Pomelo substitute

Best substitute

Oro Blanco or Melogold Grapefruit

Use the same amount by volume of segments as the pomelo you are replacing

Best for yam som o

Close match

Both are deliberate crosses between pomelo and grapefruit, which makes them the closest thing in a Western supermarket. Pale yellow-green skin, sweet flesh, very little bitterness.

Other pomelo substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Ruby or Pink Grapefruit, Segmented and Drained
Taste and texture differ
Use the same amount by volume of segments
The reflex swap and a workable one, but only if you prepare it properly: peel, remove every scrap of white membrane, break the flesh into loose pieces, then spread on paper towel for ten minutes to lose the excess juice.
What changes
Best for
citrus salads, fruit plates, yam som o, garnish
Two real differences and you need to plan for both. Grapefruit is much more bitter, so a pomelo salad made with it tastes sharp and slightly medicinal; toss the segments with a small pinch of sugar to blunt that. And it is far juicier, so it floods the dressing and thins it out, which is why the draining step matters. Do this and it is genuinely good; skip it and the salad is soupy and harsh.
3Cara Cara or Navel Orange Segments
Taste and texture differ
Use the same amount by volume
Peel, segment and break into pieces.
What changes
Sweet, mild and completely free of bitterness, which makes them a friendly option if you are cooking for people who dislike grapefruit.
Best for
fruit salads, yam som o, cold noodle salads, garnish
Sweeter than pomelo with none of its faint pleasant bitterness, so the finished dish loses its edge and tastes almost like dessert. The sacs are softer and burst rather than pop, so they break down as you toss the salad. Compensate by adding an extra squeeze of lime and a little more fish sauce or salt to bring the balance back.
4Jicama Batons with Orange or Grapefruit Juice
Different taste
Use 1 cup diced jicama plus 2 Tbsp citrus juice for every cup of pomelo
A texture-first substitution.
What changes
Dice jicama small, toss with citrus juice and a pinch of salt, and let it sit ten minutes so it takes on some of the flavour.
Best for
yam som o, crunchy salads, slaws
This works better than it sounds because the thing people miss most about pomelo in a salad is the dry, springy crunch, and jicama has exactly that without releasing water. What it cannot do is smell like citrus, so the salad loses the floral top note and reads as a crunchy slaw. Best used as half the volume alongside real citrus segments.
5Mandarin, Sumo or Dekopon Segments
Taste and texture differ
Use the same amount by volume
Easy to peel, no membrane fuss, and pleasantly perfumed.
What changes
Fine for eating out of hand or for a fruit plate where pomelo was just one of several fruits.
Best for
fruit plates, desserts, eating fresh, garnish
Much sweeter and considerably softer than pomelo, with sacs that collapse under any tossing, so it is a poor choice for a dressed savoury salad and a decent one for a dessert or a snack. If you use it in yam som o, add it at the very last moment and fold rather than toss.
6Canned Grapefruit Segments in Juice
Taste and texture differ
Use the same amount by volume, thoroughly drained
The convenience option, available all year.
What changes
Drain in a sieve for five minutes and pat dry before using.
Best for
out-of-season cooking, fruit salads, desserts
The honest weak spot is texture: canning softens the sacs so they no longer pop, and the result is limp compared with fresh pomelo. Segments packed in syrup are also noticeably sweet, so cut any sugar in the recipe. Acceptable in a dessert, disappointing in a salad where texture is the point.

What is Pomelo?

Pomelo is Pomelo, known in Thai as som o and sometimes sold as Chinese grapefruit, is the largest citrus fruit, with a thick spongy rind and firm dry juice sacs that separate into loose beads instead of gushing.

Cooking tips

Pomelo's job in a dish is texture first and flavour second. In yam som o the segments behave like firm little beads that stay separate, hold their shape through tossing and do not water down the fish sauce and lime dressing. Its flavour is mild, gently sweet and only faintly bitter. Substitute for the dryness and firmness, not just for the citrus taste.
Whatever citrus you swap in, strip every trace of the white pith and membrane. Almost all citrus bitterness lives there, and it is the difference between a substitution that passes and one that tastes medicinal.
Break segments apart with your fingers rather than cutting them. Pulling the flesh into loose sacs is how pomelo is prepared in Thailand and it gives the springy, granular look and feel that knife work destroys.
Blot juicier substitutes. Ten minutes spread on a paper towel removes enough liquid that your dressing stays a dressing instead of a puddle, and it is the single most useful trick when using grapefruit or oranges in place of som o.
Peeling a whole pomelo is a project, not a knife skill: score the thick rind, tear it off in sections, then peel the tough skin from each segment before pulling out the flesh. Expect to discard well over half the weight of the fruit, which is worth knowing when a recipe calls for two cups.
If you take grapefruit-interacting medication, note that pomelo has the same effect. It contains the same furanocoumarins, so a grapefruit warning on a prescription applies to pomelo too. Check with your pharmacist rather than assuming.

Frequently asked questions

Can I just leave pomelo out?

Not in a dish named after it, such as yam som o, where it is the entire body of the salad. In a mixed fruit plate or as a garnish, yes, leave it out or swap in any firm citrus. If you need a full replacement in a salad, combine half diced jicama for crunch with half orange or grapefruit segments for aroma.

Is grapefruit a good substitute for pomelo?

It is the usual choice and it works with two adjustments. Grapefruit is more bitter and much juicier than pomelo, so remove all the membrane, drain the segments on paper towel, and toss them with a small pinch of sugar. Untreated grapefruit makes a pomelo salad taste harsh and turns the dressing watery.

Is pomelo the same as Chinese grapefruit?

Yes, Chinese grapefruit, shaddock, som o, jabong and pummelo all refer to pomelo, Citrus maxima. Confusingly, grapefruit itself is a natural cross between pomelo and orange, which is why they look related but taste quite different.

Does pomelo taste like grapefruit?

Milder in every direction. Pomelo is gently sweet, low in acid and only slightly bitter, where grapefruit is tart and distinctly bitter. Pomelo flesh is also drier and firmer, and the juice sacs separate cleanly rather than bursting, which is why it holds up in a dressed salad and grapefruit needs draining.

Can I use canned pomelo or canned grapefruit?

Canned grapefruit is easy to find and fine for desserts, but canning softens the flesh so you lose the firm popping texture that makes pomelo worth using in a savoury salad. Drain it well and pat it dry, and cut any added sugar in your recipe if it is packed in syrup.

Related substitutes

More fruits substitutes

Pomelo substitute

Other pomelo substitutes

2Ruby or Pink Grapefruit, Segmented and Drained

3Cara Cara or Navel Orange Segments

4Jicama Batons with Orange or Grapefruit Juice

5Mandarin, Sumo or Dekopon Segments

6Canned Grapefruit Segments in Juice