Evidence-based
This article is based on scientific evidence because it has been written, fact-checked, reviewed, and regularly updated by experts that follow our strict editorial process.
The sources used by our editorial team are trustworthy, experienced, and authoritative, such as peer-reviewed journals and governmental information.
All the pieces of evidence are clearly highlighted in the articles as sources in the form of clickable endnotes ([1],[2],[3]) or simple in-text links.
Learn more about our editorial process.
Medically Reviewed
Unfold Today articles that require additional medical expertise are reviewed by a qualified member of our Expert Review Network, a group inside Unfold Today's team that verifies content to guarantee that the information delivered to our readers is thorough, authoritative, accurate, and fact-based.
People looking to gain weight often overlook fruits simply because a lot of them are low-calorie, and so they fail to reap the calorie-boosting benefits of the many surprisingly high-calorie fruits on the market.
It turns out that high-calorie fruits count among the best weight gain foods for females. About 9 in 10 women who successfully add pounds have high-calorie fruits in their female weight gain meal plans.
To help you know what fruits to buy the next time you hit the grocery store, we searched in food databases for the fruits with the highest number of calories that will make your bulking efforts way easier.
If you’re interested, besides calorie-dense fruits, in high-calorie vegetables, visit our list of vegetables with the most calories.
Before you head on and look at the list of the fruits with the most calories, you should first learn what is a high-calorie fruit.
400 calories or more per serving of an individual packaged food is considered high, says FDA. Therefore:
High-calorie fruits are fruits that contain more than 400 calories per serving.
But how much is a serving, you may ask.
“Serving sizes must be based on the amount of food people typically consume, rather than how much they should consume. Serving sizes have been updated to reflect the amount people typically eat and drink today,” according to FDA's serving size guide.
Thus, here are the common serving sizes for different types of fruits, according to the FDA:
To sum up:
In our search for high-calorie fruits, we compared hundreds of fruits in food databases, weight gain books, and some highly recommended by bulking experts.
The result? See for yourself.
Here are the top 10 high-calorie fruits with the most calories per serving:
Note: coconut is the only fruit that can be called high-calorie in the FDA-approved acceptance of the word because it’s the only fruit that has 400 or more calories per serving.
However, for your convenience, we will use the term “high-calorie” to describe the best 20 fruits with the highest number of calories.
In addition to the calorie chart above, below you can find a list of the best high-calorie fresh fruits for healthy weight gain (bulking up).
Calories/serving size: 496 calories/140 g (5 oz)
Coconut is the highest-calorie fruit you can buy, which makes it your number one choice when you’re looking for calorie-dense fruits to help you gain weight.
This exotic fruit has so many calories mainly due to its fatty content.
You can eat coconut meat raw, shred it into flakes, make milk out of it, or use it for cooking different dishes or desserts.
Also, you can use coconut in combination with bananas, ice cream, or other high-calorie snacks to boost your calorie intake.
Calories/serving size: 335 calories/140 g (5 oz)
Tamarinds grow in tropical zones and are especially popular in India.
Besides helping you gain weight, one of the tamarinds’ greatest benefits is their energetic potential. Tamarinds owe both their high-calorie profile and energy-packed content to the carbs in their composition.
This tropical fruit is also rich in thiamine, magnesium, and iron.
Tamarinds are a pretty versatile fruit. You can eat tamarinds raw, make balls out of them, add them to desserts, or turn them into a paste for making other dishes more delicious.
Calories/serving size: 224 calories/140 g (5 oz)
Avocados are the third most nutritious fruit on our list of high-calorie fruits, so they are a trusty ally in your weight gain journey.
Besides, avocado is the most consumed fruit among women who gain weight successfully. Visit the list of weight gain foods for females to see the most effective fruits for adding pounds, according to women who did so.
Also called alligator pears, avocados have so many calories for the same reason they are a staple food in keto diets – they are rich in healthy fats.
