Fruits with gooey seeds have fascinating adaptations for animal dispersal. Birds and other animals that eat the fruit often end up with seeds clinging to their beaks, which are later rubbed off onto branches where they can take root. Seeds with slimy coatings are also well-suited to surviving a trip through the digestive system, passing unharmed and ready to sprout wherever they are dropped.
For us humans, that same slippery, jelly-like coating creates a unique and playful texture—quite different from the dry crunch of other seeds—making these fruits feel like more than just food, but an experience. So, how many gooey-seeded fruits can you name? Here are 12 of the most common ones to get you started.
1. Passionfruit
Inside the wrinkled purple or golden shell lies a burst of aromatic pulp. The seeds are each wrapped in a jelly-like sac that gives passionfruit its unique gooey texture. This tangy pulp is often spooned straight from the shell, added to desserts, or stirred into drinks. The gooey seeds are not just edible but prized for their crunch against the slippery sweetness.
2. Granadilla
Granadilla belongs to the same family as passionfruit but has a gentler, sweeter flavor. Cut open its smooth orange shell and you’ll find glossy seeds suspended in clear, gooey pulp. This jelly-like mass is refreshing to eat fresh with a spoon, and children especially love its sweetness. The gooey seeds make it both fun and satisfying to scoop out.
3. Pomegranate
Few fruits look as striking as a pomegranate. Slice it open and hundreds of jewel-like arils spill out, each with a crunchy seed inside a gooey, translucent sac. These bright red sacs are bursting with sweet-tart juice that stains fingers and lips alike. The gooey seeds are enjoyed fresh, pressed into juice, or sprinkled over dishes for color and flavor.
4. Papaya
Papayas hide a cluster of black, round seeds at their center. Each seed is coated with a thin gelatinous layer that feels slimy when touched. While the orange flesh is the star for eating, the gooey seeds add intrigue. Some people dry and grind them as a pepper substitute, while others discard them. The slippery coating helps protect the seeds until they are ready to germinate.
5. Tomato
Tomatoes might look plain on the outside, but their insides tell a different story. Each seed rests in a clear jelly that fills the locules, giving the fruit its soft, juicy texture. The gooey coating around tomato seeds contains compounds that prevent them from sprouting too early while still inside the fruit. Whether in salads, sauces, or eaten fresh, the gooey seeds play a quiet but important role.
6. Cucumber
Cucumbers carry their gooeyness at the core. The outer flesh is crisp and refreshing, but the center cavity is filled with seeds sitting in a gelatinous mass. This gooey interior softens the contrast between the watery crunch outside and the seedy middle. In mature cucumbers, the gelatinous coating becomes even more noticeable, and it helps keep the seeds moist for germination.
7. Kiwano (Horned Melon)
Kiwano, also called horned melon, is famous for its spiky orange skin and the vivid green jelly inside. Slice it open, and you’ll see gooey seeds suspended in a bright, slime-like pulp that looks almost otherworldly. The texture is slippery and refreshing, with a taste that blends cucumber, kiwi, and banana.
8. Tamarillo
Tamarillo, sometimes known as the tree tomato, hides gooey treasures inside its smooth skin. Once cut, the flesh reveals soft pulp packed with dark seeds that sit in a jelly-like matrix. The gooey seeds are tangy and juicy, adding a sharp burst of flavor. Native to South America, tamarillos are often scooped out with a spoon or blended into sauces and juices for their rich, refreshing taste.
9. Ice Apple (Palmyra Palm Fruit)
This palm fruit is loved in hot climates for its cool, jelly-like interior. Inside its fibrous shell, you’ll find translucent seed sockets that are gooey, slippery, and filled with sweet watery liquid. The texture is soft and soothing, somewhat like a lychee but gentler and more hydrating. People often enjoy ice apples chilled, as their gooey seed pulp quenches thirst and refreshes the body during scorching summer days.
10. Akebia (Chocolate Vine Fruit)
Akebia fruits split open naturally to reveal a soft, gooey pulp cradling tiny black seeds. The translucent jelly is mild in flavor, sweet but subtle, while the seeds are not eaten and must be spat out. The look of the open fruit, with its pale gooey filling inside a purple shell, makes it quite eye-catching. Akebia grows on climbing vines and is sometimes called “chocolate vine” for its scented flowers.
11. Abiu (Pouteria caimito)
Abiu fruits are golden-yellow on the outside and jelly-like on the inside. Their seeds are wrapped in a thin, gooey layer of sticky pulp that clings like gum. The main flesh is sweet, smooth, and custard-like, with a taste compared to caramel or vanilla. Eating them fresh is a treat, though many people lightly oil their lips to avoid the sticky pulp from clinging too much when enjoying this tropical fruit.
12. Dead Man’s Fingers
This unusual fruit gets its eerie name from its pale, finger-shaped pods. When split, the fruit shows a gooey, jelly-like mass of pulp covering rows of small seeds. The texture is slippery and wet, with a refreshing, melon-like taste. Though it may look strange, the gooey interior is considered quite tasty. Dead Man’s Fingers is a wild fruit found in parts of Asia, often surprising first-time eaters with its unique appearance.