Feijoa: Nutrition, Taste and How to Eat Pineapple Guava

Feijoa (Acca sellowiana, formerly Feijoa sellowiana) is a small, egg-shaped green fruit with a strong perfume and a flavor often compared to pineapple and guava, which is why it is also sold as pineapple guava. It grows on an evergreen shrub from South America. USDA SR Legacy lists raw feijoa at 61 calories per 100 g, with 6.4 g of fiber (23% of the Daily Value) and 32.9 milligrams of vitamin C (37% of the Daily Value). This guide covers feijoa nutrition, whether feijoa is healthy, feijoa vs guava, its edible flowers, and how to eat feijoa.

Peptide Labs does not sell feijoa or feijoa products. This article is general nutrition information, not medical advice.

What is feijoa?

The NC State Extension plant database lists the plant as Acca sellowiana, previously Feijoa sellowiana, an evergreen shrub or small tree in the myrtle family (Myrtaceae) from South America, hardy in USDA zones 8a to 10b. Its common names include feijoa, guavasteen and pineapple guava. Julia Morton’s 1987 reference Fruits of Warm Climates places its native range in extreme southern Brazil, northern Argentina, western Paraguay and Uruguay, where it grows wild in the mountains.

Morton describes the fruit as dull green or yellow-green, sometimes blushed red or orange, with thick, white, granular, watery flesh and usually 20 to 40 very small seeds. Its flavor suggests a combination of pineapple and guava, or pineapple and strawberry, with a strong, long-lasting perfume. That aroma is complex: a 2023 study in Food Chemistry of 13 feijoa varieties identified more than a hundred esters among the compounds linked to its aroma, and found large differences between varieties.

Feijoa nutrition (USDA SR Legacy)

The values below come from the USDA SR Legacy entry Feijoa, raw (FDC 168176), using USDA portion weights of 42 g for one fruit without peel and 205 g for a cup of half-inch chunks. %DV uses FDA Daily Values. USDA reports no Daily Value for total sugars, so that row shows grams only.

Fiber is the headline in the USDA entry: 100 grams of feijoa give almost a quarter of the Daily Value, and a cup of chunks gives close to half. Vitamin C is solid as well, at 37% of the Daily Value per 100 grams. More than half of the carbohydrate is natural sugar, split fairly evenly in USDA data between sucrose, glucose and fructose. Our high-fiber foods list and low-sugar fruits guide put those numbers in context.

A single feijoa is small. USDA’s portion weight for one fruit without peel is just 42 grams, so one fruit carries about 26 calories, 2.7 grams of fiber and 15% of the Daily Value for vitamin C.

Feijoa vs guava

Feijoa is sold as pineapple guava, but it is not the guava most people know. Morton places common guava, Psidium guajava, in the same myrtle family as feijoa, but in a different genus, with an origin believed to lie between southern Mexico and Central America. The table compares 100 g of each using USDA SR Legacy entries Feijoa, raw (FDC 168176) and Guavas, common, raw (FDC 173044).

In USDA data, feijoa edges out common guava on fiber and is slightly lower in calories and sugar, but guava has roughly seven times the vitamin C and more than twice the potassium and folate. The eating experience differs too: guava has firmer flesh and hard seeds, while feijoa has soft, granular flesh with tiny seeds. Our guava guide covers the more familiar fruit.

Is feijoa healthy?

Feijoa can fit well into a varied diet. Based on USDA SR Legacy data, it is a good source of fiber and a fair source of vitamin C, with moderate natural sugar and almost no fat. Beyond those nutrient values, the evidence is thin: most published feijoa research looks at extracts of the fruit, peel or leaves in the laboratory, and no human trial we read tested eating feijoa for any health outcome. This guide therefore makes no claims beyond its nutrients.

Fiber from whole fruit is one reason to eat the flesh rather than strain it into juice. For more fruits with vitamin C, see foods high in vitamin C.

Edible feijoa flowers

Feijoa is one of the few fruit shrubs whose flowers are commonly eaten. NC State Extension describes the blossoms as having fleshy white petals tinged with purple around a cluster of red stamens, and notes that the flowers are edible and taste like marshmallows. Morton described the thick petals as spicy and said they were eaten fresh, mainly by children. If you grow feijoa, pick petals only from shrubs you know have not been sprayed, and note that some varieties need a second plant for pollination, according to NC State, so picking every flower can mean less fruit.

How to eat feijoa

Morton notes that feijoas fall when mature and are not fully ripe until they drop, which is why growers gather them from the ground. Store-bought fruit should give slightly to gentle pressure, like a ripe pear.

• Cut and scoop: halve the fruit across the middle and scoop out the flesh with a spoon, as you would a kiwi.
• Skin: the skin is tart and slightly bitter, so most people discard it.
• Work fast: cut flesh browns quickly; a squeeze of lime juice slows that.
• Cook with it: Morton lists chutney, jam, jelly, relish and sauce, plus puddings, pastry fillings and fritters.
• Pair it: its pineapple and strawberry notes suit yogurt, oats, salads and fruit bowls with pineapple or strawberries.
• Freeze extra: scooped pulp can be frozen for smoothies and baking.

For another unusual fruit to try, see our kiwano guide, which covers the spiky horned melon from Africa.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about a label? Contact us or read our Buyer’s Guide. Food comes first; follow the label and ask a healthcare provider before starting a supplement, especially if you take medicines, are pregnant or have a food allergy. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Last reviewed October 2026.

Related guides: Kiwano (Horned Melon): Nutrition, Taste and How to Eat It, Guava: Benefits, USDA Nutrition, Vitamin C and How to Eat It, Kiwi Benefits: USDA Kiwi Nutrition, Green vs Golden and Research.