Peach vs Plum vs Apricot: How to Tell Them Apart

Peaches, plums and apricots sit side by side in the produce section, in overlapping shades of red, orange and purple, and it’s easy to grab the wrong one. That’s no accident: all three are close relatives in the same plant family. Once you know what to feel for, they’re easy to tell apart.

Quick answer: Peach vs plum vs apricot: all three are close cousins, stone fruits from the same plant family, each built around one hard pit.¹ The differences are in the skin, the size and the taste. Peaches are big, fuzzy and sweet. Plums are smooth, with a dusty coating that rubs off, and taste sweet to tart. Apricots are small and velvety, sweet with a little tang.²

Peach vs plum vs apricot at a glance

If you only have a minute at the store, this table covers what most people want to know. The details and the reasons behind each row come below.

	Peach	Plum	Apricot
Look
Skin	Fuzzy	Smooth, often with a dusty white coating (bloom) that rubs off	Smooth or covered in very short hairs, so it feels velvety
Size	The biggest: about the size of a tennis ball	A little bigger than a golf ball	The smallest: about golf-ball size
Taste	Sweet and juicy	Sweet to tart; the skin is the tart part	Sweet with a little tang
Storage	Counter until ripe, then the fridge	Counter until ripe, then the fridge	Fridge once ripe
Best for	Eating ripe, today	Lunchboxes and snacks on the go	Small snacks, and the most vitamin A

Photos: Jack Dykinga, USDA (peach); Scott Bauer, USDA Agricultural Research Service (plum); Raju C Reddy via Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (apricot). Sources for the table: skin and plum taste from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and Cornell;²³ sizes from USDA;⁴⁵⁶ storage from university extension guides.⁷⁸⁹¹⁰

Are peaches, plums and apricots the same fruit?

It’s a question a lot of people search about these three, and it makes sense. They share a shape, a pit and a corner of the produce section, and some plums ripen to the same red as a peach.² They aren’t the same fruit, but they are close relatives. Knowing how they’re related makes the differences much easier to remember.

• They’re cousins. Peaches, plums and apricots all belong to one group of plants, the genus Prunus, which sits in the rose family along with cherries and almonds.¹ Each one is its own species, and plums are actually a few.²
• They’re all stone fruits. Each one grows around a single hard pit, the “stone,” with the seed inside. That’s the family resemblance.¹
• The differences are on the outside. The skin, the size and the taste are where the three go their own ways, and the next sections take them one at a time.

There’s one more relative worth knowing. If your kid asks whether a plum is a peach without the fuzz, the fruit they’re picturing is real: it’s a nectarine, a peach that grows without fuzz. A nectarine isn’t a peach-plum cross.²³

How to tell them apart

The skin is the first clue, and it’s the one a kid can learn fastest. Here’s what to feel and look for.

The skin

• Peach: fuzzy. That fuzz does a job. The tiny hairs let raindrops sit on top of the fuzz instead of on the skin underneath, which protects the fruit in the rain, according to Cornell Cooperative Extension.³
• Plum: smooth, with a dusty coat. Most plums wear a dusty white coating called bloom, a wax that rubs off easily with a thumb.²
• Apricot: velvety. Apricot skin is smooth or covered in very short hairs, so it feels soft and velvety.²

The size

Size is the next clue, and it’s easiest to see when all three sit side by side. These are USDA’s standard sizes for one fruit, with an everyday object for comparison:

	Standard size (USDA)	About the size of
Peach	Medium: 2⅔ inches across, about 150 grams. Small: 2½ inches, about 130 grams. Large: 2¾ inches, about 175 grams.4	A tennis ball
Plum	2⅛ inches across, about 66 grams5	A little bigger than a golf ball
Apricot	About 35 grams.11 USDA’s grading standard uses a 1⅞-inch apricot as its reference size.6	About a golf ball

By weight, one medium peach equals about two plums or four apricots.⁴¹¹⁵ Sizes vary by variety, so use these as a guide, not a rule.

The pit

Peaches come in two main types, named for how the fruit holds on to its pit:⁷³

• Clingstone: the fruit clings tightly to the pit. These hold their shape and flavor well when cooked, so they’re used a lot for canning. Canned peaches are often clingstone.
• Freestone: the fruit pulls away from the pit easily, which makes them easy to slice and eat fresh. They’re also good in desserts, cooked, or frozen.
• Semi-freestone: in between.

You usually can’t tell freestone from clingstone by looking. You find out when you cut it open, which makes it a fun thing to guess with your kid.

Want a song to go with the guessing? Play our NutraBeats track “Stone Cold Peaches (Cling to the Beat)” while you slice:

What each one tastes like

Taste is where kids usually pick a favorite, so it helps to know what to expect.

• Peaches are sweet and juicy when ripe.
• Plums range from sweet to tart, and the skin is usually the tartest part.²
• Apricots are sweet with a little tang.

