Quince: properties, sugar in quince paste and how to use it

What nutrients does quince contain?

Per 100 g of edible portion, raw quince provides 29 kcal, 84.2 g of water, 6.3 g of carbohydrates and 6.4 g of fibre [1]. According to the Spanish Food Composition Database, it also contains 200 mg of potassium, 14 mg of calcium and 15 mg of vitamin C [1].

A large part of this fibre is pectin, the substance that makes quince set when cooked. It also contains tannins, the compounds that give it the dry, rough sensation in the mouth known as astringency.

Some vitamin C is lost during cooking. Since quince is almost always eaten cooked, it is not the fruit to rely on for vitamin C; citrus fruits or kiwi are better choices.

To reach two or three portions of fruit a day [2], you can alternate quince with other seasonal fruits in autumn and winter, such as oranges and grapes.

How do you eat quince?

Almost always cooked. You can eat it raw, but few people do because it is hard, sour and very astringent. Cooking softens it, reduces the astringency and brings out its aroma, which is when it is most enjoyable.

The simplest ways are to roast it in the oven, cook it into a compote or add it in pieces to a meat stew; none of these methods requires added sugar. Serve it with a naturally sweet fruit, such as banana or pear, and the result is sweet in its own right.

Five quince recipes

The quantities are for one serving. The loaf cake is baked as a whole in a tin that makes eight servings; the quantities below are for one serving. Fruit is the main ingredient in the first three recipes; in the last two, 15 g of quince paste is served with cheese.

Quince and banana compote

• 75 g peeled quince
• 40 g banana
• 5 g raisins (optional)
• 60 ml water

Chop the fruit, simmer it with the water over a moderate heat until tender, then blend. Store it in a glass jar in the fridge.

Roasted quince with cinnamon

• Half a quince (about 120 g)
• 1 pitted date (optional)
• Cinnamon, 1 star anise and 1 clove
• 100 ml water

Scoop out the centre of the quince and place the spices on top. Cover it with the date, blended with a tablespoon of water, and pour the remaining water into the baking tray. Bake at 200 °C for about 45 min, basting it with the liquid from time to time.

Wholemeal quince cake

• 60 g peeled and puréed quince
• 18 g wholemeal flour
• Just under half an egg (3 eggs for the whole tin)
• Half a blended date
• 12 ml milk or a plant-based drink with at least 3% protein (soy is preferable) .
• A pinch of pure cocoa powder and orange zest
• Baking powder
• 5 g nuts

Mix everything together, pour the batter into the tin and scatter the nuts over the top. Bake at 190 °C for about 45 min. If you use a soy drink, remember that soy is an allergen.

Pear, quince paste and fresh cheese salad

• 40 g mixed salad leaves and 5 cherry tomatoes
• Half a pear
• 15 g quince paste, diced
• 50 g fresh cheese
• 10 g pumpkin seeds
• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, salt and basil

Arrange everything in a bowl and dress just before serving.

Hot toast with goat’s cheese and quince paste

• 40 g wholemeal bread
• 30 g goat’s cheese
• 15 g quince paste
• 2 walnuts and oregano

Toast the bread and grill the cheese on top for a couple of minutes at 190 °C. Finish with the quince paste cut into pieces, chopped walnut and oregano.

How much sugar is in quince paste?

Much more than in the fruit. Quince paste is made by cooking the pulp with sugar until it sets. Added sugar is therefore one of its main ingredients, whereas raw quince provides 6.3 g of carbohydrates per 100 g [1]. The sugars line on the label tells you how much sugar each brand contains.

The World Health Organization recommends keeping free sugars below 10% of daily energy intake. It considers reducing them to below 5% desirable, as this provides additional benefits [3]. Free sugars include those added to foods, as well as sugars in honey, syrups and fruit juices [3].

In a diet of around 2,000 kcal, 10% is about 50 g of free sugars a day [3]. A few thick slices of quince paste use up a substantial part of that allowance, which is why we suggest a thin serving.

How to read the label on quince paste

European regulations require ingredients to be listed in descending order by weight and sugars to be declared per 100 g [4]. This gives you what you need to compare products.

• Check the first ingredient. If it is sugar rather than quince, the product contains more sugar than fruit.
• Look for the percentage of quince. When a fruit is named in the product name, the label must state how much it contains [4].
• Check the sugars per 100 g. This figure tells you how much sugar each brand contains.
• Check any “no added sugar” claim if the product contains concentrated juices. Sugars in fruit juices also count as free sugars [3].

Questions we are asked about quince in consultations

When quince comes up in consultations, almost all the questions are about quince paste.

“How much quince paste can I have?” A thin slice, as an accompaniment and occasionally. It works better alongside something that provides protein and is filling, such as fresh or matured cheese, plain yoghurt or wholemeal toast. It is less suitable on its own, by the spoonful or as an afternoon snack just for nibbling.

If you are losing weight, you do not need to cut it out: what matters is the overall pattern of what you eat throughout the week. You can find guidance on putting that pattern together, from meals to breakfast and dinner, in our guide to losing weight without regaining it.

“It is fruit, so it counts as one of my daily portions.” It does not. Even juice does not replace whole fruit [2], and neither does a sweet made by cooking fruit with sugar.

“If it is homemade, I can have as much as I like.” Homemade or shop-bought, quince paste is fruit cooked together with sugar. Making it at home lets you decide how much sugar to add, and that is all.

If you monitor your blood glucose

Quince paste behaves like any other concentrated sweet. Our guide to the glycaemic index provides more context. Cooked fruit with no added sugar, on the other hand, fits into most eating plans.