What Is Apricot nectar and How Can I Use It?

Wondering what to do with apricot nectar? This guide covers how to pick it, cook it, store it, and swap it, plus 42 recipes to put it to work.

Key Points

Thick, sweet juice of pureed apricot pulp, water, and sugar; heavier than a clear juice.
Bakes into moist nectar cakes and cookies and reduces into a glossy glaze.
Works savory too, cooking down into sweet sauces for apricot chicken and pork.
Peach nectar is the closest one-for-one substitute; thinned apricot preserves also work.
Pantry-stable unopened for months; once opened, refrigerate and use within about a week.

What is apricot nectar?

Apricot nectar is a thick, sweet apricot juice made from pureed apricot pulp blended with water and a little sugar. It is heavier and cloudier than a clear juice, closer to a thin puree, with the soft round flavor of ripe apricots.

You will usually find it canned or in a carton near the other fruit juices. Because it carries real fruit body and not just thin liquid, it does double duty: a drink on its own and a baking and cooking ingredient that adds apricot flavor along with moisture.

Ways to Use It

In baking, apricot nectar steps in as the liquid in cakes and quick breads, adding fruit flavor and a tender crumb at the same time.

The well-known Apricot Nectar Cake stirs it right into the batter and again into the glaze, and it carries Apricot Nectar Cookies and an Apricot Nectar Cheesecake Tart.

Reduced in a small pan with a little sugar, it turns into a glossy glaze for cakes, ham, chicken, or fruit tarts. Brushed warm over a baked good, it adds gloss and a sticky apricot finish without the seeds or skin of jam.

It also works savory. Apricot pairs naturally with chicken and pork, so the nectar shows up in sweet-savory braises like Apricot Chicken Thighs and Apricot Chicken, where it cooks down into a sauce that clings to the meat.

In drinks it pulls its weight in punch and smoothies. A pour into No-Hassle Wassail or a blended smoothie brings sweetness and body without watering things down the way thin juice would.

Pairing and Common Mistakes

Apricot loves warm and bright partners: vanilla, almond, cardamom, ginger, honey, orange, and a little tang from buttermilk or yogurt. In savory cooking it leans on soy and mustard to balance its sweetness.

The most common mistake is treating it like plain juice in a recipe written for nectar. Swapping in thin apple or orange juice removes the fruit body that keeps a nectar cake moist, and the crumb comes out drier.

Watch the sugar, too. Most nectar already carries added sugar, so when you reduce it into a glaze or sauce it concentrates fast and can turn cloying. Taste as it thickens and pull it off the heat before it goes past jammy.

In a savory braise, balance that sweetness with acid or salt. A splash of vinegar or a spoon of mustard keeps an apricot chicken from tasting like dessert.

Substitutes

Peach nectar is the closest swap, with nearly the same body and sweetness and only a slightly different fruit note. Use it one for one in baking, drinks, or glazes alike.

Apricot preserves thinned with water make a good stand-in when you cannot find nectar. Whisk about a third cup of preserves with two thirds cup of water to get roughly a cup of nectar-like liquid, then strain if you want it smooth.

Preserves run more concentrated, so cut back on added sugar.

For drinks, mango nectar or a thinned apricot puree both work. In a pinch, blend canned apricots in light syrup with a little of their juice until smooth.

Buying and Storing

Look for nectar with apricot puree listed first and not too far down the ingredients. Brands vary in thickness and sweetness, so a thicker, less sugary one gives you more control in cooking.

Unopened cans and cartons keep for many months in the pantry, well past a year if stored cool and dark. Check the date, but shelf life is long.

Once opened, treat it like fresh juice. Cover it, keep it in the fridge, and use it within about a week before it starts to ferment or go flat. If you only need a little, freeze the rest in an ice cube tray and thaw cubes as you go.

Apricot nectar turns up in more than 40 recipes here, split between cakes, cookies, glazes, and apricot chicken dishes, which is a fair map of where it earns its keep.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 cup (251g)

Amount per Serving

Calories 140Calories from Fat 2

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 0.2g 0%

Saturated Fat 0.0g 0%

Trans Fat ~

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 7mg 0%

Total Carbohydrate 36.1g 12%

Dietary Fiber 2g 6%

Sugars ~

Protein 0.9g

Vitamin A 66% Vitamin C 228%

Calcium 2% • Iron 5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your caloric needs.

recipeland.com/nutrition

Quick facts

Where to find apricot nectar: Apricot nectar is usually found in the fruit section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group: Apricot nectar is a member of the Fruits and Fruit Juices US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese: 杏蜜
British (UK) term: Apricot nectar
en français: nectar d'abricot
en español: néctar de albaricoque

How much does apricot nectar weigh?

Amount	Weight
1 cup	251 grams
1 fl oz	31 grams

Fruits and Fruit Juices

Apples 1607 Apples, granny smith 280 Apple juice concentrate 68 Apricots 237 Apricots, dried 146 Mixed dried fruit 62 Avocados 441 Bananas 1034 Blackberries 70 Blueberries 462

Recipes using apricot nectar

There are 42 recipes that contain this ingredient.

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