Quenepas (Mamoncillo Fruit)
Spanish limes are a fruit with a thousand names. Quenepas in Puerto Rico, mamoncillos across the Spanish-speaking Caribbean, guineps in Jamaica, kenep in Haiti, limoncillo in the Dominican Republic, and mamón or jocote depending on which country in Central America you ask. Nearly every country has its own name for the fruit also known as quenepa. Despite the lime in the name, the Spanish lime is not actually a citrus fruit. From the outside it looks like a miniature lime, or close to a key lime, with skin that's a beautiful green, leathery and hard like a shell. Crack it open and you get translucent orange flesh wrapped tightly around a single large seed. The Spanish lime is related to lychee, rambutan, and longan rather than anything in the citrus family.
As for what a Spanish lime tastes like, imagine lime crossed with lychee, with citrus notes, a hint of tamarind, and the sweet-tart finish Puerto Ricans love. Mamoncillo trees grow wild in South America and have spread throughout tropical regions, including parts of tropical Africa, though the heart of quenepa culture remains Puerto Rico, the island of enchantment, where Ponce hosts a national festival every summer. We sell Spanish limes by the pound, sourced from family farm partners during the short summer harvest, with individual fruits shipped on the branch in clusters where possible. Free U.S. shipping covers every box.
Why Choose Spanish Limes from Tropical Fruit Box?
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Sourced direct from family farm partners across South America and the Caribbean during the short summer Spanish lime harvest, with the Arrive Fresh Guarantee on every box.
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Each box ships with quenepas attached to the branch where possible, the way they're sold at local Caribbean and Latin American markets.
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Free U.S. shipping on every Spanish limes order, with no minimums or surprise fees at checkout.
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Tropical Fruit Box was built to make hard-to-find fruits like mamoncillos and guineps available to U.S. families who grew up eating them.
You Might Also Like
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Longan Fruit Box: a sibling in the Sapindaceae family, with the same translucent flesh-around-a-seed structure and a sweeter, less tangy flavor.
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Rambutan Box: a closer cousin to the Spanish lime, with a hairy red shell hiding similar lychee-style flesh.
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Caribbean Tropical Fruits: the wider regional collection covering quenepas, mamoncillo fruit, and other island favorites.
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Out of Season Boxes: subscribe for restock alerts when the Spanish lime season runs out.
Best Spanish Limes For...
Caribbean and Diaspora Family Tables
For families who grew up sucking the flesh off the seed at summer gatherings, our growers ship the same quenepas eaten across the islands. Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Jamaicans, and Haitians all recognize this fruit immediately, even under different names.
Beach Snacks and Summer Refreshment
The best Spanish limes for a summer beach snack are riper ones eaten by cracking the shell with your teeth (don't tell your dentist). Each soft shell cracks open to a tangy flesh that refreshes more than a key lime ever could, which is why mamoncillos are such a beach favorite.
Cocktails, Mojitos, and Tropical Drinks
Mamoncillos work well in a muddler with sugar, lime juice, and rum or sparkling water. Quenepas pulp adds a lychee-tamarind flavor most cocktail menus don't carry, and the tartness holds up against stronger spirits without disappearing.
