How to Cut a Grapefruit

Do you love grapefruit? Get my best tips, and watch a video, for easy ways to cut a grapefruit so you can enjoy this citrus fruit anytime!

How to Cut a Grapefruit

You should always wash fruits before you eat them, even if you are not going to eat the outside of the fruit. If there are any bacteria on the outside of the grapefruit, you could drag them inside the fruit with your knife when you cut into it. Take a minute to give the grapefruit a quick rinse under cool, running water. Rub all the surfaces of the grapefruit to get rid of any visible (or invisible) dirt, then pat it dry with a clean towel. Now you’re ready to eat it!

Cut a Grapefruit in Half

The most popular way to cut a grapefruit is to cut it in half, and then scoop out the segments with a grapefruit knife or a grapefruit spoon. The most important thing to know when you’re cutting a grapefruit this way, is which direction to cut it. A grapefruit has two sides that are naturally a little flatter, the stem end and the flower end (these sort of look like belly buttons on the grapefruit skin). Do not cut through these! Consider this the top and bottom of the grapefruit. The grapefruit segments run from the top to the bottom. If you cut from top to bottom, you’ll cut in the same direction of the segments, and then you won’t be able to use your grapefruit knife.

Instead, cut the grapefruit the other direction, from side to side. Now you’ll have two beautiful grapefruit halves, with the segments ready to be scooped out. A long, thin, flexible grapefruit knife is best for this job. The right knife makes it very easy to scoop out those grapefruit segments.

Get Whole Grapefruit Segments

If you want whole segments of your grapefruit, you’ll need to cut it up a little differently. Cut off the top and bottom sides of the grapefruit with a chef’s knife. You just want to cut through the peel and the pith (the white part between the peel and the fruit). Leave as much fruit as you can. Then stand the grapefruit up on one of the flat sides you just made, and carefully slice off the rest of the peel and pith. The goal is to cut off as much of the peel and pith as you can, but leave as much fruit behind.

Once you have the peel taken off, now you just need to get the segments out. The thick membranes that wrap the grapefruit segments are pretty thick and chewy, and aren’t the best to eat. You can eat them if you want, but I think that takes away from the tender fruit. So use a paring knife, and carefully cut along the membranes to release the fruit. (This post has more information about which knife to use when!) If you don’t want to use a knife, you can also peel the fruit away from the membranes with your fingers.

This can get pretty messy!

Now that you know how to cut a grapefruit, you just need to know how to store them. Check out this post for tips on storing grapefruit when you bring them home from the grocery store, and after you’ve cut them up. (Did you know you can even freeze grapefruit?)

What’s your favorite way to enjoy grapefruit?

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