DurianGuide

Varieties

32 Thai durian varieties, from Monthong, sold everywhere, to rarities grown in a single district. Tap one to identify it, see its taste profile, and check when it's in season by region.

Monthongหมอนทอง

Enormous and heavy, with big, sparse, chunky thorns. If it's the size of a pillow, it's almost always this.

EverywhereMild aromaBeginner-friendly
Chaneeชะนี

Short, blunt, widely-spaced thorns; softens to a deep gold and smells stronger than most.

EverywhereStrong aroma
Kanyaoก้านยาว

Round like a volleyball (not deeply lobed), with an unusually long, thick stem.

UncommonMild aromaBeginner-friendly
Kradumกระดุม

Small and early, often the first durian to hit the market each season.

CommonMild aromaBeginner-friendly
Puangmaneeพวงมณี

Small, green-skinned, oval tapering to a point; vivid orange-gold flesh and a big seed.

UncommonMild aromaBeginner-friendly
Nuan Thong Chanนวลทองจันทร์

Looks like a greener Monthong, but with Puangmanee's rounded 'nose' and a brown star on the base.

RareVery mild aromaBeginner-friendly
Long Laplaeหลงลับแล

Small and round, thin-skinned, packed with deep-yellow flesh and tiny seeds. Northern (Uttaradit).

RareMild aromaBeginner-friendly
Lin Laplaeหลินลับแล

Small and cylindrical, shaped like a starfruit in profile, with a deeply concave base.

Hunt for itMild aromaBeginner-friendly
Kobกบ

Not one fruit but a sprawling heirloom family of 50-plus named varieties, all thought to trace back to one matriarch tree, Kob Mae Thao. Ask the seller which Kob it is.

RareModerate aroma
Nok Yipนกหยิบ

Smaller fruit in the Thong Yoi family; uncommon. Verify by sight with the seller.

RareModerate aroma
Kampanกำปั่น

A historic family name; identity varies. Confirm the specific fruit with the seller.

RareModerate aroma
Thong Yoiทองย้อย

A late-season family name (includes Nok Yip); verify the specific fruit with the seller.

RareModerate aroma
Chanthaburi Seriesจันทบุรี

Not one fruit but a government-bred series of registered hybrids, No. 1–10. Look for the number on the sign; each is a distinct cross.

UncommonMild aromaBeginner-friendly
Kanyao Wat Sakก้านยาววัดสัก

A prestige Nonthaburi strain of Kanyao from Wat Sak temple. Round, long-stemmed and exceptionally dense.

Hunt for itMild aromaBeginner-friendly
Nom Sodนมสด

Named for its pale, milky flesh, smooth like frozen yogurt with a clean bitter finish. Best eaten tree-dropped.

RareModerate aroma
Pa La Uป่าละอู

This is Monthong grown in the Pa La U forest near Hua Hin, sold under a protected-origin (GI) name. The fruit looks like any Monthong, so the giveaways are the ป่าละอู sign, a GI/QR sticker, and a noticeably milder smell.

RareMild aromaBeginner-friendly
Salikaสาลิกา

Cut it open and check the central core: a genuine Kapong Salika shows a rusty red-brown stain where the segments meet, with rust-toned patches along the rind grooves. Sellers point to that red core as proof. Otherwise it reads as a small, round, thin-skinned southern durian.

RareMild aromaBeginner-friendly
Chok Loiจอกลอย

Unusually tiny fruit, well under half a kilo and sized for one person. Among Thai market durians that extreme small size is the giveaway, with flesh pods that look large for such a little fruit.

Hunt for itMild aromaBeginner-friendly
Khiao Tam Luengเขียวตำลึง

Thorns that hook inward toward the rind, especially around the stem end, instead of standing straight, on a round-oval fruit with blunt ends.

Hunt for itModerate aromaBeginner-friendly
La-Ong Fahหมอนละอองฟ้า

An unusually thick, long fruit stalk above small, short, densely-set thorns. The oversized stalk is the quickest tell, and the mon prefix marks it as a Monthong relative rather than a round Kob-type.

Hunt for itMild aromaBeginner-friendly
Thong Linjongทองลินจง

Exceptionally deep gold flesh, darker than most Thai durians, dry and firm enough to hold its shape when cut rather than turning custardy.

RareMild aromaBeginner-friendly
Chumphonทุเรียนชุมพร

A protected-origin (GI) name, not a single variety. The fruit looks like a standard Monthong, Chanee or Kanyao, so the giveaway is the Chumphon GI or QR label, or a seller's provenance.

CommonMild aromaBeginner-friendly
Si Sa Ket Volcanicทุเรียนภูเขาไฟศรีสะเกษ

A protected-origin (GI) name for Monthong, Chanee and Kanyao grown on old volcanic soil in Si Sa Ket. The fruit looks standard, so the giveaway is the GI or QR label.

RareMild aromaBeginner-friendly
Nonthaburiทุเรียนนนทบุรี

A protected-origin (GI) name famous above all for its Kanyao. Genuine Nonthaburi fruit is scarce and often counterfeited, so provenance and the GI label are everything.

Hunt for itMild aromaBeginner-friendly
Thong Pha Phumทุเรียนทองผาภูมิ

Monthong grown high in the Tanaosri mountains, sold under a GI name. It looks like any Monthong, so the giveaways are the GI label and a noticeably milder smell.

UncommonMild aromaBeginner-friendly
Ranongทุเรียนในวงระนอง

Monthong from a mountain-ringed valley in Ranong. Thinner-shelled than usual, with firm, almost crisp flesh and a mild smell. The GI covers only the two Nai Wong sub-districts.

RareMild aromaBeginner-friendly
Pak Chong Khao Yaiทุเรียนปากช่องเขาใหญ่

Often sold as the 'non-stinky durian'. It is Monthong from the Khao Yai uplands, with an unusually faint smell and dry, firm flesh. Look for the GI label, since plenty of ordinary Pak Chong Monthong is sold under the name too.

UncommonMild aromaBeginner-friendly
Sai Khaoทุเรียนทรายขาว

Monthong from one Pattani sub-district, a little rounder than usual with smaller, finer thorns and a thin shell. Growers point to a buttery, vanilla-honey depth as the local signature.

Hunt for itMild aromaBeginner-friendly
Yalaทุเรียนสะเด็ดน้ำยะลา

A protected-origin (GI) name for durian grown high in Yala. The shared trait across varieties is dry, dense flesh that holds its shape rather than weeping. The fruit looks like whichever variety it is, so the GI label is the real signal.

UncommonModerate aromaBeginner-friendly
Prachin Buriทุเรียนปราจีนบุรี

A protected-origin (GI) name, not a single variety. It looks like whichever variety it is; the local signature is dry, thick flesh and a milder smell, helped by leaving the fruit longer on the tree.

UncommonMild aromaBeginner-friendly
Bang Naraทุเรียนบางนรา

A protected-origin (GI) name from Narathiwat, the latest-ripening durian on this site. It looks like whichever variety it is, so the GI label or origin sticker is the identifier.

RareModerate aromaBeginner-friendly
Thale Hoiทุเรียนทะเลหอย

A protected-origin (GI) name from a single Krabi village. The most-cited local quirk is red seeds inside dry, non-sticky flesh. It looks like whichever variety it is, so the GI label is the identifier.

Hunt for itMild aromaBeginner-friendly