In this article, I will not just list the fruits of the Dominican Republic, but I will also tell you where and when to buy them, how much they cost. There will be tips, hacks, and everything a tourist needs to know about the fruits. I will not describe in detail what an avocado or banana is. But if there is any special feature, I will definitely write about it.

Table of Contents:

Dominican watermelons
There are as many watermelons as you want. Dominicana is generally not a place where there are a lot of exotic fruits, but they are there.

General facts about fruits in the Dominican Republic

Since you have already reached this article, you probably know that summer is all year round in the Dominican Republic. There is no snow and no winter, not even on Pico Duarte. Harvest in this country is harvested several times throughout the year. And no matter what month you arrive in the Dominican Republic, you will not be left without fresh fruit. But there is one thing 🙂

It is important to know:

Tourists often expect a abundance of fruit in the Dominican Republic, like in Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand or Malaysia. I will say right away that this is not the case. Yes, there are a lot of fruits here, and the crop is harvested throughout the year. And in this article, more than twenty fruits will be listed, but in fact there is no great abundance here.

Therefore, you should not expect that every day you will overeat different fruits. The only thing you can overeat here is bananas, pineapples, papaya. There is a lot of this in the Dominican Republic all year round, and also coconuts.

It is also important to know and not forget:

  • All fruits in the country, and not just fruits, are sold by the pound (libra) and not by the kilogram. Prices are always given per pound. This is important because you can buy a couple of kilograms, but in fact pay twice as much money (1 pound = 0.45 kg). You can read about everything about the Dominican Republic, what currency, why gasoline is in gallons and weight is in pounds, and much more in the article: facts about the Dominican Republic.
  • Some fruits, such as pineapples, may be sold individually, but this will be noted. And there are not many such fruits.

List of fruits that can be bought in the Dominican Republic

Below I will list what fruits can be found in the Dominican Republic. I want to clarify right away that this does not mean that you will meet them all in a fruit stand. I saw some fruits in two years of my life in the Dominican Republic 2-3 times in total. A fruit stand near your hotel will most likely look like the photo below:

fruit stall in las galeras
“This is the standard assortment of a fruit shop. Coconuts, bananas, papayas, sapotes (the brown round ones in the basket the size of a lemon on the left)”

Ordinary fruits in the Dominican Republic, which are available all year round

  • Bananas. There are three types of bananas in the Dominican Republic: yellow, red and green. The first two are sweet and regular bananas that we are used to. Green ones are plantains, they are not eaten without heat treatment. By the way, 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 and are sold everywhere in large quantities.
    • There are even more plantains.”
Bananas and plantains in the Caribbean
A classic shelf with bananas in any store: yellow for food, green for cooking and frying.
Пальмы с кокосами в Доминикане
And so it is all year round all over the country. There are simply no coconuts to count.

It is important to know:

The most important skill on the Dominican beach and in the jungle is the ability to open a coconut without an auxiliary tool. No hammer, saw, corkscrew, knife, bricks, etc. The theory is simple: take a coconut that has fallen from a palm tree and hit the palm tree with a strong and sharp blow. On each coconut exactly at the equator there is an almost imperceptible seam. If you accurately and strongly hit this seam, then the coconut will split equally across the floors. The theory is simple, but in practice everything is very difficult. I’ve only done it a hundred times.
  • A pineapple. The second most popular fruit after the banana. They are sold everywhere, they are cheap. Cocktails are served everywhere in pineapples, especially on the beach. For 1 pineapple they ask for a little less than $ 2. But for this money they will also clean it and cut it for you.

Popular fruits, but not all year round

  • Papayas, or lechosas in Spanish, are popular fruits but are not available all year round. During the harvest season, they are sold everywhere and cost 12 pesos per pound. This is equivalent to about $0.5 per kilogram. Locals use papayas for meat marinades, and they are also used to make juices and smoothies.
fruits of the Dominican Republic papaya
Papaya is very cheap in season and is sold in any store
  • Mango. There’s nothing special to tell about it. It is a juicy and delicate fruit that costs around $1 per kg in season and is sold everywhere. In the off-season, it is not available anywhere. Read below for information about which fruits are available in which months
  • Maracuya. It grows in every backyard garden. It is usually made into juice. In the Dominican Republic, it is called “Passion fruit”.
Fruits of the Dominican Republic passion fruit yellow
Yellow passion fruit, it is usually taken only for juice. 65 pesos for 1 pound. At the rate of 57 pesos for $ 1
  • In the Dominican Republic, avocados are soft and oily. They are often used in national cuisine. A classic Dominican breakfast always includes mangu (not mango), onion, boiled banana, avocado, and salami.
  • In addition, there is an abundance of pomegranates and watermelons in the Dominican Republic, of course, during the season. There are also apples, grapes, oranges, lemons, and many other familiar fruits.
fruits of the Dominican Republic avocado
Giant avocado. 39 peso for 1 Pike, 57 peso for$1.

