotate it to scoop out the flesh. Repeat until you've removed all the papaya flesh.

With your papaya sliced, diced, or balled, there are a whole host of ways you can enjoy it. This fruit is, of course, fantastic enjoyed as is, or perhaps alongside a dollop of your favorite yogurt or ice cream. You could also toss the prepared papaya into a vibrant fruit salad with other fresh fruits, such as melon, kiwi, and berries. Or blitz it up in a nutrient-packed smoothie with a splash of milk or coconut water. 

Papaya makes for a fitting addition to a tangy salsa, too. Just use the dicing approach, but chop the pieces a little finer before combining the fruit with some red onion, cilantro, lime juice, garlic, salt, and black pepper.