Durian and breadfruit (sometimes written bread fruit) get mixed up because both are big, green, and bumpy on the outside, so durian vs breadfruit, or breadfruit vs durian, comes up a lot. But one is a soft, sweet fruit you eat raw, and the other is a starchy staple you cook like a potato. They are not the same, and they are not related.
No, durian and breadfruit are not the same and they are not related. Durian is a soft, sweet fruit eaten raw, like a dessert; breadfruit is a starchy staple that is cooked like a potato. They only share a big, green, bumpy look from a distance.
| Attribute | Durian | Breadfruit |
|---|---|---|
| Plant family | Malvaceae, the mallow family. Its relatives are cacao, okra, and hibiscus. | Moraceae, the fig and mulberry family. It is a close cousin of jackfruit, not durian. |
| Skin and spikes | Hard, sharp, pyramid-shaped thorns. You cannot comfortably hold one bare-handed. | Bumpy, pebbled green skin in a honeycomb pattern. No sharp spikes, easy to hold. |
| Size and weight | Usually 1 to 4 kg and oval, about the size of a rugby ball. | Usually 1 to 3 kg and round, about the size of a grapefruit or small melon. |
| Smell | Strong and hard to miss. Rich, oniony, and sulfurous, banned in some hotels and on some transit. | Almost none when raw. Smells like fresh-baked bread once it is roasted or baked. |
| Taste | Rich and custard-like. Sweet but also savory, with a garlic-and-caramel depth. | Mild and starchy, like potato or fresh bread. Savory when green, only lightly sweet when very ripe. |
| Texture | Soft, creamy, and dense, closer to custard or thick pudding. | Firm and starchy raw, turning soft and potato-like once it is cooked. |
| Inside the fruit | A few large seeds, each wrapped in a thick lobe of creamy flesh. | Dense, pale, starchy flesh all the way through. Most cultivated types are seedless. |
| How you eat it | Almost always fresh and ripe, eaten as-is like a dessert. | Cooked, not raw. Roasted, boiled, or fried and served as a savory starch. |
No. They look like they might be related, but they sit in two different plant families.
Durian is in the mallow family (Malvaceae), a distant relative of cacao, okra, and hibiscus. Breadfruit is in the fig and mulberry family (Moraceae), and it is actually a close cousin of the jackfruit, they share the same genus. So breadfruit is far closer to a jackfruit than it is to a durian.
The resemblance to durian is only skin deep. Both grew a big, bumpy, green rind, but they are completely different plants that you use in completely different ways.
No, and they are not really in the same category. Breadfruit is mild and starchy, closer to a potato or fresh bread than to a piece of fruit. Unripe it is savory, a little like artichoke; very ripe it turns slightly sweet and soft, but it never gets rich or pungent.
Durian is the opposite: sweet, creamy, and custard-like, with a strong savory-funky depth that some people read as onion or caramel. If breadfruit is a side of roast potatoes, durian is a dense, funky dessert.
The biggest practical difference is how you eat them. Durian is eaten raw and ripe, straight from the shell, like a rich pudding. You would not cook it.
Breadfruit is almost always cooked. It is roasted, boiled, fried, or baked and eaten as a starchy staple, the way you would use a potato, plantain, or bread. In much of the tropics it is a filling everyday carbohydrate, not a treat. It also barely smells, so if the fruit in front of you is odorless and sold to be cooked, it is breadfruit, not durian.
No, breadfruit and durian are not the same thing. Durian is a sweet, creamy fruit eaten raw, while breadfruit is a starchy staple that is cooked like a potato. They only look similar from a distance.
No, durian and breadfruit are not related. Durian is in the mallow family (Malvaceae). Breadfruit is in the fig and mulberry family (Moraceae) and is a close cousin of jackfruit, so it is far closer to a jackfruit than to a durian.
Durian is smaller and oval, covered in hard sharp thorns, smells strong, and tastes like a sweet, savory custard eaten raw. Breadfruit is round with bumpy pebbled skin, barely smells, tastes mild and starchy like potato or bread, and is cooked before eating.
No. Breadfruit is mild and starchy, closer to potato or fresh bread. Durian is rich, sweet, and creamy with a strong savory funk. They are not really the same kind of food.
No. Breadfruit barely smells when raw and smells like fresh bread when baked. Durian has a powerful, lingering smell that is banned in some hotels and on some transit.
Usually not. Breadfruit is almost always cooked, by roasting, boiling, or frying, and eaten as a savory starch. Durian is eaten raw and ripe as a sweet dessert.
Neither is close to durian. Breadfruit and jackfruit are relatives of each other in the same genus, and both sit in a different plant family from durian. Durian only resembles them by coincidence.
The mild, creamy, beginner-friendly durian and the most common one you will see for sale.
A classic, stronger-flavored Thai durian if you want the full custard-and-onion experience.
The prized, expensive one, smooth and less pungent, worth trying once you know you like durian.