When ripe the outer skin should be bright and even-colored. If the fruit has a lot of dark blotches on the skin, similar to bruises on an apple, then it may be overripe. A few spots, however, are normal.
Once the dragon fruit has reached the stage of ripeness where the wings start to wither, the fruit should come off the vine fairly easily with a light twist. If the fruit falls off the vine on its own, it is overripe.
When a dragon fruit is overripe the inner flesh will turn brown in color, similar to the bruised flesh of a banana. You should not eat fruit that is brown or dried out.
Only use this method if you are growing and harvesting your own dragon fruit. Squeezing a dragon fruit can leave the fruit bruised, which is inconsiderate to vendors and other customers in a store or market setting. You can purchase or harvest a dragon fruit that is underripe and leave it out on a counter for a few days at room temperature. It will likely ripen in a couple days. Test the ripeness daily by pressing the skin.
Check all sides of the fruit and avoid purchasing fruit that has been cracked, split open, or damaged.
Once the color of the fruit has changed from green to yellow or red, then it is ready to harvest. The small leaves on the sides of the fruit (also known as the “wings”) will also start to fade or turn brown as the fruit ripens. You can also determine the ripeness by counting the days after the plant flowers. Typically the fruit is ripe a minimum of 27 to 33 days after the plant flowers. Proper time of harvesting is four days after the color of the fruit changes. For export purpose, however, it is important to harvest slightly sooner, a day after the color changes.
Do not wait until the dragon fruit has fallen off the plant. This means that the fruit is overripe.
