Cherimoya substitute

Best substitute

Very ripe banana plus pineapple

3 parts mashed banana to 1 part crushed pineapple, by volume, 1:1 for the cherimoya

Best for ice cream

Close match

The standard workaround, and the one that gets closest to what cherimoya actually tastes like.

Other cherimoya substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Soursop (guanabana) pulp
Different texture
Use the same amount by weight, frozen pulp thawed
A close relative of cherimoya, sold frozen or canned in most Latin and Caribbean groceries.
What changes
Best for
ice cream, smoothies, juices, sorbet, desserts
Same family and a recognisably related flavour, but soursop is distinctly more sour, with a strawberry-and-citrus tang, and its pulp is stringier rather than smooth and custardy. Expect a brighter, tarter dessert. If you want it to read as cherimoya, blend it with half a banana per cup of pulp and add a teaspoon of sugar to soften the acid.
3Sugar apple or sweetsop (atemoya)
Close match
Use the same amount by weight
The nearest relatives of all, sometimes labelled custard apple too, which is exactly why the names get muddled.
What changes
Best for
eating fresh, ice cream, smoothies, fruit salad, desserts
Atemoya in particular is a cherimoya hybrid and behaves almost identically, so this is the swap that needs the least adjustment. Sugar apple is sweeter and grainier, with a slightly sandy flesh instead of cherimoya's smooth custard, and it leans more toward pear and cotton candy than pineapple. Use it one for one and simply expect a sweeter result.
4Ripe pear plus banana
Different taste
Equal parts by volume, 1:1 for the cherimoya
A supermarket-only route that works surprisingly well when the fruit is being eaten rather than blended.
What changes
Best for
fruit salad, eating fresh, chilled desserts, compotes
A very ripe Comice or Bartlett pear brings the floral, honeyed side and a little granular bite; banana brings creaminess. Together they land in roughly the right neighbourhood of sweet, soft and perfumed, but noticeably tamer, with none of the pineapple tang. A squeeze of lime and a scrape of vanilla close a surprising amount of the gap.
5Mango plus banana
Different taste
1 part mango to 1 part banana, 1:1 for the cherimoya
For anything where colour matters less than a rich tropical flavour.
What changes
Best for
smoothies, ice cream, sorbet, juices, milkshakes
Mango pushes the mixture much further toward resin and peach, and it tints the result yellow-orange where cherimoya desserts are ivory white. The texture is right, the flavour is louder and less delicate. Good in a smoothie, less convincing in a plain cherimoya ice cream where the point is subtlety.
6Papaya plus banana and lime
Different taste
1 part papaya to 2 parts banana, plus a squeeze of lime
A softer, milder option, useful when the recipe treats cherimoya as a creamy base rather than the star.
What changes
Best for
smoothies, breakfast bowls, purees, chilled soups
Papaya matches the soft spoonable texture almost exactly but brings a musky, slightly savoury note that cherimoya does not have, so the lime is not optional here. This is the weakest flavour match on the list, and it is on it because papaya is cheap and everywhere. Use it when texture is what you need.

What is Cherimoya?

Cherimoya is Cherimoya, also spelled chirimoya and often sold as custard apple, is a heart-shaped green Andean fruit whose soft white flesh tastes like banana, pineapple and vanilla whipped into custard.

Cooking tips

Cherimoya seeds are toxic and should never be eaten, crushed or blended. Scoop the flesh, spit out or pick out the glossy black seeds, and if you are pureeing, sieve the pulp rather than tipping whole scoops into a blender.
Ripeness is the whole game. A cherimoya is ready when it gives to gentle pressure like a ripe avocado and the skin has dulled from bright green toward a bronze-green. Underripe fruit is chalky and flavourless, so leave it on the counter for a few days rather than in the fridge.
Do not cook it. Heat destroys the delicate custard-and-vanilla aroma that makes cherimoya worth eating, which is why Peruvian kitchens use it in ice cream, mousse and juice rather than in tarts or jams. If a recipe heats it, treat that as a warning sign.
The flesh browns within minutes of being scooped, the way a banana does. Work quickly, and toss the pulp with a little lime or lemon juice if it will sit before serving.
For any of the banana-based swaps, freeze the banana first if the dish is cold. Frozen banana blends thicker and creamier and stops a smoothie or ice cream base from turning watery.

Frequently asked questions

Is cherimoya the same thing as custard apple?

Loosely, yes, but the name is used carelessly. In shops and recipes, custard apple can mean cherimoya, sugar apple, atemoya or soursop, all of which are related but not identical. If a recipe says custard apple and you have cherimoya, or the reverse, you can proceed with confidence. Just expect sugar apple to be sweeter and grainier and soursop to be distinctly sour.

Can I just leave it out?

It depends on the job it is doing. In a mixed fruit salad or a multi-fruit smoothie, drop it and add a little more of whatever else is in the bowl. In a cherimoya ice cream, mousse or juice, the fruit is the entire dish, so leaving it out means making something else. Use the banana and pineapple blend instead and you will have a dessert worth eating.

What does cherimoya actually taste like?

Sweet and mild, with banana and pineapple up front, a pear-like floral note behind it, and a vanilla custard quality that comes from the texture as much as the flavour. It is not sharp or acidic. Mark Twain famously called it the most delicious fruit known to man, which tells you it is delicate and pleasant rather than punchy.

Can I use frozen or canned cherimoya pulp?

Yes, and for cooking it is often the sensible choice. Frozen Peruvian chirimoya pulp is sold in Latin groceries and works well in ice cream, smoothies and mousse. It is usually already sieved, so the seed problem is handled. Canned versions tend to be sweetened, so cut the sugar in your recipe and taste before adding more.

Where do I buy cherimoya?

Latin American groceries, Asian markets and specialty fruit shops carry it in late autumn through spring, often labelled chirimoya. It is expensive and bruises easily, which is much of why substitution questions come up at all. Buy it firm and let it ripen at home rather than buying already soft fruit that has been handled.

Related substitutes

More fruits substitutes

Cherimoya substitute

Other cherimoya substitutes

2Soursop (guanabana) pulp

3Sugar apple or sweetsop (atemoya)

4Ripe pear plus banana

5Mango plus banana

6Papaya plus banana and lime