Quince: Nutrition, How to Eat It and Seed Safety

Quince is a golden, pear-shaped fruit with a strong floral smell and flesh so hard and astringent that few people eat it raw. Cooked, it turns soft, sweet and often rosy pink, which is why the quince fruit is most familiar in jams, jellies and the firm Spanish paste called membrillo. In USDA data, one raw quince has about 52 calories and supplies vitamin C and copper, with a little fiber. Research on eating quince is thin: a 2022 review found no human studies on quince and heart-related risk factors, only animal and lab work. This guide covers quince nutrition, how to eat quince, and one real safety point: the seeds.

Peptide Labs does not sell quince or quince products. This article is general nutrition information, not medical advice.

What is quince fruit?

Quince comes from Cydonia oblonga, the only species in its genus, which belongs to the rose family (Rosaceae), according to a 2022 review in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. That makes it a cousin of apples and pears. The fruit looks like a lumpy, oversized pear, often with a soft gray fuzz on the skin that rubs off. Its smell is the giveaway: a ripe quince left on a counter can perfume a whole room.

Do not confuse it with Japanese quince (Chaenomeles), the flowering garden shrub, or with Chinese quince (Pseudocydonia). A 2024 review in Antioxidants points out that these three groups look alike and are often mixed up, although they are different plants. This article is about Cydonia, the orchard quince sold in grocery stores in the fall.

Why is it rarely eaten raw? The same 2024 review describes the fruit as unpalatable raw because of its high lignin content, the woody material that makes the flesh so firm, and notes that it is mostly processed into jams, syrups, liqueurs, wine and jellies. Some softer varieties grown in warm climates can be eaten raw in thin slices, but most quince in US stores needs cooking.

Quince nutrition facts (USDA)

The figures below come from USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, entry 168163 (Quinces, raw). Percent Daily Values use the FDA Daily Values. One quince without its core, seeds and skin weighs about 92 grams in the USDA portion data. For comparison, the last two columns show raw pears (169118) and raw apples with skin (171688) per 100 grams.

Two things stand out. Raw quince has more vitamin C and copper than raw pears or apples in USDA data, and it has less fiber than either. Our pears guide and apple nutrition guide cover those fruits in full, and the vitamin C foods list shows where quince sits among richer sources. If fiber is your focus, our high-fiber foods guide and fiber per day explainer are more useful than quince.

These numbers describe raw fruit. SR Legacy has no entry for cooked or poached quince, and none for quince paste or quince jelly. Most quince recipes add a good deal of sugar, so a spoonful of membrillo is closer to a fruit preserve than to fresh fruit. Check the Nutrition Facts panel on packaged quince paste for total and added sugars.

How to eat quince

Quince rewards patience. Here is the plain kitchen approach most cooks follow.

1. Choose: pick fruit that is mostly yellow, firm and fragrant. Green fruit can ripen on the counter for a few days until the smell is strong. Bruises show up as brown patches.
2. Wash: rub off the fuzz under running water.
3. Peel and core: you need a sturdy knife and a steady cutting board, because the flesh is very hard. Cut out the whole core with its seeds. Peels and cores can be simmered in the cooking water for flavor and then strained out.
4. Cook: poach slices in water or a light syrup, bake them, or stew them with apples or pears. Slow cooking turns the pale flesh pink to deep red.
5. Use: serve poached quince with yogurt or oatmeal, add it to a fruit crumble, roast it beside pork or chicken, or cook it down with sugar into jelly or membrillo, which is often served with cheese.

Cut quince browns quickly, like apple. A squeeze of lemon juice in the water keeps slices pale until they go into the pot. Raw quince keeps for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator if it is wrapped separately, since its scent can carry over to other foods.

Quince seeds: what to know

The safety point worth knowing is the seeds. A 2024 review in Antioxidants notes that quince seeds contain cyanogenic glycosides, mainly amygdalin, and that amygdalin can be broken down in the digestive system into hydrogen cyanide, which is toxic. The same review reports that the seeds of orchard quince contain low levels compared with some related fruits. Apple and pear seeds carry the same kind of compound, which is one reason cooks core these fruits.

• Remove the core and seeds before cooking, as most recipes already direct.
• Do not grind quince seeds into food or make homemade seed preparations.
• If a child chews and swallows a large number of seeds, or anyone feels unwell after eating seeds, call Poison Control or a clinician.

Is quince healthy? What the research says

Quince is a low-fat fruit with vitamin C, copper and some fiber, and it can fit a varied diet like other fruit. Claims beyond that are not well supported in people. The 2022 review by Amerizadeh and colleagues searched several databases for studies of quince and heart-related risk factors and found 12 studies, all in animals or lab models; it found no human studies. The 2024 Antioxidants review describes quince as rich in polyphenols but calls scientific knowledge about its health effects fragmentary.

In short, lab findings on quince extracts do not tell you what eating poached quince does. If you see quince extracts sold with health promises, view those promises with caution and ask a clinician or pharmacist before using any extract, especially if you take medicines.

Quince compared with similar fruits

Quince is often compared with pears and apples because it looks like one and cooks like the other. Unlike them, it is seldom pleasant raw. It is also compared with persimmon, another fruit that can be very astringent before it is fully ripe. For sweet, tart flavor with very different nutrition, see our sibling guide to tamarind, a pod fruit used in sauces and candy. If you track sugar, our low-sugar fruits guide explains how fruits compare in USDA data.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about a label? Contact us or read our Buyer’s Guide. Food comes first; follow the label and ask a healthcare provider before starting a supplement, especially if you take medicines, are pregnant or have a food allergy. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Last reviewed October 2026.

Related guides: Tamarind: Nutrition, Sugar, Paste and Candy Lead Facts, Pears Benefits: USDA Pear Nutrition, Calories and Asian Pears, Apple Calories and Nutrition: Are Apples Healthy?.