Nectarine: What It Is, Nutrition, Benefits & Nectarine vs. Peach

A nectarine is a peach with smooth skin, the same species with one natural gene change that leaves out the fuzz, and a medium nectarine gives you about 62 calories, 2.4 grams of fiber, vitamin C, copper and a mix of protective plant compounds.12 Nectarines are on my list of recommended fruits, and fruit is the way I'd have you satisfy a sweet tooth, because the sugar in a whole nectarine comes wrapped in the fiber, water and nutrients your body was designed to use.75

That's the heart of how I think about sugar. Sugar itself isn't the culprit; the trouble comes from sugar that has lost the fiber and nutrients of its whole-food form, the kind you find in soda, candy and packaged sweets.5 So when a craving for something sweet hits, there's no need to fight your body. You can answer it with a fruit that feeds the good bacteria in your gut and is linked to calmer inflammation.34 That way you're dealing with the root cause, the added sugar hiding in so many packaged foods, and you still get to enjoy something sweet.

Nectarines are at their sweetest in summer, which is the season my family goes to our local farmers market pretty much every week for our fruits and vegetables.9 The rest of the year, frozen slices make a good stand-in, since organic fresh or frozen fruit is what I recommend.7

Advertisement

What is a nectarine?

Botanists list the nectarine as Prunus persica var. nucipersica, a variety of the peach.2 Like peaches, apricots, plums and cherries, nectarines carry one hard pit at the center, which is why they're grouped as stone fruit. Their flesh can be yellow or white, their skin blushes red over gold or cream, and because they're the same species as peaches, you can swap one for the other in almost any recipe.

A short history of nectarines

The nectarine's story begins with the peach, which people in China's lower Yangzi River valley were selecting and growing at least 7,500 years ago, judging by the peach stones archaeologists have found there.10 Nectarines arose from the peach itself. Geneticists have traced their smooth skin to one change in a single gene, and the same change marks nectarines from every source they tested, which points to one original mutation behind them all.1 That also settles a common mix-up, because it means nectarines are simply peaches without the fuzz rather than a cross between peaches and plums.

Nectarine nutrition facts and calories

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central record 169914 (nectarines, raw) at USDA's medium size of 142 grams; % Daily Value uses the FDA's reference values.211

Copper is the standout here, since one fruit gives you 14% of the daily value, more than its share of vitamin C, and niacin isn't far behind at 10%. Most of the sugar is sucrose, with smaller amounts of glucose and fructose (4.87, 1.57 and 1.37 grams per 100 grams), and all of it arrives with fiber and plenty of water.2

White vs. yellow nectarines

White and yellow nectarines differ mainly in their pigments. When researchers tested 25 California varieties of ripe stone fruit, yellow-fleshed nectarines carried 80 to 186 micrograms of carotenoids per 100 grams, while white-fleshed nectarines carried only 7 to 14.12 White nectarines held their own on phenolic compounds, though, with 14 to 102 milligrams per 100 grams against 18 to 54 in yellow, and across all the fruit tested, the phenolics did far more of the antioxidant work than vitamin C or carotenoids did.12 So each color brings something of its own, which is why I encourage you to eat fruit in a variety of colors.7

What's in a nectarine for your eyes, skin and immunity

Per 100 grams, nectarines carry 130 micrograms of lutein and zeaxanthin and 98 micrograms of beta-cryptoxanthin.2 I think of carotenoids as your cells' sunglasses and armor.13 Lutein and zeaxanthin concentrate in the retina, where they help shield your eyes from oxidative stress and blue light, and beta-cryptoxanthin and beta-carotene are carotenoids your body can turn into vitamin A, which supports your skin, the mucous membranes that line your body and your immune defenses.1314 The vitamin C helps your skin build collagen and supports the work of your immune cells.1516 One nectarine adds a modest share of each, and alongside the other colorful produce on your plate, those shares add up.

How nectarines work in your body

A nectarine works on three things at once, the way your body handles sugar, the antioxidant defenses in your cells and the bacteria in your gut, and each one traces back to something you'll notice when you bite into one: its sweetness, its color and its juicy, fiber-rich flesh.

