33 Fruits That Start With M (With Photos!)

Are you looking for a fruit that starts with the letter M? Here are 33 fruits that begin with a M along with helpful information about each! 

Some of the world’s most favorite fruits start with the letter M and so do a few pretty unique regional favorites. With a bit about each fruit, this list will hopefully pique your interest in eating your fruits and veggies. If you are looking for a vegetarian recipe featuring a fruit that starts with M, we’ve also included a few favorite recipes!

Macadamia Nut

Macadamia Nuts are native to Australia, but the nut’s world-wide use didn’t begin until the late 19^th Century when large scale commercial production began in the Hawaiian Islands. Today, South Africa is the world’s leading producer of these popular little gems.

Looking for a healthy recipe using Macadamias? Try Quinoa Granola with Tropical Dried Fruit and Coconut (and Macadamia).

Macoun Apple

Macoun Apples are a cross between McIntosh and Jersey Black apples. They are named after the horticulturalist W.T Macoun who developed them in the 1920s. These apples are known for staying firm in baking making them great in a variety of baked goods.

There may be as many as 30,000 apple varieties worldwide today, and 2,500 of these are grown in the United States. Many of these, like the Macoun, are hybrids of older varieties.

Madison Peach

Madison Peach is a bright red variety of medium size. It grows mostly in northern climates. They are great eaten fresh, but their tender juicy flesh makes them difficult to transport, so you won’t likely find them in your local grocery. If you can get them at your local farmer’s market, their qualities would make them ideal in this Grilled Peach Caprese with Basil Lime Drizzle Recipe.

Madrono

Madrono are also known as Strawberry Trees, and are native to the Mediterranean region. The small “strawberry like” berries turn from yellow to red when ripe and are said to be quite juicy. They have been eaten out of hand or in jams for centuries across much of Europe.

Mamey Sapote

Mamey Sapote come from a tree native to Mexico and Central America. They are often used in milkshakes, smoothies, ice cream, and jelly. A specialized use is cutting them into strips and frying it like bacon. Now to bacon enthusiast this may seem heretical, but hey this is a vegetarian recipe site.

Mammee Apple

Mammee Apples are also known as Santo Domingo Apricots or Tropical Apricots. This seems appropriate as they don’t really resemble apples. They are certainly edible, but don’t appear to be a mainstream fruit anywhere they are grown (Jamaica, the Bahamas, and other Caribbean nations) perhaps because of their bitterness. They can be used in fruit salads or stewed.

Mamoncillo

Mamoncillo is a juicy fruit found around the Caribbean to include Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Haiti. They are also found in some Central and South American nations. You peel them to reveal a salmon-colored pulp that is tangy and just a little sweet. 

Mandarin

Mandarin oranges are a small, loose-skinned orange variety. They are generally sweeter and less acidic than the larger orange varieties. Thought to have originated in India, they travelled across China where they picked up the name “mandarin”.

They made their way to England, across Europe to Italy, transited the Mediterranean Sea to the Moroccan port of Tangier, where they garnered another name, “tangerine”. That is likely more historical context than you wanted, but it shows how many fruits found their way across the globe over time.

For more on these little gems, Mandarin Oranges 101: Everything You Need To Know About Mandarins. And, if you want to try a decadent smoothie give this Healthy Orange Dreamsicle Smoothie a shot.

Mangaba

Mangaba is a native of Brazil. The oval shaped fruit are generally yellow with a hint of green but can trend to red as well. The white flesh is sweet and fibrous. The name Mangaba means “good fruit for eating” and locals like to eat it raw as well as in juice, ice cream, jams, pastries, and even wine.

Mango

Mangoes are originally from South Asia, but made their way across the tropics and into America around 1880. Today, mangoes are the most commonly eaten fruit in the world, with India being the leading producer. It’s a stone fruit, meaning it has one hard seed surrounded by tasty fruit. Peaches, cherries, and plums are all stone fruits as well.

For information on how to select, store, and cut mangoes plus a whole lot more check out Mangoes 101: Everything You Need To Know About Mango. And, did we mention that they make fantastic tropical smoothies (like The BEST Mango Smoothie Recipe (3 Ingredients))?

Mangosteen

Mangosteen is native to Southeast Asia where it is liked for its juiciness and sweet & sour flavor. It only became available in the US in the last 10-15 years, and was initially quite pricey. Efforts to grow the mangosteen in the US and Canada have not been particularly successful, so most are imported from Thailand. With its thick purple skin and white segmented pulp it is certainly an interesting fruit.

Maqui

Maqui are grown in Chile and Argentina, and while edible is primarily used for medicinal purposes to include relief from diabetes, diarrhea, heart disease, and just for general health. The berries are purple to black and resemble blueberries, but taste more like blackberries.

Maracuya

Maracuya is a yellow variety of Passion Fruit grown in South America. It can be used as you would the more common purple variety we are used to in America. So, if you have not tried A Hawaiian POG Juice Recipe , it can be almost life changing. Well, that is a bit too much to claim, but seriously try this!

Folklore says when you eat a passion fruit you’ll fall in love with the next person you lay eyes on. I think the scientific evidence behind this is simply that passion fruits are so darn tasty.

Marang

The Marang is also known as Terap and is native to Borneo. They look much like a jackfruit but are quite large and covered in spines. Their flesh is said to be quite sweet and locally eaten as a dessert. Marang is a smelly fruit and is not allowed in many hotels when tourists attempt to buy it locally.

