In the article, I’ll not just list the fruits of the Dominican Republic but also tell you where and when to buy them and how much they cost. I’ll share tips, life hacks, peculiarities, and everything a tourist needs to know about fruits. I won’t go into detail about what avocados or bananas are, but if there’s anything special about them, I’ll definitely mention it.

Table of Contents:

Dominican watermelons
You can find watermelons here as much as you want. The Dominican Republic is not a place where you find a lot of exotic fruits and berries.

General facts about fruits of the Dominican Republic

Since you’ve reached this article, you probably know that in the Dominican Republic, it’s summer all year round. There’s no snow or winter, not even on Pico Duarte. The country harvests throughout the year, multiple times. So, no matter which month you arrive in the Dominican Republic, you won’t be without fresh fruits. But there’s one thing to note 🙂

It is important to know:

Tourists often expect an abundance of fruits in the Dominican Republic, like in Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand or Malaysia. Let me tell you right away, it’s not like that here. Yes, there are plenty of fruits, and they are harvested throughout the year. And yes, this article will list more than two dozen fruits, but in reality, there’s not a huge variety here.

So, don’t expect to eat different fruits every day. The only fruits you can indulge in here are bananas, pineapples, and papayas. In the Dominican Republic, they’re like apples in our season, well, plus coconuts.

Also important to know and remember:

  • All Dominican fruits, and not only fruits, are sold not by kilograms but by pounds (lb). And the prices are always indicated per pound. This is important because you might end up paying twice as much money as you expected (1 pound = 0.45 kg). Read more about the Dominican Republic, its currency, why gasoline is sold in gallons, weight in pounds, and much more in the article: facts about the Dominican Republic.
  • Some fruits, such as pineapples, may be sold individually, I’ll write about that later..

List of Fruits Available in the Dominican Republic

Below, I’ll list the fruits you can buy in the Dominican Republic. I want to clarify right away that this doesn’t mean you’ll find all of them in a fruit stall. Some fruits, in my two years in the Dominican Republic, I’ve only seen 2-3 times. The fruit stand near your hotel will most likely look like the one in the photo below:

fruit stall in las galeras
So, here’s the entire standard assortment of a fruit stall. Coconuts, bananas, papayas, sapodillas (brown round ones in the basket the size of a lemon on the left).

Typical Fruits in the Dominican Republic, Available All Year Round

  • Bananas. In the Dominican Republic, bananas come in three types: yellow, red, and green. The first two are sweet and regular bananas we’re used to. Green ones are plantains, they’re not eaten without cooking. Plantains are often used in Dominican cuisine.
    • There is an article about the national cuisine of the Dominican Republic, about mangu (not to be confused with mango), what to try on vacation, and much more at the link.
    • Bananas are very cheap, available everywhere in large quantities.
    • There are even more plantains.
Bananas and plantains in the Caribbean
A typical banana shelf in any store: yellow sweet dessert ones, green ones – for cooking.
Пальмы с кокосами в Доминикане
And it’s like that all year round across the country. There are just too many coconuts here.

It is important to know:

The most important skill on the beaches of the Dominican Republic and in the jungles is the ability to open a coconut without any tools. Without a hammer, saw, corkscrew, knife, bricks, and so on. The theory is simple: take a coconut that fell from a palm tree and hit the tree hard and sharply. There’s an almost imperceptible seam on each coconut exactly at the equator. If you hit this seam accurately and strongly, the coconut will split in half. The theory is simple, but in practice, it’s not easy at all. I succeeded only once out of a hundred.
  • Pineapple. The second most popular fruit after bananas. They’re sold everywhere, and they’re cheap. Pineapples are served everywhere, especially on the beach. They ask for just under $2 for one pineapple. But for this money, they’ll also clean and cut it for you

Popular Fruits, but Not All Year Round

  • Papaya, or lechosa in Spanish. During the harvest season, they’re sold everywhere and cost 12 pesos per pound. Let me translate for you: 0.5 USD per kilogram. Locals use papaya for meat marinades for barbecues. Papain enzyme makes any meat tender and juicy.
fruits of the Dominican Republic papaya
They also eat papaya, it’s just that it’s also included in any barbecue marinade.
  • Mango. There’s not much to say about it here. Juicy, tender fruit, which costs about $1 per kilogram in season and is sold everywhere. It’s not available out of season. Read below which fruits are available in which months.
  • Passion fruit. Grows in every backyard garden. It’s usually used to make juices. In the Dominican Republic, its cousin Granadilla grows, but it’s still called Passionfruit.
Fruits of the Dominican Republic passion fruit yellow
Yellow Granadilla, they usually use it only for juice. 65 pesos per pound. At the rate of 57 pesos per 1$.
  • Avocado. Soft and buttery. It’s often used in the national cuisine. A typical Dominican breakfast always includes: mangu (not mango), onion, boiled banana, avocado, and salami.
  • Also in the Dominican Republic, there is an abundance of melons and watermelons, in season, of course. Apples, grapes, oranges, lemons, and many other fruits we are accustomed to.
fruits of the Dominican Republic avocado
Giant avocados. 39 pesos each.

