Yes, Their are vegetables that are actually fruits including cucumbers, eggplant, tomato’s, pumpkin, melon, okra and many more. These fruits considered vegetables for one reason because of its seed development and grown for flowering. There are many fruits which whoever you ask will tell you that it is a vegetable but it’s not. Even If you ask a farmer or school teacher they probably don’t know the reason but we can’t comment on both as one provides us food and other gives us school education. That is why we are here to give you guys every scientific knowledge that will improve your thinking. Never get mistaken again here is the List of “Vegetables” That Are Actually Fruits :
1. Cucumbers(vegetable)
Cucumber is a low calorie fruit that is beneficial to our body as it has antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties. It is high in nutrition and is able to make your body hydrated, even used in skin healing as home remedy. Cucumber is actually a fruit as it contains seeds and if you ever grow them in your garden you will notice it grows from a flowering plant. Cucumber is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family and most of its variety is edible with grows having different colors.
Vegetables that are actually fruits because of one phenomenon that is they all contain seeds and have grown from flowering plants. Vegetables are generally those which are roots, leaves but when it comes to fruits they have seeds. Example would be our cucumber which has so many seeds in it even though they are an edible source of nutrients.
A plant which blooms flowers then develops fruits is considered fruits while the other parts of the plant including stems, roots, leaves just like you see in green leaves in spinach and roots are ginger, they are classified as vegetables.
Botanically speaking, fruits have seeds and these can be used to create another flowering plant while roots don’t have any seed nor stems or leaves have. Only fruits that have lots of seeds and plenty of water in them. Most of the vegetables you eat today which have seeds are considered as fruits.
2. Eggplant is fruit
Is eggplant a fruit? Yes eggplant is a fruit as it contains seeds, but it is considered as a berry because the seeds are also edible. It belongs to the solanaceae family and is grown annually by farmers in season. It looks oval shaped with purple color and basically eggplant grows from flowering plants. That is why it is called fruit not vegetable but having seeds would definitely make it more of a fruit.
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You know Apple right? It has seeds, because it’s the final output by the plant and those seeds can produce more such apple trees. This is not possible with leaves, stems and roots.
3. Tomatoes
Tomatoes are used daily in cooking. It is the prime example of why tomatoes are considered fruit because they also contain seeds and the vines of tomato plants can be seeds producing fruits(tomatoes). People still call it as vegetables because these types of fruits are used in cooking, and most of the time they are inside the kitchen or inside the bowl placed in the dining table for fruits.
Tomato comes from the Solanaceae family and is often mistaken as a vegetable but now you know how to discover if it is a vegetable or a fruit. For Common people like you and me tomato is actually a vegetable but for botanists it is purely a vegetable.
Fun fact: Just take out tomato seeds and sow it in any soil, it will germinate and can grow if water is properly given and also space as it spreads quite well.
4. Pumpkins
Pumpkin that is very famous for in Halloween and those who ever cook them knows that its it is full of seeds and have thick stuff inside which contains grains and water in it. Pumpkin is a vegetables that are actually fruits because it contain seeds which can able to make more such pumpkin plants. It belongs to the cucurbit family and they are rich in vitamin E, C and Iron so if you eat it you would definitely eat something healthy.
Pumpkins are low in calories and can protect your body from free radicals which cause cancer as it has antioxidant properties.
5. Melon
Melon is considered a vegetable that is actually a fruit but botanically it’s a different berry but still denoted as fruit because it also contains seeds. Melon belongs to the cucurbitaceae family and it is a highly nutritious fruit with lots of water in it, edible and can provide hydration to your body. Melon is first seen in Africa, Iran and India and it is a sweet fruit, which can be easily identified as it has vibrant colors like greenish from outside and pink hue from inside. It also contains antioxidant that helpful for our body.
6. Okra
But By definition, Okra is a fruit as it contains seeds and it develops from a flowering plant. These seeds can be used to make another okra plant. It is a nutritious fruit as it contains vitamin C, fiber, A that could help in some serious problems like if someone has diabetes it can lower it, useful in heart problems and also having antioxidants can prevent free radicals that make cancer cells in our body. okra by nature is an annual vegetable but it contains seeds that differentiate it from other vegetables and most consider it as fruit.
