Recipes and Cooking How to Cook Cooking With Fruits And Vegetables What Is Lychee? A Guide to the Delicately Sweet Tropical Fruit A tree fruit native to China, lychee is a flavor that's making waves in America. By Katlyn Moncada Katlyn Moncada Instagram Katlyn Moncada is the associate food editor at BHG.com, sharing food news and tutorials on becoming better home cooks. She is a writer and editor with nearly a decade of experience in digital media, photography, and video production. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on January 14, 2023 Reviewed by Jessica Jones, MS, RD Reviewed by Jessica Jones, MS, RD Jessica is a nationally-recognized Registered Dietitian, Certified Diabetes Educator, Writer, Speaker, and Digital Content Strategist. As the co-founder of the wellness content media company, Food Heaven, Jessica creates engaging food and nutrition content for over 80 global corporations, food companies, and media outlets including American Heart Association, Blue Apron, Adobe, Dove, and KitchenAid. Jessica also co-hosts the top 50 nutrition Food Heaven Podcast, which explores the intersections of nutrition, health, and wellness through a social justice lens. With over 3 million downloads to date, the Food Heaven podcast has been a pillar for accessible and inclusive health and wellness insights since 2015. In addition to being a go-to nutrition expert, writer, and columnist for SELF magazine, Jessica is the co-author of the 28-Day Plant-Powered Health Reboot and A Diabetes Guide to Enjoying the Foods of the World. Learn about BHG's Nutrition Review Board Fact checked by Marcus Reeves Fact checked by Marcus Reeves Marcus Reeves is an experienced writer, publisher, and fact-checker. He began his writing career reporting for The Source magazine. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Playboy, The Washington Post, and Rolling Stone, among other publications. His book Somebody Scream: Rap Music's Rise to Prominence in the Aftershock of Black Power was nominated for a Zora Neale Hurston Award. He is an adjunct instructor at New York University, where he teaches writing and communications. Marcus received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Learn about BHG's Fact Checking Process Share Tweet Pin Email It's common for a lot of kids to get those little cups of fruit cocktail for snacks. For me, I enjoyed canned lychee, a tropical fruit that's—depending on where you're from—commonly pronounced like "lai-chi" or "lee-chee" (how I've always said it). The white, almost transparent fruit with a hard red shell is a staple in Asian cuisine and one I can eat like candy. Recently, it's started showing up more and more on American menus, especially in cocktails and desserts. In fact, I recently enjoyed a delicious lychee martini at my favorite local sushi restaurant. Anyone new to lychee might be wondering how to eat it or what it tastes like. Get ready to learn all that and more in this guide to the wonderful lychee fruit. kwanchaichaiudom/Getty Images What Is Lychee? Lychee (Litchi chinensis) is a fruit that belongs to the soapberry family, Sapindaceae, and is native to the provinces of Kwangtung and Fukien in southern China. A lychee tree grows between 30-100 feet and produces clusters of 2-20 fruit. Lychee exterior is red, oval-shaped, and about 1-2 inches wide. Beneath the skin lies the thick, translucent-white portion of lychee fruit covering a seed. Choose fresh lychee fruit that is reddish-pink (though browner skins are perfectly OK to eat as well). Lychee Season Since they need a tropical climate to grow, lychees are often imported (with the exception of Hawaii and some areas of Florida). Peak seasons vary depending on the country they're coming from, but mostly show up in the U.S. from May to September. If you get your hands on fresh lychees, store them for up to one week wrapped in a paper towel inside a breathable or perforated storage bag ($7, Target). Lychee Benefits Lychee contains a decent amount of vitamin C and is a great option for meeting your daily fruit serving. There are also studies that show fresh lychee fruit could contain antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Lychee Vs. Rambutan Mostly found in Malaysia and Thailand, rambutan is very similar to lychees in flavor and texture, but it's the appearance that will make you take a second look due to its "hairy" exterior. (The term "rambut" means hair in Malay.) Rambutan is also less acidic than lychee, with a flavor profile similar to that of a strawberry. How to Eat Lychee Don't let that tough exterior scare you. First, crack open the lychee just below the stem. From there, the leathery red skin is easily peeled away (or popped out by squeezing from the opposite end) to reveal the fruit that feels sort of like a grape without the peel. Eat the lychee fruit just like you would a cherry, discarding the seed. For the best flavor, lychees shouldn't be peeled until just before eaten or served. Sweet and Savory Asian Flavors Worth Adding to Your Pantry What Does Lychee Taste Like? The aromatic lychee is sweet, with slightly floral and acidic notes. Upon biting, you'll get a juicy flavor burst with a taste similar to a strawberry or pear with a hint of citrus. Some also compare the floral taste to rose. Now that you've learned all about lychees, keep an eye out for them at your local Asian or international market. If there aren't any fresh lychees in stock, go with canned lychee (which is delicious frozen or served over ice). Fresh or canned, enjoy lychee plain, in a cocktail, or even in a savory salsa. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit Sources Better Homes & Gardens is committed to using high-quality, reputable sources—including peer-reviewed studies—to support the facts in our articles. Read about our editorial policies and standards to learn more about how we fact check our content for accuracy. Yoshigai, Emi et al. "The Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Flavanol-Rich Lychee Fruit Extract in Rat Hepatocytes." PLoS One, vol. 9, no. 4, 2014, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0093818 Liu, Yu et al. "Identification of Proanthocyanidins From Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) Pulp by LC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS and Their Antioxidant Activity." PLoS One, vol. 10, no. 3, 2015, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0120480