Start with the sweetness. As I've explained on my show, fruit contains sugar, and it also contains fiber, vitamins, minerals and water, and the fiber slows down how quickly that sugar is absorbed, which helps keep your blood sugar from spiking.5 A candy bar or a can of soda gives you the sugar without any of that package.

Then there's the color. Yellow nectarines owe their gold flesh to carotenoids, and all nectarines carry phenolic compounds, the family that includes the polyphenols. In the California study, total phenolics tracked the fruit's antioxidant activity almost point for point, with correlations of 0.93 to 0.96, so the more phenolics a fruit had, the more antioxidant activity it showed.12

Finally, the fiber your small intestine can't digest travels on to your colon, where your gut bacteria ferment it into short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate. Those fatty acids fuel the cells that line your colon and carry messages from your gut to the rest of your body.3 That's why I recommend eating more fiber-rich plants, up to 30 different kinds a week, along with fermented foods every day and plenty of polyphenol-rich foods,17 and a nectarine counts toward two of those at once.

Nectarine benefits: what they do for you

Are nectarines good for blood sugar?

Whether you eat your fruit whole or drink it makes a real difference. In three U.S. studies that followed 187,382 health professionals for up to 24 years, every three servings a week of whole fruit was linked to a 2% lower risk of type 2 diabetes, while the same amount of fruit juice was linked to a 7% higher risk.28

The trial of unripe-nectarine tablets comes from Italy. Growers thin their trees by picking some of the fruit while it's small and unripe, and researchers turned those thinned nectarines, which are rich in a plant hormone called abscisic acid, into freeze-dried tablets. They then tested the tablets in a randomized trial in which neither the people nor the researchers knew who got what. People in the trial took 500 or 750 milligrams of the tablets three times a day, or a placebo, for 12 weeks.19 HbA1c fell from 8.0% to 6.9% on the lower dose and from 7.8% to 6.9% on the higher dose, each measured against the group's own starting point, while the placebo group stayed at 7.7%, and fasting insulin dropped 29.2% on the lower dose.19

To get the most from a nectarine's natural sugar, eat the whole fruit rather than juice, and pair it with some protein. My Healthy Weight & Metabolic Reset builds meals on whole-food carbs paired with protein and cuts out liquid sugar completely from its first phase.8 A sliced nectarine with a handful of walnuts makes an easy blood sugar-friendly snack to pack for the afternoon.

How many nectarines can you eat a day?

As I wrote in The Biblio Diet, it's always better to eat some fruit than none at all, so if you're eating little fruit right now, one nectarine a day is a fine place to start.7 Variety matters as much as the number, so let nectarines share your fruit servings with berries and other colors through the week, and count juice and dried fruit differently from a whole nectarine, since both concentrate the sugar, and juice loses most of the fiber too.

Nectarine vs. peach vs. apricot

A nectarine and a peach are the same species, so the biggest difference you'll notice is the skin, fuzzy on a peach and smooth on a nectarine.1 Apricots are a separate species, Prunus armeniaca, in the same stone-fruit family, and they're much smaller, about 35 grams each against 142 grams for a medium nectarine.292 Here's how the three compare gram for gram.

USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy records 169914, 169928 and 171697.23029

Each fruit has its own strengths. Nectarines lead the three on niacin, copper and lutein plus zeaxanthin and have the least sugar, peaches have the fewest calories, and apricots stand out for beta-carotene, vitamin C, potassium and fiber.23029 All three are whole, fiber-rich fruits I recommend, so enjoy them in rotation all summer.7

How to use nectarines

The vitamin C in a nectarine also helps your body absorb the iron in plant foods eaten at the same meal, so add slices to a spinach salad or a lentil bowl.31

Choosing and storing nectarines

I encourage you to eat with the seasons and to shop your local farmers market every week,9 and summer is when nectarines are at their best. Look for fruit that smells sweet and gives slightly when you press near the stem, with smooth skin and no soft, bruised or wrinkled spots. Firm nectarines keep ripening on the counter at room temperature, and once they give a little, the refrigerator slows them down so you can enjoy them over the next few days. If you buy nectarines canned, choose fruit packed without syrup.7

Nectarine recipes

Nectarines work in sweet and savory dishes alike, and they'll stand in for peaches in any peach recipe. These six ideas use the whole fruit, keep any sweetener to a little raw honey, and lean on goat and sheep's-milk cheeses, coconut and olive oil.

