Prune Spread | Perfect Deliciousness
This prune spread recipe is naturally sweet and so delicious. It’s perfect to eat by the spoonful, on bread, or slathered on pancakes. The possibilities are endless!
This prune spread is always in our fridge. Seriously. Both Christopher and I love this spread. And although I never thought this was possible, he may love it more than I do. Why do I think that? Christopher eats this prune spread every single day. I eat it around 4 times a week.
I came up with this recipe because when I was growing up, my grandmother used to make a dessert called prune kuchen that I adored. It was a baked dessert made with a slightly sweet dough spread out in a 13 x 9 pan and topped with prune spread. I do not have her recipe, but I wish I did.
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Helpful tips
- Sometimes I cut each prune in quarters, sometimes in halves. Quarter pieces seem to make a softer spread; halves seem to make the spread denser. Maybe the bigger pieces absorb less water?
- Once the prunes are cooked, press and blend them with a masher. I have found a potato masher works best. You could also use a pastry cutter or perhaps an immersion blender, but the prunes are gooey and could bind the blender.
- I buy my pitted prunes at Trader Joe’s and they are non-sorbate. I buy them in a 1 pound bag, which is roughly 3 – 4 cups.
- You can keep this spread in the refrigerator in a glass container for 3 + weeks. (If it lasts that long 🙂
- You can also use this as prune filling in pastries. It’s so good.
How to make prune spread
Step one
Gather the ingredients and tools – 1 pound of prunes, water, a medium sized sauce pan, cutting board, knife and potato masher.
Step two
Cut 1 pound of prunes in 3 – 4 pieces. (Or not, see tip above.)
Step three
Place prunes in the sauce pan and pour in 4 cups of water.
(Update: I have changed the amount of water I’ve added from 3 1/2 cups to 4 cups because Hubby likes it better a little looser. And I tend to agree.)
Step four
Turn the heat under the sauce pan to medium and bring the prune mixture to a boil. Once it starts boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
See how the prunes puffed up? You want some water to still be visible, as you see above.
Step five
Take a masher and mash away until the spread is mostly mashed. There will be some prune chunks in the spread.
I put my prune spread in a jar for storage.
The next photo shows the spread on Irish soda bread. It is such a tasty, slightly sweet spread. I hope you try it!
If you like prunes, you are going to love this recipe! It is naturally sweet and delicious.
I hope you enjoyed this prune spread recipe!
Please feel free to leave me a comment and tell me what your favorite spread is.
Other scrumptious spreads or sauces
And as always, may all your dishes be delish!
If you’ve tried this recipe, I’d love the know what you thought about it in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!
Prune Spread
Ingredients
- 1 pound pitted prunes (chopped in 3 – 4 pieces)
- 4 cups water (if you want thicker spread, use 3.5 cups)
Instructions
- Chop prunes into 3 – 4 pieces or (see notes for other ideas). Add prunes to a medium saucepan
- Add water and turn the heat to medium and once it comes to a boil, lower to a simmer for 30 minutes
- Mash the prunes with a potato masher. It will still be somewhat chunky
- Spread on bread or eat by the spoonful
- Enjoy
Equipment
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Notes
- Sometimes I cut each prune in quarters, sometimes in halves. Quarter pieces seem to make a softer spread; halves seem to make the spread denser. Maybe the bigger pieces absorb less water?
- Once the prunes are cooked, press and blend them with a masher. I have found a potato masher works best. You could also use a pastry cutter or perhaps an immersion blender, but the prunes are gooey and could bind the blender.
Nutrition
First published December of 2015
From lighting up stages with her BA in theater to food journalist, Elaine Benoit's journey is a testament to passion's transformative power. As the CEO of Dishes Delish, she offers a blend of healthy, comforting recipes and exquisitely crafted cocktails. Beyond the kitchen, Elaine voiced her culinary adventures on her podcast, "Dishing," and co-owns Food Blogger Help, extending her expertise to guide budding food bloggers to success. Whether it's for a heartwarming dish or insights into food blogging, Elaine's diverse experiences make her a beacon in the culinary digital landscape.
