Quick answer
The UAE's main growing season runs through the cooler months, from about October to May. Local tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, leafy greens, herbs and root vegetables are at their best and cheapest from roughly November to April. Summer, June to September, is too hot for most open-field crops, so it is the season for fresh UAE dates, imported mangoes, melons and stone fruit, while most salads and herbs come from greenhouses or imports. Build your menus around what is in season and you get better flavour, longer shelf life and lower prices.
Most kitchens in the UAE can buy almost any fruit or vegetable on any day of the year. That does not mean every item is a good buy every month. The same tomato can cost very different amounts, and taste very different, depending on whether it was grown a short drive away in winter or flown in during the summer heat.
This guide is written by the team at Haider Ali Foodstuff Trading. Our office is inside the Al Aweer Fruits & Vegetable Market in Dubai, where we buy and supply fresh produce every day, so we watch the seasons change on the market floor. Use it to plan menus, specials and purchasing across the year.
Key takeaways
- The UAE's cool season, October to May, is the local growing season. Local open-field produce peaks from about November to April.
- June to September is too hot for most outdoor crops. It is the season for fresh dates, mangoes and melons.
- Greenhouse, hydroponic and vertical farms now supply salads, tomatoes and cucumbers year-round, but at different prices from field crops.
- In-season produce is usually cheaper, lasts longer in the chiller and tastes better.
- Ask your supplier every week what is good value, and keep a few flexible dishes on the menu to use it.
How the UAE's seasons work
The UAE has two growing seasons. According to BBC Good Food Middle East, the cool season from October to May is the main window for planting fruits and vegetables. The hot season from June to September suits only heat-loving crops such as melons, cucumbers, okra, aubergine and chillies.
For kitchens, that creates a simple pattern:
- Winter and spring: local field produce reaches the market, freshness is high and prices for many vegetables fall.
- Summer: local field crops are limited, and more produce is imported or grown under cover. Heat makes careful handling more important.
- All year: imported produce from India, Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, Iran, Turkey, Europe, Africa, the Americas and beyond fills the gaps, each with its own season.
Controlled-environment farming is also changing the picture. As Gulf News reported in 2025, UAE vertical farms now grow salads, microgreens, tomatoes and cucumbers all year, and the price gap with imports is narrowing.
Season-by-season guide for UAE kitchens
| Season | At their best | Menu ideas | Buying notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter November to February | Local tomatoes, cucumbers, capsicum, aubergine, courgette, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, lettuce, rocket, spinach, radish, carrots, beetroot and fresh herbs. Citrus, pomegranates and local strawberries towards late winter. | Fattoush, tabbouleh, roasted vegetable plates, soups, citrus salads and fresh juices | The best time to buy salad vegetables and herbs. Lock in weekly quantities while prices are low. |
| Spring March to May | The last of the local winter crops, then early melons. Indian mangoes from about mid-March, and stone fruit and apricots towards late spring. | Mango desserts and lassi, grilled vegetable specials, lighter salads | Local supply winds down as temperatures rise. Plan the switch to imported or greenhouse greens. |
| Summer June to September | Fresh UAE dates, Pakistani mangoes, watermelon and other melons, okra, aubergine, chillies, grapes and stone fruit. | Fresh date platters, mango and melon desserts, chilled soups, okra stews | Heat shortens shelf life. Order smaller amounts more often and receive deliveries early in the day. |
| Autumn October | Mostly imported produce, with apples, pears, pomegranates and grapes arriving. Local planting begins. | Autumn fruit desserts, pomegranate salads, root vegetable dishes | Prices for leafy greens and salad vegetables usually ease as local crops return in November. |
Exact timing moves a little each year with the weather. Treat this as a planning guide, and check with your supplier before you print a seasonal menu.
Fruits with a strong season in the UAE
Fresh dates
Fresh UAE dates are a summer fruit. The harvest runs through the hottest months, and date festivals such as Al Jubail in Abu Dhabi continue until mid-September. Khaleej Times notes that fresh dates are at their best for only two to three months a year, with local varieties such as Khalas, Barhi, Khenaizi and Naghal among the first on sale. Outside the season, kitchens use dried and stored dates, which keep for months.
Mangoes
Mango season in the UAE is long because it follows two origins. Indian varieties such as Alphonso arrive from around mid-March, and Pakistani varieties such as Sindhri and Chaunsa follow from mid to late May and run into September. If mango features on your summer menu, ask your supplier which variety is in season each week: flavour, sweetness and price change as the varieties change.
Citrus and pomegranates
Oranges, mandarins and pomegranates are cool-season fruits in this region, and they are usually at their best value in winter. This is the time to put fresh orange juice and pomegranate salads on the menu, and to buy them at their best price.
