Quick answer: loquat fruit is a small, sweet-tart orange or yellow fruit with about 47 calories per 100 g. It is safe to eat ripe, skin on or peeled, but always remove the seeds. Loquat seeds contain amygdalin, which releases cyanide, and Japan has recalled loquat seed powder products for this reason.
Loquat fruit (Eriobotrya japonica) grows on an evergreen tree in the rose family, native to China. It is also called Japanese plum or Japanese medlar. The fruit ripens in spring and is popular in the US South, California, Australia and the Mediterranean. This guide covers its nutrition, how to eat it, what the research really shows, and the seed warning most pages leave out.
Loquat Fruit Nutrition Facts
The figures below come from USDA FoodData Central. First, the per-100 g column lets you compare loquats with other fruit. Then the cup column shows a realistic portion.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | % DV | Per cup, cubed (149 g) | % DV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 47 kcal | – | 70 kcal | – |
| Carbohydrate | 12.1 g | 4% | 18.1 g | 7% |
| Fibre | 1.7 g | 6% | 2.5 g | 9% |
| Protein | 0.4 g | 1% | 0.6 g | 1% |
| Fat | 0.2 g | 0% | 0.3 g | 0% |
| Potassium | 266 mg | 6% | 396 mg | 8% |
| Vitamin A | 76 mcg RAE | 8% | 113 mcg RAE | 13% |
| Folate | 14 mcg DFE | 4% | 21 mcg DFE | 5% |
| Vitamin C | 1.0 mg | 1% | 1.5 mg | 2% |
| Iron | 0.28 mg | 2% | 0.42 mg | 2% |
| Calcium | 16 mg | 1% | 24 mg | 2% |
In short, loquats are a low-calorie fruit with modest fibre, potassium and vitamin A. They are not a meaningful source of vitamin C, iron or calcium, despite claims you may see elsewhere.
How many calories in one loquat?
It depends on which size you use. USDA lists a large loquat at just 20 g, which gives about 9 calories. However, University of Florida extension data put the average fruit at 30 to 40 g. On that basis, one loquat has roughly 14 to 19 calories. Weigh your fruit if the number matters to you.
Why Loquat Fruit Vitamin A Figures Disagree
Search for loquat vitamin A and you will find numbers that differ twentyfold. The main cause is a unit mix-up. USDA lists 1,528 IU of vitamin A per 100 g, which equals 76 mcg RAE. Some nutrition databases put “1,528 mcg” instead, and then report 170% of the Daily Value. The real figure is about 8%.
Variety matters too. A Brazilian study of five cultivars found orange-fleshed loquats supplied 89 to 162 mcg RAE per 100 g. Meanwhile, a cream-fleshed cultivar held a small fraction of the carotenoids. So a deep orange loquat can carry about twice the USDA figure, while a pale one carries much less.
The practical takeaway is simple. Loquats contribute some vitamin A, especially orange-fleshed ones. They are not in the same league as sweet potato or carrot.
How to Eat Loquats Safely
- Pick or buy fruit that is fully coloured and slightly soft. Unripe loquats do not ripen properly off the tree and taste very sour.
- Rinse, then eat the skin or peel it off. The thin skin is edible.
- Cut the fruit in half and remove every seed and the thin inner membrane. Do not swallow the seeds.
- Eat fresh, add to fruit salad, or cook into jam, compote or chutney. Loquats are high in pectin, so they set well.
- Store ripe loquats in the fridge and eat them within a few days. They bruise easily and go off fast.
Loquat Seeds: The Safety Issue
Loquat seeds, like apricot and peach kernels, contain amygdalin. In the body, amygdalin breaks down into hydrogen cyanide. The ripe flesh contains only trace amounts, so eating the fruit is safe. The risk comes from the seeds, and especially from seed powder sold as a health food.
What Japan found
In 2017, Japan recalled several loquat seed powder products after high cyanide levels were found. Japan’s agriculture ministry now advises people not to eat loquat seed powder at all. It warns that for the worst products, about a teaspoon could harm health. Tokyo Metropolitan Government testing found up to 7,200 mcg of amygdalin per gram of powder. Total cyanide reached 980 mcg per gram.
What that means in practice
Europe’s food safety agency, EFSA, sets a one-off safe limit for cyanide of 20 mcg per kg of body weight. Applying that limit to Tokyo’s highest reading gives a sobering result. For a 70 kg adult, about 1.4 g of that powder would reach the limit. For a 12 kg toddler, it would take about a quarter of a gram. This is our own calculation from the published figures, but it shows why “a little” is not a safe dose.
US and UK/EU positions
Neither the FDA nor the UK Food Standards Agency has a loquat-specific warning. However, the US has never approved laetrile, a purified amygdalin product, and the National Cancer Institute found no anticancer activity in human trials. In Europe, EFSA’s cyanide limit applies to kernel products generally. Japan is the only regulator that has acted on loquat seeds specifically.
Cyanide poisoning can cause headache, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, and can be fatal in high doses. If someone has eaten loquat seeds or seed powder and feels unwell, get urgent help. In the US call Poison Control on 1-800-222-1222; in the UK call NHS 111, or 999 in an emergency.
