8 Fruits That Will Continue to Ripen After You Buy Them—and 9 That Won’t

Shopping for fruit might seem like a straightforward task, but there's more to it than buying a pineapple or a bunch of bananas and calling it a day. Some fruits stop ripening as soon as they're harvested—while others keep ripening over time. What's more, different fruits ripen at different rates, so timing and smart shopping are key. Ahead, we spoke to experts about which fruits continue to ripen after you buy them and which ones don’t, plus how to know when each is ready to eat.

Fruits That Ripen After Buying

Fruits that continue to ripen after they've been picked are known as climacteric fruits. You can purchase these fruits before they are ripe and let them reach their most delicious state at home.

Bananas

Bananas continue to ripen after they're picked and sold, so it's important to consider when and how you plan to use the fruit. If you'd like to enjoy them ripe at a later date, choose unripe bananas with completely green peels. At room temperature, they'll take about a week to ripen, says Nathan Lyon, chef, cookbook author, and host of A Lyon in the Kitchen on Discovery Health.

How to Speed Up the Ripening of Bananas: If you'd like to eat bananas sooner—or if you want overripe bananas for baking—you can expedite the process by placing them in a brown paper bag with an apple, Lyon says. Alternatively, if your bananas have ripened and you're not ready to use them, store them in the refrigerator for a few days to slow down the process.

Most Stone Fruits

When purchased unripe, peaches, plums, nectarines, and apricots will take about two to three days to ripen at home. Therefore, if you plan to enjoy these stone fruits over the next week or so, consider buying fruits with varying levels of ripeness, says Ann Ziata, chef and cooking teacher at the Institute of Culinary Education. This way, you'll have some fruits that are ready to eat and some that will be ready in the next few days.

How to Tell if a Stone Fruit Is Ripe: To determine if a stone fruit is ripe, gently squeeze it. Unripe fruits will be firm and hard, while ripe ones will have some give, says Ziata. Once a stone fruit is ripe, enjoy it immediately or store it in the refrigerator for three to five days.

Pears

Pears are picked when they're mature but not ripe, as they don't ripen on the tree. However, they will ripen at room temperature in your kitchen after you bring them home.

How to Speed Up the Ripening of Pears: While pears will ripen at room temperature, you can make the process faster by storing them next to apples or bananas, which release ethylene, a ripening gas.

How to Tell if a Pear Is Ripe: Ripe pears will have some give when you squeeze them. They also won't last long, so you'll need to eat them soon. Otherwise, ripe pears can be stored in the refrigerator for three to five days, says Ziata. "Keep them in a paper bag in the crisper drawer for best results," she adds.

Kiwis

Another fruit that ripens after you buy it is kiwi. If you don't plan to eat the fruit right away, look for unripe ones at the grocery store; they'll feel very firm to the touch, says Ziata.

How Long It Takes to Ripen a Kiwi: At home, a kiwi will ripen at room temperature within three to five days, especially when placed next to bananas and apples.

How to Tell if a Kiwi Is Ripe: When ripe, kiwis will give when gently pressed, says Ziata. They'll also have a sweet, fruity smell. You can refrigerate ripe kiwis for another seven days, or two weeks if you place them in a plastic bag as well.

Mangos

Mangos will continue to ripen after you bring them home, so keep this in mind when buying the tropical fruit.

How Long It Takes to Ripen a Mango: When stored at room temperature, unripe mangos will be ready to eat within three to eight days. To shorten the process to two days, place the fruit in a brown paper bag, according to the experts at University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

How to Tell if a Mango Is Ripe: Ripe mangos will have a light, sweet aroma and yield slightly to gentle pressure, says Lyon. If you're not ready to eat them, store them in the refrigerator to slow down further ripening.

Fruits That Don't Ripen After You Buy Them

Fruits that stop ripening as soon as they have been picked are called non-climacteric fruits—buy these fruits when they are already ripe.

Cherries

Unlike other stone fruits, cherries don't continue to ripen after they're picked. Thus, at the grocery store, you'll want to look for ones that are ready to eat.

How to Tell if Cherries Are Ripe: Choose cherries with shiny skin, bright green stems, and firm texture, says Lyon. Skip ones that are wrinkled, dull, or soft, as these signs indicate the cherries are too old.

How to Store Cherries to Keep Them Fresh: Don't wash cherries until you are ready to eat them, and store them in the refrigerator in an unsealed bag or open container in the crisper drawer.

Strawberries

After strawberries are picked from the plant, the ripening process stops—so be sure to buy berries that were picked at peak ripeness.

How to Tell if Strawberries Are Ripe: Look for strawberries with a uniform, glossy red color and a strong, floral aroma, says Ziata.

How to Store Strawberries to Keep Them Fresh: Keep strawberries fresh by always storing them in the refrigerator, and don't wash your berries until you're ready to eat, as moisture will encourage mold to grow, says Ziata.

Grapes

Since grapes don't ripen off the vine, it's important to know how to pick ripe grapes at the store.

How to Tell if Grapes Are Ripe: Choose bunches with bright green stems and no signs of withering, says Lyon. "You can also [do] a shake test; lightly shake the bunch and choose the one where the grapes remain attached to the stem."

How to Store Grapes to Keep Them Fresh: The first step in storing grapes properly is to avoid washing them before storing, says Lyon. Also, store grapes in a microperforated plastic bag in the coldest part of your refrigerator (usually the bottom or the back).

Citrus

Citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruits, lemons, and limes only ripen on the tree. Once picked and purchased, the fruits won't continue to ripen, though they can go bad if they're not stored properly.

How to Tell if Citrus Is Ripe: To identify perfectly ripe citrus, look for fruits that feel heavy for their size, says Lyon.

How to Store Citrus to Keep It Fresh: At home, you can keep it at room temperature for two to three days before moving it to the fridge. Here, citrus fruits will last for three to six weeks.

Pineapple

Pineapple is another fruit that doesn't ripen after it's picked, so what you see is what you get.

How to Tell if a Pineapple Is Ripe: "A ripe pineapple will feel heavy, smell aromatic, and be slightly yellow in color," says Ziata. Avoid pineapples with minimal fragrance and a greener hue, which indicates the fruit was picked before it ripened.  

How to Store Pineapple to Keep It Fresh: Store uncut pineapple at room temperature for two to three days; it will become juicier and softer during this time. If you need more time, keep it in the refrigerator for five to seven days.

Watermelon

The ripeness of watermelon will stay the same after it's picked and shipped to stores.

How to Tell if a Watermelon is Ripe: You'll know a watermelon is ripe if it feels heavy for its size, which indicates a high water content, notes Ziata.

How to Store Watermelon to Keep It Fresh: Keep watermelon at room temperature for about one week, after which you should chop it up and put it in the refrigerator.