Two soft dried fruits, two very different jars
Dried apricots vs figs is a choice many Indian buyers face at the dry-fruit counter. Both are chewy, both are sweet, and both get called “healthy” on the label. They are not the same fruit, and they do not behave the same in your kitchen.
Khubani (dried apricot) is tangy and soft. Anjeer (dried fig) is sweeter, denser and full of tiny crunchy seeds. This guide compares them on taste, nutrition, price, sulphur treatment and buying checks.
Valley Origin sells Kashmiri Mamra Badam, not dried apricots or figs, so this is an independent guide. You can see what we do sell on the products page.
What is a dried apricot, and what is a dried fig?
A dried apricot is a fresh apricot with the water dried out, sold whole or as halves. A dried fig is a whole fig dried in the sun or an oven. Apricots come from a stone fruit. Figs are a soft fruit packed with seeds.
Apricots are dried in two main styles. Small apricots are dried whole, and larger ones are dried as pitted halves. Turkish and Mediterranean fruit is usually dried whole and then pitted. California fruit is halved first. The same source says about 95% of Turkey’s dried apricots come from Malatya Province.
Figs are simpler. The fruit is dried in the sun or in an oven and sold whole, flat or in strings. The seeds stay inside, which gives the crunch.
For the fig side in detail, our guide on how to eat dry anjeer covers soaking and serving.
How do they differ in taste and texture?
Dried apricots taste tangy and fruity, with a soft, sticky chew. Dried figs taste sweeter and more honeyed, with a dense bite and crunchy seeds. If you dislike seeds in your teeth, apricots are the easier snack.
The tang in apricots is the first thing you notice. It cuts through rich food, which is why apricots suit sweet and sour dishes and stews. Fig sweetness is rounder and heavier. It works well in laddoo, milkshakes and with nuts.
Colour changes taste too. Dark, unsulphured apricots taste more caramelised and a little coarser. Bright orange ones taste cleaner and sharper, and are often softer.
Texture also depends on moisture. A very hard fig or apricot is usually old or over-dried. A very wet one will spoil faster.
Why are some dried apricots bright orange and others brown?
Bright orange dried apricots have usually been treated with sulphur dioxide to hold their colour. Brown ones skip the treatment and darken naturally. The brown fruit is not spoiled. It simply looks and tastes different, and is chewier.
This is the biggest buying difference between the two fruits. Sulphur-treated apricots take on a vivid orange colour, and the same page says fruit not treated with sulphur is darker and coarser. It gives a figure of 2,500 to 3,000 ppm sulphur dioxide for treated fruit and notes that lighter fruit generally holds more.
Figs are sometimes treated too. Sulphur dioxide is used on dried apricots, figs and other dried fruit to keep colour and slow rotting. Ask about it for both fruits.
Some people are sensitive to sulphites. The same reference notes that certain asthmatics may react, especially to large amounts. If you have asthma or a known sulphite allergy, ask your doctor, and buy unsulphured fruit.
How do they compare on nutrition?
Per 100 g, dried figs have a little more fibre, calcium and energy. Dried apricots have more potassium and vitamin A. Both are concentrated, sugar-rich fruit, so a small handful is the sensible serving, not a bowl.
Here are the figures from the nutrient tables on each fruit’s reference page, per 100 g of dried, uncooked fruit.
| Per 100 g | Dried apricot | Dried fig |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 240 kcal | 249 kcal |
| Dietary fibre | 7 g | 9.8 g |
| Potassium | 1,160 mg | 680 mg |
| Calcium | not listed | 162 mg |
The apricot nutrient table also lists vitamin A equivalent at 180 micrograms and beta-carotene at 2,160 micrograms per 100 g. The fig table lists the fig values above.
Figs win on fibre. Apricots win on potassium and vitamin A. Neither is a medicine. Both are dense in natural sugar. If you have diabetes, are pregnant, or are feeding a young child, check with your doctor about portions.
How do they compare on price and availability in India?
Prices for both swing with origin, grade, pack size and season, so no single rate holds. Compare per 100 g of edible fruit across sellers. India grows its own dried apricots in Ladakh, but in modest amounts next to the big producers abroad.
We have not found a reliable public price list for either fruit, so we give no rupee figures. Check three or four sellers, and compare per 100 g after removing stones or stalks.
India does grow apricots. Ladakh produced about 15,789 tonnes of apricots, nearly 62% of the national total, and about 1,999 tonnes of dried apricot, according to the Ministry of Food Processing Industries’ state profile. Ladakh is not Kashmir, and the profile gives no year, so treat the numbers as a rough size.