Loquat Fruit Benefits: What the Evidence Shows
Many claims about loquats come from studies of the leaves or seeds, not the fruit. In addition, most were done in cells or animals. The table sorts common claims by what the evidence actually supports.
| Claim | Where it stands | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Low in calories, with some fibre and potassium | Supported | USDA data: 47 kcal and 1.7 g fibre per 100 g. |
| High in vitamin A | Overstated | About 8% DV per 100 g on average; more in orange-fleshed varieties. |
| Good source of vitamin C or iron | Not supported | 1 mg vitamin C and 0.28 mg iron per 100 g, both tiny. |
| Very high in antioxidants | Overstated | The well-known high antioxidant result was for loquat leaves in a lab test, not the fruit. |
| Helps manage diabetes | Not supported for the fruit | Leaf research is mostly animal work. One small study of a loquat-leaf and green tea blend in healthy volunteers found only a slight post-meal effect. |
| Lowers blood pressure or cholesterol | Not supported in humans | Evidence is limited to cell and animal studies. |
| Prevents or treats cancer | Not supported | No human evidence for the fruit. Seed amygdalin showed no anticancer activity in human trials and is toxic. |
| Boosts immunity, protects brain and bones, aids weight loss | Not supported | No human studies on loquat fruit for these outcomes. |
| Seeds are healthy (“vitamin B17”) | Not supported and unsafe | Amygdalin is not a vitamin and releases cyanide. |
Loquat leaf tea and extracts are sold as supplements. Human evidence for them is thin. So if you take medicine for diabetes or blood pressure, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before using them regularly.
Growing a Loquat Tree
Loquat trees are evergreen and reach about 20 to 35 feet. They bloom in autumn and early winter, and the fruit ripens in spring. The tree itself is cold hardy, but the flowers and young fruit are the weak point.
| Factor | What sources say |
|---|---|
| Tree cold tolerance | 8 to 10°F (University of Florida); 12°F (Clemson Extension) |
| Flowers and young fruit | Killed below 27°F (University of Florida, Clemson); one UF county office says damage below 30°F |
| Pollination | Mostly self-fertile; a second variety improves fruit size and set |
| Seeds per fruit | 1 to 10 |
| Years to fruit | 6 to 8 years from seed; about 2 years for grafted or layered trees |
Sources disagree on cold limits because tree age, variety and site all change the result. Established, well-watered trees cope better. For fruit, the flower limit matters most, so gardeners in marginal areas should plan around 27 to 30°F.
You can grow a loquat from seed, and it sprouts readily. Still, seedlings do not come true to type, so the fruit may differ from the parent. For reliable fruit sooner, buy a grafted named variety.
The Loquat Fruit Tree & IT’S AMAZING HEALTH BENEFITS! | Dr. Eilbra Younan
Loquat Fruit FAQs
Yes, ripe loquat flesh and skin are safe to eat. Remove all the seeds first. The seeds contain amygdalin, which releases cyanide, and loquat seed powder has been recalled in Japan.
About 47 calories per 100 g. USDA lists a large loquat at 20 g, or about 9 calories. However, University of Florida data put the average fruit at 30 to 40 g, or roughly 14 to 19 calories.
Yes. The thin skin is edible. Some people peel it for texture, especially for jams and pies.
They contain amygdalin, which breaks down into cyanide. The risk rises with chewed seeds, larger amounts and seed powder. Do not chew, grind or eat seeds on purpose, and Japan advises against eating loquat seed powder at all.
Moderately. USDA lists 76 mcg RAE per 100 g, about 8% of the Daily Value. Orange-fleshed varieties can hold roughly twice that. Some websites show 1,528 mcg, which is a unit error.
More questions on taste, storage and growing
There is no good evidence that loquat fruit helps manage diabetes. Most research is on leaf extracts in animals. Loquat fruit is a normal fruit with about 12 g of carbohydrate per 100 g.
Loquats are very perishable. Keep ripe fruit in the fridge and eat within a few days. For longer storage, cook them into jam or compote.
Ripe loquats are juicy and range from sweet to mildly tart, depending on variety. Unripe fruit is sour.
Loquats are native to China and grown in Japan, the Mediterranean, Australia, and warm parts of the US such as Florida, Texas and California. The trees tolerate some frost, but the flowers do not.
Related Reading
- Gala Apple Nutrition: Calories, Fibre and Sugar Per Apple
- Honeycrisp Apple Nutrition: Facts and Benefits
- Sweet Potato Benefits and Nutrition Facts
- Foods That Boost the Immune System: What Actually Works
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central: Loquats, raw (FDC 169908; SR Legacy 09174).
- FDA: Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels
- University of Florida IFAS Extension: Loquat Growing in the Florida Home Landscape
- Clemson Cooperative Extension: Loquat
- UF/IFAS Extension Osceola County: Landscape with loquats
- Faria AF et al. Carotenoid composition of loquat cultivars. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 2009
- Pareek S et al. Postharvest physiology and technology of loquat fruit. J Sci Food Agric, 2014
- Japan Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries: Do not eat loquat seed powder (Japanese)
- Tokyo Metropolitan Government: Do loquat seeds contain harmful substances?
- EFSA: Apricot kernels pose risk of cyanide poisoning
- National Cancer Institute: Laetrile/Amygdalin (PDQ)
- Fermented loquat-leaf and green tea beverage and postprandial blood glucose, single-blind study (abstract)
This article is general information, not medical advice. If you take regular medication or have a health condition, check with your doctor or pharmacist before using loquat leaf tea or supplements. Read how we research and check articles in our editorial process.
Last reviewed and rewritten September 2026.
