A Guide to the Best and Worst Fruits for Sweeteners

I think discovering how to use fresh fruits as sweeteners is probably the best thing I’ve ever done. But, that doesn’t mean some turn out well. Here are my list of the first best and worst fruits to use as sweeteners.

Red Grapes
Rank: 9
Red grapes I use for chocolate type of stuff, but from experience, you shouldn’t just squeeze the grape juice or blend it. The best way to use it is blend it, then cook the grapes for about 30 minutes or longer until a lot of the water evaporates. That way, the wetness probably won’t mess your baking up (as sometimes if you bake something too wet, it will screw it over). The best thing about grapes is that it’s a very neutral taste, besides a little sourness. You really can’t taste it. So if you bake a chocolate cake with grapes, it will take like a chocolate cake, not a grape-chocolate cake.

Cherries
Rank: 8
I think cherries are amazing, they are very sweet and if you cook them for a while, they’ll really be brilliant and make things sweet. I tend to use cherries for anything with chocolate, like red grapes. Though cherries may have more of a distinct flavour than grapes, but is still brilliant. It does take a lot of time and effort to pull out the seeds though.

Pineapples (Cooked)
Rank: 8
I honestly don’t think uncooked pineapples should be used as it gives off a taste that may make other foods seem strange. (I always thought nuts tasted strange after having pineapples, its as if it messed up my taste buds) But if you actually cook it, all the problems are gone. Pineapples are very sweet and is a brilliant choice to use, and it can even turn out tasting very nutral, the only down side is you really have to cook it for a while to evaporate the water, about twice as long as the grapes (about an hour).

Green Grapes
Rank: 8
I find green grapes to be slightly more sour and less sweet, but they are still a brilliant choice. However, don’t expect the green grapes to stay green as they will turn yellow. They’re brilliant for baking things that are lighter in colour, such as unflavoured cakes or muffins. As above, the best method is to cook it first to evaporate a lot of the water.

Ripe Bananas
Rank: 6
I ranked bananas as 5 because it can be very sweet, but it also has a banana-y taste, I’m sure you know how that is. Bananas are best baked in dishes you would expect a banana taste, such as, well, banana bread! However, one way I truly love using bananas is freezing it and then blending it with avocados to create the perfect smooth soft serve. I think bananas give a stronger taste when they are heated/microwaved.

Pears
Rank: 3
Um, if I can give you advice for something today, that would be don’t try using pears to blend with avocados, it simply does not mix and tastes really strange. The consistency I don’t believe is what you’d enjoy. However, because pears are very sweet, they can probably be juiced and used in baking. Just don’t add the pulp!

Berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries)
Rank: 3
I don’t think berries are a good choice when it comes to sweetening as they’re really not that sweet. However, they are good to add if you want a fruity flavour, but will need to add more sweeteners if you’re only using the berries. I’ve made desserts with blueberries and raspberries and I find that I need a little grape juice, or maple syrup to spice it up. If you are making just a berry jam, then it will probably be fine without it, unless the berries are just nothing but sourness.

If I left a fruit out, it probably means I haven’t tried using it yet. I will write about my experiences once I have experiences, haha!