In this article
- Starfruit fiber by fruit size and by the cup
- Carambola fiber per calorie: where it really shines
- A fruit platter swap, worked through
- Starfruit next to other light, watery fruit
- Tropical nutrition beyond fiber
- Is starfruit a good digestive fruit?
- Who should skip starfruit
- Picking, cutting and serving starfruit
- A quick starfruit fiber checklist
- One easy way to start
- Starfruit fiber: what people ask
- Sources
You slice one large starfruit crosswise for a fruit platter and end up with a plate of bright yellow stars. That one fruit holds about 3.5 grams of fiber for under 40 calories, which makes starfruit fiber one of the best deals in the produce aisle.
Starfruit, also called carambola, gets its name from the five ridges that turn each slice into a star. It’s mostly water and very light on sugar. Those two traits push it far up the rankings once you compare fruit by calories instead of by portion.
Starfruit fiber by fruit size and by the cup
USDA FoodData Central lists raw carambola with these values:
| Amount | Calories | Fiber | % Daily Value | Total sugars |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 small fruit (70 g) | 22 | 2.0 g | 7% | 2.8 g |
| 1 medium fruit (91 g) | 28 | 2.6 g | 9% | 3.6 g |
| 1 large fruit (124 g) | 38 | 3.5 g | 13% | 4.9 g |
| 1 cup cubes (132 g) | 41 | 3.7 g | 13% | 5.3 g |
| 100 grams | 31 | 2.8 g | 10% | 4.0 g |
The FDA’s Daily Value for fiber is 28 grams. A cup of starfruit cubes covers about 13% of it, which is respectable for a fruit with just 41 calories.
The sugar side is just as interesting. Starfruit carries only about 4 grams of sugar per 100 grams, so the fiber comes close to matching it, gram for gram.
Not sure what your own daily fiber number looks like? Our fiber calculator sets a personal target in a few clicks.
Carambola fiber per calorie: where it really shines
Ranking fruit by the portion alone hides starfruit’s biggest strength. Divide fiber by calories and carambola fiber jumps to about 9 grams per 100 calories.
| Fruit and serving | Calories | Fiber | Fiber per 100 calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passion fruit, 1/4 cup | 57 | 6.1 g | 10.7 g |
| Starfruit, 1 cup | 41 | 3.7 g | 9.0 g |
| Asian pear, 1 medium | 75 | 6.5 g | 8.7 g |
| Guava, 1 cup | 112 | 8.9 g | 7.9 g |
| Kiwifruit, 1 cup | 110 | 5.4 g | 4.9 g |
| Banana, 1 medium | 112 | 3.2 g | 2.9 g |
| Pineapple, 2 slices (112 g) | 50 | 1 g | 2.0 g |
In this lineup, only passion fruit edges starfruit on this measure, using Dietary Guidelines and FDA figures. Guava gives more fiber per cup, but it also brings nearly three times the calories.
Starfruit gives about four times the fiber per calorie of pineapple and roughly three times that of a banana. If you’re building a lighter fruit bowl, it earns a spot, and its tart edge balances sweeter fruit like mango or banana.
A fruit platter swap, worked through
Picture a weekend brunch platter built around pineapple slices. Two slices bring 50 calories and about 1 gram of fiber, per the FDA’s raw fruits label.
Now swap those two slices for one large starfruit cut into stars. You get 3.5 grams of fiber for 38 calories, more than triple the fiber for fewer calories.
Add a cup of kiwifruit to the same platter and the fruit alone reaches nearly 9 grams. That’s close to a third of the Daily Value before anyone touches the bread basket.
Starfruit next to other light, watery fruit
Melons and starfruit both taste juicy and refreshing, but their fiber tells different stories. The FDA’s raw fruits label and USDA data line them up like this:
| Fruit and serving | Calories | Fiber | Total sugars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starfruit, 1 cup cubes | 41 | 3.7 g | 5.3 g |
| Strawberries, 8 medium | 50 | 2 g | 8 g |
| Cantaloupe, 1/4 medium | 50 | 1 g | 11 g |
| Honeydew, 1/10 melon | 50 | 1 g | 11 g |
| Watermelon, 2 cups diced | 80 | 1 g | 20 g |
| Grapes, 3/4 cup | 90 | 1 g | 20 g |
Starfruit gives the most fiber and the least sugar of the group, with fewer calories than any of them. A two cup bowl of watermelon has nearly four times the sugar and about a quarter of the fiber.
That doesn’t make melon a poor choice, since it brings its own vitamins and plenty of water. It does make starfruit the better pick when you want a juicy fruit that also counts toward your fiber.
Tropical nutrition beyond fiber
Starfruit is a solid source of vitamin C. Per USDA, a cup of cubes (132 grams) also supplies:
- Vitamin C: about 45 mg, roughly 50% of the 90 mg Daily Value.
- Copper: about 0.18 mg, roughly 20% of the 0.9 mg Daily Value.
- Potassium: about 176 mg, roughly 4% of the Daily Value.
- Folate: about 16 micrograms.
- Protein: about 1.4 grams.
A single medium fruit gives about 31 mg of vitamin C, a little over a third of the Daily Value. That makes starfruit an easy way to add vitamin C to a salad or snack without many calories. For perspective, the FDA’s raw fruits label credits a medium orange with 130% of the Daily Value, so starfruit is a helpful source rather than a citrus rival.