Also, avocadoes are one of the easiest to digest foods because they are low in fructose and have plenty of fibers.
Moreover, avocadoes are very affordable, thus joining our list of cheap high-calorie foods for weight gain.
Since avocados are part of our list of high-calorie snacks, you will get a good portion of calories whether you eat them raw in a quick nibbling session or you spread them over pancakes.
Avocados also make for nutritious ingredients in high-calorie smoothies. In our list of weight gain smoothies, you'll discover two avocado smoothie recipes: the Green Seed Mix Smoothie and the Green Protein Smoothie.
Calories/serving size: 206 calories/140 g (5 oz)
Durian is a high-calorie fruit cultivated mainly in Asia. This fruit is famous for the outstanding difference between its rotten smell and sweet taste.
See people smelling and tasting durian in the video below.
Durian’s high-calorie content comes from the mix of carbs and fats in its content. In terms of micronutrients, durian is a treasure of vitamin C.
You can eat durian raw, put it in fruit cocktails along with other high-calorie fruits, or in ice cream.
Mamey sapote image (right) credits: Sharon Hahn Darlin from Flickr (license: Creative Commons)
Calories/serving size: 174 calories/140 g (5 oz)
Eaten in many Latin American countries, mamey sapote made it to this list of high-calorie fruits because of its high-carb content.
When trying to eat a mamey sapote, keep in mind to cut it as you would cut a larger avocado. After you do this, you can enjoy the meat of this calorie-dense fruit raw, make a high-calorie smoothie out of it, or even bake some pastry using the fruit’s meat as the batter.
Calories/serving size: 171 calories/140 g (5 oz)
Featuring almost 200 calories per serving, plantains have earned their place on this list of high-calorie fruits for weight gain.
Calorie-wise, plantains shine because of their increased carbohydrate level. In addition, plantains feature plenty of vitamin A and C.
Although you can eat plantains raw, they are often fried and even turned into chips. So, even if they may look like a banana, most of the time they are used in cooking, as a vegetable.
Calories/serving size: 136 calories/140 g (5 oz)
Cultivated in many parts of the world nowadays, passion fruit made it to this ranking of high-calorie fruits thanks to its carb-filled content.
In addition, passion fruits are loaded with vitamin C, vitamin A, and have some iron as well.
You can safely eat passion fruit raw, but keep in mind that only the pulp is edible. Alternatively, you can make passion fruit juice, a puree called coulis, and even some high-calorie jam.
Calories/serving size: 133 calories/140 g (5 oz)
Although they can’t be found in every grocery store, jackfruits are still a good source of calories and thus deserve a spot on this list of weight gain fruits.
Jackfruits can be eaten raw, boiled, or roasted. Also, you can add jackfruits to salads for a plus of calories.
As a sidenote, jackfruits can be smelly but their taste is much more pleasant.
Calories/serving size: 125 calories/140 g (5 oz)
Bananas are high-calorie fruits that are widely consumed by people trying to gain weight. This is because they are very easy to eat and pack a lot of energy since they are loaded with carbs, vitamin C, and potassium.
In addition, bananas are one of the cheapest high-calorie foods for weight gain.
Moreover, ripe bananas are one the easiest to digest foods.
You can eat bananas alone or combine them with other high-calorie snacks or some calorie-dense bars. Alternatively, you can use bananas to blend some weight gain smoothies.
Dried fruits are especially helpful for weight gain because they count among the list of low-volume high-calorie foods, which means they aren't going to fill you up fast.
Along with the calorie chart above, further down you can find a list of the best high-calorie dried fruits for healthy weight gain (bulking up).
Calories/serving size: 264 calories/40 g (1.4 oz)
Desiccated, or dried, coconut is a high-calorie fruit that will help you gain weight, just as fresh coconut does. Dried coconut is obtained after shredding and mild roasting the white coconut meat.
Most of the calories in desiccated coconut come from its high-fat content but also its solid carb content. In addition, dried coconut is a good source of iron.
