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This naturally alkaline and refreshing juice is sure to hydrate on a hot day or just enjoy the delicious taste! Prickly Pear juice or Agua de Tuna in Mexico is basically like the “Kool Aid” of nature, and its sugar free!
What is a Prickly Pear?
A prickly pear is a magenta color fruit that grows on the top of cacti in southern USA states like Texas and Arizona as well as all over Mexico.
There are actually many health benefits to this beautiful and vibrant fruit! The prickly pear or “tuna” as they say in Spanish may assist in treating diabetes, or may even help to lower cholesterol. The taste is very sweet with extremely hard seeds. The seeds can be swallowed however I primarily like to enjoy the fruit in a juice.
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The fruit have extremely sharp spikes on them just like ordinary cacti. It is not safe to take them off a cactus with bare hands. Experts have stated that the safest method is to blow fire on the cacti until all the spikes (small and large) call off. Of course if you don’t have a blowtorch (not many people do) the spikes may be able to be carefully cut off (with thick gloves).
History/Culture of Prickly Pear Juice
Would you believe me if I told you that this fruit is so important to Mexican culture that its featured on the national flag?
The pink prickly pear is actually on top of an extremely healthy and alkaline cactus called nopales that is featured on the Dr. Sebi diet as one of the healthiest foods to cook with. The green part of the cactus can typically be found in Hispanic/Asian grocery stores and can be served in savoury dishes.
What you’ll need
- Prickly Pears
- Star Fruit
- Ginger
- Key Lime
- Agave Syrup
How to make Prickly Pear Juice
Agua de Tuna or Prickly pear juice is a really simple process. I included a Jamaican twist by adding in a starfruit but if that’s not available feel free to replace it with 1 orange. Or you can keep the recipe simple and have only prickly pears, it’s up to you!
You’ll need a fine mesh strainer or a nut milk bag to make sure none of those pesky seed particles end up in the final product. Either or is fine but if you don’t prefer to get your hands dirty, the strainer is a better option. If you don’t mind, the nut milk bag can also come in handy for homemade plant milks. Use the links provided to get your hands on either or.
1. Throughly wash the produce. Slice off both ends of the prickly pears and cut a thin incision down the middle. Peel the skin away from the fruit. Cut the starfruit into appropriate pieces for the blender.
2. Throw in the prickly pears, starfruit, ginger, key lime, and agave into a blender along with some water.
3. Blend until well combined.
4. Strain with a fine mesh strainer or nut milk bag.
5. Serve over ice and enjoy on a hot day!
How to store prickly pear juice
Prickly pear juice can be stored in the fridge for about 5 days up to a week. The drink tastes even better when it has sit for a little bit and the sugars come out.
If you would like to keep the juice longer, feel free to freeze in ice cubes. They can make a delicious add for a tropical smoothie.
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