Margil Apples

Margil Apples are a dessert apple native to the United Kingdom. Historical references to them can be found as early as 1750, so this isn’t a recent hybrid apple. While they are said to be excellent in baked goods, they are now all but impossible to find as they have just fallen out of favor. Given that there are something like 30,000 apple varieties in the world, this is understandable.

Marionberry

The Marionberry was developed in cooperation between the USDA and Oregon State University. It is really a variety of blackberry, and can be used as a replacement for most berries in cooking. The Marionberry is now the most commonly grown blackberry in Oregon with 90% of those berries coming from Marion County.

If you want to try a remarkably good smoothie combining the super healthy blackberry was another super healthy veggie, try this Berry Cabbage Smoothie Recipe.

Marisol Clementine

Marisol Clementines were developed in Spain in 1970 and are now also grown in Argentina, Uruguay, and South Africa. They are a deep orange-red clementine, and are usually seedless and said to be easy to peel and notably aromatic.

Marsh Pink Grapefruit

Marsh Pink Grapefruit are also known as the Thompson Pink Grapefruit. It is a seedless variety of medium size considered juicy and fairly sweet. Its sweetness makes it ideal for eating out-of-hand.

Marula

The Marula is native to the savannah of South Africa. It is a juicy plum sized fruit high in vitamins and micro nutrients. It is locally used in jams, juices, and alcoholic drinks. Most consumption, however, appears to be by elephants, giraffes, and monkeys.

May Apple

May Apples grow across the Eastern USA and Canada. The green fruit are toxic, but can be safely eaten upon ripening. As there are something like 2,500 other apple varieties grown in the US, I think one can easily avoid these.

May Pride Peaches

May Pride Peaches thrive in lower temperatures. They flower in January and the fruit ripens by late May, thus the name. They are known for a tart sweet flavor. Got you thinking about a peachy treat? Give Grilled Peach Caprese with Basil Lime Drizzle Recipe a try.

Mayan Nut

The Mayan Nut (also known as breadnut) is an ancient seed grown in South America’s tropical rainforests. It was a staple in the diet of prehistoric people who probably ate them boiled and used them to attract deer and other game meat. Today the trees are disappearing at an alarming rate as they are cut down to plant corn and other farmed crops.

Maypop

Maypops are a North American orange-yellow berry often used for purported sedative properties. The leaves are similarly used in an herbal tea for the same purpose. The name comes from a popping sound when the fruits are crushed.

McIntosh Apple

McIntosh Apples are a great baking apple, but also great for cider and eating out-of-hand because they are so juicy. They do bruise easily and some growers recommend storing them in your refrigerator. Looking for more on America’s favorite fruit? Check out Apples 101: The Quick Guide To Apple Varieties!

Melon Pear Fruit

Melon Pear are also known as Pepino Melon. They are a medium sized tropical oddity that you can find at some specialty food stores. It is said to taste something between a melon and cucumber. It can be pear or even heart shaped. Its pulp is white with a greenish tint ranging to yellow-orange. They are most often eaten raw, in fruit salad, or with yogurt.

Merlot Grape

Okay, what do we really need to say about Merlot Grapes? We all know what their super power is. These are one of the world’s most planted grapes. Now if you have a sudden urge to do something with grapes other than drink their sweet fermented nectar, check out Everything You Need To Know About Grapes .

Meyer Lemon

The Meyer Lemon is a hybrid citrus fruit native to China. It’s actually a cross between a citron and mandarin/pomelo hybrid fruit making it sort of a double hybrid. They were introduced in the USA in 1908 by a Frank Meyer from the USDA, thus the name.

Lemons are one of the world’s most ubiquitous fruits as they are grown and eaten throughout the world. Oddly though, we aren’t sure of their origin. They are nutritional powerhouses low in calories, but high in vitamins. For more on lemons, check out Lemon 101: Nutrition & Everything You Need To Know About Lemons.

Mexican Lime

Mexican Limes are also known as Key Limes or Floridian limes and are famous as the flavor maker in Key Lime Pie. These Floridian limes are smaller, rounder, and more acidic than other limes, but are also sweeter. The Key lime is usually picked while it is still green, but it turns yellow when ripe. Have a craving for Key Lime Pie? Try this simple yet Healthy Key Lime Pie Smoothie (vegan options).

Midyim Berry

Midyim Berries are native to Eastern Australia where they are considered a bushfood eaten by indigenous and non-indigenous Australians alike. The white berries, often with purple speckles, are quite sweet with a gingery flavor. Unfortunately, these are not grown commercially as the berries do not hold up well to picking and handling.

Minneolo Tangelo

The Minneola Tangelo is a cross between a tangerine and grapefruit. It was developed in 1931 by the USDA in Florida where it got the other name Honeybell due to its bell like shape.

Miracle Fruit

Miracle Fruit is a small red berry native to the tropical regions of west Africa. It’s name came from its ability to make sour foods sweet. It is often used locally to sweeten palm wine and other drinks.

Mock Strawberry

The Mock Strawberry is native to North America and is generally considered a weed. The red berries look like strawberries from a distance, but upon closer examination are not. They are certainly edible, but their bland taste makes them generally undesirable.

Monster Deliciosa

Monster Deliciosa is a truly unique fruit with a green pineapple like skin, pinecone shape, and white pulp. They are said to be a sweet delicacy when ripe, but if it is eaten before it ripens, the calcium oxalate crystals it contains can irritate your mouth and throat. The crystals dissipate upon ripening making it perfectly safe to eat. It is said to taste like a combination of banana and pineapple.