Stone fruits are highly nutritious and rich in phytochemicals—beneficial plant compounds that contribute to their colors, flavors, and aromas. These compounds can offer several potential health benefits, including a reduced risk of heart disease and certain cancers.
Stone fruits, or “drupes,” are fleshy fruits that contain a single seed enclosed within a hard, woody pit, or “stone.” We eat the flesh and discard the pit.
Common stone fruits include peaches, plums, nectarines, and mangos. Surprisingly, nuts like walnuts and pistachios are also considered drupes, as they feature a hard shell protecting their edible seed.
Peaches have a tangy, juicy flavor and are rich in nutrients.
Key benefits:
- Packed with polyphenols (plant compounds that support heart health)
- Good source of vitamin A, vitamin C, and heart-healthy B vitamins
- Deliver 0.51 milligrams (mg) of iron each
Plums are best known for their laxative (stool-loosening) effects, particularly in their dried form as prunes, but they benefit health in several other ways.
Key benefits:
- High phenolic content, including anthocyanins (purple pigments) and catechins, which are antioxidants (disease-fighting compounds) that help give plums their color
- High in calcium, magnesium, and vitamin K, which support bone health
- Good source of B vitamins, vitamin C, and the antioxidants beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin
Fun fact: One dried plum provides nearly 50% of your daily needs for vitamin K!
According to some research, nectarines rank third-healthiest among stone fruits after plums and peaches—but they might be even more nutritious.
Key benefits:
- Contain more potassium and fiber than peaches, and twice as much vitamin A
- Good source of vitamins C and E
- Low in calories
- Rich in antioxidants that help neutralize harmful free radicals and reduce oxidative stress, preventing cell damage and disease
About 50% of apricots’ organic acid content comes from citric acid. This is one reason they’re tart, as well as nutritious. Citric acid also serves as a natural preservative.
Key benefits:
- High in potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure and support healthy blood flow
- Good source of iron, which is essential for oxygen transport in the blood
- Contain 18% of the Daily Value (DV) for vitamin C per cup; vitamin C supports iron absorption
- High in citric acid, which has antioxidant properties and may help reduce inflammation
Cherries, one of the smallest stone fruits, are known for their bright red hue and bursts of sweet, tangy flavor. While cherries’ sweetness comes from fructose and glucose (natural sugars), their sourness is likely due to malic acid, an organic compound.
Cherries are a rich source of polyphenols and other antioxidant nutrients, including:
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Beta-carotene
- Melatonin
Tip: Sour cherries have fewer sugars than sweet cherries and contain more vitamin A and beta carotene, which are beneficial for skin and eye health. They are also richer in polyphenols.
Raspberries are clusters of tiny drupes (drupelets). Each drupe contains a seed encased by fleshy fruit.
Key benefits:
- Good source of immune-boosting vitamin C
- One of the highest whole food sources of dietary fiber, providing 8 grams (g) per cup, or 28% of the DV
- Good source of bone-protective nutrients like magnesium, vitamin K, and calcium
- Contain beneficial phytochemicals, including polyphenols like ellagitannins and anthocyanins, which may enhance cellular function
Like raspberries, blackberries are clusters of drupelets. This structure of tiny drupelets is called a “compound drupe.”
Key benefits:
- High concentration of essential vitamins and minerals
- Only 7 grams of sugar per cup
- Contain a variety of beneficial bioactive compounds, including flavonols and polyphenols
Mulberries are compound drupelets known for their concentration of nutrients and distinct taste, often compared to a cross between a blackberry and a grapefruit.
Key benefits:
- Good source of calcium, iron, magnesium, and vitamins A, C, and E
- High in polyphenols
- Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties
- Have traditionally been used to treat anemia (low red blood cells or hemoglobin), sore throats, and hypertension (high blood pressure)
A mango is a large, tropical stone fruit with an oblong pit containing its seed.
