Fruit can be a sweet way to help you fall sleep with a boost of melatonin.
Certain fruits naturally contain the hormone, which plays a “starring role” in setting the body’s internal 24-hour clock, says Samantha Cassetty, a registered dietitian in New York.
“At nighttime, melatonin levels naturally rise, sending an ‘It’s bedtime’ signal to the body. This helps you feel sleepy and lowers core body temperature so you can drift off,” Cassetty tells TODAY.com.
“Your body makes plenty of melatonin if you eat a nutritious, plant-filled diet, keep regular sleep hours and limit bright light at night.”
But jet lag, nightshift work or temporary insomnia can throw off a person’s natural rhythm, she points out, and blue light from phones and computers in the evening can suppress melatonin.
Short-term melatonin supplements can be helpful, but they’re not meant for daily use, Cassetty says.
Most melatonin supplements are synthetically made, and there’s little data on whether they’re safe to use long-term, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health cautions.
The supplements can come with side effects, with experts concerned people may be taking much higher doses than they realize.
Foods high in melatonin might be a better option. Eating them can increase the melatonin concentration in blood, researchers say.
“As a dietitian, I always go for the food-first approach,” Lorraine Kearney, registered dietitian and CEO of New York City Nutrition, previously told TODAY.com.
She recommends eating melatonin-rich foods about an hour before bedtime.
Cassetty, the co-author of “Sugar Shock,” advises people to pay attention to their entire eating pattern. Diets rich in complex carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables are associated with fewer sleep disruptions at night, a 2025 study found.
Fruit that contains melatonin can support healthy sleep patterns, Cassetty says.
“Most adults benefit from at least two servings of fruit daily, so making one of them an evening serving can fit naturally into a balanced eating plan,” she notes.
Here are nine fruits with the most melatonin or the biggest support for melatonin production in the body:
Cherries
Both sweet and tart cherries have been found to raise melatonin levels and have a positive influence on sleep, Cassetty says.
“Eating the whole fruit influences sleep over time, while drinking tart cherry juice may help in the shorter term because the nutrients are more concentrated,” she adds.
When people drank tart cherry juice concentrate for seven days, their melatonin levels were “significantly elevated,” and they saw “significant increases” in total sleep time compared to peers who drank a placebo, a small study found.
If trying the juice, look for a brand that doesn’t have added sugar, registered dietitian Bonnie Taub-Dix previously told TODAY.com.
She recommended combining it with other foods — especially those that can induce sleep, such as cheese, which is high in tryptophan, or almonds, which are high in melatonin — to avoid the juice quickly raising blood sugar.
Grapes
Melatonin has been found in both fresh grapes and products made from them, including wine, grape juice and grape vinegar, researchers note.
Registered dietitian Frances Largeman-Roth recommends ending the evening by snacking on fresh grapes. The fruit makes her list of foods that’ll help you sleep better.
Kiwi
Kiwi consumption can “positively impact sleep,” a 2023 study found.
Eating two kiwis about an hour before bedtime for several weeks helped participants fall asleep faster and improved sleep quality in clinical research, Cassetty notes.
It’s one of the reasons she includes kiwi on her list of the healthiest fruits.
Goji Berries
The small red berries grow on shrubs native to the Mediterranean region and Asia, and make the list of fruits with the most antioxidants.
Dried goji berries have the highest concentrations of melatonin of any common dried fruit, according to NutritionFacts.org.
Pineapple
Melatonin concentration in the blood was “significantly increased” two hours after people consumed pineapple, a small study found.
Because pineapple contains melatonin, registered dietitian Keri Glassman named it one of her favorite foods to help people sleep better.
“Enjoy it with a source of protein in the evening to balance blood sugar levels,” registered dietitian Erin Palinksy-Wade previously told TODAY.com.
Strawberries
The classic summer fruit can deliver a dose of melatonin. Plus, strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C, which is important for sleep, researchers note.
Orange
The same study that looked at the effect of pineapple on melatonin also found orange juice led to significantly higher melatonin levels in the blood two hours after people drank it.
Banana
Bananas don’t directly contain a lot of melatonin, but they deliver nutrients that support the body’s melatonin production, Palinsky-Wade said.
“Think of melatonin as the bedtime grand finale — it’s part of a longer nutrition chain of events that starts with tryptophan. Your body converts tryptophan to serotonin and then to melatonin,” Cassetty explains.
Bananas are rich in tryptophan, which supports the serotonin-to-melatonin pathway, she adds.
Eating a banana at bedtime was effective in dealing with insomnia, a 2024 study found.
Tomato
Tomatoes are botanically a fruit, though they’re usually used in savory recipes. Tomatoes are abundant in the famously healthy Mediterranean diet, and show “high melatonin contents,” researchers note.