What Jicama Is and Who Should Buy It
Jicama is the edible root of Pachyrhizus erosus, a climbing vine in the bean family grown across Mexico and Central America and sold as a squat brown tuber with crisp white flesh. Labels vary, which matters more than it sounds. The same root vegetable turns up as Mexican turnip, yam bean, yam bean root, or Mexican potato depending on who stocked the bin, and that is the main reason shoppers walk right past it. The English name comes from the Nahuatl word xicamatl.
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Cut one open and it looks like a raw potato but eats like an apple crossed with a water chestnut: mild, faintly sweet, very wet. It carries far fewer carbohydrates than a potato and is a source of vitamin C. Its fiber includes inulin, which researchers study as a prebiotic that feeds gut bacteria, though that remains an active research area rather than a settled benefit. Buy it for texture.
One safety fact most guides leave out. Only the peeled root is food. The leaves, stems, pods, seeds, and vine of the jicama plant contain rotenone, a naturally occurring insecticidal compound, and are toxic. The National Center for Home Food Preservation at the University of Georgia says it plainly: peel the root, eat the white flesh, discard the rest. The root itself is perfectly safe, which is why it sits in the produce aisle at all. Just take the brown skin off first.
Qualities Worth Looking For in Jicama
Pick the one that feels heavy for its size, with dry unblemished skin and no soft spots. Weight is the tell, because this tuber is mostly water and a light root has already dried out inside.
Heft. Lift two roots of similar size and buy the heavier one. Water content is what produces the crisp texture you are paying for.
Dry, papery skin. The thin brown skin should be free from moisture. Wet or weeping patches mean rot has started underneath, even when the rest looks fine. Cracks and shriveling say the same thing. Surface scuffs are fine; splits are not.
Smaller to medium size. Small and medium roots run crisper and sweeter, while very large ones can turn woody and starchy. The National Center for Home Food Preservation recommends firm, thin-skinned specimens free from cracks, bruises, blemishes, mold, or discoloration, and notes that roots under about four pounds tend to be better quality.
Whole over pre-cut. Whole roots keep far longer and cost far less per pound. Peeled sticks are a convenience purchase, priced accordingly.
How to peel and store it
- Peel with a knife, not a peeler. Under the thick brown skin sits a fibrous layer a vegetable peeler tends to skate over. Stand the root on a cut end and slice the skin down in strips with a paring or chef’s knife until you reach solid white flesh.
- Cut it into whatever shape you need. Sticks for snacking, julienned strips for slaw, cubes for salsa, or thin rounds on a mandoline for chips. It stays crisp when cooked, so shape holds up in stir-fries, and it takes a vinegar pickle well.
- Store it two different ways. Whole and unpeeled, it keeps for weeks either unwrapped at cool room temperatures or in the refrigerator, as long as it stays dry. Once peeled, seal the pieces in an airtight container and refrigerate, then plan on about a week. Peeled jicama does not discolor the way a cut potato does, but it dries out.
What Buyers Are Actually Saying About It
Review volume for fresh produce is thin next to packaged food, but Walmart.com’s fresh jicama listing has enough to show a pattern. Three complaints repeat in those customer reviews.
- Fine outside, rotten inside. Reviewers describe roots that looked good on the shelf and were brown or mushy once cut. Heft screening catches this; looking does not.
- Old and dry. Others report heavy wax on the skin with spent flesh underneath, then fast spoilage at home.
- Woody and flavorless. One review compares the texture to chewing a burlap sack. That is the oversized-root problem, and it matches the University of Georgia guidance above.
The lesson is not that mail order is bad. It is that this is a product you want to handle yourself when you reasonably can. The same source notes that jicama bought in stores may last only one to two weeks if it was handled poorly in distribution, which explains why two roots from one bin behave differently at home.
Ordering Jicama Online: Where and Why
Three online channels ship it: Amazon third-party produce sellers, Melissa’s Produce, and same-day grocery delivery apps. Order online when local stores do not stock it, or when you want a case instead of a single root.
Amazon
Amazon, the largest online retailer in the United States, lists whole roots by the case through third-party produce vendors, commonly in five-pound boxes. Browse their selection #ad and read each listing carefully, because seed packets and live plants surface in the same results as the fresh root. On perishables, the delivery window matters as much as price.
Melissa’s Produce
Melissa’s is a specialty produce distributor based in Southern California and the closest thing to a dedicated source. Sensible pick if your produce section has never carried it and you would rather have fresh stock shipped than a marketplace listing of unknown provenance.
Instacart and grocery delivery apps
Instacart, Walmart’s delivery service, and similar apps pull from stores near you, so availability follows your zip code. Search every name, since a store showing nothing for “jicama” may still list it as “Mexican turnip” or “yam bean.” For more produce that mainstream chains treat as optional, see our guides to jackfruit, dragon fruit, and coconuts.