You can either snack on desiccated coconut or you can add it to other high-calorie foods for an increased intake of nutrients. For example, you could add desiccated coconut over some pastry, protein bars, or even blend them to make a smoothie along with other nutritious ingredients.
Calories/serving size: 140 calories/40 g (1.4 oz)
Dried goji berries are high-calorie fruits that can be found in most supermarkets in little packages that can work wonders for anyone trying to gain weight.
Having no fat, dried goji berries offer their calories in the form of carbs and some protein. Also, dried goji berries are a treasure of vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, and have decent amounts of calcium.
Dried goji berries can be safely eaten raw as a snack but are often consumed in combination with yogurt or cereals. However, you can also use these high-calorie fruits to make weight gain smoothies, such as the Super Berry Smoothie or the Almond Banana Berry Smoothie.
Calories/serving size: 138 calories/40 g (1.4 oz)
As high-calorie dried fruits, dehydrated bananas have more calories per gram than fresh bananas but eating 100 g of them is too much for a lot of people, even if they are trying to gain weight. This is because dried bananas are almost entirely made of carbohydrates.
You can dehydrate bananas at home or buy packs of them from stores.
You can eat dehydrated bananas as you would eat chips or you can consume them alongside other high-calorie foods, like peanut butter.
Dried mango image (right) credits: Choo Yut Shing from Flickr (license: Creative Commons)
Calories/serving size: 128 calories/40 g (1.4 oz)
While fresh mango didn’t make it to this list of high-calorie fruits for weight gain, its dehydrated version, dried mango, earned a place due to its carb-filled content.
In addition, dried mango has plenty of vitamin C and vitamin A.
Besides consuming it as a snack, you can add dried mango to desserts, yogurt, oats, and more.
Calories/serving size: 127 calories/40 g (1.4 oz)
If you want to gain weight, you will find it a lot easier, and tastier, with some dried blueberries near your side. These fruits are high-calorie due to the 80 grams of carbs in their composition.
Also, dried blueberries are loaded with vitamins and minerals, especially vitamins K and C.
You can eat dried blueberries as a standalone snack, add them in homemade high-calorie bars, or mix them in your morning bowl of cereals.
Calories/serving size: 123 calories/40 g (1.4 oz)
Dried cranberries are high-calorie fruits packed with energy-filling carbohydrates. Dehydrated cranberries lack proteins and barely have fat.
A downside of consuming dried cranberries is that they don’t have many vitamins and minerals.
Like it’s the case with most dried fruits, you can eat dried cranberries as a ready-to-go snack, add it to cereals, yogurt, or even smoothies.
Calories/serving size: 116-120 calories/40 g (1.4 oz)
Whether you prefer golden raisins, dark raisins, or zante currants, you are set for a high-calorie fruit treat that will ease your weight gain journey.
Being the dried form of grapes, raisins are full of carbohydrates, which makes them great at lifting up your energy levels.
In addition, raisins are one of the most affordable high-calorie fruits as they qualified on our list of cheap high-calorie foods.
A lot of people prefer to nibble raisins straight from their package.
However, to obtain a bulking snack with even more calories, sprinkle raisins over high-calorie dairy products like cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, or even ice cream.
Calories/serving size: 114 calories/40 g (1.4 oz)
Dried longans are high-calorie fruits obtained by drying longan, an edible fruit originally grown in Asia but which has spread in other regions of the world as well.
These fruits can help you gain weight with their high-carb content. Besides, dried longans are rich in vitamin C and iron.
However, you can have a hard time finding dried longan in physical stores, so we advise you to search online for them.
You can put dried longans in oats, smoothies, or you can eat them raw.
Calories/serving size: 111-113 calories/40 g (1.4 oz)
The fruits of the date palm, dates, whether they are Deglet Noor or Medjool, are sweet high-calorie fruits loaded with carbs that will help you gain weight.
