More than being delicious and nutritious, fruit is arguably the lifeblood ofAnimal Crossing’seconomy, an item that players can use to their advantage. Not just that, the series’ aesthetic arguably makes fruit even more appealing in the virtual world than in real life. Considering the decoration sim elements inAnimal Crossing, it’s only fair villagers want just the right fruit for their island.
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With customization the deepest it’s ever been, it only makes senseAnimal Crossingfans would yearn for the “perfect” fruit to plant on their island. However, aside from certain recipe variations, there are no major gameplay differences between any of the fruit. They all serve the same purpose, and except for one, they all sell for the same value (unless non-native), and the only key differences are how they look. In a game likeAnimal Crossing: New Horizons, though, looks do matter.
This piece will rank each of the handful of fruit types in the game, stressing aesthetics, but also keeping in mind some other uses for them like recipe ingredients.
Updated July 25, 2025, by Stephen LaGioia:Nintendo has further strengthened the evergreen status of its renowned social sim, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, with the robustversion 2.0 update earlier this month. Not only this, but a brand new add-on, Happy Home Paradise, has enticed players to return to this charming, colorful romp with the ability to design all-new vacation homes while basking in a wealth of new content. This package serves to flesh out and strengthen Nintendo’s recent Switch Online + Expansion Pack, or it can be bought on its own for $24.99.
With Animal Crossing again at the top of its game, and thespeculation by some gamers that new fruit could enter the digital fold—such as bananas or lemons—it seemed fitting to revisit and flesh out this list of Animal Crossing’s best fruit.
6Pears
Pears are actually delicious in real life. There’s nothing quite like biting into a crisp pear that still has some softness to it. When it comes toNew Horizons, though, pears are the worst fruit to end up with. While green pairs well with blue–suggesting that pears might be a good fit for a tropical island–the soft green of the pears can be a tad redundant against the green fruit trees.
Pears don’t look bad, but seeing green on green so often doesn’t make for the most visually stimulating sight compared to the juxtaposition and “color chemistry” of most other fruit. That said, ending up with pears and a green airport embraces the game’s inherent “greenergy” on a level that does gel well together.
Still, they doprovide a building block for bakingsome fun pear treats like Pear Jam, Pear Pie, and Pear Smoothies.
5Apples
Deep red bodies with soft yellow bottoms,Animal Crossingapples have always had an appealing aesthetic to them. Until recently. While that soft yellow fading can be spotted on the bottoms of all apples, they’re far more subdued, to the point where most will mistake the apples for being entirely red.
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Red does pair well with green and having a field of apple trees at one’s disposal is classicAnimal Crossing, but the blander redesign makes apples a bit less enticing—and ill-fittingfor the tropical island motif. There’s also another red-bodied fruit that can populate an island—one that visually pairs better with the tropical setting.
The fact that players can craft the particularly awesome “Jucy-apple TV” raises their stock a bit, as does the classic Apple Pie—but there are still more enticing fruits to be had here.
4Cherries
Two plump red cherries tied to a soft green stem comprise the best qualities of the pear and the apple, mixing them together into the visually striking cherry. While deep red doesn’t always mesh with theNew Horizonsvibe, that soft green helps offset its inner fire without clashing garishly like pears on trees.
Cherry trees are quite beautiful in real life, andAnimal Crossingnicely translates this quality; on a stylistic level at least. There’s something incredibly charming about picking cherries the size of apples or coconuts, too.
Not only this, but cherries serve as the key piecesfor some sweet craftable items—including the visually-pleasing Cherry Dress, as well as the sleek Cherry Speakers and Cherry Lamp. These decorations are sure to spruce up any villager’s home.
3Oranges
As secondary colors, green and orange share a relation not too dissimilar to, say, red and blue. They can pair together very well, but the shades have to be right. That said, solid green and solid orangehave a Halloween vibethat matches well, and oranges inNew Horizonare just loud enough to capture that ripe orange look while falling nicely against their tree’s greenery.
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Since a good deal of citrus fruits grow in tropical climates, oranges feel right at home on one’s island. They bear some similarities with apples aesthetically, but they do have a been more depth and color with their green stems and plump appearance.
The popular Orange Rug is a perfect decorative piece to spruce up a typically-dull bathroom, and the Orange wall-mounted clock is a great kitchen item. The Orange end table also serves to add some color to a cafe or backyard setting. In addition to being a delicious, juicy food, the orange can actually make fora great tool for those seeking some fun room design ideas.
2Peaches
Peaches aren’t exactly tropical fruit, but their taste and texture do suit a tropical setting well. Not just that, peaches are visually the best-looking fruit inNew Horizons, making balanced use of pink, yellow, and a decent bit of shading on the fruit’s body. Peaches are also textured with a bit more detail than their predecessors.
It’s hard to deny how good peaches look when they sit so comfortably in their trees, swaying back and forth with plumpness that’s a cut above other fruits in the game. Peach trees arguably look at their best when planted near beaches. The pink of the peach pairs well with the tan of the sands.
But beyond their aesthetic and great taste, peaches are the foundation to a few cool craftable items, too. It makes for a nice dress, as well as a visually-pleasing wall design and chair. Of course, there’s the unique “Peach Surprise Box,” which is sure to amuse friends when this fruit-themed jack-in-the-box springs open.
1Coconuts
Coconuts are tropical fruit 101. When people think of deserted islands, it’s often coconut trees decorating beaches that come to mind. It only makes sense thatNew Horizonswould feature coconuts and plenty of them, but coconuts are actually the only fruit players cannot naturally grow on their island.
Instead,villagers need to go on Mystery Island Toursor visit their friends to find coconuts to plant. Only then can players take advantage of coconuts. Coconuts will find a natural spot on anyone’s island considering how thematically appropriate they are, but they also spawn the most unique tree.
Not only can these coconuts serve as the foundation to some cool recipes like Plam-Tree Lamps, but they also bring in the most Bells when sold. Whileother native fruitssell for 100 Bells, these precious pieces of nature’s candy yield250 bells apiece. This makes it almost undeniably the best fruit inAnimal Crossing.
Animal Crossing: New Horizonswas released on July 06, 2025, and is available on Nintendo Switch.
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