Chemical composition as well as phytochemicals and antioxidant activity of underutilized plants, such as carnauba palm (Copernicia prunifera), provide an informed decision on how to maximize their benefits. This study aimed to evaluate the chemical composition and antioxidant activity of the fruit of carnauba. The total phenolic content (gallic acid equivalents, GAE) of the ethanol extract of the whole fruit, pulp and kernel were 44.6000, 0.0447 and 0.6930 mg GAE/g extract, respectively. The respective total tannin content was 1590.932, 2977.724 and 147.650 ppm in the whole fruit, pulp and kernel. The fruit of carnauba showed 9.84 mg anthocyanins/50 g of fresh pulp. Ethanol extract of whole fruit had a potent antioxidant activity. Thus, the fruit of carnauba has add-value in food industry.