Finding Jicama Near You: In-Store Options
Latin and Asian grocery stores are the most reliable place to buy it in person, and usually the cheapest. Mainstream supermarkets stock it inconsistently. Check produce near the specialty and tropical items, close to plantains, taro, and chiles.
Latin and Asian grocers
These stores treat it as staple produce rather than a novelty, which shows up in price per pound and in turnover. Faster turnover means fresher stock. Filipino and Southeast Asian markets often label it singkamas. While you are there, cotija cheese, limes, cilantro, and chia seeds are a few aisles away.
Walmart
Walmart, the largest brick-and-mortar retailer in the country, carries it in many stores, though availability swings by region and season. Look in produce near the peppers, cilantro, and avocado display. Store-level stock is not always reflected online, so a phone call beats a wasted trip.
Harris Teeter
Harris Teeter, the Kroger-owned chain across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, sells it in store and online. Their store locator shows whether there is a location near you.
Kroger, Publix, H-E-B, Safeway, and Whole Foods
All five carry it, but not every store and not every week. Mainstream produce departments treat this vegetable as a rotating specialty item, and when they do stock it, it is often pre-cut into sticks at a steep markup over the whole root. If the bin is empty, ask the produce manager whether it is a stocked item there or an occasional order.
Timing. Peak availability runs roughly autumn through spring. Late July sits toward the weaker end of that window, so expect thinner selection and more variable quality than in November. Stores describe it as available year-round, and imports do keep shelves stocked, but year-round supply is not year-round quality.
What Not to Buy: Common Jicama Pitfalls
The most expensive mistake is buying the biggest root in the bin. Size is not value here.
Eating any part except the peeled root. The skin comes off, always. Seeds, pods, leaves, stems, and vine are toxic at any preparation stage. This is not a “wash it well” situation.
Buying pre-cut without reading the date. Peeled sticks spoil faster than whole roots. Fresh-cut flesh should be bright white, not gray or translucent, with no liquid pooling in the tray.
Ignoring the weight-to-size ratio. A root that feels hollow has lost water, and water is the whole point. Put it back.
Treating it as a baking potato. It will not go soft and fluffy. Cooked, it stays closer to a water chestnut than a russet. Air fryer sticks work, but they are crunchy, not French fries.
Top Jicama Options Worth Buying
These four cover how people actually buy it. Price ranges reflect typical US grocery pricing and move with season and region.
Best for most buyers: one whole fresh root. Enough for a week of snacking, slaw, or salads for one or two people. Roughly $1.50 to $3.00 per pound at most grocery stores, cheaper at Latin markets. Check price on Amazon
Best for convenience: pre-cut sticks. Peeled, ready to eat sticks sold refrigerated, from Melissa’s and assorted store brands. Around $3 to $5 per package. You pay a real premium per pound and get a shorter shelf life, but the peeling step disappears. Check price on Amazon
Best for bulk: a five-pound case. Worth it if you cook with it weekly or have no local source. Around $10 to $15 for five pounds, and whole roots stored dry hold for weeks. Check price on Amazon
Best for gardeners: seed, not food. Roughly $5 to $8 per packet, and worth repeating clearly: the seeds are toxic and are for planting only. The plant needs a long frost-free season, so it is realistic mainly in the warmest US zones. Check price on Amazon
Start at a Latin or Asian grocer if there is one within a reasonable drive, and compare two or three roots by weight before choosing. No local source? Order a case, since shipping cost dominates on small produce orders. Then peel one with a knife, cut into strips, and eat jicama raw with lime juice, chili powder, and salt before committing to cooking with it.
FAQ: Buying Jicama
Is jicama poisonous?
The root is not poisonous and is safe eaten raw once peeled. The rest of the plant is another matter: leaves, stems, pods, seeds, and vine contain rotenone and should never be eaten. Buying at a grocery store carries no risk here, because only the tuber is sold as food.
What is jicama called in English?
There is no single English name, which is exactly why it is hard to find. US stores label it jicama, Mexican turnip, Mexican potato, or yam bean. Filipino markets use singkamas. Search every variant in a delivery app before deciding a store does not carry it.
Why is my jicama brown inside?
Brown or gray flesh means the root is past its prime, usually from age or from being held too cold or too damp. It is not the light surface oxidation you get on a cut apple, and trimming will not fix it. Use the weight test next time.
Do I need to refrigerate a whole jicama?
No. A whole, unpeeled root keeps for weeks unwrapped at cool room temperatures, which is how many markets display it. Refrigerate it if your kitchen runs warm, and keep it dry either way. Once cut, the refrigerator is mandatory and the clock drops to about a week.
Editorial review: wheretobuyguides.com team. Retailer links and prices last verified July 2026. Written with reference to guidance from the National Center for Home Food Preservation at the University of Georgia.