17 Del Monte Canned Fruit Options, Ranked

If you're like me, you associate canned fruit with childhood. Or maybe car camping. Or possibly with making pie or cobbler. Now that I think about it, I have all three associations, so my enthusiasm level when Del Monte offered to let me taste its product lineup was high. I assembled my trusty taste test team — the husband, the small girl, and the small boy — plus an aunt and uncle who were visiting and gamely agreed to sample 17 canned fruits in one afternoon. (Because when you go on vacation, isn't that at the top of the bucket list?)

Note that this is not the complete lineup of Del Monte canned fruit products but rather a representative sampling. The company produces most types of fruit in multiple syrup thicknesses, with variations on slicing, packaging, and additions (e.g., the Very Cherry Fruit Cocktail, which is essentially the regular Fruit Cocktail with more cherries). Thus, there are more variations than you see here.

For you, the takeaway is that if you're looking for something particular at the store, you can probably find a close substitute that will suit your purpose with a little updating. Either way, we've linked out to a few of these products below so you can find them online if you want, but they're pretty widely available at the store. Now, what did we think? Let's take a look.

Some recommendations are based on first-hand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer/distributor/etc.

The Del Monte Canned Bartlett Sliced Pears in Water were artificially sweetened, which we knew from looking at the product label, so we didn't have the highest hopes heading in. Right off the bat, the small girl hated it. The rest of us were less vitriolic but didn't appreciate the subtle aftertaste of sucralose.

Also, we felt a little cheated by the claim on the can; if you're going to say, "no sugar added," then you shouldn't get to use a chemical instead. The fruit should have to stand on its own. (Full disclosure: It does also say "artificially sweetened" on the can.) However, if your biggest concern was caloric intake, you might appreciate this product because most of us thought it did have decent pear flavor for fewer calories. Only the aunt disagreed, saying it didn't taste like pear to her.

Peaches there were aplenty. Having already tried and ranked a variety of brands of canned peaches earlier this year, we'd girded our loins before trying a single slice of these Del Monte peaches. Let's just say, once you've been subjected to spiced peaches, you'll understand our reticence. Nay ... our fear. So seeing that these came without sugar was a little bit sweaty-face-emoji for us, but we still dove in with a will.

Unfortunately, the Del Monte Canned Sliced Peaches in Water suffered from the same issues as the pears. They were somewhat sour with an aftertaste, but they did have a decent ripeness level. The rationale for choosing these over the other peach varieties is presumably health-related, but we say skip the sucralose and opt for peaches in juice.

We were hopeful that Del Monte canned fruit in fruit juice would provide a better experience than artificial sweetener, and in some ways, it did. The texture was better, though not as good as the fruits packed in syrup. The color of 100% fruit juice items was also duller, which makes sense, since sugar is an excellent preservative in addition to providing sweetness. We were also happy to say goodbye to that sucralose aftertaste.

However, while we all agreed the texture was a step up, the 100% Juice Sliced Peaches were a bit sour. The uncle pointed out that this would be good with ice cream, though, where you didn't need the sweetness. Indeed, the back of some of these cans even suggests you make a sundae.

Of all the choices on the list, Del Monte Canned Fruit Cocktail in 100% Juice is the only one that personally affronted me because I grew up eating the version in heavy syrup and noticed the change. This one was less sweet than the other fruit cocktails on this list, but that wasn't the main issue — it was the preservation situation. The fruits in this mix were actually brighter in color than the regular fruit cocktail (anybody's guess why), but they were a bit mushier, and the grapes had a strange musty taste, like garage wine gone wrong.

If you're putting this in a sweet preparation, you might appreciate the lower sugar content. For instance, canned fruit cocktail is a critical ingredient in Filipino fruit salad, aka buko, which also uses sweetened condensed milk. Ditto for poor man's ambrosia salad or anything else where the other ingredients are already sugary.

Touted as "Mixed Fruit in a Natural Cherry-Flavored Extra Light Syrup," this really just felt like a mild update on fruit cocktail. Yes, there were more cherries, and yes, the whole thing did feel a little bit extra-cherry-ish. However, even Very Cherry didn't have that many cherries (which was disappointing for the small child in me that always fought over the cherries with her brother).

In general, the small boy thought it tasted fake and overly sweet, while the small girl liked it. The uncle thought there was something earthy and not very fruity about it, probably because the grapes were musty again. The aunt was less forgiving, referring to them as "The Grapes of Wrath." (She went to Berkeley, so such references come naturally to her.) When asked how he felt about the grapes, the husband replied, "I'll let you know tomorrow." LOL. Note that these come in larger packs online, such as the Del Monte Very Cherry Pack of 12, but you might not want to commit to such a large quantity unless you've got a real cherry-lover around.

