Durian substitute

Substitutes for Durian with ratios

1. 2Ripe Jackfruit

   Taste and texture differ

   Use the same amount by weight of pulp, seeds and cores removed

   Ripe yellow jackfruit, fresh or canned in syrup and drained, is a distant relative in reputation only, but it is the closest thing to durian's tropical, heavy, faintly funky sweetness.

   What changes

   Puree it smooth for desserts.

   Best for

   ice cream, pancakes and crepe fillings, smoothies, sticky rice, puddings

   The best swap on flavour, and it needs to be said plainly that it is not close. Jackfruit is bright, bubblegum-sweet and slightly banana-like, with a fibrous stringy flesh rather than durian's smooth custard, and it has none of the sulphurous savoury weight. A durian ice cream made with jackfruit is a perfectly good jackfruit ice cream. Blend it with two tablespoons of heavy cream per cup to move the texture closer to durian's richness. Use ripe sweet jackfruit, not the green canned kind sold as a meat substitute.

2. 3Very Ripe Banana plus Cream or Custard

   Different taste

   Use ¾ cup mashed very ripe banana plus ¼ cup heavy cream or thick custard for every cup of durian pulp

   Mash bananas that are heavily speckled or almost black, then beat in the cream or a thick vanilla custard until you have a smooth, dense, spoonable paste.

   What changes

   Best for

   durian pancakes and crepes, ice cream, mousse, pastry filling, shakes

   The best swap on texture, which in a durian pancake or a puff matters more than you would think, because half of what makes the dessert work is a thick, fatty, custardy filling that does not run. Very ripe banana has a similar sweetness and even a faint fermented note. What it cannot do is smell like durian; the finished dessert tastes like a rich banana cream. A tiny pinch of salt and a few drops of vanilla improve it.

3. 4Ripe Mango plus Coconut Cream

   Different taste

   Use ¾ cup mango puree plus ¼ cup coconut cream for every cup of durian pulp

   Puree a very ripe mango, ideally Ataulfo or Nam Doc Mai, and stir in thick coconut cream from the top of a chilled can.

   What changes

   Best for

   ice cream and sorbet, pancakes and crepes, sticky rice desserts, smoothies, layered puddings

   The most reliably delicious substitution here, and the one most likely to make people happy even though it tastes nothing like durian. The coconut cream supplies fat and body while the mango supplies tropical sweetness and a floral perfume. Choose this when the goal is a good Southeast Asian dessert rather than an imitation of a specific one, and rename the dish honestly.

4. 5Avocado plus Condensed Milk

   Different taste

   Use ¾ cup mashed ripe avocado plus 3 tbsp sweetened condensed milk for every cup of durian pulp

   A version of a common Southeast Asian avocado shake, blended smooth.

   What changes

   Use a soft ripe Hass avocado with no brown patches.

   Best for

   shakes and smoothies, ice cream, mousse, pastry filling

   Included because it is the single best match for durian's specific mouthfeel, that dense buttery slickness that is closer to a savoury fat than to fruit. The flavour is mild and grassy, so the condensed milk is doing all the sweetening. It will not taste of durian at all, but in a shake or an ice cream it produces a comparable richness that fruit purees cannot. Do not use it in anything heated, since cooked avocado turns bitter.

5. 6Choosing a Different Dessert

   Taste and texture differ

   If a recipe is named after durian, such as durian ice cream, durian puffs or durian mochi, the fruit is the entire point and no substitution will satisfy anyone who wanted it.

   What changes

   Make mango sticky rice, a banana pancake or a jackfruit ice cream on purpose instead.

   Best for

   situations where frozen durian is unavailable, cooking for people who dislike the aroma, shared kitchens and rentals where the smell is a problem

   This is the truthful recommendation and belongs on the list. Every swap above changes the dish from a durian dessert into something else, so if you cannot get frozen durian, choosing a dish that is meant to taste of what you actually have will produce a much better result than a durian recipe made without durian. Frozen pulp is genuinely easy to find in most cities, so try one Asian grocer before giving up.