7. Corn
Corn is actually a fruit as it is first a seed and it is grown from a flower of corn plant generally called an ovary. Corn is used in many pizza varieties and it is surely a nutritious dry fruit. It has perfect grain to fill our empty stomach. A corn is called caryopsis because it has seed coat that is intact with the corn seeds which protect it from any dust or any foreign particle. What we eat is those corn seeds and these seeds can be used to make future plants.
8. Avocados
Avocado is actually a fruit not vegetable as it contains a big seed covered with a layer called endocarp which is covered with mesocarp(that fleshy edible portion you eat) and the outer portion is called exocarp that it peels down. These 3 layers protect the large seed of avocado. Botanically speaking it is a berry having a large seed and it is one of the fruits that has one single seed just like mango. Avocado as fruit is not that sweet in taste but it is nutritious and can be edible by most people in the US and if you are on a healthy vegan diet your gym trainer might have suggested this avocado as breakfast fruit.
9. Peppers
Most people think peppers are actually vegetables but its not. Peppers contain tiny seeds and these peppers can be seen growing from a flower and then becoming a fruit. The seeds inside peppers make it fruit, count every variety, be it jalapeno or bell peppers, all are fruits botanically. It belong to Solanaceae family and taste wise it is too “hot” and can be used in cooking food. Those who like spicy food have tasted it daily as it enhances the taste in any curry. It is highly nutritious as it contains vitamin C,A, fiber, folic acid and potassium which is important for our body. Literally it spicy up the food and then food tastes great.
10. String beans
String beans look green and can be categorized as vegetables but it’s actually a fruit as it has seeds in it and is able to give new plants with that. The growth seed to work the string bean fruit first matures and then dries out, revealing the seeds that are totally mature and now it can grow new flowering beans plants.
These string beans are cooked and eaten in south Asian countries with immature seeds inside it. string beans contain vitamin K, calcium that is useful for bone health. It also contains vitamin A, C, folic acid. It is great and can be eaten with potatoes as I have watched many recipe videos. It is very tasty and healthy.
11. Olives
Olives are small stone sized fruits that grows in olive trees. Most people didn’t even thought it could be a fruit but they are fruits not vegetables just like dates, peaches. Those who eat olives may find seeds inside it therefore it is actually a fruit not vegetable. These fruits are high in vitamin E which is basically good for skin problems. It also provides antioxidants that are important for our body to fight free radicals. It makes our body and immune system strong. Olives do increase the good cholesterol in our body which is helpful for our heart health.
12. Zucchini
Zucchini is actually a fruit not vegetable as it grows from flowering plant called zucchini plant. It is high in water content and nutritious. It contains seeds that could again produce new plants. It is edible and contains important vitamins like E,C,A that can heal skin issues. Zucchini fruit improves digestion and may reduce sugar level in blood. It has antioxidants that prevent cell damage in our body.
13. Chickpeas
Chickpeas are highly nutritious, very tasty and have fibers that could reduce blood sugar from the body.
14. Beans
Beans are actually seeds that come from flowering plants. Beans are nutritious and contain protein that is used by the body to gain muscle mass, fix tissues. It also contains fiber for digestion, vitamins, can lower blood sugar and provide bone enhancement. beans are also able to help the absorption process and can regularize the gut. But yes, over eating can be risky and opposite of what i counted benefits.
15. Peas
Peas is basically not a fruit, its vegetables but the fruit it comes in have seeds called peas which are able to produce new plants then it can also be called as fruit. Botanically it is still a vegetable.
16. Vegetable with seeds are fruits
There are not many vegetables that are actually fruits but now you know the difference and how to find that if their are seeds and these plants grow from seeds then it is surely a fruit scientifically.
FAQ’s
Are all vegetables with seeds actually fruit?
Botanically speaking, If these vegetables have seeds then they must come from flowers then only it is actually considered fruit. All the other parts of any plant including roots, stem, rhizome, even leaves(like spinach) are termed as vegetables. Fruits have fleshy juice inside with seeds that can fetch another plant once if it matures. Fruits generally have their own taste but not all vegetables seem to have the same taste as fruits.
I don’t think vegetables have seeds because if vegetables are called leaves, roots, and stems then how will they grow ? Only flowers which can become fruits are able to develop seeds. Seeds are the source which can create life of a plant. It’s Like a new born baby which can be grown after nourishment and become a plant. After that if it has fruits then the plant itself is considered as a fruit tree while if the plant doesn’t fetch seeds then it is considered as a vegetable.