Usually, you can find dates in little packs in grocery stores or supermarkets.
You can eat dates as a standalone snack or combine them with other high-calorie snacks, like some Greek yogurt or Cheddar cheese.
Calories/serving size: 112 calories/40 g (1.4 oz)
Dried jujube are calorie-dense fruits obtained by dehydrating fresh jujube, also-called red date or Chinese date.
These high-calorie fruits are packed with carbs and a few proteins as well. Micronutrient-wise, they are rich in vitamin C, carry solid amounts of iron, and some calcium as well.
You can eat jujubes as you would eat dates. Eat them raw or mix them with other high-calorie snacks.
Calories/serving size: 111 calories/40 g (1.4 oz)
Dried lychees are high-calorie fruits that can help you gain weight. They are obtained by drying lychees, fruits related to longans.
Dehydrated lychees are loaded with carbs and many vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin C, copper, riboflavin, and potassium.
You can use dried lychees in your morning cereals, smoothies, or consume them raw.
Drinking fruit juice is a fast way to boost your daily calorie intake and, thus, a method to ease your weight gain journey.
Generally, the higher the calories of a type of fruit, the higher are the calories of the fruit juice made from it.
However, some fruits have a low-calorie juice, like coconut. Called coconut water, the juice of the coconut only has 19 calories/100 ml (3.4 fl oz).
Another problem when it comes to juices is that some fruits have little juice in them, so in these cases, it will be harder to extract enough liquid to drink a normal serving size.
The fruit juice with the highest number of calories is grape juice, having 149 calories per serving size of 240 ml (8 fl oz).
Here are the fruit juices for weight gain with the most calories per serving (240 ml/8 fl oz):
However, when it comes to babies, the official dietary guidelines are clear:
You should not give fruit juice to babies under 12 months old. And in their second year of life, most of their fruit intake should come from whole fruits.
Besides eating high-calorie fruits raw, dried, or juiced, you can also make delicious weight gain smoothies with them.
To find recipes for fruity high-calorie smoothies and not only, head over to our weight gain smoothies guide. If you don't want to follow a recipe and instead combine fruits with whatever ingredients you want, make sure to first master how to make a high-calorie smoothie for weight gain.
High-calorie fruits are also useful for preparing weight gain shakes, which are very helpful for people struggling to add size.
If you are unsure whether a fruit smoothie or a fruit shake is right for your needs, decide after checking the smoothie vs shake comparison,
Here are 13 high-calorie shakes that are made with fruits:
Learn how to prepare them by following the recipes in our list of high-calorie shakes for weight gain.
Even though most fruits are packed with carbohydrates, some high-fat fruits count among the high-calorie low-carb foods and the calorie-dense foods for keto diets.
Here are the high-calorie fruits that are high in fat and low in carbs:
To offer you a term of comparison of how much easier your weight gain journey can get by consuming high-calorie fruits, let’s look at the calories of some of the most popular fruits.
Here are some of the most popular fruits and their calories per serving:
Given that you need to be on a daily caloric surplus to gain weight, all fruits can help you increase your body mass (bulking up) by providing calories. However, the more calories a fruit has, the greater is its ability to increase your weight.
But there is a trap here.
If you’re eating low-calorie fruits, you can get filled up before reaching your calorie goals. So, if you’re trying to gain weight, you need to focus on high-calorie fruits, which pack a lot more energy.
Fortunately, since there are so many types of high-calorie fruits, you can use them to make your weight gain efforts easier every season of the year while also hydrating yourself, especially during torrid summer days.
The best fruits to eat when you're trying to gain weight by building muscle (bulking up) are the high-calorie ones because these have the greatest ability to fuel and recover your muscles due to their high-carb content.
After all, since fruits are generally low in proteins and are also part of our list of high-calorie low-fat foods, they are almost pure sources of carbs, or at least most of them.
High-calorie fruits are the most effective if you consume them before your workouts or after them.
