Fruit

Prunes nutrition, by the piece and by the cup.

Weigh out 1 pitted prune and you are looking at 23 calories, with 0.2 g of protein inside them. USDA files this under “Plums, dried (prunes), uncooked”, and that is the record used here. Use the selector that follows to match your own portion; the panel and the nutrient table track it.

By Alen Yaco · Updated 20 September 2026

Every value traces to USDA FoodData Central (168162); Daily Values follow the FDA label rules.

Prunes calories by portion

Count 23 calories for 1 pitted prune, or 240 for every 100 g. The portion weights in the table are USDA’s own measurements.

What prunes offers in protein

Expect 0.2 g of protein from 1 pitted prune, roughly 0 percent of a 50 g day. You would not choose prunes for protein: just 4 percent of its calories come from it.

Divide its calories by source and you get 3 percent from protein, 1 percent from fat and 95 percent from carbohydrate.

Kitchen notes on prunes

Prunes are dried plums, usually made from specific European plum varieties. They are sold pitted or whole. Look for fruits with a deep black colour and a glossy, tender skin. Avoid any that look dry, greyish, or dusty. They should feel pliant and heavy for their size in the packet.

When simmered, prunes absorb liquid, swelling and releasing their sugars to thicken the poaching syrup. Gentle heat softens them. The common mistake is boiling them too vigorously, which breaks their skins and turns the flesh to mush. Soaking them beforehand in warm tea or alcohol reduces the required cooking time.

In British cooking, prunes are baked in tarts or wrapped in bacon. They match well with rich meats like pork or duck, cutting through the fat. Moroccan tagines use them alongside lamb and spices. Stir them into morning porridge or stew them with apples to make a winter compote.

Vitamins and minerals in prunes

Prunes spreads its micronutrients thinly. Every value USDA reports is listed, tied to your chosen portion.

At 7.1 g of fibre per 100 g, prunes is one of the denser ordinary sources: a 100 g serving is 25 percent of a day.

It carries 38 g of sugar per 100 g.

Putting prunes into a day of eating

If you eat 2,000 calories a day, 1 pitted prune accounts for 1 percent of them, and for 0 percent of the 50 g protein benchmark. To replace 2,000 with your real number, use the TDEE calculator; to turn that into targets, the macro calculator.

Prunes recipes, with the numbers

Each of these comes from the Calorie Counter Team, and each carries nutrition worked out from its ingredients’ USDA entries rather than estimated from the finished dish.

Dinner · British

Pork and Prune Traybake

Pork loin chops roasted on a tray with red onion, dried prunes, and sage leaves.

40 min · serves 2

386kcal

34gprotein

11gfat

40gcarbs

Ingredients

• Pork loin chops 300 g
• Dried prunes 100 g
• Red onion 150 g
• Olive oil 15 g
• Salt 3 g
• Fresh sage leaves 4 g

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
2. Cut the red onion into eight wedges and place them on a baking tray with the prunes and pork chops.
3. Drizzle the olive oil over the ingredients, then sprinkle with salt and sage leaves.
4. Toss the ingredients on the tray to coat them evenly in the oil.
5. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes until the pork is cooked through.

Summed from 6 USDA records and divided by servings. Heat alters weight and a few nutrients, so read it as a close figure.

Snack · British

Prune and Walnut Spread

A thick spread made from blended prunes, walnuts, and red wine vinegar, served on toast.

10 min · serves 4

217kcal

2.7gprotein

13gfat

26gcarbs

Ingredients

• Dried prunes 150 g
• Walnut halves 50 g
• Red wine vinegar 15 g
• Olive oil 20 g
• Water 30 g
• Salt 2 g

Method

1. Place the walnuts in a dry frying pan and toast over medium heat for 3 minutes.
2. Transfer the toasted walnuts, prunes, vinegar, olive oil, water, and salt into a food processor.
3. Blend the ingredients for 1 minute until a thick, coarse paste forms.
4. Transfer the spread to a jar and store in the refrigerator.

Summed from 6 USDA records and divided by servings. Heat alters weight and a few nutrients, so read it as a close figure.

Breakfast · British

Prune and Cinnamon Porridge

A warm breakfast porridge sweetened with chopped dried prunes and spiced with ground cinnamon.

15 min · serves 2

424kcal

15gprotein

11gfat

71gcarbs

Ingredients

• Pitted dried prunes 100 g
• Rolled oats 80 g
• Whole milk 500 g
• Ground cinnamon 2 g
• Fine sea salt 1 g

Method

1. Chop the prunes into pieces approximately 5 millimetres across.
2. Combine the oats, milk, chopped prunes, cinnamon and salt in a saucepan.
3. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly.
4. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes until the oats are soft.
5. Divide the porridge into two bowls and serve warm.

Figures are per serving and come from 5 USDA FoodData Central entries; cooking will shift them slightly.

Calorie Counter Team, food critic

Prunes as part of a meal

A sample plate, not a prescription: prunes plus two sides, each line sourced and the sum shown.

Prunes against other fruit

Each food is shown per 100 g, in the form named beside it.

Prunes: common questions

How many calories are in 1 pitted prune?

23 calories, according to USDA FoodData Central: the record is “Plums, dried (prunes), uncooked”, FDC 168162. That works out at 240 per 100 g.

How much protein does prunes have?

Per 100 g, prunes contains 2.2 g of protein. 1 pitted prune therefore gives 0.2 g, which is 0 percent of a 50 g day.

Does prunes fit a calorie deficit?

It can fit any calorie target; no single food decides the outcome. What matters here is that 1 pitted prune costs 23 calories and returns 0.2 g of protein, so 4 percent of its energy is protein — which means it needs a protein-rich partner on the plate.

How many carbs are in prunes?

1 pitted prune contains 6.1 g of carbohydrate. Fibre makes up 0.7 g of that and sugar 3.6 g.

How do you soften dry prunes?

Place them in a bowl and pour boiling water, tea, or fruit juice over them. Let them sit until they plump up and become tender. Drain before using in your recipe.

Can you substitute prunes for fresh plums in baking?

No, they behave differently. Prunes lack the water content of fresh fruit and will burn or make the bake too dense. Use them only in recipes specifically written for dried fruit.

Sources

• Plums, dried (prunes), uncooked — USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 168162
• Daily Values for nutrition labelling, 21 CFR 101.9