Nectarine salsa

A bright, quick salsa that's good over grilled wild-caught salmon, chicken or tacos.

Nectarine, arugula and goat cheese salad

Peppery arugula, sweet nectarines and tangy goat cheese make a summer salad that comes together in minutes. If you like it, try our balsamic peaches and goat cheese salad with nectarines in place of the peaches.

Grilled nectarines with goat milk yogurt and honey

A simple summer dessert that lets the fruit do the sweetening.

Three more ways to cook with nectarines

• Nectarine and avocado toast: Spread mashed avocado on sprouted grain bread or sourdough, layer on thin nectarine slices, and finish with toasted almonds, crumbled sheep's-milk feta and a pinch of chili flakes.
• Grilled flatbread with roasted pepper and nectarine: Top a flatbread with roasted red pepper, sliced nectarine and goat cheese, grill or bake until the cheese softens, and finish with fresh basil.
• Nectarine crisp: Toss sliced nectarines with a little raw honey and cinnamon, cover them with a topping of almond flour, chopped pecans and ghee or coconut oil, and bake until bubbling and golden.

Nectarine side effects and who should be careful

Stone-fruit allergy. Nectarines carry the same allergy proteins as peaches, and the main one, a lipid transfer protein called Pru p 3, sits almost entirely in the skin: in tests of peach and nectarine varieties, the peel held 132.86 micrograms per gram on average, against 0.61 in the flesh.32 Peach allergy shows up in two main ways. In people with birch-pollen allergy, raw fruit can make the mouth and throat itch, and cooked fruit is often tolerated, while reactions to Pru p 3, which are most common around the Mediterranean, hold up to heat and can be severe.3334 If nectarines or peaches make your mouth itch or swell, stop eating them and ask an allergist to test you (our guide to food allergy symptoms covers the signs), and if you ever have throat tightness, trouble breathing or hives that spread, get emergency care right away.

A sensitive gut. The sorbitol in stone fruit, together with its fiber, can cause gas, bloating or loose stools if you have IBS or trouble absorbing sorbitol and fructose.2223 Sorbitol is one of the polyols a low-FODMAP diet tracks, so if you follow an IBS diet, start with half a nectarine with a meal and see how you feel.

The pit. The kernel inside a nectarine's stone contains amygdalin, which can release cyanide when it's crushed and broken down, so enjoy the fruit, discard the pit, and don't crack it open to eat the kernel.35

Pesticides. Nectarines rank No. 5 on the 2026 Dirty Dozen, and since you eat them skin and all, they're one of the fruits I recommend buying organic when you can and washing well before you eat them.3637