Dominican Fruits: Exotics

If the above were Dominican fruits that we know, have eaten, and can buy in our stores. Then what follows will be pure exoticism. Some have tried something from the list, some are hearing about them for the first time. But even in the Dominican Republic, these fruits listed below are not sold on every corner, but they are grown here, and during the harvest season, you can find them.

A Few Unusual Fruits

  • Pitaya Poio, or red cactus, or dragon fruit, or pitahaya. This fruit is cut in half, and the white flesh is eaten with a spoon. There’s a variety with red flesh.
Dragon fruit in the Dominican Republic
Dragon fruit can sometimes be found in our stores, but rather expensive. Here, it’s much cheaper.
  • Sapote. It looks like a potato or a large kiwi, it’s hard to compare it to anything. And very unremarkable. If you don’t know what it is, you won’t even notice it in a fruit stall. But if you cut it open, inside is a tender flesh of a bright orange color.
    • Describing the taste is difficult: Sapote reminds me of persimmon, and to my wife, it vaguely resembles boiled carrots.
Sapote Dominican fruit
Look for this fruit Sapote, unremarkable on the outside and interesting inside.
  • Nispero. The fruit looks like an apricot. The flesh is juicy and sweet, just like apricots, but inside, three large stones occupy half the volume. But I recommend everyone to try it.
  • Starfruit (or carambola). The fruit is shaped like a star. It’s very popular in Zanzibar. We weren’t particularly impressed; it’s sweet and sour and juicy. Nothing special. Here is an article comparing a vacation in the Dominican Republic and Zanzibar for those who are still considering.
Carambola in the Dominican Republic
This is what a starfruit looks like.
  • Morinda. A super healthy fruit for many diseases, but also super nasty when raw. It grows in many places, please don’t try it. It’s bitter and unpleasant in taste. Locals collect the fruits, from which they extract juice, processing it in a special way. And then drink it in small doses for medicinal purposes.
    • This is not mamajuana, but it is also made from whatever :). Read about mamajuana here.
    • Ripe Morinda doesn’t look appetizing at all. This fruit is also called Noni.
Morinda fruit in the Dominican Republic
Ripe Morinda is white as shown in the photo. And unripe – green.
  • Cherimoya. A fruit that I recommend everyone to try. The fruit ranges in size from an apple to a pomelo. It’s green with soft scales. Because of the scales, it somewhat resembles a pine cone, but a round one. Look for it in stores. Inside is a delicate creamy mass, similar to vanilla cream. Very delicious.
Cherimoya in the Dominican Republic
Cherimoya, my favorite fruit in the Dominican Republic.

Fruit Seasons in the Dominican Republic by Month

Unfortunately, as I mentioned above, even though it’s summer here all 12 months of the year, each fruit has its own season. Rest assured, pineapples and bananas will be available every month of the year. Everything else is seasonal. Below is an approximate table of when the harvest of each fruit is gathered. If your vacation falls on this month, you can count on these fruits with a high degree of probability.

fruits in the Dominican Republic by month
Approximate fruit harvesting schedule in the Dominican Republic.

Travel Tips

  • The bigger the store, the more fruit selection. There’s generally not much choice in a regular street stall, as shown in the photo above.
  • Don’t forget that prices are always indicated per pound, which is about 450 grams.
  • I recommend bringing a folding knife with you to the Dominican Republic. If you’re buying fruit, you can only eat apples and bananas without a knife 🙂
  • By the way, many tourists bring home snail cream from the Dominican Republic. Read all about it in the article linked.
Dominicana fruits in the store
In large hypermarkets, the fruit selection is much better than in stalls.

In conclusion: Dominican fruits on the one hand make up a long list, but in reality, the choice at your resort will be far from perfect. And comparing fruits in the Dominican Republic to the abundance of Southeast Asia is pointless. Asia is two heads above in this regard.

Wishing you bright and juicy fruit discoveries!

Resources to help you plan your dream trip to Dominican Republic

  • Flights at the best prices with discounts
  • Car rental: DiscoverCars – a largest international resource
  • Hotels and apartments:
    • Hotellook – compares hotel prices among dozens of booking platforms and offer you the best price.
    • Booking – large online booking platform.
    • Agoda – even more accommodation options in Dominican Republic.
  • Vacation packages:
    • Expedia – best deals from Europe.
    • CheapOair – cheap packages from all US cities.
  • Tours, excursions and extreme activities:
    • GetYourGuide – more than 800+ tours and water activities.
    • Viator – 3500+ tours and excursions in Dominican.
  • Comprehensive travel insurance: EKTA
  • Internet and Calls:
    • Airalo – eSIM with internet package.
    • Drimsim – universal SIM card (or eSIM) in any country in the world.
  • Taxi and airport transfers: Intui.Travel