Nectarine

Get to know it

A nectarine is a peach with smooth, glossy skin instead of fuzz: golden, blushed ruby and crimson, around juicy yellow or white flesh that tastes sweet and a little tangy. When it's ripe it smells of honey. In the United States, about 95% of nectarines grow in California.

What it is

A nectarine is about 5 to 7 cm (2 to 2 3/4 in) across and weighs around 150 g (5 oz), with a seam running from stem to tip. Its delicate skin bruises easily. Look at the background colour under the blush: golden yellow means it was picked ripe enough, while a green tinge means it was picked too early.

Nectarines and peaches are the same species, and on average nectarines are a little smaller and sweeter. Some are freestone, with a stone that falls away from the flesh, and some are clingstone. In France the clingstone kind has its own name, brugnon, and only the freestone kind is called nectarine.

Where it comes from

The peach tree is native to Asia and was first grown in China. Nectarines have been described for almost as long as peaches, and because they may have first sprung from peach seeds, most peach-growing places grow nectarines too. They spread from China through the Middle East to Greece and Rome, and reached England in the late 1500s or early 1600s.

The world's 2026/27 crop of peaches and nectarines is forecast at about 25 million tonnes, 17.3 million of them in China. The European Union, led by Spain and Greece, is forecast at 3.5 million tonnes, Turkey at a record 1.2 million and the United States at 660,000. California raises more than 130 varieties of nectarine commercially.

How it's eaten where it grows

In California, where most American nectarines grow, Alice Waters of Chez Panisse in Berkeley bakes nectarines into an open galette: big wedges of peak-season fruit on a single crust, laid over ground almonds and crushed amaretti biscuits. Nectarines also hold their shape when cooked, so they go into pies, cobblers and tarts.

They are eaten out of hand with the skin on, or sliced with sugar or cream. They are grilled, poached and roasted, and paired with goat cheese, gorgonzola or mozzarella, basil and mint.

How it's grown

Nectarines grow on the peach tree, which reaches 15 to 25 feet (4.5 to 7.5 m) with a rounded crown. It needs full sun, well-drained soil and a set number of cold days below 45 °F (7 °C) each winter. A tree usually starts bearing in its third year.

The tree fruits only on new wood. At Tougas Family Farm in Massachusetts, pruning comes in winter or early spring and blossom thinning in spring. In California, growers judge when to pick by the skin's background colour turning from green to yellow. Nectarines are picked by hand into bags, baskets or totes, then cooled as soon as possible.

When and where you'll find it

In the United States, fresh nectarines usually come from early summer into fall, peaking in midsummer. In California's San Joaquin Valley, early varieties are usually picked from mid-May and the last ones by mid-September. At Tougas Family Farm in central Massachusetts, pick-your-own nectarines usually run from the second week of August into early September. Chile's exports keep growing as its growers plant more nectarines and fewer peaches.

Supermarkets usually label them just "nectarines"; named varieties such as Arctic Jay, Fantasia and Snow Queen turn up through specialty distributors and at farmers' markets. A firm one softens at room temperature in 1 to 3 days.

Sources · 8

Get it near Detroit

What it tastes like

As soft as a blueberry, as sweet as a grape≈

Not sweetlemonSweet

MildbananalemonSour

SoftbananapearappleCrisp

More about the taste

Nectarine eating quality comes from sweetness, acidity and their balance. Fruit held too long in cold storage can turn mealy or leathery instead of staying juicy, even as it softens.

Sugar content, acidity and their balance shape how much people enjoy a nectarine.

Internal breakdown can produce mealiness or leatheriness, browning and flavor loss after cold storage. A fruit can therefore soften without developing the texture a buyer hoped for.

Choose, ripen, store, eat

1ChooseRedness
Ignore
Redness
A red blush can develop before the fruit is mature and hide the background color, so ask about the variety. Varieties also differ in how easily they bruise.
2RipenRipens after picking
Ripens after picking
Nectarines picked mature enough will generally ripen on their own without added ethylene. A fruit picked too immature won't develop the flavor of one picked well-matured.
3StoreCommercial storage relies on precise temperature control, and varieties differ in susceptibility to chilling injury: some break down more when held around 2–8°C than near 0°C (32°F)
Commercial storage relies on precise temperature control, and varieties differ in susceptibility to chilling injury: some break down more when held around 2–8°C than near 0°C (32°F).
4EatFleshy fruit · not kernel
Eat
Fleshy fruit
Not eaten
Kernel
Eat the fleshy fruit; the kernel inside the pit is not a food.

More tips

Worth knowing

Aroma and acid balance count as much as sweetness when comparing peach and nectarine varieties.
A sweeter peach doesn't always beat one with better aroma or acid balance.

Detroit, Michigan

When it’s good here

Grown hereAug–Sep

Ships from CaliforniaLast chance

45 growing areas, 11 countries

British Columbia
Cáceres
California
Castellón
Coquimbo
Drôme
Espírito Santo
Florida
Granada
Hawaii
Hawke's Bay
Kerman
Maule
Mendoza
Ontario
South Africa +1
South Australia
You

Grows hereIn season nowOther monthsYou

4 of 19 areas · October

211

Growing areas by country

United States13
Spain9
France5
Argentina4
Chile4
Australia2
Canada2
New Zealand2

and 6 more countriesand 3 more countries

Fruit packed at a central packinghouse is often picked firmer than fruit packed near the orchard as partially ripe or ripe — handling choices affect how soft fruit is when it leaves the grower.
United States commercial horticulture

216 varieties

See all 216 varieties

41 names in 22 languages

PicMalay

Cook it

Recipes 3

Strange but true

If you like Nectarine

Tastes alike

Close relatives

Nutrition, sources

Nutrition

Nectarines, raw · per 100 g

Energy44kcal · 185 kJ

Carbohydrate: 11 g
Fiber: 1.7 g
Sugars: 7.9 g
Protein: 1.1 g
Fat: 0.3 g
Vitamin C: 5.4 mg
Potassium: 201 mg

Sources

Nectarine · Fruitopia · checked Sep 22, 2026