I was dreading eating this. I hate grapefruit ever so much. So. Very. Very. Much. And guess what? It was bitter as all get-out, and I hated it. The rest of my family did as well. However, the aunt liked it because when she was a kid, they sprinkled sugar on grapefruit and ate it fresh. The uncle did the same thing every morning growing up. Thus, they both rated it decent in texture and flavor. They even liked the bitterness because they are crazy and their childhoods have twisted them into believing that grapefruit is an item that should be consumed. If you're like them, this is apparently a decent way to go.

For everyone else, this is a canned fruit you can avoid buying. The only exception is if you have to make a transatlantic sea voyage and are worried about scurvy, in which case you might want to consider Del Monte Red Grapefruit Sections in Extra Light Syrup. Everyone else, steer clear.

Visually, the pitted sweet cherries in heavy syrup stood out among their compatriots for being so dark and producing a syrup that looked like red wine. That was exciting at first, but the flavor was less exciting. The aftertaste was a bit funny, which was weird since they were packed in syrup and didn't include artificial sweeteners. They weren't sweet, but neither were they sour. The small boy disliked their mushiness, which was nothing like the toothy bite of a fresh cherry. Our conclusion: These are an ingredient, not a treat on their own, so pull out your cobbler recipe before you buy these.

FYI, you'll have to buy a 12-pack to get these on Amazon, so unless you're making a bunch of pies to enter at the state fair, we'd say one can at a time is the way to go. Then you can decide if you like these because, honestly, they're a bit of an acquired taste.

If I learned one thing in this taste test, it's that there is a distinct difference in the light versus heavy syrup. The Del Monte Lite Sliced Yellow Cling Peaches in Extra Light Syrup proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt. We could tell the sugar content had gone up compared to the No Sugar Added or 100% Juice versions, but not by much. That meant they weren't super sweet. They also didn't have good structural integrity. However, the flavor of the peaches themselves was nice, fresh, and unquestionably peachy.

Note that the types of peaches do vary, sometimes listing a specific type or a point of origin. You can look for that information on the can, but it probably won't affect the taste as much as the syrup level does. And just in case you're marooned on a mountaintop during an unseasonally late snowstorm, you'll be happy to know that peaches are nutritious and ward off scurvy. If only the Donner Party had these, amiright?

Everyone was pretty excited about the Del Monte Sliced Pineapple in 100% Juice because we all favor canned pineapple. Unfortunately, this wasn't the best representation of the product. That's not to say it was a total disappointment because it wasn't. The rings were nice and firm, close enough to fresh pineapple that we were impressed. The flavor was very convincing, and the color was a nice pale yellow.

However, the rounds were bland, not nearly as good as gold pineapple, which is a sweeter and less acidic strain. If you like your Del Monte canned fruit a bit less sweet, like the uncle does, then you might prefer this one. And either way, if you are going to buy high-acid canned fruit, you should eat it within 18 months because the acid will start to eat away at the insides of the can.

Now here is one we were all excited to try: the Del Monte Lite Apricot Halves in Extra Light Syrup. We knew we'd have high standards, since the aunt and uncle have an apricot tree and the aunt makes her own preserves, but we were pleasantly surprised by this Del Monte canned fruit. The unpeeled apricot halves had a nice texture because of their skin, and the extra light syrup was enough sweetness.

There was a bit of division when it came to flavor. The aunt didn't think it really tasted like apricot, while the rest of us thought the representation was good. My aunt concluded she'd use it for baking but not eat it plain, while the rest of us felt the slightly tart sweetness worked well.

I'm just gonna say it: The Del Monte Diced Mangos in Extra Light Syrup were so good. I would have ranked them in the top three if I could have, but my opinion was dragged down by Philistines who don't appreciate the perfection of this product. To be fair, the aunt and I had a mango that morning and were trying not to compare it to the real deal, some of us with more success than others. (Side-eyeing you, Auntie.)

Either way, this canned fruit did a good job at being mango-flavored and mango-textured. It's not too sweet, pretty structurally sound, and a good substitute for fresh mangoes, which are hard to get ripe and in season. The only criticism came from the small boy, who thought it was too slimy and complained that it melted in his mouth ... which is maybe the only time in all of food writing that such a trait has been used as a criticism.

The Del Monte Sliced Peaches were, to me, the epitome of canned peaches — peachy, well-textured, and hecka sweet. Described as "yellow cling peaches in heavy syrup," they were just that, with some extra heavy syrup on the side. Honestly, they were too sweet even for me, and that's a pretty foreign concept. The small girl, who doesn't like sugar as much as her mother, said, "They made my cheeks tingle unnaturally."

