Is Cucumber Bad When It Turns Yellow Inside

Cucumbers come in different shapes and sizes with perfectly fine flavors, but some come in different colors on the inside too. The color on the inside should not always stray from its nearly white flesh. When you come across a yellow cucumber when you cut it, you may wonder: is a cucumber bad when it turns yellow inside?

A cucumber that is yellow on the inside is overripe. While you can still eat cucumber with yellow inside, it will be bitter without a good flavor. You should generally avoid eating cucumbers with yellow insides.

You never want your produce to go back, but yellow cucumbers are one that you might want to throw away purely because of the taste. Continue reading to learn why your cucumbers turn yellow inside and what you should do to know if your cucumber is bad.

What Should The Inside Of A Cucumber Look Like

A well-grown cucumber will have a greenish-white inside.

Before we talk about why a cucumber turns yellow inside, let’s discuss what the inside of your cucumber should look like so you have a point of comparison.

Most cucumbers will have an inside that is a pale green inside that leans white. It is not technically translucent or too green, but it is somewhere in the middle.

The inside of a cucumber is usually also pretty firm, so you can get nice cucumber chips when you chop a cucumber.

As you cut into a cucumber, you’ll also see some of the seeds close to the color of the rest of the flesh.

Once your cucumber starts to have a different color inside from the pale green, you should start to wonder what is wrong with your cucumber.

Is A Yellow Cucumber Safe To Eat

Cucumbers that are yellow inside are technically safe to eat. A yellow cucumber is overripe and will be bitter,

Cucumbers left on the vine for too long will start to overripe because they are still being pumped with nutrients.

Overripe cucumbers are rarely a concern for cucumbers you purchase at the grocery store; your homegrown cucumbers can become overripe.

Your overripe, yellow cucumbers will also have more of a bitter taste.

I know, I know. You might be shouting: cucumbers already have a bitter taste, so why does that matter?

The bitterness will be worse and even unpleasant, so it will be challenging to eat the cucumber raw or use it in any dish you might be making.

Can Yellow Cucumbers Make You Sick

Yellow cucumbers should not make you sick.

If your last cucumber is a yellow on the inside but otherwise looks fine, you might take the chance and eat it as a snack.

You shouldn’t get sick from eating a yellow cucumber and perhaps overripe. 

Overripe cucumbers are not more dangerous than other cucumbers, and they are not rotten or gone off.

An overripe cucumber is different from a rotten cucumber because a rotten cucumber is what will make you sick.

Cucumbers that are going bad can cause food poisoning or Salmonella. Salmonella is rare to get from eating rotten cucumbers, but there is a possibility that it can happen. 

Don’t worry: I’m not going to leave you without talking about how to know when a cucumber is bad!

What Can I Do With Overripe Cucumbers

If you’re committed to using your overripe cucumbers, there are a few dishes that you can still make where the overly bitter taste won’t be a problem.

Try some of the following dishes to use up your less than stellar produce:

• Cucumber Relish
• Other pickled foods where the cucumber is an addition
• Cooked cucumbers
• Cucumber salad

The most critical part of overripe cucumbers in dishes is using other ingredients to hide the bitter taste.

Additional salt may be an excellent way to cover up the taste, but you can also try recipes with vinegar or mayo. 

I recommend that you don’t make large quantities of anything with overripe cucumbers with yellow insides. If the flavors don’t turn out, you won’t feel as bad about having to throw it in the garbage early!

How Can You Tell If A Cucumber Is Bad

A yellow inside can indicate that cucumber is not good to eat, but it does not necessarily mean that it has gone bad from age.

Since you can’t use that as an indicator for your cucumbers, remember some of these vital signs that your cucumber is bad.

There Is Visible Mold

Mold is always an indication that food is going or has already gone back.

You should avoid eating any cucumber that has visible mold growing on it.

Some people swear that you can cut the moldy parts away and eat your cucumber, but I prefer to pass!

It Is Mushy When You Touch It

Cucumbers should be firm, so when you feel a soft or mushy cucumber, it’s time to go.

If you’ve ever picked up a cucumber, then you know that they are firm and not very squishy.

As your cucumber gets softer and softer, it will be harder to cut. The flesh may ooze when you try to cut it, which certainly doesn’t sound appetizing to me!

It Tastes Sour

We said that overripe cucumbers could be better – more bitter than usual – but you should worry when your cucumber tastes sour.

People describe the taste of cucumbers in different ways, but most people agree that they have an acidic, almost chemically, taste to them. That’s completely normal!

A sour cucumber is not at its best, so you should throw it away. 

It Smells Bad

The smell is a great way to know if something is still good or not.

Cucumbers will have an unpleasant odor once they start to go bad. You’ll start to notice it right away.

Once your cucumber starts to stink up your kitchen or fridge, it’s time for it to go to the garbage.