Peach vs plum vs apricot nutrition

If you’re wondering whether one of these is the “healthy” one, the honest answer is that all three are good choices, and they’re closer than most people expect. Here’s what one of each gives you, from USDA FoodData Central.⁴¹¹⁵

One fruit	Medium peach	Plum	Apricot
Calories	59	30	17
Sugar	12.6 g	6.5 g	3.2 g
Fiber	2.3 g	0.9 g	0.7 g
Vitamin C	9.9 mg	6.3 mg	3.5 mg
Vitamin A	24 mcg	11 mcg	34 mcg

The peach is the vitamin C leader of the three, so here’s how far one medium peach goes for each person at the table, using the National Institutes of Health’s recommended amounts:⁴¹²

Who’s eating	One medium peach covers
Toddlers (1 to 3)	about two-thirds of the day’s vitamin C
Kids 4 to 8	about two-fifths
Kids 9 to 13	about a fifth
Teens	about a seventh
Adults	about an eighth

A plum gives about two-thirds as much vitamin C as a peach, and an apricot about a third.⁴¹¹⁵

What that means for your family:

• Vitamin C: the peach has the most. One medium peach covers about two-thirds of a toddler’s day and about an eighth of an adult’s. The body uses vitamin C to make collagen, a protein that helps wounds heal. It also helps the body absorb iron from plant foods and helps the immune system do its job, according to the National Institutes of Health.¹²
• Vitamin A: the apricot has the most. Even one small apricot has more than a whole medium peach. Its orange color comes from carotenoids (kuh-ROT-uh-noids), plant pigments, some of which the body can turn into vitamin A. Vitamin A helps with normal vision, the immune system, and growth and development.¹³
• Fiber: the peach has the most, mostly because it’s the biggest. Fiber helps with digestion: one kind adds bulk and appears to help food move through the stomach and intestines, according to the National Library of Medicine.¹⁴
• Calories and sugar: the peach has the most, again because of its size. Two plums or four apricots come out about the same.⁴¹¹⁵

All three are good choices. The best one for your family is the one everyone at your table will happily eat.

Which one to pick for what

Each fruit has its strengths, and each has a catch. Here’s how they compare for real life.

	Peach	Plum	Apricot
Pros	A sweet, soft snack when it’s ripe; great sliced fresh or in desserts	Lunchboxes and snacks on the go, because it stays firm	A small, easy portion for little hands, with the most vitamin A
Cons	Goes soft fast, and soft fruit bruises more easily, so eat it soon15	The skin can taste tart, which some kids don’t like at first	You need about four to match one medium peach by weight, and one picked too early won’t get sweeter10

Why plums stay firmer in the lunchbox: in University of California tests on California varieties at room temperature (68°F), peaches softened about three times faster than plums.¹⁵ That’s why a plum is the firmer pick for a backpack, and a ripe peach is happiest eaten at home.

Swapping one for another in a recipe? Go by weight: about four apricots or two plums for every medium peach.⁴¹¹⁵ Apricots and plums (especially the skins) can be more tart, so taste before you add sugar.

How to pick and store peaches, plums and apricots

Each of the three gives its own signs when it’s ripe, and they don’t all go to the same place at home. Here’s what to look for at the store and where to keep each one.

Peaches

• How to pick: look for a strong, sweet smell and a yellow or warm-cream color under the red. Skip peaches with green near the stem (not ripe yet) or shriveled skin (old). The red blush isn’t a reliable sign of ripeness.⁷
• How to store: keep them on the counter until they’re as ripe as you like, then move them to the crisper drawer in the fridge.⁷⁹

Plums

• How to pick: choose plums that feel slightly soft when you press gently with your thumb.⁸
• How to store: if they’re not quite ripe, keep them at room temperature in a paper bag until they are. Once ripe, refrigerate them and eat them within about 4 days.⁸

Apricots

• How to pick: look for dark yellow or yellow-orange, and choose ones that give a little to gentle pressure. Skip pale yellow or greenish apricots, and any that are very firm, shriveled, bruised or mushy. An apricot’s flavor doesn’t change after it’s picked, so one picked too early won’t get sweeter, only softer.¹⁰
• How to store: if they’re firm, let them soften at room temperature in a paper bag. Once ripe, refrigerate them, unwashed, and eat them within about 2 days.¹⁰⁹

Peaches and plums keep ripening after they’re picked, and apricots keep softening. Warmth speeds that up and cold slows it down.¹⁵¹⁰ When you’re ready to eat them, wash them under running water, the FDA’s basic recommendation for all fresh produce.¹⁶ If you’re deciding where organic is worth it, peaches are #6 on EWG’s 2026 Dirty Dozen, the list of foods with the most pesticide residue.¹⁷

If your kid likes a mission at the store, our TJ’s Grocery Challenge and Taste Test Tracker turns the produce section into one, with points for every challenge they finish.

