The cucumber is a favorite vegetable of many…but wait…is a cucumber a fruit or a vegetable?
First, what is a cucumber? A popular garden vegetable; popular for eating fresh, preserving in pickles, and adding to salads. The cucumber is the fruit of the Cucumis sativus plant which is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family.
This site contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I may earn a commission. Please see my disclosure page for more information about cookies collected and our privacy policy.
There are 2 general types of cucumbers:
- slicing; which are used for fresh eating mostly
- pickling; smaller, usually used for pickling
Growing up kids always flaunted the knowledge that a tomato is a fruit NOT a vegetable. And, while yes, that is true, have you ever stopped to think about what makes a vegetable versus what makes a fruit?
Plan your best garden ever with my Yearly Garden Planner. It has planning pages, records sheets and more to help you start seeds, keep track of pests and disease, and keep track of everything garden related.
Is a Cucumber a Fruit or a Vegetable?
Well, that depends based on who you are asking and what their criteria is for deciding.
So first let’s look at the technical definition of a fruit, according to Merriam Webster: “the usually edible reproductive body of a seed plant”
So, let’s take a look at what this means for cucumbers.
According to Science: the cucumber is a fruit
As seen above, scientifically speaking, a fruit is the part of a plant that develops from the flower and contains the seeds of the plant. According to botanical definitions, the fruit of a plant is what allows the plant to reproduce. It develops from the ovary of the flower and contains the seeds the plant needs to reproduce into future generation.
By this definition, a cucumber is a fruit. It develops from the flower of the cucumber plant and contains the seeds.
This also means that lots of other “vegetables” are also fruits: beans, peppers, pumpkins, okra, and of course, tomatoes.
All other parts of the plant- roots, leaves, stalks, etc- would be the vegetables.
So in the garden- the cucumber is the fruit of the plant. But bring it inside to the kitchen, and you may get a different answer!
Related Reading: Can Dogs Eat Cucumbers?
According to Cooks: the cucumber is a vegetable
In the kitchen and in the culinary world the cucumber would be described as a vegetable. Their less scientific criteria classifies fruits and vegetables based on sweetness and sugar content.
Fruits have a more delicate flavor. They have a softer texture and are sweet or tart in taste. Fruits are more likely to be featured in desserts, jams, smoothies, or other sweeter dishes. And I don’t know about you, but whether or not you can make a pie from it, can be a big deciding factor as well!
Vegetables are harder, with a somewhat bitter taste. They are used in savory dishes and soups.
So in the kitchen, cucumbers would be considered a vegetable as it is low in sugar and usually used in more savory dishes (though I’ve used them in a few sweeter dishes and they are delicious!)
Does It Really Matter?
NO! Cucumbers are delicious and have a lot of nutritional value- so no matter if you think a cucumber is a fruit or a vegetable keep on eating them and keep on growing them!
Cucumbers have a ton of uses from hydrating cucumber infused water to cucumber face masks. With their high water content and low calories, cucumbers make the perfect summertime snack.
Learn More About Cucumbers:
Check out these articles below to learn more about cucumbers, the benefits of cucumbers, how to store them, and more!
14 Cucumber Water Recipes and Combinations
12 Benefits of Cucumber Water for Your Health
30+ Ways to Use Fresh Cucumbers
Best Cucumber Companion Plants
7 Tips for Growing Amazing Cucumbers
Actually, it does matter! I have an allergy to fruit. Not all fruit. But the number of different fruits that affect me has gradually broadened over the years. At first it only included “fruity” ones. But eventually, tomatoes started affecting me, and then later, avocados. Finally, I had a reaction to cucumbers, which surprised me. I thought “Oh no, don’t tell me that cucumbers are also a fruit!” So I googled and found this site. Yep, that explains it. When it comes to allergies, it’s the scientists’ definition that matters, not the cooks’! There must be some substance, common to fruits, that I’m sensitive to.
Have you considered that you are probably allergic to multiple substances and the definition of fruit or vegetable is irrelevant?
Look up the pollen food syndrome (also known as oral allergy syndrome) my partner has had it his whole life, always thought it was weird how some fruits affected him and not others. Now that he’s an adult he reacts to most fruit
Yes! Science does matter! As with gender—there are only 2–scientifically, fruits are from the ovaries of a plant. Vegetables are from all the other parts.
Would you consider adding in a few natural methods to you lifetyle, that will greatly help you. If so