Dates, figs, and prunes are not the same fruit. They come from three entirely different plants, have distinct flavors and textures, and offer different nutritional strengths. People often group them together because all three are commonly sold dried, share a similar wrinkled appearance, and occupy the same aisle at the grocery store. But that’s roughly where the similarities end.
Three Different Plants, Three Different Fruits
Dates grow on the date palm, a member of the palm family native to the tropical and subtropical climates of northern Africa and southern Asia. The tree is a monocot, more closely related to grasses and orchids than to any fruit tree you’d find in a temperate orchard.
Figs come from the fig tree, a flowering plant in the mulberry family. Unlike most fruits, a fig is technically an inverted flower. The tiny seeds you feel when you bite into one are the actual fruits, nestled inside a fleshy structure called a syconium. No other commonly eaten fruit has this unusual inside-out anatomy.
Prunes are simply dried plums, harvested from varieties of European plum trees in the rose family. That puts them in the same botanical family as peaches, cherries, and almonds. A fresh plum and a prune are the same fruit at different stages of processing.
How They Look and Feel
Once dried, all three fruits are dark, wrinkly, and sweet, which is the main reason people confuse them. But pick them up and the differences become obvious.
Dates are oval and glossy, with smooth, slightly sticky skin. Inside, the flesh is dense and caramel-like, surrounding a single long, narrow pit. Medjool dates in particular are large and soft enough to eat straight from the package, while drier varieties like Deglet Noor have a firmer, more crumbly texture.
Dried figs are rounder and squatter, with a matte, slightly dusty skin. Cut one open and you’ll see a pink or purple interior filled with tiny crunchy seeds. That seedy, jammy center is the easiest way to tell a fig from anything else in a dried fruit mix.
Prunes are dark purple to black, with a glossy, somewhat wrinkled surface. The flesh is soft and uniformly smooth, with a single pit in the center. They’re noticeably tangier than either dates or figs, with a wine-like depth to the sweetness.
Nutritional Differences That Matter
All three fruits are calorie-dense, fiber-rich, and high in natural sugars. But the specific nutritional profiles differ enough to matter depending on what you’re looking for.
Dates are the sweetest of the three by a wide margin. They’re packed with simple sugars, primarily glucose and fructose, making them a popular natural sweetener in smoothies and energy bars. Despite that sweetness, dried dates have a low glycemic index. A study testing five date varieties found GI values ranging from 46 to 55 in healthy adults, which falls in the low-GI category (55 or below). Even in people with type 2 diabetes, the values stayed in a similar range of 43 to 53.
Figs stand out for their plant compounds. Their total phenolic content is higher than that of red wine and tea, and dark-skinned fig varieties contain anthocyanins at levels comparable to blackberries and blueberries. Compared to other common dried fruits like apricots, prunes, and raisins, figs had the highest concentration of flavonoids and anthocyanins in one analysis of dried fruits. Figs also contain carotenoids like lutein and beta-carotene, which support eye health.
Prunes have a unique edge for digestive and bone health. A single serving of about four prunes provides 2.4 grams of fiber, 280 milligrams of potassium, and 22.8 micrograms of vitamin K. Per 100 grams, prunes deliver 732 milligrams of potassium, 43 milligrams of calcium, and 41 milligrams of magnesium. That combination of vitamin K, potassium, and magnesium is part of why prunes have been extensively studied for their effects on bone density.
Why Prunes Have a Stronger Laxative Effect
All three fruits contain fiber, which helps keep digestion moving. But prunes are in a league of their own when it comes to laxative effect, and the reason isn’t just fiber. Prunes contain 14.7 grams of sorbitol per 100 grams. Sorbitol is a sugar alcohol that draws water into the intestine, softening stool and speeding up transit time. Prune juice, which has 6.1 grams of sorbitol per 100 grams, works through the same mechanism. Dates and figs contain little to no sorbitol, so while they support general digestive health through fiber, they won’t produce the same reliable laxative effect.
Swapping Them in Recipes
Because all three are sticky, sweet, and dried, they can often substitute for each other in baking and cooking, though the results won’t be identical.
Dried figs have an intensely sweet, honey-like flavor and can replace dates at a 1:1 ratio by weight. If your figs are particularly dry, soaking them in warm water for a few minutes will soften them enough to blend or chop. Remove the stems before using them.
Prunes also work as a 1:1 substitute for dates by volume. They add moisture to baked goods, which can be an advantage in brownies, muffins, or energy balls. The trade-off is flavor: prunes are tangier and less purely sweet than dates, so they’ll shift the taste profile slightly. In chocolate-based recipes, that tanginess tends to complement rather than clash.
When a recipe calls for dates purely as a sweetener (not for texture or binding), you can also use two-thirds to three-quarters of a cup of maple syrup or date syrup per cup of dates, reducing other liquids in the recipe to compensate.
Quick Comparison at a Glance
- Dates: Palm family fruit, caramel-sweet, single pit, low glycemic index, highest sugar content of the three
- Figs: Mulberry family fruit, honey-sweet with crunchy seeds, highest in flavonoids and anthocyanins among common dried fruits
- Prunes: Dried plums from the rose family, tangy-sweet, rich in sorbitol for digestive support, strong potassium and vitamin K content for bone health
They may share shelf space, but dates, figs, and prunes are as different from each other as apples are from bananas. Choosing between them comes down to what flavor you enjoy, what nutritional benefit you’re after, and what role you need them to play in a recipe.