Peaches (fresh)

One US cup of peaches (fresh) weighs between 154 and 170 grams, depending on how the cup is filled and which source measured it. That range is the answer; a single number would not be. Every figure behind it is below, with the method each source used.

Also called fresh peaches, peaches, diced peaches, sliced peaches, chopped peaches, peaches peeled diced, peaches peeled sliced.

Fresh peaches are the first entry on the site where the published range comes from a state mismatch between authoritative sources rather than measurement variance for the same state. USDA SR Legacy publishes yellow raw peaches at 154 grams per cup sliced (FDC ID 169928), while King Arthur publishes 170 grams per cup peeled and diced. The 10.4% gap is just over the 10% milled tolerance, so this entry publishes the range 154 to 170 g/cup rather than picking a single figure.

The gap is real physics, not sloppy measurement. Sliced peaches are thin curved wedges cut from around the pit, and they leave irregular gaps in a cup because their curved surfaces don't stack cleanly against each other. Diced peaches are compact cuboid pieces (typically half to three-quarter inch cubes) that stack against each other and fill the interstitial space more efficiently. The same fruit, cut two different ways, packs at 154 g/cup as slices and 170 g/cup as dice, about a 10% density increase from dicing. This mirrors the strawberry pattern documented in the strawberries-sliced entry (whole 144 g/cup versus sliced 166 g/cup, 15% denser when sliced) and extends it: for strawberries, slicing packs denser than whole; for peaches, dicing packs denser than slicing. The general rule is that smaller and more uniform pieces stack better.

USDA SR Legacy record 09236 provides unusually rich portion data that most bakers never see. Beyond the 154 g/cup sliced figure, USDA defines specific whole-fruit portions by diameter: a small peach at 2.5 inches weighs 130 g, medium at 2.67 inches weighs 150 g, large at 2.75 inches weighs 175 g, and extra large at 3 inches reaches 224 g. This means a recipe calling for 2 medium peaches specifies 300 g of whole fruit regardless of how it's cut. Bakers who weigh their fruit sidestep the compounding error of guessing 'medium' and then guessing 'cup.'

Compared to the site's other fresh cut fruits, peaches sit in the middle of the density band. Apple-slices at 109 g/cup are lighter because apple slices are thin and curved with substantial interstitial air. Pineapple-diced at 165 g/cup and sliced strawberries at 166 g/cup pack similarly to peaches in the middle of the fresh-chunked-fruit range. Fresh berries anchor the lighter end: cranberries at 95, raspberries at 123, blueberries at 148 g/cup. The pattern across all these fresh-fruit entries is that cut fresh fruit generally lands between 100 and 170 g/cup depending on cut geometry and interstitial packing.

Category assignment is milled, matching the fresh cut fruit precedent established by apple-slices, pineapple-diced, strawberries-sliced, and the fresh berry entries. Solid water-containing pieces whose packing depends on shape and fill method belong here rather than in sugar, which is reserved for small crystalline or particulate solids like sugars, salts, chocolate chips, and small dried fruits such as raisins and currants. Peaches at any cut are too large and geometrically complex for the sugar category.

Ripeness affects this entry more than most fresh fruits because peaches soften significantly as they ripen. A firm underripe peach cuts cleanly into geometric slices or dice that pack close to the published figures. A very ripe peach compresses under its own weight in the cup, releases juice, and can pack noticeably denser than the published range. USDA's 154 g and King Arthur's 170 g both assume firm-to-just-ripe fruit; bakers using overripe fruit should expect somewhat higher weights per cup and slightly wetter results in the finished bake.

Confidence is low because the two authoritative sources measure different cut states and their published figures differ by 10.4%, just over the milled tolerance. This is not sourcing weakness; both USDA SR Legacy and King Arthur are cited transparently. The range publish is honest about the reality that a 'cup of peaches' can mean two different masses depending on the cut.