01
Sapodilla
10.0best for raw1 piece : 1 piece
Soft sweet tropical match
10.0
bananas substitute
for raw.
Raw bananas read as soft fruit at 65-72°F room temp, 3-4 Brix below a ripe mango, with a silky mouthfeel that oxidizes brown within 8 minutes of cutting. Food-safe swaps must hit those numbers without cooking: no starchy rawness, no lingering astringency, no texture collapse during the 20-minute window between plate and fork. Ranking leans hardest on textural match at room temp, browning resistance under lemon juice, and flavor brightness eaten cold without sugar or heat to mask off-notes.
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adjustment for raw
Raw sapodilla matches banana's soft-fruit profile at 68°F serving temp with 22 Brix sweetness and a pear-caramel aroma. Slice thin with a wet knife to avoid tearing, and dress with 1 teaspoon lemon juice per cup within 5 minutes — polyphenol oxidase browns cut surfaces faster than banana.
02
Pears
6.0best for raw1 cup : 1 cup
Ripe pears mash well for baking recipes
6.0
adjustment for raw
Ripe Bartlett pears at room temp swap 1:1 by cup, mashing to a slightly grittier texture than banana. Acidulate with 1 tablespoon lemon juice per cup to slow browning past the 8-minute cut-window. The 11 Brix sweetness runs lower — plate within 15 minutes to catch peak aromatics before oxidation dulls them.
03
Jackfruit
6.0best for raw1 cup : 1 cup
Ripe jackfruit has banana-like sweetness
6.0
adjustment for raw
Raw ripe jackfruit pods at 70°F bring stringy texture and 16 Brix sweetness. Separate pods over a bowl — the latex can bitter a fruit salad if it pools. No lemon needed since jackfruit browns slower than banana, holding color for 25 minutes cut versus banana's 8.
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04
Egg Substitute
5.01:1
Mash half banana per egg, best in baking
5.0
adjustment for this dish
Commercial egg-sub is a weak raw swap — it reads wet and bland at room temp without heat to set proteins. Only works in cold preparations where banana acted as binder, like raw cheesecake bases: use 1 unit per banana and chill 4 hours at 38°F so the gums firm up enough to slice.
05
Cherimoya
10.01 piece : 1/2 piece
Creamy texture, blend with pineapple
10.0
adjustment for this dish
Half a cherimoya per banana works raw at 65-70°F and brings a silkier mouthfeel than banana — closer to panna cotta texture. Pit out all seeds first; they taint the flesh with a numbing alkaloid note if bruised. Eat within 10 minutes of cutting before oxidation browns the flesh.
06
Custard-Apple
10.01 piece : 1 piece
Creamy and sweet, closest texture
10.0
adjustment for this dish
Custard-apple raw is a closer texture match than banana itself — creamy at 68°F with 18 Brix sweetness. Scoop flesh by spoon, discarding the black seeds, and serve within 12 minutes. Skin oxidizes bitter fast so trim any attached fibrous bits before plating or the dish turns astringent on the finish.
07
Durian
7.51 cup : 1 cup
Creamy base, add vanilla extract
7.5
adjustment for this dish
Ripe durian 1:1 by cup is creamy and sweet at 18 Brix, but the sulfur-onion aroma hits hard at room temp. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract per cup to soften the nose for Western palates. Serve within 20 minutes of opening — the aroma intensifies sharply past 72°F.
08
Sweet Potato
6.01/2 cup : 1 cup
Mashed, works in baking for moisture
6.0
adjustment for this dish
Raw sweet potato is a weak match — starchy, chalky, and low in aromatics at room temp. Only works grated into slaws where banana added sweetness; use half a cup per cup of banana and dress with 1 tablespoon honey plus 2 teaspoons citrus to mask the raw-starch note on the finish.
09
Plantain
2.01 cup : 1 cup
Use very ripe (black skin) for sweetness
2.0
10
Apples
6.01 cup : 1 cup
Applesauce works in baking as moisture swap
6.0
11
Avocado
4.01:1
Creamy texture in smoothies, not sweet
4.0