For scale, Turkey alone produced about 750,000 tonnes of fresh apricots in 2023. Large producers like this shape what reaches world markets.
The Raktsey Karpo apricot of Ladakh received a GI tag in December 2022. It is mostly sold fresh, so do not assume a bag of dried apricots is that variety.
Which should you buy: dried apricots or dried figs?
Buy apricots if you want tang, softness, no seeds and cooking use. Buy figs if you want sweetness, more fibre and a snack that fills you up. For a sulphite-sensitive person, choose unsulphured brown apricots or figs. It depends on the job.
Here is how it plays out in four everyday situations.
- A tea-time snack. Figs. They are denser and sweeter, so two or three are enough.
- Cooking, such as khubani ka meetha or a stew. Apricots. Their tang balances sugar and fat. Soak them first.
- Packing a child’s tiffin. Apricots, in small amounts. They have no seeds. Check with your doctor if the child has any health condition.
- A festive gift box. Either, in a mix. Apricots add colour and figs add richness. See our Diwali family gift guide for pairing ideas.
If you want a sweet fruit but find figs too seedy, look at dates. Our Kimia vs Medjool guide shows how those differ.
How do you pick good dried apricots and figs?
Pick fruit that is soft but not wet, evenly coloured and smells fruity. Avoid anything rock hard, mouldy, sour-smelling or coated with a thick white film. Ask the seller whether sulphur dioxide was used and when the fruit was packed.
Use this checklist at the shop or when the parcel arrives.
- Check the colour. Orange apricots are probably sulphured. Dark brown means unsulphured. Either is fine if you know which you are buying.
- Press one. It should give a little. Stone-hard fruit is old.
- Smell the pack. Sweet and fruity is right. Sour, fermented or musty means reject.
- Look for white film. A few sugar crystals on figs are natural. Fuzzy growth is mould.
- Read the label. Look for the ingredient list, the pack date and any mention of sulphur dioxide.
Weigh up value by edible weight. Whole apricots with stones weigh more than pitted ones.
How should you store them?
Keep both in an airtight jar in a cool, dry cupboard and use within a few months. In the monsoon or in a hot kitchen, refrigerate them. Moisture makes dried fruit clump, ferment and grow mould faster than it harms nuts.
Soft dried fruit absorbs damp air easily. Always use a dry spoon and close the lid firmly. Do not mix apricots and figs in one jar, because moisture moves between them.
The same airtight-jar logic is explained in our guide to storing Mamra Badam. If you see fuzzy growth or smell fermentation, discard the whole jar.
Frequently asked questions about dried apricots vs figs
Which has more fibre, dried apricots or dried figs?
Dried figs have more. Reference tables list about 9.8 g of fibre per 100 g for dried figs against about 7 g for dried apricots. Both are concentrated, so the difference per handful is small.
Eat whichever you enjoy, and keep portions modest.
Are dried apricots sulphured?
Many are. Bright orange apricots have usually been treated with sulphur dioxide to keep their colour. Dark brown apricots are normally unsulphured. The label or the seller should tell you which one you are getting.
If you are sensitive to sulphites, choose brown fruit and check with your doctor.
Is khubani the same as dried apricot?
Yes. Khubani is the Hindi and Urdu name for the apricot, and in shops it usually means the dried fruit. Khubani ka meetha is the Hyderabadi dessert made by stewing dried apricots.
Fresh apricots are called khubani too, so say “dried” if you want the dried fruit.
Can I eat dried figs and apricots every day?
A small handful of either can fit into most daily diets, but both are sugar-dense and high in calories. Treat them as a snack, not a meal. Check with your doctor if you have diabetes or a medical condition.
Count them as part of your day’s sugar, not extra to it.
Does Valley Origin sell dried apricots or figs?
No. Valley Origin sells Kashmiri dry fruits direct from growers, and the current range is Kashmiri Mamra Badam. We do not sell dried apricots or figs. You can see current prices on the almond product page.
Buy these two from a seller who states origin, sulphur use and pack date.
Choose by the job, then check the label
Apricots give you tang and softness. Figs give you sweetness and more fibre. Neither is better for everyone, so match the fruit to the recipe or the person.
Whichever you pick, ask about sulphur, smell the pack and check the colour. Origin and honest labelling matter more than a pretty orange.
That is the same rule we follow with almonds. If you want to see what Valley Origin does sell, start with the Kashmiri Mamra Badam page and see current prices. For gifting boxes that mix several fruits, contact us for a quote.
