How Do You Tell Them Apart?

Stone fruits are a summer highlight, but sometimes this category of juicy produce can feel a bit muddled. Peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries, and apricots are all in the same family, known for having a pit in the center and a fleshy exterior surrounding it, and just like any relatives, they can often look quite similar. Factor in varieties like white peaches and pluots (plum-apricot hybrids) and navigating the produce aisle in the hottest months may feel like a puzzle. Here’s what you need to know when it comes to a peach vs. nectarine. 

What Is a Peach? 

A peach is a fruit known for its fuzzy orange or red exterior skin and juicy flesh. Like all stone fruits, peaches grow on trees and are members of the genus Prunus. Peaches are their own distinct species. Within that species, there are different varieties of peach, including yellow peaches, white peaches, donut peaches, Elegant Lady peaches, and so many more, including, well, nectarines. 

What Is a Nectarine?

A nectarine is a variety of peach! Nectarines have smooth, almost glossy red-orange skin, as a nectarine is indeed a smooth-skinned peach. It’s a naturally occurring variation of the peach, and is believed to have been cultivated thousands of years ago in China, where peaches originated. Nectarines typically come in white and yellow varieties, and are smooth (as opposed to fuzzy) due to a recessive gene. Nectarines are not their own species and grow on the same trees as peaches. Nectarines stay quite firm when they’re ripe, and are delicious in sweet, savory, and spicy summer dishes, including nectarine and burrata salad and nectarine olive oil cake.  

Peach vs. Nectarine

Peaches and nectarines both grow in sunny, temperate orchards on their own trees. Botanically, they are nearly identical to one another and only differ by a single gene. Some people believe that nectarines are sweeter and juicier than peaches, but the taste and consistency completely depends on the fruit itself, as well as its ripeness. Some prefer the texture of biting into a nectarine because it does not have a peach’s signature fuzzy exterior. 

Peaches and nectarines should both be stored at room temperature, stem down, to preserve optimum freshness. Peaches and nectarines can both be eaten raw, but can also be grilled for an extra depth of flavor, sweetness, and a warm, juicy quality.  

Can You Substitute Peaches For Nectarines?

Peaches and nectarines can be used interchangeably in pretty much any recipe. In cases where the recipe requires or suggests removing the fruit’s skin or pureeing the flesh, it can be nearly impossible to tell the difference between a peach and a nectarine. Combining peaches and nectarines in recipes, such as in a peach cobbler trifle, grilled chicken with blueberry peach salsa, or tomato and peach salad with Serrano ham, can result in a fun combo of flavors, textures, and colors.