How To Tell If A Kiwi Is Ripe

If you’re anything like us, we’ll agree on one thing: you can’t go wrong with a kiwi. Kiwis are among the most delicious fruits on the planet, loved for their unique skins, tarty tastes, and powerful health benefits.

Like any fruit, the Kiwi is best enjoyed ripe – but how can you tell when your kiwi is ripe? Read on to determine when your kiwi is at peak ripeness (want to know about kiwi season? Read Here).

When Is A Kiwi Ripe? 

Thankfully, determining whether a kiwi is ripe or not is pretty easy. If you’ve got one in eye-shot, simply pick it up and feel it. What’s the texture like? 

Texture

To find out, gently press the outside skin with your thumb. If there’s a slight pressure, your kiwi is ripe and ready to eat. However, without pressure, your kiwi probably isn’t ready.

A rock-hard kiwi will need at least a few more days to ripen up, and tucking into it right now will probably feel pretty disappointing. 

Color 

This is a good sign if your kiwi has brown or gold skin.

Pure brown or gold skin is a sure sign of a ripe kiwi, including the fuzz! If your kiwi has a green surface, or you can see green beneath the skin, it’s not quite ready.

Shape

Another giveaway is a beautiful, plump shape. If your kiwi looks round, full, and mouthwatering, it’s probably good to eat. If your kiwi isn’t ready, it will look hard on the outside.

Smell 

Don’t forget to smell your kiwi! Put your nose close to the kiwi, and take a deep breath.

Focus on smelling the kiwi at the spot where it was attached to the vine – if it smells sweet and fruity, it’s ready to eat! If your kiwi isn’t ripe, there won’t be any smell.

The Taste Test 

If you’re unsure whether your kiwi is ripe, there is one foolproof way to find out: do the taste test!

Take off the skin, scrape out the inside, and then cut off a slice. If your kiwi is under-ripe, it will be firm and not particularly sweet.

How To Make Your Kiwi Ripen  

Are you in a hurry to eat your under-ripe kiwi? Thankfully, you can follow a few tips and tricks to speed up the process.

The Banana Or Apple Trick 

We’d recommend using the oldest trick in the book, which involves having a ripe apple or banana to hand.

Simply place your kiwi in a sealed paper bag with your ripe apple or banana, and you’ll speed up the ripening process by a few days! 

Ever wondered how this works? Bananas and apples contain ethylene, which can speed up the ripening process.

This gaseous plant hormone acts as a signal to promote ripening and works every time!

Place In A Bowl Of Rice 

Another way to speed up ripening (although we wouldn’t say it’s popular), is to put it in a bowl of rice. Like other fruits, kiwis also contain that little miracle chemical called ethylene.

However, the ethylene in Kiwis takes a little encouragement to come out. Submerging your kiwi in a bowl of rice will trap the ethylene and cause your little kiwi to ripen up even faster!

Place In A Warm Environment 

Another way to ripen up a kiwi or any other fruit, is to place it in a warm environment.

Warm temperatures will speed up ripening, but avoid direct sunlight, which can be too intense for kiwis! When stored at room temperature, your kiwi will ripen in 3-5 days.

Microwave It 

I know I know… but bear with us a minute. If your patience is running thin, there is another quick hack you can use to get the ball rolling – your microwave!

Heat ripens fruit faster, and what gets the job done faster than a microwave?

To speed up the ripening process, put your kiwi in the microwave for between 15 and 20 seconds.

Once it’s ready, take it out and either place it somewhere at room temperature, put it in rice, OR place it with a ripe banana or apple.

That’s right, you’ll have to be creative and use your microwave with another method, but trust us, this really does work!

How To Store Your Kiwis (The Right Way) 

As with any food, the appropriate storage is essential. To get the tastiest, juiciest kiwi of them all, you’ll need to store your kiwi the right way – and doing so will also help speed up the ripening process.

Here’s how you can store your kiwis correctly and keep them fresher for longer. 

1. You should leave your kiwi in the fridge if it’s already ripe. This will help it preserve its sweet, juicy flavor. Your kiwi will last up to two weeks when stored in the fridge. If it’s unripe, it can go as long as six! That’s plenty of time to enjoy your kiwis.
2. To keep your kiwis fresh for longer, go ahead and freeze them. When stored in the freezer, kiwis are good to eat for 10-12 months! However, you’ll need to do a little prep before freezing them.
   
   First, slice up your kiwis and place them on a plate or a pan (not in a tub). This method is called flash freezing. Take your kiwis out after 24 hours, and transfer your chunks into a freezable container or a sealed plastic bag. It’s as simple as that!
   
   For best results, freeze your kiwi when it’s under-ripe or ripe.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on How to Tell If Your Kiwi Is Ripe

The Bottom Line 

It’s pretty easy to tell if your kiwi is ready to eat. Simply squeeze it, inspect the skin, or give it the gold old-fashioned taste test.

If it’s not quite ripe, you can use the tips and tricks in this article to speed up the ripening process naturally. 

Further Recommendations:

• When to plant Strawberries in Seattle
• Golden Kiwi vs Green Kiwi – which is the best?
• The ultimate guide to growing Serrano Peppers in pots
• How to grow mushrooms in Georgia
• Can Dogs Eat Kiwi Fruit?

Video: How to Tell If Your Kiwi Is Ripe