A scientific article published in Nature shows that eating carbohydrates before a workout improves performance.
Moreover, a clinical trial demonstrated that eating carbs 15-30 minutes pre-workout improves muscle activity.
Therefore, eating fruits before workouts can help you fuel your muscles, so they can perform better during your workouts – think more reps and sets.
A CPT's high-calorie fruits recommendation:
Michael Matthews, certified personal trainer and fitness books author, likes to eat bananas but also credits other calorie-dense fruits, like dates and raisins, as popular pre-workout choices in his book Bigger Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Male Body.
Find fruity meals you can eat before training in the list of pre-workout meals for muscle gain.
When it comes to eating carbs, and thus fruits, after a workout, these improve overall muscle growth by promoting the synthesis of proteins, which are essential for repairing muscles after workouts.
A McMaster University study showed that people having a high-carb diet had better overall muscle growth than those following a low-carb diet.
Moreover, eating fruits, or any other carbs, post-workout will help you replenish the glycogen level in your muscles, which is basically your muscle’s energy reservoirs.
Important note: to gain healthy weight (think muscle) you should couple high-calorie foods, including fruits, with good workout routines because, yes, high-calorie fruits can also make you fat.
Dried fruits are basically dehydrated fresh fruits. Given water has 0 calories and fruits have a lot of it, dried fruits will always have more calories than their fresh versions. For example, peaches have 42 calories/100 g while dried peaches contain 239 calories/100 g.
Canned fruits are made by adding pieces of fruits into cans, filling them up with water or syrup, and cooking them with steam.
Canned fruits can have less, about the same, or more calories than fresh fruits, depending on the ingredients used during the canning process. For example:
Frozen fruits have almost the same number of calories as their fresh versions. For example, frozen blueberries (51 calories/100 g) have about the same number of calories as fresh blueberries (57 calories/100 g).
Fruit juice is made by juicing fresh fruits and sometimes adding sugar. Juices have approximately the same number of calories as the fresh fruits they are made from. To illustrate, 100 ml of apple juice is loaded with 47 calories while 100 g of peeled apple has 48 calories.
Besides eating high-calorie fruits alone, there are a few other ways to prepare them efficiently so you gain weight easier:
Yes, eating too many fruits can make you gain weight because they have calories, and if you eat more calories than you consume every day, you will put on pounds. It’s the same with any type of food or drinks you consume.
Therefore, whether we’re talking about mango, pineapple, bananas, blueberries, cherries, peaches, apples, or any other fruits, fresh or dried, they can all make you gain weight. It’s up to how active you are and your training regime whether the weight you gain will come in the form of muscles or fat.
As you can see from the top of high-calorie fruits, coconut is the fruit with the highest number of calories, having 496 calories/serving of 140 g (5 oz).
Whether you are trying to gain weight or lose a few pounds, you should count the calories in the fruits you eat because there are fruits that are very high in calories, such as coconut, or pretty low, like strawberries, which can make a world of a difference in the journey to your ideal weight.
To sum up, there are numerous high-calorie fruits you can add to your diet, from fresh fruits, like avocados, and dried ones, such as dates, to fruit juices, like grape juice, and smoothies.
In the multitude of calorie-dense fruits, coconut remains the one with the highest number of calories per serving.
However, this is not to say that you must give up lower-calorie fruits like apples or strawberries to gain weight. It’s just that high-calorie fruits will make it much easier for you to meet your daily calorie goals, which is necessary for you to increase your weight.
So, whether you are a bodybuilder looking for bulking foods, an athlete seeking energy sources, or a skinny person searching for nutritious fruits, you will find that this list of high-calorie fruits will ease the path toward your weight gain goals.
MOST POPULAR
High-Calorie Foods and Drinks
This has been a life saver , wife suffering with cancer & lost 30 lbs in weight , thanks a million.
Happy to hear that! Make sure to meet her caloric needs and keep fighting!