Pink Dragon Fruit — The Dalmatian-Patterned Classic

This is the dragon fruit most people picture first — vivid magenta-pink skin wrapped around bright white flesh, scattered with tiny black seeds in a pattern that looks almost hand-painted. Botanically it's Hylocereus undatus, the most widely grown of all the dragon fruit types, and also the mildest: expect a delicate, gently sweet flavor with a faint tang, somewhere between a kiwi and a pear, rather than the bolder, berry-like sweetness of red-fleshed varieties. The texture is soft and juicy with a light crunch from the seeds, and with over 80% water content, it's one of the most hydrating fruits you can eat with a spoon. Unlike a mango or an avocado, dragon fruit doesn't keep ripening once it's picked — what you get is what you'll have, so it's worth choosing carefully. Look for skin that's evenly, vibrantly colored, with scales that are still mostly green at the tips, and flesh that gives just slightly when you press it. It's an easy fruit to love and an even easier one to eat straight from the shell.