What vegetables get mistaken for fruits?
There are many vegetables mistaken for fruits as they all contain seeds which again helps the plant to grow from the start. Tomatoes, Beans, Peppers are some that we generally call vegetables because they are sold in the market as vegetables and we already considered them as vegetables not fruits, even in textbooks. But Scientifically Speaking when you get the reason then it is quite understandable why it is considered fruit not vegetable.
Vegetables are generally green, and come from root, stem or leaves while fruit which is firstly a flower then it wither and become a fruit. When I Reading on this topic I was shocked to know yes tomato growing in my garden has flower first which very pleasant smell after they blooms matures down it create fruit. You know fruits are also firstly green then it changes color to its natural form, once it matures the fruit itself develops so many seeds which can be sown in the ground and voila you have another plant.
For Example green peppers are once red in color they are termed as mature and only then the seeds of those peppers work to grow another plant.
What vegetable is not grown naturally?
Some vegetables like corn, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts and carrots are genetically modified to match the needs and not grown naturally in the environment just like we have spinach, kale, beans that do grow naturally in nature. Even Tomatoes are not red and with the scientific techniques like hybridization used which transformed the color of tomato to red earlier it was yellow.
Corn is a modified crop that comes from a grass called teosinte which we can eat and this grass has genetically changed and hybridized to make a new variety which we today know as Sweet Corn, feed corn. Even Broccoli that is totally green and looks similar to cauliflower has been created from a different variety from the cabbage family. Same as cauliflower is older than broccoli is modified to have in our diet. carrots have never been orange but originally the color of carrots is white or light yellow then it was purplish but with hits and trails it was modified by dutch cultivators as they match their flag color with it.
Fun fact: The More Orange the carrots are the more vitamin A it holds as they contain beta-carotene which is a naturally occurring chemical that can be converted to vitamin A which helps the body immune system to get a boost, also it is good for your eyesight.
What fruits are not actually fruits?
Tomato is botanically called fruit but it’s not actually fruit, it’s berry. Same way Rhubarb is actually a fruit but it is classified as a vegetable because its pink thick stalks are edible. Some fruits like Eggplant, okra, Avocadoes, string beans, Pumpkins, Zucchini, Peppers are not actually called fruits but they are scientifically called prove to be fruit else they are referred as vegetables mostly.
Why is strawberry not a fruit?
Strawberry is not a true fruit, scientifically called a false fruit as its skin is the expandable part of the receptacle(you can see this part by searching “receptacle part”) and it is red in color. What you see tiny dots that are fruits so it can be called as multi fruit plant but its actually didn’t considered this way. Even this strawberry doesn’t ripe after picking because it’s not a true fruit and it’s all a receptacle which is actually a stem or a part of the stem. Stems don’t ripen, that is why when you see strawberries it looks fresh in boxes.
What fruit is not a berry?
Yes, fruits are not berries but some fruits might be called berries because berries have thin endocarps(the outer layer of fruit) and inside are juicy and fleshy. For example watermelon and citrus fruit have thick pericarp, it’s quite hard from outside, still these 2 are called berries. In this case these are called as stone fruits
Some berries are tomatoes, grapes, bananas, pumpkins, kiwi and so on. Also if you like blackberries, strawberries and raspberries then let me tell you they are false berries which are actually a different fruit that comes from part of the stem . That’s why it is called aggregate fruit.
Is Broccoli a Fruit?
Some people mistook broccoli as fruit but it is purely a vegetable belonging to the Brassicaceae family. It is an edible and highly nutritious vegetable. It comes from the same family where Cauliflower and Kale are members. Broccoli plants do produce fruits but they are only imported to get seeds so that farmers can sow and grow broccoli.
The edible part we generally have in dinner or lunch are flowers and stem, fruits are there to take out seeds for further propagation & these seeds can’t be used for cooking if you are considering making any dish out of it.
Broccoli vegetables are fully green and contain many benefits that are useful to make our body stronger.
Final words
I hope your curiosity is finally ending by knowing most “Vegetables that are Actually Fruits”. If you want to read more, check below.
What Does the Inside of An Eggplant Look Like? – (Edible, Brownish)