How Many Calories Are in a Serving of Mazafati Dates? Higher or Lower Than Dried Apricots?

How Many Calories Are in a Serving of Mazafati Dates vs Dried Apricots? The Quick Answer

A typical serving of Mazafati dates, the soft, dark Iranian variety sometimes called Bam dates, is three dates weighing about 30 grams in total, and it has around 81 calories. Each date weighs about 10 grams and has 27 calories, which gives 270 calories per 100 grams. A 30 gram serving of dried apricots, about eight halves, has roughly 72 calories, and 100 grams has 241. So per serving Mazafati dates have about 9 more calories, and per weight about 12 percent more. Dried apricots are lower in calories and sugar, but dates are softer, sweeter and richer in fiber per piece.

The two fruits are often compared because both are favorite dried fruit snacks, and both are described as healthy sweet alternatives. Dried apricots are higher in vitamin A and potassium, and tart. Mazafati dates provide more energy and a caramel-like sweetness. The serving size you choose matters more than the difference between them. This guide compares Mazafati dates and dried apricots per piece, per serving and per 100 grams, looks at sugar, fiber, potassium, iron and vitamins, and gives tips for portions and uses, with three comparison tables and an FAQ.

Three Mazafati dates have about 81 calories, and eight dried apricot halves about 72

How Many Calories Are in a Serving of Mazafati Dates?

How Many Calories Are in Dried Apricots?

Mazafati Dates vs Dried Apricots: Calories Compared

By weight, Mazafati dates have about 12 percent more calories than dried apricots. For the same 100 calories, you get fewer dates but a similar amount of sugar and fiber. A date is one piece, so counting is easy, while apricot halves are smaller and easier to over-eat.

Mazafati Dates vs Dried Apricots: Nutrition Compared

Dried apricots have more potassium, iron and vitamin A, while Mazafati dates have more magnesium

Which Has More Calories: Mazafati Dates or Dried Apricots?

Mazafati dates have more calories per gram and per serving, 81 versus 72 for 30 grams. But eating habits shift the result. Three dates are a natural stopping point, whereas dried apricots are small and soft, so a handful of 20 halves (70 grams) with 169 calories is common. Dates are also sweeter, so many people eat fewer. For a quick calorie check, count the pieces: each date is about 27 calories and each apricot half about 8.

What Is a Serving of Mazafati Dates?

Nutrition labels and dietitians often suggest 2 to 3 dates, or 20 to 30 grams, as a sensible serving of dried fruit. A single Mazafati date is about 10 grams, small compared with Medjool dates (24 grams). So three Mazafati dates deliver 81 calories, about 4 percent of a 2,000 calorie day. Children can have one or two. Athletes may eat five to seven for quick energy. Mazafati dates are sold fresh and semi-moist with the pit, so check whether a package's weight includes the pits (about 10 percent).

Why Are Mazafati Dates and Dried Apricots Calorie Dense?

Fresh apricots are 86 percent water and have only 48 calories per 100 grams. Drying removes almost all the water, so the sugars concentrate: 100 grams of dried apricots represent about 500 grams of fresh fruit. Mazafati dates are harvested at the rutab stage and partially dried to about 20 to 25 percent moisture, so they stay soft, but still have 60 grams of sugar per 100 grams. In both cases calories come mostly from fructose and glucose, with little fat or protein.

Are Mazafati Dates or Dried Apricots Healthier?

Both offer fiber, minerals and antioxidants, and neither has added fat. Dried apricots are among the best fruit sources of potassium (1,162 milligrams per 100 grams) and provide vitamin A as beta-carotene (180 micrograms), plus iron. They have a lower glycemic index. Mazafati dates have more magnesium and calcium per serving than most fruit, plus polyphenols and a natural sweetness that satisfies cravings. Most commercial dried apricots are treated with sulfur dioxide to preserve their orange color, which can trigger reactions in sensitive people; unsulfured apricots are brown but free from it.

Stuffing a date with an almond adds about 7 calories and makes the snack more filling

How Do Mazafati Dates Compare With Other Date Varieties?

Mazafati dates are small, dark, soft and moist, with a thin skin, a chewy but tender texture and a rich flavor reminiscent of caramel. They are shorter than Medjool and slightly smaller than Kabkab. Calories per 100 grams are in the same range across varieties, 270 to 280, but the weight of a date changes the per-piece figure. Counting by weight rather than pieces is the most accurate way to compare.

What Are the Best Ways to Eat Them?

Mazafati dates are eaten fresh as a snack, with tea or coffee, or at the Ramadan fast-breaking meal, often with milk or nuts. Dried apricots are enjoyed on their own, in trail mix, in Persian rice dishes, in tagines and stews, and in baking. Both blend into smoothies and energy balls. A date paired with walnut halves or almonds balances sugar with fat and protein. Chop two or three dried apricots into oatmeal for natural sweetness.

How Many Calories Do Mazafati Dates Add Up to Over a Day?

Most people rarely eat only one serving. Dates show up at breakfast with tea, in a mid-afternoon snack, and as a dessert after dinner. Tracking the total matters because each date looks small but the numbers climb quickly. Six dates across a day equal 162 calories and 36 grams of sugar, which is more than the daily added-sugar limit recommended by the American Heart Association for women (25 grams), although the sugar in whole fruit is not classified as added sugar. Dried apricots add up in the same way: 16 halves are 144 calories.

