Pawpaw Vs Papaya - What's The Difference?

The pawpaw and papaya are both tropical fruit that have comparable names and even look similar in appearance. It's easy to get them mixed up. Can you tell the difference between pawpaws and papayas? If you’re not 100% over this topic then keep reading as we compare these delicious varieties of fruit.

Table of Contents

• A comparison of pawpaw and papaya

A comparison of pawpaw and papaya

A pawpaw (or papaw) is a large, oval-shaped fruit that has a mild flavor similar to a banana. It has green skin until ripening when it turns yellow with green patches. Papayas are medium-sized fruit, more elongated than pawpaws. They have a sweet, tropical taste and green skin that ripens into a vibrant yellowish-orange.

Want to know more about papayas? Check out our guide on what papayas taste like and how to tell if they’re ready to eat (something easy to get wrong).

	Pawpaw	Papaya
Family	Annonaceae	Caricaceae
Size	Large	Medium
Shape	Oval	Elongated, like a gridiron ball
Skin color	Yellow with patches of green	Yellowish orange
Flesh color	Yellow with an orange tinge	Reddish pink
Flavor	Mild, similar to a banana	Sweet, tropical, a cross between a cantaloupe and mango
How to store	In a sealed plastic bag in the fridge	In a sealed plastic bag in the fridge
Keeps for	Up to 1 week	Up to 1 week
Best uses	Raw, fruit salads, puddings, chutney, salsa	Dried, smoothies, fruit salads, stir fries, desserts, meat tenderizer
Tree	Asimina triloba	Carica papaya
Area native to	Canada and North America	Mexico and South America

Size

Pawpaws are larger than papayas. They can grow up to the size of a large marrow, providing enough fruit for a large household. Papayas grow to a similar size as small butternuts; they are smaller than pawpaws.

• 1 medium pawpaw yields approximately: 2 ½ cups of fruit, chopped.
• 1 medium papaya yields approximately: 1 ½ cups of fruit, chopped.

Shape

A papaya is more elongated than a pawpaw. People often compare papayas to a gridiron ball and pawpaws to a soccer ball. You’ll usually find a pawpaw isn’t perfectly round though.

Color

Both fruits have green skin when they’re unripe. Once ripened a pawpaw is yellow with some patches of green whilst a papaya is yellowish-orange.

The ripe flesh of a pawpaw is yellow with an orange tinge and papaya has a reddish pink-colored flesh.

Flavor

Papaya and pawpaw have a noticeably different flavor. Pawpaw is a mild, slightly tangy-tasting fruit that could be loosely compared to a banana. It has rich, creamy flesh that is luxurious and sometimes compared to custard.

Papaya has a stronger, sweeter taste that’s found in many tropical fruit types. Although it has a unique flavor, it’s best described as a cross between a cantaloupe and mango. When eaten at the right time, its texture is creamy and the flesh melts in your mouth.

Did you know? The pawpaw is related to the soursop as well as the cherimoya and atemoya.

Storage

Both types of unripe fruit should be placed in a paper bag with a sealed top. Leave them on the counter for a couple of days until ripe. Placing a pear or apple in the bag can help speed up the ripening process.

Ripe pawpaw and papaya should be stored in a sealed plastic bag in the fridge. They will keep for up to 1 week but eating within two days is recommended.

To store for up to 12 months, the papaya and pawpaw can be frozen. Slice the fruit lengthwise and scoop out the seeds before cutting them into pieces. Place in an airtight container at the back of the freezer to reduce temperature fluctuation.

Best Uses

Pawpaw is delicious eaten in slices raw. It can be used in many other recipes including fruit salads, puddings, chutney, salsa, bread, muffins, and much more.

The vibrant color of papaya makes it an excellent choice sliced into pieces as a snack. It is also perfect for breakfast smoothies, fruit salads, and desserts. Papaya can also be dried and eaten on the go as a snack; be warned though, like most dried fruit, it is very sweet.

Green papayas have much less flavor and are popular in Asian cuisine. Slice unripe papaya finely into stir-fries, stews, pickles, and chutney. It can even work well as a meat tenderizer.

Fruit Trees

Papaya trees (Carica papaya) grow upwards in search of sunlight. They can reach heights of around 30 feet (10 meters). The pawpaw tree (Asimina triloba) prefers to spread itself out like a shrub and only reaches 7 feet (2 meters) in height.

Nutritional benefits

The pawpaw and papaya are both packed with nutritional goodness including antioxidants, vitamin C and A, folate, potassium, and fiber. Pawpaw is excellent for relieving indigestion while papaya is believed to help reduce stress. 

Cooking tips

• The seeds of papayas can be ground up and used as a substitute for pepper.
• Drizzle a halved and seeded pawpaw or papaya in honey and butter then bake for a simple dessert.
• Add a splash of lime juice to either fruit when eating them raw as it will enhance the flavor.
• Use a melon baller to scoop balls of fruit into a bowl along with vanilla ice cream.

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What can I use as a substitute for papaya?
What does kiwano melon taste like?
What are some useful guava paste substitutes?

Summing up

When comparing pawpaw vs papaya, they can look similar at a glance, and having similar names doesn’t help with the confusion.

The easiest way to tell them apart is their shape; a pawpaw will have a larger rounded shape and a papaya is more elongated. Once chopped open, you’ll discover pawpaw flesh is yellow whilst papaya flesh is a more vibrant red shade.

The other big difference between these fruits is their taste. A pawpaw is a mellow flavored fruit and is often compared to a banana. Papayas are a sweeter option with a more pronounced tropical taste.

Although the two fruits have their differences, in the kitchen you could use them interchangeably. If you find yourself at the supermarket unsure which one to buy think about your flavor preferences. Would you prefer papayas for a stronger, more tropical taste or pawpaws for a milder fruity flavor?

Reference:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caricaceae