They also had great texture and structural integrity, again due to the heavy syrup. Overall, we felt the high sweetness level would make them a good option for a pie or other baked good where you wanted a nice peachy taste but didn't want to add any additional sugar, but if you've a real sweet tooth, you'll like them straight from the can.

This is the fruit cocktail my mom used to give us as a treat when my brother and I were small and we didn't have a lot of money. (Fun fact: My memories of this are from when we were living in this same aunt's house. Have we come full circle during this taste test?) Thus, the Del Monte Fruit Cocktail In Heavy Syrup was a-okay with me.

The small boy and the husband agreed with me that it had excellent flavor. The aunt and the small girl thought it was too sweet, while the uncle strategically combined more and less sweet pieces of fruit on his fork for the perfect balance. (Is he an engineer, you're wondering? Maybe.) Overall, we thought the flavor of this one was true to the fruits it contained, and we liked it.

The Del Monte Pear Halves were another big hit. It's true that they weren't as good as the ones that snagged the No. 2 spot, but it's a testament to canned pears in general (or at least to Del Monte's treatment of them) that they represent two of our top five rankings.

Personally, I love overly sweetened canned pears. Bring on all the grandmotherly desserts, please and thank you. The small boy also loved them and lunged in for seconds before we reminded him he had a whole taste test to get through. The husband and small girl were less convinced but still liked them. The aunt found them cloyingly sweet, and the uncle would have liked to cut some of the sugar.

The biggest issue here is that these tasted more like the syrup in which they were packed than the pears themselves. Doing his best impression of Paul Hollywood on "The Great British Baking Show," the uncle said, "The fruit's not coming through." Which, fair.

Despite being quite similar to No. 6 (Sliced Peaches), the Freestone Slices were a bigger hit because they had a nice texture and peachy flavor without the overwhelming sugariness. Some members of the group thought they were still too sweet, but not as cloying as the Sliced Peaches. These would also be good for a pie, but you can feel okay eating them plain too, given that canned peaches are as nutritious — or perhaps more so — than fresh ones. Yep, true story.

As far as Del Monte canned fruit goes for baking or eating, this is our fave peach choice. The ones available on Amazon were weirdly expensive, but you can look up what they would cost in your area or search at the store, where you're likely to find them for much cheaper.

These were my favorite, and if I had my druthers, they'd have taken home the gold. However, the Del Monte Sliced Bartlett Pears In Heavy Syrup still did darn well among the group because the combination of sliced canned pears and heavy syrup is just plain yummy. They were structurally sound, easy to fork out of the can (for savages like us who do that), and quite sweet. The last point was a bit of a detractor for the aunt and uncle — remember, they actually LIKE grapefruit — but the rest of us enjoyed that facet.

The best part about them, though, was how much they tasted like pear. As the small boy put it, "If I just want sweetness, I can pour sugar in my mouth." With these, you're getting the real deal.

If there is one type of canned fruit you should keep in your pantry, it's this one. Billing itself as "pineapple chunks in 100% pineapple juice," our top-ranked Del Monte canned fruit gets the job done. It was firm with a slight crunch, naturally sweet but tart, and tasted just as a pineapple should. We loved that it didn't have artificial sweeteners or heavy syrup; the pineapple was sweet enough that packing it in its own juice was delicious.

As soon as we tasted this, we knew it was going to take the top spot (even though I did try to argue for the No. 2 pears). Between flavor, texture, and nutritional value, Del Monte Deluxe Gold Pineapple Chunks in 100% Pineapple Juice are No. 1 for a reason, so buy them freely and often. We will certainly be doing so.

As the uncle put it, "Sugar talks." Like it or not, once you've downed a bunch of sucrose, unsweetened foods just don't taste as good. We didn't want to bias ourselves against the less-sweet varieties by having already tasted sweet ones, so the aunt lovingly separated all the Del Monte canned fruit products by liquid type, and therefore by sweetness level. Some had no sugar added (which meant weird artificial sweeteners), some were in juice, and some used syrup in different sugar concentrations: extra-lite, lite, and heavy.

Ever dutiful, the aunt then arranged them from least to most sweet, and we sampled them in that order to ensure we didn't bias our taste buds. This gave us a better idea of what we were actually tasting because the flavor of the fruit came through as truly as possible.

In terms of how we ranked them, well, that was a little less structured. And by "less structured," I mean The Committee met and yelled at one another for about 10 minutes. By the end, each ranking represented the canned fruit that the majority of tasters thought should fill that spot. And miraculously, we all still love each other.