How to Cut a Kiwi Into Slices, Cubes, and Even Decorative Flowers

The kiwi often gets overlooked. Is it because of its fuzzy skin? Or that people just don't know how to peel and cut it? We're here to encourage you to embrace the cute little fruit and to tell you that the kiwi is so much more than a decoration on a buffet platter. Learn about the kiwi, including how to peel and cut the fruit into different shapes so you can incorporate it into salads, snacks, drinks, and other sweet and savory recipes.

What Is a Kiwi?

The kiwi is often considered a tropical fruit, and you'll often see it paired with the likes of pineapple, mango, and dragon fruit. But kiwis were originally cultivated in the central and eastern parts of China, and are also known as a Chinese gooseberry. These flavorful, bright-green fruits grow and ripen on vines. 

Taste

In terms of flavor, kiwis are often described as tasting a lot like melon. They are mostly sweet but they also have a nice amount of acidity to balance out the sugar. 

Look

The color of the fruit’s flesh can vary in hue depending on the level of ripeness, ranging from bright neon to pale leafy green. No matter the color, the flesh is always covered by fuzzy protective skin (which is actually edible and chock-full of essential vitamins and minerals!).

The Tools You Need to Cut a Kiwi

Just like mincing an onion or slicing a peach into wedges, when you're peeling and cutting a kiwi, you need to set up your workstation before proceeding.

• Cutting board: Secure a small cutting board with a non-slip mat or a few layers of damp paper towels so that it won't slip or slide while you're working. An immovable cutting board is the first, most essential part of set-up when it comes to chopping any ingredient.
• Small paring knife: While you may use a larger knife to cut up big pieces of meat or larger fruits and vegetables, kiwi are small, dainty fruits—all you need is a sharp paring knife. The skin is relatively thin and the flesh is soft, so a paring knife will get the job done.
• Spoon: As we'll detail below, you can also use a spoon to shimmy the flesh of the kiwi away from the skin. Try to choose a spoon that is not too big or too small, it should be just the right size for the individual fruit.

How to Peel Kiwi

Peeling a kiwi is pretty straightforward, but these fruits do present one unique challenge once they are peeled: you’re left with the slippery flesh of the fruit, which is prone to escape artistry if you’re not careful. But not to worry, read on to learn how to make prepping kiwi a total cinch:

1. Lay the kiwi down on your cutting board and use the paring knife to slice about ¼-inch from each end of the fruit. The goal here is to create a flat surface on each side so that the fruit can stand up straight.
2. Stand the kiwi upright. Using the paring knife, gently glide the blade of the knife along the outside of the kiwi. You want to run the knife between where the flesh of the fruit and the skin combine. Work as slowly and carefully as you need to—you only want to remove the skin and leave behind as much of the actual flesh of the fruit as possible. (Remember, practice makes perfect. Once you peel one or two kiwis, you’ll get the hang of it.)

The Spoon Method

Another way to peel off the skin of a kiwi is by using a spoon. Cut off the ends as noted in Step 1, then hold the kiwi in your non-dominant hand. With the spoon in your dominant hand, run the spoon all around the edge of the fruit between the skin and flesh. This should loosen the kiwi enough that you can rotate the spoon and pop the fruit out of its peel.

4 Ways to Cut a Kiwi

• Rounds: To create nice, even round slices, simply use the paring knife to cut the kiwi along its equator into circles. These are great for snacking.
• Half-moons: Half moons are fun to add to fruit salads because they are more bite-sized than rounds. Cut each kiwi in half lengthwise, then slice crosswise to create this shape.
• Chopped or diced: You can chop a kiwi just like you would any other fruit or vegetable to create ¼-to-1-inch cubes of fruit. These can be added to blended drinks or used in savory salsas.
• Kiwi flowers: If you’ve ever seen a decorative fruit platter lined with fun fruit shapes, the kiwi flower has most likely caught your eye. Making them is easier than it might seem: Working around the equator of the kiwi, insert the blade of your paring knife into the fruit in a zigzag pattern. You want to insert the knife about halfway through the fruit until it reaches the center, but not far enough that it cuts through to the other side. Once you’ve made your way around the equator, pull the kiwi halves apart and you’ll have two beautiful flowers.

Can You Cut Kiwi Ahead of Time?

You can peel kiwi two or three days ahead of time, wrap the fruit tightly in plastic, and store it in the refrigerator. We recommend waiting until you’re ready to use the kiwi to slice it up. Like many fruits, when kiwi is exposed to oxygen, it will start to turn brown at the edges where it has been cut and exposed to air. Keeping it covered will prolong its life a bit, but fresher is always better. Besides, cutting a kiwi will soon become second nature.