If you ever ate or seen prunes and plums, then you already know a difference between the two off the rip; the taste and the appearance.

They are known for being sweet like grapes and raisins. The process of a plum becoming a prune is similar to how a grape becomes a raisin, but there are a few differences. 

Most people believe that plums and prunes are the same thing; just one dry and one juicy. Well, they are related but not how you think they are.

Not all plums are prunes...

As it turns out, prunes are just dried plums. However, not all plums are prunes. The prune fruit comes from a different type of plant other than plums. So yes, dried plums are called prunes; but not all plums are prunes....

Confused yet?

According to DifferenceBetween, prunes have pits that are easier to remove from the flesh unlike the other types of plums. Both plums and prunes come from the same plant genus called Prunus. By being related to this genus, this makes prunes a type (or a variety) of plums. This even means that plums and prunes are related to other genus fruits like cherries, almonds and peaches since they come from the same family.

Shape, Size and Color

cherry, sweet, plum, jam, apple, jelly
Sarah Goldman

A variety of plums have red skins when they are ripe, but not a bold red. They are usually a deeper red similar to blood or that deep red lipstick you wear all the time. On the other hand, prunes have either blue or purple skins.

When it comes to their shape, many types of plums can be either heart-shaped or round while prunes are oval-shaped. I'll admit that prunes look like over-sized raisins with a giant seed in it; but they are a really good snack.

apple, pasture, juice, plum
Lisa Russo

When they are done becoming plums, prunes are usually dried out or made into prune juice. As for plums, the other types are mostly eaten while they are fresh.

Try them out for yourself and see if you can taste the difference. Maybe you'll discover your new favorite snack.