Fruits Like Pineapple (6 Substitutes that Look and Taste Similar)

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What would vacations be like without pineapple? Whether you like yours grilled, skewered with other fruits, or blended into a pina colada, these fruits are absolute must-haves when you’re enjoying sun and sand. If you love how they taste, you’ll enjoy these 6 other fruits like pineapple too.

Fruits like pineapple featured image

List of Fruits Like Pineapple

The fruits on this list all have varying degrees of pineapple flavor notes. Some are quite strong, while others are subtle.

1. Pineberry

Pineberry

These small berries look like white strawberries and taste like pineapples. They’re related to strawberries, and first made an appearance in South America around 2002. They’ve taken the world by storm since then, and are now found at specialty grocery stores around the globe.

Most of them are bred in Belgium now, as the growing conditions there seem perfect for this species. Since pineapples are berries, it’s not terribly surprising that other species that share their flavor profile.

2. Feijoa

Feijoa

This fruit is also known as a “pineapple guava” because it tastes like pineapple but looks like a guava fruit. In fact, it looks a bit like guava that’s been crossed with lime. Its sour skin is quite thick and surrounds creamy, pale flesh. This inner fruit has a grainy texture similar to pear, though crunchier.

As you get closer to the fruit’s center, the grainy flesh gives way to a soft-seed-filled jelly. It tastes like a mix of starfruit and pineapple and gets softer and sweeter as the feijoa ripens further.

Although these fruits are mostly found in the Middle East, Russia, Australia, and New Zealand, you should be able to find them in North and South America too. If they don’t make regular appearances, ask your local supermarket manager if they can import some for you.

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3. Pitmaston Pineapple Apple

Would you believe us if we told you that there are apple varieties that taste just like pineapple? Hopefully your reply was a hearty “yes”, because such things do exist. Pitmaston Pineapple apples were originally cultivated in England around 1785. These small, yellow-gold apples are honey-sweet, with a strong pineapple flavor.

They’re quite rare, but you might be able to find them at farmer’s markets or pick-your-own apple orchards. Alternatively, you can try to grow them yourself. They thrive in USDA zones 5 through 9 and are quite hardy, self-fertile, disease-resistant trees.

4.  Salak

Salak

Salak fruits are also referred to as “snake fruit” or “dragon egg fruit” because of their appearance. Their skins look like they’re covered in brown dragon scales, while their inner flesh looks like enormous garlic cloves.

Flavor-wise, they taste like a fascinating combination of pineapple, apple, and banana. Their texture can be either crunchy or spongy, depending on how ripe they are. Additionally, be aware that they can smell a bit like durian when fully ripe. That’s rather foul, so unless you want your house to smell like a garbage bin, consider eating this fruit outside.

5. Passion Fruit

Passion fruit on glass

This luscious fruit’s flavor tastes like a mix of mango, peach, and pineapple. The edible gel inside it is filled with small, inedible black seeds, so you have to scoop those out before you can nosh on the flesh itself. Alternatively, just spit them out as you go along.

Passion fruit can be eaten raw, added to smoothies, or transformed into custard, jam, or sorbet. Just remember that the entire plant has sedative effects. If you’re dealing with insomnia, try eating a passion fruit about an hour before you want to sleep. It might help you get some much-needed rest.

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6. Papaya

Papaya sliced

Pineapples are the only fruits to contain natural bromelain—an enzyme that actually breaks down protein on contact. This is why bromelain is used in digestive enzymes. It’s also why people who process pineapples need to wear masks and gloves. If they don’t, the enzyme can eat away at their skin and eyes as they work.

While papaya doesn’t contain bromelain, it does contain an enzyme that functions similarly: papain. This is also used in digestive enzyme formulas, and is ideal for helping to break down foods that are otherwise difficult to process. Papaya might not taste much like pineapple, but it offers a similar juicy-sweet acidic tang.

Try adding some chopped papaya to your favorite black bean and corn salsa recipe. It’ll liven up the flavors, and make the beans easier to digest.

Wrap Up

As you can see, there are several other options out there for pineapple lovers to enjoy. Which will you try first? Feisty feijoas, or sensational salaks? Each of these fruits like pineapple has its own special charms, of course. You should be able to find many of them at Asian or South American grocery stores in your area. Then you can do a taste test to determine which one(s) you think taste the most like your favorite fruit.