Okay okay stop it already, your stuff looks too great. My daughter and I were talking about Prunes on the way home from school. I will make your recipe soon and now I have to get your Irish Soda Bread recipe. This is fun, free recipes.
Karen,
Hehe, Thanks! I hope you enjoy the prunes! I simply love them.
Elaine
Looks so easy and perfect instead of jam. I usually have squashed prunes with homemade walnut butter, I’ll definitely try this.
Mmmm. I’ve never tried walnut butter, Rodney. That sounds heavenly. We literally have prune spread in our house at all times. I need to look at how to make walnut butter. Thanks for your comment Rodney.
This looks so interesting. I love prunes so I’ll have to try it!
Thanks Joyce!!
I never rate recipes until I try them, so sorry for no rating yet. I realize this recipe has no sugar added in the process, but can you tell me how this has 0 grams of sugar per serving, or how I can find the sugar content per serving? I thought prunes have sugar in them…they’re very sweet. Also, is there no fiber per serving? I was looking for a recipe to substitute regular butter for something more nutritious on toast, and I thought that prunes might be a good alternative.
Thank you for your responses .
Hi Mara,
At this time, food bloggers don’t have to find the nutritional value of the dish, just the calories. But I figured it out for you! Carbohydrates are 18.5 grams, sugars 11 grams. I couldn’t find the fiber but rest assured there is a lot! This is truly a dish that is always in our household! I hope this helps!
Prunes are NOT plumbs and are sweetened by sugar alcohols called sucrose. It’s not sugar, and can have a laxative effect.
Plumbs are plums that have been dried, Ron. And they are naturally sweet and get sweeter by being dried.
This reminds me of something my grandmother made when I was growing up. She put it on bread! I must give it a go to see if it is how she made it!
I hope you enjoy it, Nancy. And how fun that your grandmother made this.
Now, this is a new one for me. I have never tried prune spread. It sure would be a sweet treat, since they are so sweet already. This would be perfect on some freshly baked scones.
Indeed it would, Gloria!! Hubby puts it on so many things it boggles my mind. One of his favorites is whole wheat bread, peanut butter and this spread. He also is partial to crackers, cheese and this spread.
Can you spread this on bread. And does it help you go to the bathroom.
Yes you can definitely spread it on bread. And yes, it does help. Thanks for your comment Beverly. It is always in our fridge and my hubby not only eats it on his toast in the morning but takes big spoonfuls of it everyday!
I love prunes! I have ever since I was little. This is such a great recipe and yet another way to enjoy this fruit.
Me too Sharon. I used to sneak prune juice out of my grandmother’s fridge. I could guzzle the stuff. 😉
I had to laugh, I just finished eating a bunch of prunes as I was reading this. Lol! Clearly I love prunes, so will have to give this a try!
Hehe. That’s fun, Lisa! Thank you for your comment!
This prune spread looks really yummy. How long can you keep it in the refrigerator?
One batch lasts us at least 3 weeks and it’s never gone bad. Hubby eats the majority of it as he has it every day.
This is the perfect way to get in some of your daily fiber and its the perfect blend of sweetness to start my day!
Thanks, Kristina! I love this spread for those very reasons.
This sound delicious and so interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever had anything like it. Love that is came from a childhood food memory. The best!
Thanks Valentina. I don’t know anybody who makes this, not even the rest of my family. Once you make it, you’ll have it in your fridge always!
Childhood inspired recipes are the best recipes! I love prunes. My husband not so much, even though he likes plums… who knows. That’s ok, more for me!!
Hehe! Thanks, Tracy. I’m going to develop a prune cocktail, which makes me laugh. But I know some peeps would love it!
This looks like such a delicious and nutritious spread, need to try it, thanks for sharing!
Thanks Patty! It’s one of our favorites!