Key benefits:
- High concentration of beneficial carotenoid nutrients—including provitamin A, alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and lutein—which also give it its yellow-orange color
- Contains quercetin, a plant compound that may help prevent cancer
- Good source of gallic acid, a polyphenol with antioxidant and antibacterial benefits
Although the coconut has a hard core and a seed, its structure differs from that of other common stone fruits. Its flesh (typically not eaten) is the fibrous layer beneath the husk and surrounding the hard seed. The seed itself contains coconut water and edible coconut meat.
Key benefits:
- Rich in dietary fiber
- Good source of lauric acid, a fatty acid that contributes to gut health
- Contains over 26 polyphenols, including catechins, keamppherols, and apigenins (known for its healing, anti-inflammatory effects)
An important fruit of the Mediterranean diet, olives can vary in color from bright to pale green and purple-pink to black, depending on the varying concentrations of their pigments, including carotenoids, anthocyanins, and chlorophylls.
Olives are a good source of heart-protective nutrients, including:
- Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), which have cardiovascular benefits
- Fiber
- Vitamin E
Although classified as nuts, almonds are technically the seed from the fruit of the almond tree. This drupe resembles a peach until it matures. Its softer flesh hardens, and the edible almond kernel (seed) separates easily from the hull once the fruit has ripened.
Key benefits:
- Good source of monounsaturated fatty acids
- High in vitamin E, magnesium, calcium, and potassium, which can all support healthy blood pressure
- Contain antioxidants like polyphenols and phytosterols, plant-derived compounds that may help support healthy cholesterol levels
Pistachio shells are covered by a thin, greenish skin that turns slightly red when fully ripe. The green color comes from a concentration of catechins, lutein, and zeaxanthin. Like almonds, you eat the seed (kernel).
Key benefits:
- Contain 6 grams of protein per ounce (oz)
- High in mono- and polyunsaturated fats
- Good source of dietary fiber (3 grams per ounce)
Like other nuts that come from drupes, the walnut has a protective hull encasing a shell that holds the seed (the nut you eat).
Key benefits:
- Excellent source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a plant-based omega-3 fatty acid with anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular benefits
- High polyphenol content, which supports cholesterol and blood sugar regulation
A date has a sweet, fibrous pulp surrounding a woody stone. Like other dried fruits, dates are high in natural sugars. While they are as sweet as some desserts, they are quite nutritious.
Key benefits:
- In dried form, contain the highest concentration of polyphenols compared to other dried fruits
- Nutritious mix of carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, and fiber
- Good source of electrolytes, including calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium
- Two Medjool dates contain 3.2 grams of fiber and 7% of the DV for potassium
The lychee, or litchi, is a subtropical fruit with red, bumpy skin and soft, milky white flesh. Lychees have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries.
Key benefits:
- Good source of polyphenols
- High in potassium, which promotes bone health and helps regulate blood pressure and blood sugar
- May support heart health by reducing the risk of conditions like hypertension
- 8% of the DV for vitamin C per lychee; vitamin C reduces the risk of oxidative damage caused by harmful free radicals and may help prevent certain cancers, neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, and other conditions
Here are a few ways to incorporate more stone fruits into your diet:
- Stone fruit parfait: Combine chopped plums, nectarines, and almonds, then serve with Greek or dairy-free yogurt.
- Savory fruit salad: Toss chopped peaches with fresh arugula and drizzle with pesto.
- Smoothie: Mix mango with coconut water and coconut meat for a tropical, creamy drink.
- Berry side: Enjoy a medley of raspberries, mulberries, and blackberries alongside your morning omelet or favorite cooked grain.
- Roasted peaches: Add peaches to your main dish (e.g., roasted chicken or sauteed tofu) for a tangy sweetness.
- Pistachio-crusted salmon: Coat salmon with finely chopped pistachios and spices or garlic seasoning blend for a flavorful, crunchy crust.
Stone fruits, or drupes, have a single seed enclosed in a hard pit surrounded by juicy flesh. They’re packed with essential vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. Try incorporating them into your meals this summer to reap their many health benefits.
