13 Botanically Classified Fruits Often Mistaken for Vegetables

In culinary terms, the distinction between fruits and vegetables is straightforward: fruits tend to be sweet, while vegetables are typically savory. Botanically, a vegetable can encompass almost any edible plant part, from flower buds (such as broccoli) to roots (like carrots). Conversely, the term fruit specifically denotes a particular plant component. As explained by Lawrence M. Kelly, the New York Botanical Garden’s director of graduate studies, a fruit is defined as 'a mature, ripened ovary, including its contents' (such as seeds). This means that many of your salads, stir-fries, and other vegetable-centric dishes may contain more fruit than you realize. Below are 11 examples of commonly misidentified 'vegetables' that are, in fact, fruits.

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1. Avocados

An avocado is classified as a fruit, featuring a three-part pericarp that encases its single seed. This pericarp consists of the exocarp (the outer skin), the mesocarp (the edible part), and the endocarp (a subtle layer shielding the seed). Due to its thin endocarp, the avocado is also technically considered a berry. In contrast, fruits like peaches, with thick endocarps (or pits) surrounding their seeds, are categorized as drupes rather than berries.

2. Olives

Olives, on the other hand, are classified as drupes, making them fruits. If you break open the pit, you’ll find the true seed of the olive tree, scientifically known as Olea europaea.

3. Corn

Every kernel of corn is an ovary that holds a single seed. Because the ovary wall is fused directly to the seed's outer layer, it lacks a fleshy middle and dries out quickly. These types of fruits are referred to as caryopses, or grains. Thus, a fruit can indeed also be classified as a grain.

4. Cucumbers

Cucumbers are fruits belonging to the Cucurbitaceae plant family, which also includes watermelon and cantaloupe, among others. This means, botanically, the dill pickles you enjoy (or dislike) are technically pickled fruits.

5. Zucchini

The Cucurbitaceae family includes numerous fruits often mistaken for vegetables, such as zucchini, acorn squash, butternut squash, and various other types of squash.

6. Chayote

Chayote, another member of the Cucurbitaceae family, is commonly used in savory dishes but is botanically a fruit. Its flavor is often likened to cucumber by some, while others notice hints of apple.

7. Pumpkins

With their tough outer rinds, soft inner flesh, and seeds, pumpkins perfectly fit the botanical definition of a fruit. They are also a variety of squash, placing them in the same family as cucumbers and solidifying their status as fruits.

8. Okra

Okra is the seed-packed fruit of the Abelmoschus esculentus, a flowering plant belonging to the Malvaceae family, also known as the mallow family.

9. String Beans

Since string beans consist of entire pods—including the casing and seeds—they are classified as fruits, much like other bean pods from leguminous plants. However, if you’re referring solely to the individual beans inside (such as peas), you’re actually discussing seeds, not fruits.

10. Eggplants

The eggplant is part of the Solanaceae family, often referred to as the “potato family” or “deadly nightshade family,” as it includes potato and nightshade plants. However, while potatoes are tubers—making them true vegetables—eggplants are fleshy, seed-bearing fruits that develop from the flowers of the Solanum melongena plant.

11. Peppers

All peppers belong to the Solanaceae family as well. Regardless of their level of spiciness—attributed to a compound called capsaicin—they are still technically classified as fruits.

12. Tomatoes

Tomatoes, also part of the Solanaceae family, are perhaps the most famous example of fruits commonly misidentified as vegetables. However, like many other items on this list, they are only classified as fruits in botanical terms. For instance, in 1893, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that tomatoes should be treated as vegetables in a case involving higher import taxes on vegetables.

13. Tomatillos

Tomatillos, which belong to a distinct plant species and are not merely small tomatoes, are also classified as fruits. Similar to tomatoes, they can be consumed either raw or cooked.