Pawpaw Fruit: Taste, Pawpaw vs Papaya, Acetogenin Research

Pawpaw fruit comes from Asimina triloba, a small tree native to the forests of the eastern United States. A ripe pawpaw is green to yellow-green outside, with soft, custard-like flesh and large brown seeds inside. University extension services describe the flavor as sweet and almost tropical, close to banana. Two facts surprise many readers. First, the USDA SR Legacy database, the standard reference behind most nutrition tables, has no pawpaw entry, so this guide gives no pawpaw nutrient numbers it cannot source. Second, pawpaw belongs to the same plant family as soursop, and lab studies have found the same nerve-cell toxin, annonacin, in its pulp. Below is what pawpaw tastes like, how it differs from papaya, and what that research does and does not show.

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

What is pawpaw fruit?

Pawpaw grows wild across much of the eastern United States. A 2026 review of 61 named cultivars calls it the largest edible fruit native to North America and notes that it is the northernmost genus, and the only temperate member, of the Annonaceae, a family otherwise made of tropical trees. Its tropical relatives include soursop and cherimoya, which explains the custard-like texture the fruits share.

More than 160 named cultivars exist, but the same review notes that wild or unnamed fruit makes up much of the pawpaw sold in the United States. A University of Kentucky crop profile adds that fresh pawpaws reach buyers mostly through farmers markets and on-farm sales, and that the USDA National Clonal Germplasm Repository for Asimina sits at Kentucky State University. A 2015 study of ten varieties calls the fruit’s rapid perishability a significant obstacle, which is a big reason it rarely appears in supermarkets.

What does pawpaw taste like?

The University of Kentucky profile describes pawpaw as highly aromatic with a sweet, almost tropical-like flavor, and UF/IFAS Extension says the flavor is similar to a banana, with a texture like soft custard. Quality varies a lot: the Kentucky profile notes that wild fruit can be small, seedy and leave a bitter aftertaste, while fruit from grafted named varieties does not.

Ripeness matters more than with most fruit. A ripe pawpaw gives slightly when gently squeezed and has a strong aroma. Skin color is not a reliable sign of ripeness; it can stay green to yellow-green.

Pawpaw vs papaya: two fruits, one name

The naming causes real confusion. Julia Morton’s reference book Fruits of Warm Climates notes that in some parts of the world, especially Australia and some islands of the West Indies, papaya (Carica papaya) is known as papaw or pawpaw. Morton adds that those names are better kept for the very different Asimina triloba. If a recipe, label or article comes from Australia, “pawpaw” almost always means papaya.

Pawpaw nutrition: what USDA does and does not list

USDA SR Legacy has no entry for pawpaw, papaw or Asimina, so this guide does not quote pawpaw calories, fiber or vitamin numbers. The table below shows the closest USDA entries, clearly labeled: three tropical fruits from the same family, plus banana, mango and papaya for comparison. None of these numbers describe pawpaw itself.

What lab analyses do report about the pulp: a 2015 study of ten pawpaw varieties found that the main polyphenols, a broad group of plant compounds, were phenolic acids plus epicatechin and procyanidins. A 2020 comparison of five fruits in the family found that pawpaw had the most chlorogenic acid of the five and the lowest potassium. These are composition findings, not evidence of any health effect. Our banana guide covers the fruit pawpaw is most often compared to.

Annonacin and acetogenins in pawpaw: what the research shows

Plants in the Annonaceae family make acetogenins, waxy compounds that block complex I, a key step in how cells make energy. The most studied one is annonacin. In soursop, observational studies from the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe linked heavy, long-term eating of soursop fruit and leaf tea with an unusual form of parkinsonism, and lab and animal studies showed annonacin can damage nerve cells. Our soursop guide reviews that research in detail.

For pawpaw, the evidence so far comes from the lab:

• Potts and colleagues, 2012: isolated annonacin from pawpaw fruit pulp; purified annonacin and a crude pulp extract both killed rat brain cells in culture. The authors said more studies are needed on the potential risks of chronic exposure to pawpaw products.
• Levine and colleagues, 2015: measured annonacin and a second acetogenin, squamocin, in freeze-dried pawpaw pulp and detected several related forms of each.
• Nam and colleagues, 2018: in Korean-grown pawpaw, extracts of unripe fruit were richer in acetogenins than extracts of ripe fruit. This was cell-line work only.

What this does not show: no study has followed people who eat pawpaw and measured nerve health, so there is no evidence that eating the fruit causes harm, and no evidence that it is free of risk. Some pawpaw extract studies in cells and mice are promoted online as proof of medical benefits; they are not. A cautious reading is to enjoy pawpaw as an occasional seasonal fruit rather than a daily staple, to skip concentrated pawpaw extracts and products, and to ask a clinician first if you have a nerve or movement condition.

How to eat pawpaw, and safety notes

• Eating: cut a ripe fruit in half and scoop out the flesh with a spoon, or squeeze the pulp out. Many people eat it fresh and chilled.
• Skin and seeds: UF/IFAS Extension warns that eating the fruit skin or seeds can cause intestinal or stomach pain. Discard both, and never chew or grind the seeds.
• Leaves and stems: UF/IFAS advises against consuming the leaves or stems, so skip homemade teas from the plant.
• Skin contact: UF/IFAS notes that handling the fruit can irritate the skin, and a 1993 animal test found pawpaw bark extract was a weak skin sensitizer. Rinse your hands if you notice redness or itching.
• Allergy: pawpaw is not one of the nine major food allergens that US labels must declare, but any fruit can cause a reaction. Hives, swelling or breathing trouble needs urgent care; our elimination diet guide explains why food testing should be supervised.

If you like custard-textured fruit, the related cherimoya and the unrelated sapodilla, a sweet tropical fruit with a pear-like flavor, are worth comparing.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Last reviewed October 2026.

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