Do you look forward to sweet, juicy nectarines every summer? Well, then you’re in luck! Read on to discover 10 other fruits like nectarines that you’re certain to fall in love with. Some have a similar shape and texture, others taste just like them, and all are absolutely delicious.
1. White-Fleshed Peaches
These are about as close to nectarines as you can get. They’re fragrant and floral, with smooth skins and pale, juicy, nectar-like flesh. Additionally, white-fleshed peach skin isn’t as fuzzy as standard peaches.
You should be able to find them at your local supermarket, but they’re also available at Asian produce stores worldwide.
2. Yellow Peaches
Yellow-fleshed peaches are pretty much the industry standard. Their flesh is sweet and juicy with just a hint of acid, making them ideal for canning, juicing, and baking. In fact, these are quintessential all-purpose fruits.
Although many people dislike their fuzzy skins, you can avoid the weird mouthfeel by peeling peaches before eating.
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3. Apricots
Much like peaches, apricots have a sweet, nectar-like flavor that’s very similar to nectarines. Underripe apricots can be slightly tart, so look for fruits that are so soft, they’re almost fermenting. These will be super-sweet, and gorgeous for smoothies, jams, preserves, and baked goods.
Just note that they also have fuzzy skins, so you’ll have to peel them to avoid the furry tongue “ick” feeling.
4. Plums
Stone fruits generally share a similar flavor profile, and plums are no exception to this. Plum skins are smooth like nectarines, and their flesh can be anywhere from tart to sugary, depending on the variety. Yellow plums tend to be more tart, while purple and red plums are sweeter and juicier.
5. Pluots
Have you come across the name of this fruit before? It’s a hybrid cross between a plum and an apricot, hence its name. The reason it begins with the “plu-” prefix is because plum is its primary parent. This fruit has smooth skin and juicy flesh, and tastes quite a lot like a red nectarine.
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6. Apriums
These hybrids are pluots’ opposites in that they’re also plum-apricot hybrids, only this time apricot is the dominant parent. They also taste a lot like nectarines, only with fuzzy skin like peach or apricot.
Their flavor is most nectarine-like when they’re fully ripe
7. Mangosteens
If you’ve ever seen a mangosteen, you’ll notice that it looks nothing like a nectarine. Or a peach, for that matter. The similarities between these fruits has to do with its flavor. The creamy flesh that hides beneath mangosteen’s tough exterior happens to taste like nectarines or peaches and cream.
8. Asian Pears
These crunchy, juicy fruits have crunchy flesh rather than grainy and soft like nectarine. That said, their flavor is like a cross between nectarine and peach, with a hint of summer sunshine. If you’re all about stone fruit flavor and don’t mind the texture difference, definitely get your hands on several of these!
Asian pears are available at most supermarkets, but are easy to find at Asian grocery stores almost year-round.
9. Muscat Grapes
If you’ve ever sipped Muscat (Muscado) wine, you likely noticed that it had a noticeable peach or nectarine flavor. Although grapes aren’t related to stone fruits by any stretch of the imagination, these grapes taste astonishingly similar to both fruits mentioned above.
If you love nectarines and peaches, get your hands on some of muscat grapes immediately. Enjoy them raw, freeze them into granita, or juice them to bring out their nectarine flavor the most.
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10. Lychees
Much like mangosteens, lychees look nothing like nectarines, peaches, or plums. They’re still stone fruits, however, and taste like nectarine or peach when they’re fully ripe. Lychee flesh has a totally different texture too, sort of like juicy yet crunchy jello. You just need to peel off their thick, dragon scale-like skins and eat around the pits inside to enjoy their deliciousness.
Lychee fruits are also delicious in juices, smoothies, and sorbets. Try to enjoy them as raw as possible as they don’t maintain their juiciness nor their consistency when baked.
Which of these fruits like nectarines have you already tried? Are there any on this list that you haven’t tasted yet? See if you can taste all of them to determine which of them taste most like nectarines to you. Then experiment with them in different recipes, mixing and matching to get different effects!
Hey, I’m Joey. I’ve been cooking since I was a little kid and love everything about it. You can find my writing about food, kitchen appliances (such as blenders) and much more. Thanks for stopping by!
