American Persimmon Nutrition | Field-Tested Facts

A 100 g serving of American persimmon has ~127 calories, 33.5 g carbs, 0.8 g protein, 0.4 g fat, and notable vitamin C.

Native Persimmon Nutrition Facts And Values

This wild North American fruit packs dense carbs, modest fiber, and a hit of vitamin C. The native species isn’t the same as the common Asian type sold in many stores. The flavor gets richer as the fruit reaches a jelly-soft stage. That shift matters for texture, not for core macro numbers per 100 grams.

Per 100 grams you’re looking at roughly 127 calories, 33.5 grams of carbs, 0.8 grams of protein, and 0.4 grams of fat, with water making up close to two thirds. Per 25 grams—about one small fruit—the panel shows 32 calories with 16.5 milligrams of vitamin C and around 78 milligrams of potassium, drawn from the USDA dataset referenced below.

Macro And Micronutrients: Per 100 g Vs. 1 Small Fruit

Nutrient	Per 100 g	Per ~25 g Fruit
Calories	~127 kcal	~32 kcal
Carbohydrates	33.5 g	8.4 g
Protein	0.8 g	0.2 g
Fat	0.4 g	0.1 g
Water	~65 g	16.1 g
Vitamin C	~66 mg	16.5 mg
Potassium	~310 mg	77.5 mg
Iron	~2.5 mg	0.63 mg

Those numbers make this fruit a compact energy source with light protein and fat. The sugar sits high relative to fiber, so sizing portions helps if you watch carbs. A soft, ripe piece spreads sweetness fast; pair it with yogurt, nuts, or cottage cheese to balance the rise.

What Sets The Native Fruit Apart

The native tree (Diospyros virginiana) grows across much of the eastern U.S. The fruit is smaller than Fuyu or Hachiya types and turns from firm and mouth-puckering to custardy and sweet late in the season. That feel comes from tannins that mellow as the flesh softens. Home cooks prize the purée for puddings and quick breads, while foragers swap tips on freezing pulp for later bakes.

Raw weight and water drive the calorie picture. Drying or baking removes water, concentrating calories and sugars in the same way raisins differ from grapes. If you’re logging food, note prep styles. Dried slices land much denser per bite than fresh, while purée spreads energy across a batter, which can make sensible slices easier.

How To Read The Label For This Fruit

For a single small piece, the 25 gram panel shows 32 calories with notable vitamin C for the size. Potassium comes along in smaller amounts, with trace iron. The protein number stays tiny, and fat barely registers. If you scale to 100 grams, energy sits near 127 calories, so a full bowl can add up faster than the bite suggests.

Grocery labels for Asian types won’t match these figures exactly, since cultivar, ripeness, and water vary. When you need a precise reference, the USDA item page gives the cleanest baseline pulled from SR Legacy data. That same page makes it simple to toggle serving sizes to match what’s on your plate.

Ripe, Soft, And Ready: Taste Meets Tannins

That famous puckery bite early in the season comes from soluble tannins. Once the fruit softens fully, those tannins bind up and the sharp feel fades. Chill time, a few days on the counter, or a quick freeze–thaw helps push it along. Soft fruit spreads well on toast, folds into yogurt, and blends into smoothies without grittiness or harsh edges.

Growers also use postharvest steps to tame the bite—carbon dioxide treatment or controlled storage that encourages tannins to polymerize. The upshot for the home cook is simple: wait for jelly-soft flesh before you plan raw slices. For baking, fully soft pulp gives you even sweetness with no chalky aftertaste.

Benefits, Caveats, And Smart Pairings

This fruit brings color and brightness to fall plates. Vitamin C supports iron absorption from plant foods, so pairing with oats, beans, or leafy greens works well. Potassium sits modestly, while sodium stays near zero. Fiber is present but not high per bite, so you’ll still want grains, beans, or nuts for a stronger fiber day.

Sweetness dominates. If you manage blood sugars, use small servings and team them with protein or fat. A few spoonfuls of thick yogurt or a palm of walnuts rounds the snack. For dessert bakes, choose smaller pans, slice thinner, and save some pulp for freezer jars so you’re not nudged into oversized portions.

Serving Ideas That Keep The Flavor Forward

Fresh: scoop the soft flesh and swirl into overnight oats, chia pudding, or cottage cheese. Baked: fold the purée into muffins, snack cakes, or breakfast bars. Frozen: press pulp into silicone trays; pop out cubes to blend with banana and a splash of milk for a quick shake.

For a bright spread, mash soft flesh with a pinch of salt and lemon, then spoon over whole-grain toast. For a bowl, layer yogurt, oats, and a spoon of chopped pecans with a dollop of pulp. For a simple bake, stir purée into a one-bowl quick bread with cinnamon and orange zest; the result slices clean and keeps well.

Native Fruit Compared With Grocery Types

Fuyu, a squat non-astringent type, is firmer when edible and usually sliced like an apple. Hachiya needs to go fully soft to taste right. The native fruit aligns with the Hachiya pattern on ripeness, yet it’s smaller and stronger in flavor. Nutrient panels differ across types, but the broad story holds: water drives weight; sugar supplies most energy; protein and fat stay tiny.

When you can choose only one for a recipe, pick by texture. For a tart or galette, Fuyu slices hold shape. For a spoonable pudding, native pulp shines. For dried chips, firmer types give cleaner edges. When swapping, weigh batches to match the same grams of flesh so the nutrition math lines up.

How Much Is A Serving?

At home, two easy yardsticks work. For a snack, aim for 50 to 75 grams of soft flesh, which is about two to three small fruits once they’re seeded and peeled. For bakes, weigh purée in grams rather than cups, since water varies. A 150 gram slice of quick bread baked with pulp will land near 190 to 220 calories depending on the recipe, so thin slices stretch the batch.

Ripeness And Use Guide

Stage	Texture	Best Use
Firm, Astringent	Grippy, chalky	Leave to soften or freeze–thaw
Soft-Ripe	Jelly, spoonable	Eat fresh, blend, stir into yogurt
Very Soft/Overripe	Loose, very sweet	Bake into breads, puddings, bars

Storage, Prep, And Safety Notes

Pick fruit with deep color and no splits. Let firm pieces rest at room temp on a towel until they give to a gentle press. For faster softening, freeze solid, then thaw in the fridge and drain off any excess water before blending. Keep purée cold in a sealed jar for three to four days, or freeze in small portions for a month.

Peel and seed before blending, since the skin turns leathery. If you’re drying slices, keep heat low and time long to avoid harsh chew and to keep flavor closer to fresh. For anyone who needs to manage sugars closely, dried chips are dense; build in a measured portion and pair with nuts.

Methods And Sources

Numbers in the panels come from the SR Legacy entry for the native fruit. Serving math for 25 grams to 100 grams follows straight scaling. For ripeness handling, extension resources describe how tannins reduce as the flesh softens via polymerization. Curious cooks can read a short explainer on that process from a land-grant group.

For nutrient details, the best public reference is the USDA FoodData Central site, and this specific SR page hosted by MyFoodData gives a clear readout in everyday units. That pairing keeps the data grounded and practical for home use.