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We tend to think of vegetables as something we use in savory dishes, and fruits as a sweeter dessert item, but in reality, there is a huge crossover between these two categories. Some of your favorite fruits and vegetables might be harboring secret identities. This means that foods that you have believed for years to be vegetables may in fact be fruits, and vice versa!
Botanically speaking, the difference between fruits and vegetables is all about reproduction: fruits develop from the fertilized flower of a plant and contain seeds, while vegetables are any other edible part of a plant, including roots, stems, and leaves. So, if the ingredient you are eating contains seeds, then technically it is a fruit.
So, let’s investigate 15 vegetables that are actually fruits!
1. Tomatoes
With their juicy, fleshy interior, tomatoes are a common ingredient in salads and a huge array of savory dishes. But inside every tomato is a collection of seeds, which means they are technically a fruit! More precisely, tomatoes are botanically classed as berries, which are a specific type of fruit.
2. Cucumbers
You’d never see a cucumber adorning a fruit bowl, but as they develop from flowers and contain seeds, they fall into the fruit category. You’re far more likely to find this crisp ingredient in a salad than a fruit cocktail though!
3. Bell Peppers
A popular ingredient in Chinese stir-fries and Mexican dishes, bell peppers may look like a classic vegetable, but they are a fruity imposter! Their savory-sweet flavor makes them highly versatile in a whole range of savory dishes.
4. Zucchini
Zucchinis are perfect for baking or sauteing in a wide variety of meals, but botanically they are classed as a fruit thanks to their seed-packed interior.
5. Eggplants
You’d have to look pretty hard to spot the seeds in an eggplant, but they are in there somewhere! Eggplants are picked early before the seeds fully develop, which means many people commonly mistake them for vegetables.
18 Eggplant Recipes That Even Picky Eaters Will Want to Try
6. Pumpkins
We all associate pumpkins with fall, Halloween, and pies, but guess what? They’re fruits, not vegetables! So, next time you’re scooping out the seeds and flesh of a pumpkin to carve your jack-o’-lantern and make pumpkin soup, remember that it’s a fruit you’re dealing with.
13 Ways to Make Pumpkin Bread Even Better
7. Avocados
Avocados are used almost exclusively in savory dishes, but they are the berries of the avocado tree!
8. Olives
From olive oil to tapenade, olives often find their way into savory Mediterranean dishes. However, as they grow from flowers and contain seeds, they are a bona fide fruit.
9. Chili Peppers
Don’t make the mistake of adding this imposter to your fruit cocktail! Chili peppers are hot, spicy, and packed full of seeds, which means they are officially a fruit. Best saved for your main course rather than dessert though, unless you like a fiery surprise!
10. Butternut Squash
Butternut squash, and all other types of winter squash, originate from flowers and contain the next generation of seeds, making them officially fruits.
24 Butternut Squash Recipes So Good, You’ll Want to Make Them Tonight
11. Green Beans
There is some controversy over whether beans are vegetables, fruits, or something else altogether – legumes! But as beans originate from fertilized flowers and are the seeds of the plant, botanically they can be classed as fruits.
12. Peas
Like green beans, peas are sneaky fruits hiding in plain sight. These little legumes develop from flowers and carry their seeds inside pods, so they get the botanical stamp of approval as fruits.
13. Okra
A firm favorite in savory dishes such as gumbo, the pointy, star-shaped pods of okra are actually a fruit.
14. Sweet Corn
Sweet corn is another crop with a complex identity. As it is a member of the grass family, technically it would make sense to think of sweet corn as a grain, but its true botanical definition is a fruit.
15. Chayote
Often used in savory dishes like stir-fries or soups, chayote is a green, squash-like fruit that grows on vines. Inside each fruit is a large, smooth seed that will germinate into a new highly-productive vine – if you’ve never tried propagating this easy-to-grow crop, I’d definitely suggest giving it a try!
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Kate Chalmers
Kate is a passionate gardener who has a keen interest in all things related to homesteading and sustainability. She resides in Portugal with her husband and menagerie of animals and has over 15 years of experience in the UK veterinary industry. In 2020, Kate and her husband took on a dilapidated Portuguese house and abandoned olive grove, turning it into an abundant food forest and home for nature.
Life on the homestead is never the same from one day to the next, and Kate has mastered many skills that she is keen to pass on to anyone with an interest in becoming more self-sufficient. Kate believes that living a sustainable lifestyle is the key to happiness and fulfillment and that everyone can make simple changes that connect us back to nature and reduce our impact on the planet.