Oooh, this sounds amazing, and way easier than I thought it would be!! Looks delicious, going to give this a go for sure!
Yay! Thanks Carrie! It’s yummy and so easy. I hope you enjoy it!
I can just imagine how sweet and delicious this prune spread is! I simply can’t wait to try it! When Jake was little he used to call prunes “Fruhms” and he wanted one every morning! Lol! He will love this! I’ll make it for when he comes home for Easter! Thanks Lainey! Lol!
That’s so cute. It’s so good. I have my nieces and nephews try it thinking they won’t like it, but they do and want more!
This looks so interesting! It does remind me of apple or pumpkin butter! I am sure it is quite addicting!
It really is, Denise! Thank you!
I’m really loving this recipe! I’ve loved prunes ever since I was little — and this spread seems like a great new way to eat them! 😉 Would totally love to try it on pancakes or toast!
I’m here to attest that they are awesome on pancakes. Sometimes hubby takes a pancake sandwich to work (with prune spread between the two pancakes). He loves it! Thanks for your comment, Amy!
next time i have a tapas party i will be using this with a cheese board , thank you !
Thanks Analida! It would go perfect on a cheese board!
So I love prunes but I didn’t think of making a spread of it. What a delicious healthy spread. I can imagine putting this delicious prune spread on almost everything!
Thanks so much Jo! I hope you enjoy it!
WOAH, Elaine! Growing up in Germany, this was a STAPLE and we would always use it to fill pancakes or eat it with bread or yeasted sweet dumplings! I miss it so much and will bookmark this recipe right away! Thanks for sharing
How fun Kiki!! My grandmother who made the kuchen was German! I used to help her make it and spoon the prunes in my mouth!
Do you think this would freeze well? I often freeze fruit spreads if I’m not canning them – I think this would be great to freeze in small batches and pull out on the very rare times we have toast or scones in the house! (My husband loves bread too much and will eat a loaf in a day, so I only bake it 3 or 4 times a year!)
What a great question Julie. I’ve never thought of freezing it. I’ll do so and update the comment.
I can just imagine this slathered on a slice of fresh sourdough! It would be so good! I wonder if you can make something similar with dates. My daughter is a big date fan.
You definitely can, Markus. I make a date spread when I make date thumbprint cookies. I also make a fig spread.
I used to make something very similar for my little one to help with his bowel movements. This brings me back and yes, it is indeed yummy and has so many very good uses!
Prunes are definitely great for that! That’s fun that you used to make it for your child.
I have never made anything like this before! Now I want to! I have a lot of things I want to try this spread on!
Kelsey, it’s so delicious! If you like prunes, you’re going to love this!
How would food processing the prunes go?
I wouldn’t recommend it. I’ve tried an immersion blender but it got gummed up very quickly which is why I don’t the a food processor would work. I hope this helps, Leah.
This is a very old, tried and true recipe. If you have the old Woman’s Companion Cookbook from the 40s, you’ll find that recipe in there. It’s located in the section for Lunchbox Sandwiches. Thank you for keeping this truly vintage recipe alive and well. Oh by the way, the cookbook adds nuts to this spread. Prune-nut sandwiches. I’ll be making it for sure! Thank you again. These are all lost recipes!
It’s the Woman’s Home Companion Cookbook. Sorry I had to correct the title.
Now I need to find the cookbook. How fun. Thank you Shawnee for taking the time to comment. I appreciate it.
That is so fun! I’m so glad you let me know Shawnee about that cookbook! My grandmother used to make prune kuchen and I just LOVED it. I love prunes. She used to sweeten the prunes for the kuchen but I stopped doing that somewhere down the line because I felt it didn’t need it. And I can totally see the addition of nuts. We literally have prune spread in the fridge all the time. Hubby eats it on toast every day and I eat it by the spoonful every few days.
Easy & delicious! I make it often, using an immersion blender with no difficulties.
I’m so glad to hear that, Lia! I’m glad to hear that an immersion blender works! Thanks for letting me know.