The bottom line

Nectarines: frequently asked questions

References

1. Vendramin E, Pea G, Dondini L, et al. A unique mutation in a MYB gene cosegregates with the nectarine phenotype in peach. PLoS One. 2014;9(3):e90574. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0090574
2. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central: Nectarines, raw. FDC ID 169914 (SR Legacy, NDB 09191; per 100 g; portions: 1 medium, 2-1/2" dia = 142 g; 1 cup slices = 143 g). Accessed November 12, 2026.
3. Koh A, De Vadder F, Kovatcheva-Datchary P, Bäckhed F. From Dietary Fiber to Host Physiology: Short-Chain Fatty Acids as Key Bacterial Metabolites. Cell. 2016;165(6):1332-1345. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2016.05.041
4. Yang S, Cao Z, Liu H, et al. Identifying atheroprotective fruits and vegetables by Mendelian Randomization analysis. Front Nutr. 2024;11:1426763. doi:10.3389/fnut.2024.1426763
5. Axe J. 11 Foods with SHOCKINGLY High Amounts of Sugar (Best Sugar Substitutes). The Dr. Josh Axe Show. 2024 (fruit's fiber and the absorption of its sugar, at 22:25; "sugar is not the culprit," at 22:43).
6. Fung TT, Chiuve SE, Willett WC, et al. Intake of specific fruits and vegetables in relation to risk of estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer among postmenopausal women. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2013;138(3):925-30. doi:10.1007/s10549-013-2484-3
7. Axe J, Rubin J. The Biblio Diet. Hachette Book Group; 2025. ISBN 9781546008439 (food lists, Fruits row: "organic fresh or frozen are best," nectarines and peaches listed; fruit chapter: "three to four servings of fruit per day" and the two-servings low-sugar list).
8. Axe J. Healthy Weight & Metabolic Reset. DrAxe.com; 2026 (Phase 1 "Stabilize": "Cut liquid sugar and alcohol completely"; section 21, 7-day meal plan: "whole-food carbs paired with protein").
9. Axe J. Top 10 Habits for Better Health & Longevity in 2025. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. 2024 (eating in season at the farmers market, at 27:01; his family's summer market habit, at 28:15).
10. Zheng Y, Crawford GW, Chen X. Archaeological evidence for peach (Prunus persica) cultivation and domestication in China. PLoS One. 2014;9(9):e106595. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0106595
11. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels. Accessed November 12, 2026.
12. Gil MI, Tomás-Barberán FA, Hess-Pierce B, Kader AA. Antioxidant capacities, phenolic compounds, carotenoids, and vitamin C contents of nectarine, peach, and plum cultivars from California. J Agric Food Chem. 2002;50(17):4976-82. doi:10.1021/jf020136b
13. Axe J, Cole W. Heal Your Cells. Avery; 2026. ISBN 9798217181353 (carotenoids passage, "Carotenoids (cellular sunglasses and armor)").
14. Burri BJ. Beta-cryptoxanthin as a source of vitamin A. J Sci Food Agric. 2015;95(9):1786-94. doi:10.1002/jsfa.6942
15. Pullar JM, Carr AC, Vissers MCM. The Roles of Vitamin C in Skin Health. Nutrients. 2017;9(8):866. doi:10.3390/nu9080866
16. Carr AC, Maggini S. Vitamin C and Immune Function. Nutrients. 2017;9(11):1211. doi:10.3390/nu9111211
17. Axe J. The Shocking Reason Your Anxiety, Brain Fog & Bloating May Start in Your Gut. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. 2026 (plant variety and gut bacteria, at 36:27; fiber-rich plants, fermented foods and polyphenol-rich foods, at 40:13).
18. Biemans Y, Bach D, Behrouzi P, et al. Identifying the relation between food groups and biological ageing: a data-driven approach. Age Ageing. 2024;53(Suppl 2):ii20-ii29. doi:10.1093/ageing/afae038 (correction to the conflict-of-interest statement only: Age Ageing. 2025;54(6):afaf165).
19. Schiano E, Maisto M, Piccolo V, et al. Beneficial Contribution to Glucose Homeostasis by an Agro-Food Waste Product Rich in Abscisic Acid: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial. Foods. 2022;11(17):2637. doi:10.3390/foods11172637
20. Reynolds A, Mann J, Cummings J, et al. Carbohydrate quality and human health: a series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Lancet. 2019;393(10170):434-445. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31809-9
21. Du H, Li L, Bennett D, et al. Fresh fruit consumption in relation to incident diabetes and diabetic vascular complications: A 7-y prospective study of 0.5 million Chinese adults. PLoS Med. 2017;14(4):e1002279. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1002279
