What Goes With Apricots?
Wondering what goes with apricots? Learn the best ingredient pairings, meal ideas, popular flavor combinations, and other helpful tips.
Knowing what goes well with apricots gives you a starting point for putting meals together using the ingredients you already have on hand.
Whether you want to reduce food waste, get more creative in the kitchen, or improve your cooking skills, it starts with understanding what flavors pair well together.
What Are Apricots?
Apricots are stone fruit with a subtly sweet-tart flavor and velvety, soft skin. They range in color from pale yellow to orange with some blush red, depending on the level of ripeness, and are the size of a plum.
They’re in the same plant family as cherries, peaches, plums, and nectarines as well as almonds.
Helpful Tips
When To Buy
Apricots are in season from May through August. Look at the seasonal produce guide to see what’s in season right now.
What To Look For
Choose apricots that have a deep orange-gold color. They should be plump and mostly firm to the touch with a slight give, but not squishy. If they’re too hard, let them ripen first before consuming.
How To Store
Store unripe apricots at room temperature for up to 5 days. Once ripe, store them in the refrigerator until ready to enjoy. Apricots will not ripen in the fridge.
To ripen, place apricots in a paper bag with an apple or banana. Fold the bag over and keep it at room temperature out of direct sunlight until the apricots have softened slightly, within 2-3 days.
What Goes Well With Apricots?
Vegetables
Garlic, ginger, and onions.
Fruit
Apples, bananas, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, coconut, cranberries, lemons, nectarines, oranges, peaches, pineapple, plums, raspberries, and strawberries.
Spices
Allspice, anise, black pepper, cardamom, cayenne, cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg, and saffron.
Herbs
Mint and rosemary.
Nuts & Seeds
Almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, pistachios, and walnuts.
Non-Dairy/Dairy
Butter, caramel: miso caramel would be delicious, ricotta: use cashew ricotta or almond ricotta for dairy-free, cream: use coconut cream or cashew cream for dairy-free, creme anglaise, mascarpone, sour cream, vanilla ice cream, and yogurt.
Proteins
Chicken, duck, lamb, and pork.
Pantry Items
Amaretto, apricot brandy, coffee, cognac, earl grey tea, honey, maple syrup, meringue (try my light and airy egg-free meringues), oats, prunes, raisins, red wine vinegar, rum, sugar: brown and white, sweet white wine, vanilla, and white chocolate.
Popular Apricot Pairings
- almonds + cream + sugar
- almonds + meringue
- apples + pine nuts + rosemary
- cranberries + white chocolate
- oranges + sugar + vanilla + walnuts
- dried cherries + ginger + orange + pistachios
What To Make With Apricots
Apricots can be baked, grilled, poached, stewed, or eaten raw. Although they can be eaten raw, apricots are one of the rare fruits whose flavor enhances once it’s cooked. Dried apricots can be rehydrated in hot water when fresh apricots are not in season.
This fruit is a popular ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine, Moroccan cuisines such as tagine (also spelled tajine), and salads – both fruit and vegetable salads such as fennel salad.
Make jam, compote, apricot butter, or other fruit spreads. Pair with grilled chicken, duck, or lamb for a balance of sweet and savory. Or serve with crepes, french toast, crispy dairy free waffles, pancakes, or desserts such as custards, creme brulee, rice pudding, and vanilla ice cream.
More desserts include baked goods, galettes, fruit crisps, and sorbet. Like pears, apricots can also be poached in a liquid such as earl grey tea or white wine infused with fresh herbs to give them a more complex flavor. Make infused simple syrups for mocktails and cocktails.