Fruits of the Dominican Republic: exotic

If there were Dominicana fruits above, which we know we ate and can buy in our stores. Then next there will be pure exoticism. Someone has tried something from the list, someone hears it for the first time. But even in the Dominican Republic – these fruits from the list below are not sold on every corner. But they are grown here and in the harvest season they can be found.

Some 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 is also a variety with red flesh.
Dragon fruit in the Dominican Republic
Dragon fruit can sometimes be found in our stores, but at the price of an airplane. Here it is much cheaper.
  • Sapote. It looks like a potato or a large kiwi, it’s hard to compare it to anything. And it’s very unassuming. If you don’t know what it is, you won’t even pay attention to it in the vegetable shop. But if you cut it open, the inside is a tender flesh of bright orange color.
    • It’s hard to describe the taste: to me, Sapote tastes like persimmon, but to my wife, it’s like slightly cooked carrots.
Sapote Dominican fruit
Look for such a Sapote fruit, nondescript on the outside and interesting on the inside.
  • Nispero is a fruit that looks like an apricot. The flesh is just as juicy and sweet, but inside it takes up half the volume with three large seeds. I recommend trying it though.
Carambola in the Dominican Republic
This is what a carambola or star fruit looks like
  • Morinda. A mega-useful fruit for a multitude of diseases, but also mega-disgusting in raw form. It grows everywhere, please don’t try it. It is bitter and unpleasant to taste. The locals collect the fruit, extract the juice, process it in a special way, and then drink it in small portions for medicinal purposes.
    • This is not mamajuana, but it is also made from whatever :). Read about mamajuana here.
    • In ripe form, Morinda looks completely unappetizing. This fruit is also called Noni.
Morinda fruit in the Dominican Republic
Ripe morinda is white as in the photo. And not ripe – green.
  • Cherimoya. I recommend that everyone try this fruit. It is a size from an apple to a papaya, green in color with a soft shell. It reminds me of a nut due to the shell, but it is round. Look for it in stores. Inside is a soft, creamy vanilla-like mass that is very tasty.
Cherimoya in the Dominican Republic
Cherimoya, my favorite fruit in the Dominican Republic.

Fruit seasons by month

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

fruits in the Dominican Republic by month
Approximate schedule of fruit picking in the Dominican Republic.

Tips for travelers

  • The larger the store, the greater the selection of fruits. In a typical fruit stall, as shown in the photo above, there is generally no selection.
  • Don’t forget that prices are always listed per 1 libra, which is about 1 pound or 450 grams.
  • I recommend bringing a folding knife with you to the Dominican Republic. They are not provided in hotels and if you want to buy fruit yourself, you can only eat apples and bananas without a knife 🙂
  • Incidentally, many tourists from the Dominican Republic bring home snail cream. All about it in the article by the link.
Dominicana fruits in the store
In large hypermarkets, the selection of fruits is much better than in stalls.

In conclusion, the fruits of the Dominican Republic have a large list on one hand, but in reality the selection at your resort will be far from ideal. It is not worth comparing the fruits of the Dominican Republic with the abundance of Southeast Asia. Asia is two heads higher in this regard.

I wish 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 in Dominican (cheaper – only by bus):
  • Hotels and apartments all over the country: Booking
  • Vacation packages:
    • Expedia – best deals from Europe.
    • CheapOair – cheap packages from all US cities.
  • Tours, excursions and activities (including extreme ones):
    • GYG – more than 150 tours (whales tours)
  • Comprehensive travel insurance: EKTA
  • eSIM virtual sim card with internet in Dominican
  • Taxi and transfers from Dominican airports: Intui.Travel