A useful habit is to put the day's dates in a small bowl in the morning. When the bowl is empty, you are done. It removes the need to count each piece and keeps the total near 80 to 160 calories.

How Many Calories Do Dried Apricots Add Up to Over a Day?

Dried apricots are lighter per piece, so the risk is eating them by the handful. A small fistful is about 12 to 15 halves, or 100 to 125 calories. Because they are chewy and tart, they feel more filling than candy, yet a 250 gram bag has about 600 calories, and it is easy to finish half of it during a movie. Pre-portioning into small bags of 30 grams makes the numbers visible.

How Do Dates and Dried Apricots Affect Blood Sugar?

Both fruits contain mostly fructose and glucose, but fiber and polyphenols slow absorption. Mazafati dates have a glycemic index between 42 and 55 depending on ripeness and study, and a glycemic load of about 9 for a 30 gram serving, which is moderate. Dried apricots have a glycemic index of 30 to 40, and a glycemic load of about 5 for the same weight, which counts as low. For people managing diabetes, dried apricots are generally the gentler choice, though neither is risk free in large portions.

Pairing either fruit with protein or fat reduces the spike. A date with a spoonful of peanut butter, or apricots with plain yogurt, slows digestion and raises the feeling of fullness. People with diabetes should check their own response with a glucose meter and discuss portions with a doctor or dietitian.

How Do Dates and Dried Apricots Fit Into a Weight Loss Diet?

Neither fruit is a problem on a weight loss plan if you measure portions. They replace candy, cookies and sweetened snacks, and they supply fiber, which supports fullness. The trap is that they are dense: 100 calories is just 37 grams of dates, about 3 to 4 of them. A calorie deficit of 500 per day is lost easily if you add 5 dates (135 calories) on top of regular meals without removing something else. Use them as a swap for sugary snacks, not as an addition.

How Do They Compare in Iron, Potassium and Vitamins?

Dried apricots are one of the best plant sources of potassium and a good source of iron among fruits. A 30 gram serving has 349 milligrams of potassium (about 7 percent of the daily value), 0.8 milligrams of iron, and 54 micrograms of vitamin A (6 percent). Three Mazafati dates have 195 milligrams of potassium, 0.3 milligrams of iron and 16 milligrams of magnesium. Dates provide small amounts of B vitamins such as B6, niacin and folate, plus antioxidants like carotenoids, flavonoids and phenolic acid.

Are There Downsides to Eating Too Many?

Large amounts of dried fruit can cause digestive discomfort because of fiber and sorbitol, a sugar alcohol that has a laxative effect. Dried apricots in particular are sometimes eaten for constipation, and eating a lot at once may cause gas, bloating or loose stools. Sulfite-treated apricots can trigger wheezing in people with asthma. Dates are sticky and can contribute to tooth decay if eaten often without brushing. People who monitor potassium, such as those with advanced kidney disease, should check with their doctor, as both fruits are rich in it.

How Should You Choose and Store Each One?

Choose Mazafati dates that are dark brown to black, plump, glossy and soft, with no sugar crystals, sourness or fermentation smell. Fresh Mazafati are best kept in the refrigerator, where they last several months, or the freezer for up to a year. Dried apricots should be pliable, not hard or dusty. Bright orange apricots are usually sulfured; dark brown ones are unsulfured and taste more like caramel. Store them in an airtight container in a cool place for six months, or refrigerate for longer.

Which Should You Pick for Each Goal?

Choose dried apricots when you want fewer calories, more potassium and vitamin A, or a lower glycemic impact. Choose Mazafati dates when you want a rich sweet taste, quick energy before exercise, or a replacement for sugar in baking, since two dates blended make a natural sweetener. For fiber, they are equal, so pick the taste you enjoy and keep to about 30 grams. Alternating the two across the week gives a wider range of nutrients.

How Do You Read Labels on Packaged Dates and Dried Apricots?

Packaged dried fruit often lists a serving size that differs from the one you actually eat. A pack of Mazafati dates may state a serving of 40 grams (about 4 dates) with 108 calories, while a pack of dried apricots may list 40 grams (about 11 halves) with 96 calories. Always compare per 100 grams when choosing between brands, and check the ingredients: pure dried fruit should list only the fruit. Added sugar, glucose syrup, sulfur dioxide (E220) or preservatives such as potassium sorbate change the profile of the product. Pitted dates weigh less per piece because the pit is removed.

How Many Calories Are in Common Recipes Made With Them?

Both fruits show up in everyday recipes, and the calories add up from the other ingredients. A date and walnut energy ball, for example, has about 70 calories, while a bowl of oatmeal topped with chopped apricots reaches 220. Knowing the fruit's contribution lets you adjust portions without giving up favorite dishes.

What Is the Bottom Line on Servings?

For everyday eating, treat 30 grams as the standard serving of either fruit: three Mazafati dates or about eight dried apricot halves. That keeps calories near 70 to 80, sugar near 16 to 18 grams, and fiber at around 2 grams. If you are active or need more energy, double the portion, and if you are cutting calories, halve it. Pairing the fruit with nuts, yogurt or cheese makes the snack more satisfying and slows the rise in blood sugar.

Key Takeaways: Mazafati Dates vs Dried Apricots Calories

A serving of three Mazafati dates (30 grams) has about 81 calories, and a 30 gram serving of dried apricots about 72. Dried apricots are lower in calories and glycemic index and higher in potassium and vitamin A. Dates are sweeter and higher in magnesium. Stick to about 30 grams.