Melons
Watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew like heat, so they suit the UAE summer. They are a cheap, popular choice for breakfast buffets, fruit platters and fresh juice in the hottest months.
Want to know what's good value this week?
We buy at the Al Aweer market every day. Ask us what is in season and well priced, and we'll quote your weekly produce list.
Why buying in season pays off
In-season produce
- Usually cheaper, because supply is plentiful
- Better flavour and colour
- Shorter journey, so longer life in your chiller
- Steadier quality from one delivery to the next
Out-of-season produce
- Often more expensive, especially if air-freighted
- Can be picked earlier and ripened in transit
- Less time left before it spoils
- More variation in size, ripeness and grade
You do not need to drop a popular dish when its main ingredient is out of season. Instead, keep a core menu with ingredients that are reliable year-round, such as onions, potatoes, carrots, lemons and greenhouse cucumbers, and add one or two seasonal specials that you change every few weeks. Specials built on whatever is cheapest and best that week also give your team something new to sell.
Handling fresh produce in the UAE heat
Heat is the biggest threat to fresh produce in the UAE, especially from June to September. Leafy greens and herbs can wilt within hours on a hot loading bay, and soft fruit bruises and ripens fast.
- Ask for deliveries early in the morning, before the hottest part of the day.
- Move produce into the chiller as soon as it is checked. Our delivery receiving checklist explains what to check.
- Keep potatoes, onions and garlic in a cool, dark, dry area, not in the chiller.
- Store bananas, tomatoes and stone fruit apart from leafy greens: ripening fruit gives off gases that speed up spoilage in other produce.
- Order smaller amounts more often in summer, rather than one large weekly order.
Our guide to food storage temperatures for UAE restaurants covers chiller order and dry store conditions in more detail.
How to plan produce buying through the year
- List your 15 to 20 most-used fruits and vegetables and how much you use per week.
- Mark which are year-round staples and which change in price or quality with the season.
- Plan seasonal specials for the months when key items are cheapest, such as winter salads, summer mango desserts and date platters.
- Agree a weekly market update with your supplier, so you hear about good-value items and shortages early.
- Allow agreed substitutions, for example one variety of lettuce or mango for another, so you are not left short.
- Review prices every month and move items on or off the specials board.
Our fruit and vegetable supply service delivers local and imported produce from the Al Aweer market to restaurants, hotels, juice bars and supermarkets across the UAE. If you also buy meat, dairy or dry goods, our wholesale food trading service combines them into one delivery. Planning for Ramadan? See our Ramadan food supply planning guide.
Frequently asked questions
What vegetables are in season in the UAE in winter?
From about November to February, local tomatoes, cucumbers, capsicum, aubergine, courgette, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, lettuce, spinach, rocket, radish, carrots, beetroot and fresh herbs are at their best. Winter is the main local growing season, so it is the best time to buy salad vegetables.
What fruits are in season in the UAE in summer?
Summer, June to September, is the season for fresh UAE dates, Pakistani mangoes, watermelon and other melons, grapes and stone fruit. Indian mangoes start earlier, from around mid-March.
When is mango season in the UAE?
Mango season runs from about mid-March to September. Indian varieties such as Alphonso arrive first, and Pakistani varieties such as Sindhri and Chaunsa follow from mid to late May and continue into September.
When is fresh date season in the UAE?
Fresh UAE dates are harvested in summer, and the best fresh dates are available for about two to three months, with date festivals running into mid-September. Dried and stored dates are available all year.
Is local produce cheaper than imported produce in the UAE?
Often yes, in the local season from about November to April, when supply is plentiful and transport is short. Outside the season, local field produce is limited. Greenhouse and vertical-farm produce is available year-round, and its price gap with imports has been narrowing.
How should restaurants store fresh produce in the UAE heat?
Receive deliveries early in the morning, move produce into the chiller as soon as it is checked, and keep potatoes, onions and garlic in a cool, dark, dry place. Store ripening fruit such as bananas and tomatoes away from leafy greens, and order smaller amounts more often in summer.
Fresh produce from Al Aweer, delivered
Haider Ali Foodstuff Trading supplies local and imported fruit and vegetables to restaurants, hotels, juice bars and supermarkets across the UAE. Send us your list for this week's prices.
Sources
- BBC Good Food Middle East, A guide to growing fruits and vegetables in the UAE: cool and hot growing seasons.
- Gulf News, UAE's farms deliver fruits, veggies fresh and at lower prices (February 2025): year-round controlled-environment farming.
- Khaleej Times, Fresh UAE dates: your guide to the season's best picks (July 2026): fresh date season and varieties.
- Gulf News, Mango lovers enjoy extended season in the UAE: Indian and Pakistani mango seasons.
