Tasting Table Asks: What's Your Favorite Dried Fruit? - Exclusive Survey

Snackers, this survey is for you. Dried fruit is a snacking essential, as well as a trail-mix go-to. The dried versions of your favorite fruits are certain to vary the texture in any bag of M&M's and peanuts — or fill you up entirely on their own. Dried fruits are plenty versatile and delicious. According to Statista, dried fruits are particularly notable for their sweet taste and prolonged shelf life. 

Raisins and dates tend to be the category's most common foods, though there are plenty of other dried fruits on the market — many of which Tasting Table included in its latest survey. We recently asked 601 people about which dried fruit they preferred out of apricots, mangoes, apples, cranberries, strawberries, and raisins. While no one fruit swept the majority away, there was still one fruit that came out on top. As for what this common and popular fruit was, here's a hint — you can enjoy it in everything from oatmeal cookies to breakfast granola to cinnamon bread.

Raisins add texture and flavor to all kinds of foods, ranging from desserts to snacks to full-on meals. It's, therefore, no surprise that raisins were the most popular choice in Tasting Table's latest survey. Nearly 22% of those polled deemed raisins their favorite. Following raisins, dried apples and dried cranberries nearly tied for second place. Cranberries took the slightest edge with 18.97% of people in favor of the dried fruit, while apples followed closely behind with 18.64% of the favor.

Next, mangoes, then apricots, followed suit. These common dried fruits were responsible for 17.64% and 14.64% of the vote, respectively. Concluding the survey, dried strawberries rounded off the list as the least popular choice. About 8% of voters cited strawberries as their go-to dried fruit, which is a less conventional option, but still worthwhile.

Clearly, dried fruits are all-encompassing, though if none of these options speaks to you or if all of them do, you can mix and match to suit your preferences. For the holiday season, The New York Times recommends making a festive fruitcake that combines a slew of dried fruits, including the survey's apricots and cranberries, as well as prunes, cherries, and currants. With a fruit-heavy cake, a raisin-laced panettone, or even a batch of cranberry cookies, you can combine dried fruit with the season's best sweets.