Comparing Dried Fruit to Fresh Fruit. When comparing the sugar content of dried fruits and fresh fruits by weight, dried fruits are much higher in sugar because they have had much of their water content removed. Fresh apricots contain about 9 percent sugar, while fresh plums and apples have about 10 percent sugar, which is much lower than the 53 percent sugar in dried apricots, 38 percent sugar in dried plums, or prunes, and 57 percent sugar in dried apples. Sugar in Dried Fruits Most dried fruits are more than 50 percent sugar. The exceptions are prunes, which are about 38 percent sugar, and dried figs, which are about 48 percent sugar. Among the dried fruits with the highest sugar content are currants and sweetened dried cherries, with 67 percent, and sweetened dried cranberries, with 65 percent. If you’ve made the mistake of eating lots of dried fruit, as a ‘healthy alternative’ , to help weight loss, this might be preventing you from losing weight. Track your total daily calorie intake.