Carbohydrates stay low too. A cup has about 8.9 grams of total carbohydrate, and subtracting the 3.7 grams of fiber leaves roughly 5 grams of net carbs.
Is starfruit a good digestive fruit?
Starfruit is about 91% water by weight, and it pairs that water with a useful dose of fiber. Cleveland Clinic recommends 18 to 30 grams of fiber a day, plus a few extra glasses of water, to help with constipation.
A cup of starfruit gives you 3.7 grams of fiber and about 121 grams of water in the same bite. It’s a light way to nudge both numbers in the right direction, especially on hot days when a heavy, dense snack doesn’t appeal.
Like any fiber food, it works best as part of a fuller day. Starfruit alone won’t reach your target, but alongside beans, whole grains and other fruit it helps fill the gap.
A 28 gram day with starfruit at breakfast
Starfruit fits neatly into a high fiber day when it rides alongside denser foods. One example using Dietary Guidelines portions:
- Breakfast: 1/4 cup of unsweetened high fiber cereal (7.0 g) topped with a cup of starfruit (3.7 g).
- Lunch: half a cup of green peas in a grain salad, about 4.4 grams.
- Snack: a cup of kiwifruit, about 5.4 grams.
- Dinner: a cup of cooked artichoke on the side, about 9.6 grams.
That comes to roughly 30 grams, a little over the Daily Value. The starfruit adds the smallest share, but it also adds the fewest calories, which leaves room for everything else.
If you’re working on your digestion, our gut health guides walk through the everyday habits that help most.
Who should skip starfruit
Starfruit has one serious exception that most fruits don’t. The National Kidney Foundation says starfruit contains a neurotoxin, a substance that affects the brain.
Healthy kidneys can filter it out and pass it from the body. People with kidney disease can’t, so the toxin builds up and can cause hiccups, mental confusion, seizures and, in serious cases, death.
For that reason, the foundation advises people with kidney disease to avoid starfruit completely and to check with their care team about other fruits. For everyone else, starfruit is simply a light, fiber rich fruit.
Picking, cutting and serving starfruit
Choose firm, glossy fruit with mostly yellow skin. Greener fruit tends to taste more tart, so let it sit on the counter for a day or two if you prefer it sweeter.
Ripe starfruit keeps for several days in the refrigerator, and cut stars stay crisp for a day or two in a sealed container.
There’s no need to peel it. Rinse the fruit, trim the thin brown edges of each ridge if you like, then slice crosswise into stars and flick out any seeds.
Starfruit works in more places than you might expect:
- Green salad: a cup of starfruit with half a cup of avocado brings about 8.7 grams of fiber, using Dietary Guidelines figures for avocado.
- Yogurt bowl: top plain yogurt with a cup of starfruit and 2 tablespoons of passion fruit pulp for about 6.7 grams.
- Fruit salad: combine starfruit with a cup of kiwifruit and a cup of raspberries for about 17 grams.
- Sparkling water: float a few thin slices as an edible garnish for flavor rather than fiber.
Looking for more fruit salads, bowls and snacks built for fiber? Our recipe eBooks are full of colorful ideas.
A quick starfruit fiber checklist
- Count about 2.6 grams of fiber in a medium fruit and 3.7 grams in a cup.
- Leave the thin, edible skin on rather than peeling.
- Pair it with passion fruit, kiwifruit or berries for a bigger total.
- Use it in place of pineapple when you want more fiber per calorie.
- Skip it entirely if you have kidney disease, per the National Kidney Foundation.
One easy way to start
Next time you build a fruit plate, replace two slices of pineapple with one large starfruit. That single swap more than triples the fiber on the plate while cutting a few calories, and the star shapes tend to disappear first.
Starfruit fiber: what people ask
How much fiber is in one starfruit?
A medium starfruit of about 91 grams has roughly 2.6 grams of fiber. A large one has about 3.5 grams.
Is carambola high in fiber?
It’s a good contributor rather than a high fiber food per portion. A cup gives 3.7 grams, about 13% of the Daily Value, but for only 41 calories.
Which tropical fruit has the most fiber per calorie?
Passion fruit leads at about 10.7 grams per 100 calories, with starfruit close behind at about 9 grams.
Can you eat starfruit skin?
Yes. The thin waxy skin is edible, so you can slice the whole fruit into stars after rinsing it.
Is starfruit good for digestion?
It can help. Starfruit is about 91% water and gives 3.7 grams of fiber per cup, both of which support regularity.
How many calories are in a starfruit?
A medium starfruit has about 28 calories, and a cup of cubes has about 41.
Who should not eat starfruit?
The National Kidney Foundation advises people with kidney disease to avoid it, because their kidneys can’t clear a neurotoxin the fruit contains.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. “Carambola, (starfruit), raw (171715).” FoodData Central. 2026. fdc.nal.usda.gov
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels.” 2024. www.fda.gov
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Raw Fruits Poster (Text Version / Accessible Version).” 2023. www.fda.gov
- U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Food Sources of Dietary Fiber.” Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020 to 2025. www.dietaryguidelines.gov
- National Kidney Foundation. “Why You Should Avoid Eating Starfruit.” 2026. www.kidney.org
- Cleveland Clinic. “Constipation.” 2023. my.clevelandclinic.org