22. Walker RP, Battistelli A, Bonghi C, et al. Non-structural Carbohydrate Metabolism in the Flesh of Stone Fruits of the Genus Prunus (Rosaceae) - A Review. Front Plant Sci. 2020;11:549921. doi:10.3389/fpls.2020.549921
23. Fernández-Bañares F, Esteve M, Viver JM. Fructose-sorbitol malabsorption. Curr Gastroenterol Rep. 2009;11(5):368-74. doi:10.1007/s11894-009-0056-9
24. Axe J. 7 Habits That Age You Faster & Cost Nothing to Fix. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. 2026 (soluble and insoluble fiber, at 22:55; "eat more fruits and vegetables," at 24:10).
25. Axe J. The Liver Cleanse Protocol. DrAxe.com; 2026 (Step 3 "Open," "30–40 g Fiber daily · my target," p. 18).
26. Filippini T, Naska A, Kasdagli MI, et al. Potassium Intake and Blood Pressure: A Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. J Am Heart Assoc. 2020;9(12):e015719. doi:10.1161/JAHA.119.015719
27. Croteau DL, de Souza-Pinto NC, Harboe C, et al. DNA repair and the accumulation of oxidatively damaged DNA are affected by fruit intake in mice. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2010;65(12):1300-11. doi:10.1093/gerona/glq157
28. Muraki I, Imamura F, Manson JE, et al. Fruit consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes: results from three prospective longitudinal cohort studies. BMJ. 2013;347:f5001. doi:10.1136/bmj.f5001 (fruit-juice hazard ratio corrected to 1.07 in BMJ. 2013;347:f6935).
29. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central: Apricots, raw. FDC ID 171697 (SR Legacy; per 100 g; 1 apricot = 35 g). Accessed November 12, 2026.
30. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central: Peaches, yellow, raw. FDC ID 169928 (SR Legacy, NDB 09236; per 100 g; 1 medium = 150 g). Accessed November 12, 2026.
31. Hallberg L, Brune M, Rossander L. The role of vitamin C in iron absorption. Int J Vitam Nutr Res Suppl. 1989;30:103-8.
32. Ahrazem O, Jimeno L, López-Torrejón G, et al. Assessing allergen levels in peach and nectarine cultivars. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2007;99(1):42-7. doi:10.1016/S1081-1206(10)60619-9
33. Barni S, Caimmi D, Chiera F, et al. Phenotypes and Endotypes of Peach Allergy: What Is New? Nutrients. 2022;14(5):998. doi:10.3390/nu14050998
34. Price A, Ramachandran S, Smith GP, et al. Oral allergy syndrome (pollen-food allergy syndrome). Dermatitis. 2015;26(2):78-88. doi:10.1097/DER.0000000000000087
35. Jaszczak-Wilke E, Polkowska Ż, Koprowski M, et al. Amygdalin: Toxicity, Anticancer Activity and Analytical Procedures for Its Determination in Plant Seeds. Molecules. 2021;26(8):2253. doi:10.3390/molecules26082253
36. Environmental Working Group (EWG Science Team). EWG's 2026 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce: Summary. March 24, 2026. Accessed November 12, 2026.
37. Axe J. Natural Remedies for Asthma, ADHD, & Aluminum-Free Deodorants | Q&A with Dr. Josh Axe. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. 2024 (washing produce and knowing the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15, at 1:29 and 1:59).
38. Axe J. #1 Cellular Health EXPERT: Most Longevity Advice Gets It Backwards. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. 2026 (food as medicine first, at 2:59).
39. Bertoia ML, Mukamal KJ, Cahill LE, et al. Changes in Intake of Fruits and Vegetables and Weight Change in United States Men and Women Followed for Up to 24 Years: Analysis from Three Prospective Cohort Studies. PLoS Med. 2015;12(9):e1001878. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001878
40. Wright ME, Park Y, Subar AF, et al. Intakes of fruit, vegetables, and specific botanical groups in relation to lung cancer risk in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. Am J Epidemiol. 2008;168(9):1024-34. doi:10.1093/aje/kwn212

Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CNS

Doctor of Natural Medicine · Founder, DrAxe.com

Dr. Axe is a certified doctor of natural medicine, clinical nutritionist, and multiple New York Times bestselling author. He has spent 20+ years in clinical practice helping people heal at the root cause and founded one of the most-visited natural-health platforms in the world.

Read the full bio →

This article is for educational purposes. See our medical disclaimer.