31 Fruits That Start With B (With Photos!)

From bananas to blackberries and beach plums to bell peppers (yup!), we are covering all fruits that start with B in this comprehensive guide.

There are a few reasons why you might need to know what fruits start with B. But, whatever your reason for needing a B list, let these fruits that start with the letter B inspire you! We’ve even included some unique recipes featuring a B fruit, as well as our reader favorites!

Bananas

Bananas are first up on fruits that start with B alphabetically, but also because they are one of the world’s favorite fruits. Did you know that 96% of American households have purchased a banana in the last month? There are many varieties of bananas, ranging from starchy plantains to sweet, dessert varieties! A few common types are:

• Cavendish: Most common type of banana in Western groceries.
• Apple Bananas: These are the short, stubby bananas you sometimes see in specialty stores. They’re very sweet and moist.
• Lady Fingers: Similar to Apple Bananas, these are short and sweet, resembling mini-Cavendish bananas.
• Red Bananas: There are many types of red bananas, but they all tend to be sweeter than Cavendish.
• Plantains: These are more like a starchy vegetable, usually sold (and cooked) while green. They’re great steamed, fried, or roasted!

There is so much to this great fruit that we had to do a whole separate post on them at Bananas 101: Everything You Need To Know (ripening, storing, nutrition) and our sister post on 15 Healthy Banana Recipes (Great For Overripe Bananas)

Bael

Bael are native to India and some of the other nations of Southeast Asia. They are eaten, dried, fresh, in jams, and in a locally popular juice combined with milk and sugar.

Balsam Apple

Balsam Apples are in no way traditional apples. It is a small bitter melon shaped into a point. They are edible when young, but once they ripen cause vomiting. Nothing to see here folks, move along.

Barbadine

Barbadine is a fruit grown on the island of Sri Lanka where it is cooked into vegetable curry. The fruit is also made into drinks and ice cream while the seeds are eaten as a snack. 

Barbados Cherries

Barbados Cherries are also known as West Indian cherries or Acerola. They are extremely high in Vitamin C, and their bright red color makes them popular for use in jellies, jams, wine, ice creams, pies, and Popsicle Recipes. If you need more reasons to include this and other cherries in your cooking read here about the nutritional benefits of cherries.

Barberries

Barberries grow in the wild in Europe and parts of Asia. They actually grown on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. Despite this they are little used in most nations with their most frequent use being in Iran where they are used in a rice pilaf dish called zereshk polo. They contain antioxidants that are believed to help manage diabetes, fight infections, and even treat acne.

Batuan

Batuan are native to the Philippines where they are commonly used in cooking. Batuan have a very sour taste and are used to flavor soups and meat 

Beach Plums

Beach Plums are small plums that grow along the United States East Coast. They are about the size of and resemble blue berries. Their primary commercial use is in jam.

Bearberries

Bearberries grow in northern latitudes in Europe and North America. They can be used in making jams and preserves, but it appears they are most often eaten by wildlife particularly their namesake bears. They are sometime used medicinally for urinary tract disorders.

Bell Peppers

Bell peppers are in fact a fruit. They don’t pass the decidedly unscientific test we like to use in defining fruits which is “would you cut them up and put them on cereal or yogurt?” Bell peppers originated in Mexico, Central America, and South America, and were named by Christopher Columbus or perhaps other early Spanish explorers who were searching for peppercorn plants to produce black pepper. In late 15^th Century Europe spices like pepper were extremely valuable and only a few bags of spices could pay for an entire expedition to the New World. If, however, you are just looking for an idea besides in fajitas check out 14 of Our Favorite Bell Pepper Recipes (Vegetarian).

Bignay

Bignay is native to India, Ceylon, the Philippines, and Australia. It grows in the wild and is actually rather invasive. The berries are eaten differently by region and are often made into wine, jams, or used as a flavoring.

Bilberries

Billberries look almost identical to blueberries. They are common around Europe, and can be used instead of blueberries in pretty much any recipe. Which is to say, is a lot. They are great in sweets like Easiest Blueberry Pie Recipe or savory Blueberry Grilled Cheese.

Bilimbi

Bilimbi are native to Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines where it is often grown in backyards. The fruit are eaten raw or dipped in salt. It is also often added as a souring agent to various Filipino dishes.

Biriba

Biriba is a Brazilian fruit also known as the wild sugar apple. The fruit’s pulp is very sweet, and said by some to taste like lemon meringue pie. That is certainly quite a claim. In Brazil they are usually eaten out of hand, but there are regional recipes for it and it can be made into wine.

Bitter Melon

Bitter melon is often used in Indian curries as well as Japanese and Chinese stir fry. In the Philippines it is often made into a fried snack. The fruit is most known for its purported health benefits particularly in blood sugar control and combating diabetes. As it’s name suggests, the fruit is quite bitter.

Black Apples

Black Apples are grown in Tibet at altitudes often as high as 11,000’. They are actually a dark shade of purple. Their color comes from the altitude they are grown at. Even locally, they are quite expensive at $7-8 each. In Asia expect to pay as much as $20 each, but they may actually come in a gift box. There may be as many as 30,000 apple varieties worldwide today, and 2,500 of these are grown in the United States. Apples have been grown and eaten since the Roman Era and quite possibly before that. If you want more information on just a few of the most popular American apples check out our Apples 101 Nutritional and Variety Guide.

