Set your watch to island time — these flavors serve up vacation vibes across multiple high-margin menu items. Bold, bright, and sunny, they’re are all-day smile-makers. And these just-wanna-have-fun fruits get extra points for in-demand health benefits, plus visual awesomeness the TikTok generation just can’t resist.

Island Fun

From sun up to well after sundown, tropical fruits are good-mood foods that take taste buds to new places, no carry-on required. Tropical flavors, from pineapple to pitaya, deliver the feeling of a sand-in-your-toes getaway — no matter the zip code or day of the week.

Whether sweet, tart, or both, these fruits are three-peaters as flavor faves, aromatic enticers, and visual VIPs — for their color, texture, and wow-what’s-that wonderment.

From tried-and-true winners to exotic new kids on the block, get inspired by these sweet tropical treats:

• Pineapple: tangy, firm flesh
• Mango: citrus notes, vibrant flesh
• Passion fruit: sweet-tart, aromatic pulp, small slightly sour seeds
• Pitaya/dragonfruit: mild, floral notes, tiny crunchy seeds
• Ube: earthy, vanilla undertones, bright purple flesh
• Guava: subtly tart, floral notes, entirely edible
• Papaya: melon-like, bright flesh, edible seeds
• Kiwi: sweet-tart, green or yellow flesh, tiny crunchy seeds
• Coconut: subtly sweet, nutty
• Starfruit: sweet-tart, crisp flesh, unique shape

Superfood Street Cred

Health-focused foodies swipe right on tropical fruits thanks to their impressive profiles, including health-boosting antioxidants, phytonutrients, and a boatload of OMG vitamins. These superfood superstars put the fun in functional foods, offering tasty ways for guests to stay on track with their health goals, whether they’re all-in or just dipping their toes in the eating better pool.

While tropical fruits bring a fresh power-pop to virtually every menu section, their verve and virtues mingle magically in:

• Smoothies
• No ABV cocktails
• Power bowls
• Salads
• Sorbets
• Greek Yogurt parfaits
• Chia pudding
• Vegan desserts

Try an Orange, Papaya, and Coconut Smoothie that brings a burst of sunshine to your menu with its bright citrus notes, creamy coconut base, and tropical papaya sweetness. Balanced with a hint of vanilla and honey, it’s a refreshing, feel-good option that delivers vacation vibes in every sip. Or for some vegan inspo: my personal favorite, dress-up this Sweet Encore® New York-Style Vegan Dairy-free Cheesecake with fruity syrups, fresh fruit, or tropical jams.

Kindred Spirits

Sure, umbrella drinks always win over the crowd, but tropical drinks are so much more! Plus, with cool colors and fun garnish options, they kill it on the socials. To hook of-age Gen Z’ers, here’s the scoop: They dig fresh new flavors at the bar — craft cool, refreshing cocktails from the simple to très sophistiqué. Sass up palomas, margs, and mojitos. Think beyond Aperol spritzers.

Wow with Peru’s summer passion fruit hotshot, the chilcano de maracuya, or spotlight the Passion Star Martini, the newly named flirty-fab Drink of Summer ’25 (says Martha Stewart) — with a theatrical sparkling sidecar made for TikTok. Both feature this summer’s trending go-to fruit behind the bar.

Kick-off happier hours:

• Create housemade syrups & shrubs
• Offer low & no ABV choices
• Serve infused spirits — housemade or branded
• Boost RTD options
• Pair with habanero
• Blend in a frozé

Sweet Spots

Raise eyebrows in all the right ways with updated tropical twists on classic desserts — housemade or premade. Or spark a summer romance with cooled-down delights that help guests take the edge off soaring temps. Add tropical fruits to your dessert menu’s greatest hits and transport guests to a sunny escape with globally inspired sweets that blend comfort with adventure.

Start with the Contigo® Guava & Cream Cheese Pastelito — a perfect balance of crispy, flaky pastry and indulgent tropical flavor. This Cuban-inspired treat delivers bold sweetness wrapped in golden layers, making it a must-have for fruit-forward dessert lovers.

Contigo Cocktail-Inspired Desserts offer a playful twist, fusing the fun of cocktails with classic desserts. The Piña Colada Cheesecake captures the essence of a tropical vacation, blending decadent cheesecake with pineapple, coconut, and a hint of rum. While, the Strawberry Margarita Pie combines margarita flavors with a rich key lime pie base, infused with tequila, and swirled with ripe strawberries, then topped with macerated fruit for a refreshing, summer-ready finish.

Sweet! Tropical fruits get top billing in:

• Flan & panna cotta: passion fruit, guava, coconut, ube, pitaya/dragonfruit
• Semifreddo: pineapple, mango, kiwi
• Cheesecake: ube, pitaya/dragonfruit, mango, piña colada
• Caramel sauce: guava, papaya, mango
• Pavlova: coconut or topped with tropical fruit medley
• Upside-down cake: starfruit, pineapple, mango, kiwi
• Tres leches cake: papaya, mango, passion fruit, piña colada

For more ways to embrace the tropics, turn to dessert staples that are easily elevated with fresh or puréed fruit. Contigo Flan is a smooth, creamy custard topped with caramel syrup, perfect for pairing with mango or guava. Contigo Tres Leches features tender cake soaked in three milks and topped with whipped cream. And Contigo Mango Mousse Cake delivers light, tangy mango goodness layered with sponge cake and real mango purée, ready to serve and impossible to resist.

Swicy is Nice-y

One last word on our tropical tour de taste: These fruits are perfection in craveable sweet-spicy surprises, from sauces and salsas to glazes and curries. Find inspo with Thai Mango Chili Wings, Coconut Curry Sauce, or Mango Habanero Short Ribs.