Cooking with Pluots

A pluot is a remarkably sweet juicy stone fruit that combines the best qualities of plums and apricots. And now is the time to enjoy them!

Plum Crumble

Plum Crumble (try it with pluots, too!) opens in a new tab

Pluots are a remarkably sweet juicy stone fruit that combines the best qualities of plums and apricots. They resemble plums in shape and skin texture, but they’re sweeter and less acidic. They are best at their peak in summer. Use them interchangeably with other stone fruits in recipes. Try them in salads such as a spinach salad with goat cheese opens in a new tab, salsas, fruit soups, smoothies and desserts suchas a crumble opens in a new tab. You can grill, glaze, bake, roast, broil or sauté them in a variety of dishes. They also make an excellent accompaniment to grilled pork, lamb, poultry, fish and shellfish.

Fresh pluots have a lovely subtle fragrance. Purchase them firm yet just soft enough to give a bit when gently pressed. They should be free of mushy, soft spots, bruises and blemishes. Ripen fully at room temperature then store for up to a week in the refrigerator.

Spinach Salad with Plums (or Pluots!) and Goat Cheese opens in a new tab

Here are some ideas and recipes:

With plouts, berries and herbs you can create a beautiful old-fashioned looking cake. Here’s a short video on How To Decorate a Cake with Fresh Fruit.

In case you’re wondering, pluots are a hybrid blend of roughly three-quarters plum and one-quarter apricot. They’re not the same thing as plumcots, which are half plum, half apricot.

Have you tried pluots? Got a favorite variety or a good recipe? Let me know.

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