Black Cherries

Black Cherries have been eaten across the Western Hemisphere for thousands of years and for good reason. They taste great and are very nutritious. Cherries are so healthy that we created a separate post to highlight the 9 Unexpected Cherry Benefits (and why you should be eating more!), so should you chose to try this Cherry Cheesecake Oat Cookies Recipe, you can relax because they are healthy.

Black Currant

Black Currant are small tart berries native to Europe and the Northern parts of Asia. These vitamin C rich berries can be eaten raw, but are usually cooked into both sweet and savory dishes. Jams are an obvious use.

Blackberries

Blackberries grow best in northern temperate climates, and are found widely in the North Eastern United States and Canada as well on the Pacific North coast. They are high in antioxidants and vitamin C, and are great for making preserves as well as a variety of desserts. Try them in this Berry Cabbage Smoothie Recipe (4 Ingredients). Yep, cabbage smoothie recipe.  Trust us on this one.

Black Mulberry

Black Mulberry are native to Spain and Portugal. The berries flavor ranges from sweet to slightly tart. You can use these in place of blackberries or raspberries, and they are good in jams, jellies, cobbler, and sweet breads. And, of course, they are good raw.

Black Raspberries

Black Raspberries shouldn’t be confused with Blackberries. They grow primarily in the Pacific Northwest and are a staple in baking particularly in pies, cobbler, muffins, you name it. Want to try a unique raspberry treat? Try Nice Cream. Using frozen bananas as the base, this super easy dessert has a fraction of the calories of ice cream and is way more nutritious. Just trust us on this one. Raspberry Basil Nice Cream.

Black Sapote

Black Sapote are native to coastal Mexico. These green fruits turn dark brown when ripe and are called the “chocolate pudding fruit” as its pulp seriously looks like chocolate pudding. It is often eaten raw scooped out of its skin, spread on toast (like Nutella), or mixed with dates to make a thick chocolate pudding.

Blood Orange

Blood Oranges are a variety of orange with deep red, almost blood-colored pulp. This deep red color is caused by anthocyanins in the fruit. Blood oranges originated in the southern Mediterranean region and are most commonly grown in Italy, but are also grown in the USA today. There are multiple varieties of blood oranges, so the tastes vary in sweetness. They are often used in marmalade or the zest used in baking.

Blood Limes

Blood Limes are a hybrid fruit developed in Australia with the intent of creating a fruit growable in highly salty conditions. They appear to have succeeded, but the fruit hasn’t been exported out of Australia.

Blueberries

Blueberries are one of only three berries native to North America: blueberries, cranberries, and Concord grapes. So what is a berry? It’s a fleshy fruit produced from a single flower with no barrier between seed and pulp. That’s the botanical definition anywho. And interestingly enough, by this definition, strawberries are not berries, while bananas are. Things that make ya go hmmm.

Want another more fun fact? Dogs can also eat blueberries!, but if you are more interested in your own culinary satisfaction how about Frozen Yogurt Covered Blueberries or Blueberry Cheesecake Popsicles and you don’t have to have popsicle molds to make these.

Bottle Gourd

Bottle Gourd is also called the Calabash. It is a bright yellow squash variety. The most common use appears to be dried as a decoration (I’m thinking of that spooky looking think on Grandma’s porch). It is, however, eaten around the world with many uses from soups, roasted seeds, etc.

Boysenberry

It isn’t completely clear who developed this hybrid berry, but it is believed to have come out of California in the 1920s. Boysenberries can be used just like raspberries or blackberries. Often eaten fresh, on cereal, mixed in yogurt, fruit salad, smoothies, you name it.

Bramble

Bramble is not really a single fruit, but a collective name for a variety of berries to include raspberries, blackberries, boysenberries, and black raspberries The uses for these are pretty much endless. Looking for a healthy use for any berry? The Ultimate Guide to Homemade Popsicles (+ 5 Easy Recipes). Any of the bramble family make healthy summer treats.

Brazilian Guava

Brazilian Guava are obviously native to Brazil, but are also grown in Mexico and Peru. The pulp is quite sweet and is said to taste like strawberries. This feature has made them popular well beyond South America. Our favorite use for the juice of ANY variety of Guava is in Easy Hawaiian POG Juice Recipe (5 minutes). Give it a try. We think you will agree.

Breadfruit

Breadfruit is related to the Jack Fruit and comes from the Philippines and New Guinea. Regionally the fruit is roasted, baked, fried, or boiled. When cooked, the taste is said to be similar to freshy baked bread thus the name.

Brush Cherries

Brush Cherries are an Australian native that grows wild along the cost. They are not widely picked or cultivated, but often used for ornamental hedges. The cherries are generally tart and often made into jam, jelly, or used in wine. These aren’t likely the cherries you want to use very often, but cherries are a nutrition powerhouse 9 Unexpected Cherry Benefits (and why you should be eating more!).