The three-fruit taste test

This is an easy way for everyone at the table to learn the difference, and all it takes is one of each fruit. The idea is to let everyone explore first, so tasting feels like part of the game. Little ones can do the sorting by touch, and a teen can handle the knife for the pit check.

1. Sort by touch. Set out one peach, one plum and one apricot. Take turns: with eyes closed, each person feels one and guesses: fuzzy, smooth and dusty, or small and velvety.
2. Do the thumb test. Let them rub the plum and watch the dusty bloom come off, leaving the skin shiny.
3. Find the pits. Cut each one in half. Which pit lets go easily, and which one clings?
4. Taste one bite of each. Line them up, sweetest first and tartest last. There’s no wrong answer.
5. Let them pick the winner. Their favorite goes in the fruit bowl for the week.

Along the way, ask about what they notice instead of whether they’ll eat it: “Which one felt the softest?” “Why do you think the plum has that dusty coat?” Touching, guessing and having a say turn the tasting into part of the game.

Want to keep the conversation going at dinner? Our free conversation starters are kid-friendly questions about food. For a peach-themed watch together, try NutraPlanet News, The Peach That Started a War?!, and Adventures of Lil TJ, What REALLY Happens When You Eat a Peach?!.

Peach, plum and apricot questions

Is a nectarine a peach?

Yes. A nectarine is a peach that grows without fuzz. It isn’t a peach-plum cross.²

Which is healthier, a peach or a plum?

Neither one wins outright. A peach has more vitamin C and fiber, mostly because it’s bigger, and an apricot has the most vitamin A.⁴¹¹⁵ All three are good choices, so go with the one your family enjoys.

Apricot vs peach: what's the difference?

An apricot is smaller than a peach (about golf-ball size next to a peach’s tennis ball), with smooth or velvety skin instead of fuzz, and it tastes sweet with a little tang. A peach is bigger, fuzzier and juicier. They’re cousins, not the same fruit at two sizes.⁴¹¹²¹⁰

Can I use plums or apricots instead of peaches in a recipe?

Yes. Go by weight: about two plums or four apricots for each medium peach. Taste for sweetness, since both can be more tart.⁴¹¹⁵

Do peaches and plums need to go in the fridge?

Not right away. Let them ripen at room temperature, then refrigerate them once they’re ripe. Apricots go in the fridge once they’re ripe too.⁷⁸¹⁰

Putting it to work at the store

Next trip, pick up one peach, one plum and one apricot. At home, let the whole family sort them with eyes closed: fuzzy is the peach, smooth with a dusty coat is the plum, small and velvety is the apricot. Cut each one open to find the pit, and taste one bite of each, sweetest first. Then let the fruit bowl do the sorting: peaches ripen on the counter until they smell sweet, plums until they give a little to your thumb, and ripe apricots go straight in the fridge.

On Saturday morning, your kid picks up a peach, sniffs it, and announces it’s ready before you’ve checked. By Wednesday their plum is in the lunchbox. The next time you’re at the fruit stand, they rub the dusty coat with a thumb and tell you, “This one’s a plum.”

The fruit your kid can name is the fruit they reach for.

Every child is different, so if you have questions about what you or your kids should eat, your pediatrician or a registered dietitian is the best person to ask.

If the sorting game was a hit, the NutraPlanet Gazette keeps that kind of curiosity going. Each issue gives one food the star treatment, with a comic, music, games and activities your kid can flip through with you. Read a free issue to see what’s inside. If your kid wants more, a Gazette library membership opens all 11 finished issues, including strawberries, pineapple and broccoli.

Footnotes

1. NC State Extension: Prunus ↩ ↩² ↩³

2. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: Plums, Nectarines, Apricots, Cherries, Almonds and Prunus hybrids ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰

3. Cornell Cooperative Extension Monroe County: All About Peaches ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

4. USDA FoodData Central: Peaches, yellow, raw ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹

5. USDA FoodData Central: Plums, raw ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

6. USDA AMS: United States Standards for Grades of Apricots ↩ ↩²

7. University of Illinois Extension: That’s Just Peachy ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

8. Purdue Extension FoodLink: Plum ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

9. UC ANR: Storing Fresh Fruits and Vegetables for Better Taste ↩ ↩² ↩³

10. Utah State University Extension: Apricots, Food $ense Guide ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

11. USDA FoodData Central: Apricots, raw ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

12. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin C ↩ ↩²

13. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin A and Carotenoids ↩

14. MedlinePlus: Soluble vs. insoluble fiber ↩

15. UC Cooperative Extension: Optimum Procedures for Ripening Stone Fruit ↩ ↩² ↩³

16. FDA: Selecting and Serving Produce Safely ↩

17. EWG’s 2026 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce ↩