• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Cooking On The Weekends
  • About
    • Press
    • Contact
  • Recipe Index
  • "How To"
  • Work with Me
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
    • Contact
  • Recipe Index
  • Collaborate
  • Subscribe
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
    • Contact
  • Recipe Index
  • Collaborate
  • Subscribe
×
Home » Seasonal Recipes » How to Eat and Juice Prickly Pears

How to Eat and Juice Prickly Pears

Oct 15, 2014 · by Valentina · 17 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links.

Jump to Recipe
You might wonder how to eat Prickly Pears if you've ever seen them growing on a plant. Prickly pear juice is delicious and can be used in drinks, sauces, vinaigrettes and desserts. Let's demystify it!
three prickly cactus pears with a black background

What is a Prickly Pear?

If you've ever driven through a desert, you've likely seen many Prickly Pear Cactus Plants along the way. Did you have any idea those reddish fruits growing out of the pad-like plants were edible?
(The pads are edible, too. They're called Nopales.)

Wait until you see the inside of a prickly pear and the prickly pear juice -- both are stunning.

big prickly cactus pear plant
photo credit: Edible Plant Project

There are several varieties of cactus pears. Within all of the varieties, the colors vary from magenta and red to green and yellow.

Prickly Pears are native primarily to the southwestern United States, Mexico, other Latin American countries, as well as in Africa, Australia and the Mediterranean — where there is a lot of sun and heat.

Prickly Pears are not actually a member of the pear family. They were given this name only because the they resemble pears in shape and size.

You might think it's daunting, but I want to show you that it's easy to learn how to cut, eat and juice Prickly Pears.

Now let's demystify this unique and beautiful fruit, shall we?

three prickly cactus pears with black background

How to Cut these Cactus Pears

First and foremost, put on cooking gloves!  Trust me! The fruit doesn't necessarily feel prickly, but has many almost invisible thorns. And they will hurt and be very hard to get out.

prickly pear with end cut off

- Use paring knife to cut about ½ inch off of each end.

prickly pear being slit with a paring knife

- Make a slit with the knife, vertically, through the skin — about ¼ inch deep.

prickly pear being cut withe a paring knife

- Use the tip of the knife to lift the skin away from the slit.

prickly pear that's partially peeled

- Gently pull the skin off the cactus pear. It should come off in one piece and may remove a bit of the inner flesh — that’s okay. 

pieces of peeled prickly pear fruit

You can cut the fruit into slices any way you like.

The fruit is packed with very tiny edible seeds.  Many people like the seeds and it’s common to add the slices to salads, or eat them on their own.

(Personally, I don’t love the feel of the seeds as find them too grainy, so I prefer to juice them.)

How to Juice Prickly Pear

- Add chunks of the fruit to a blender and purée. Then pour it through a strainer.

cactus pear juice with a heart shap in it

Other Names for Prickly Pears

  • Cactus Pears
  • Cactus Figs
  • Tuna fruit
  • Indian Figs

What does Prickly Pear taste like?

They're juicy and have a lovely, very sweet, raspberry-like flavor.

Where to Buy Prickly Pears?

You might find them in the specialty section of the produce department in your market. You can also get them here.

How to Use Prickly Pear Juice

  • In a delicious vinaigrette
  • In ice cream
  • Sliced into salads
  • Mixed into cocktails
  • Puréed for a dessert sauce to serve over ice cream
  • How to Juice and Eat Passion Fruit
  • Martini with rambutan and finger lime on the glass edge.
    Rambutan Martini Recipe
  • Several finger limes that are cut in half with pink and light green pulp that looks like caviar.
    What's a Finger Lime?
  • 3 large scoops of dragon fruit with pomegranate glaze in a white bowl
    Dragon Fruit: How to Cut and Serve it
  • Three Cherimoyas on black background.
    How to Eat Cherimoya
  • pile of lychees spilling out of a bowl
    How to Peel Lychee Fruit

Enjoy!

bright magenta cactus pear with end cut off

Sliced and Juiced Prickly Pear

Valentina K. Wein
You might wonder how to eat Prickly Pears if you've ever seen them growing on a plant. Prickly pear juice is delicious and can be used in drinks, sauces, vinaigrettes and desserts.
Print
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Course Drinks, Ingredient
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 1
Calories 40 kcal

Equipment

  • cooking gloves
  • paring knife
  • blender
  • mesh strainer

Ingredients
  

  • 1 whole prickly (cactus) pear

Instructions
 

  • Put on cooking gloves!  If you don't, you will tiny, almost invisible, sharp spines stuck in your fingers and hands.
  • Use  paring knife to cut about ½ inch off of each end of the fruit.
  • Make a slit with the knife, vertically, through the skin — ¼ inch deep (or less).
  • Now use the tip of the knife to lift the skin away from the slit a bit.
  • Use your hands to gently pull the skin off. It usually will come off in one piece and may remove a bit of the inner flesh — that’s okay. Once the skin is removed, you can cut the fruit into slices.
  • If you don't want the fruit with the (edible) seeds, purée it in a blender and then strain out the seeds to use the juice.

NUTRITION

Calories: 40kcal
Keywords exotic fruits
Have you tried this recipe?I'd love to see it on Instagram! Tag me at @cookingontheweekends or leave a comment & rating below.

Cooking On The Weekends is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Save

More Seasonal Recipes

  • Light green bowl filled with strawberry and avocado salsa, with a halved strawberry on top.
    Strawberry Avocado Salsa
  • A few Spiced Avocado Fries on a white plate.
    Spiced Avocado Fries Recipe
  • Creamy Avocado Butter in a red and white striped bowl.
    Avocado Butter Recipe
  • sliced loaf of avocado zucchini bread
    Avocado Bread

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Greg

    October 16, 2014 at 8:52 am

    I just foraged about a dozen of these from the hills by my house. Eating one for breakfast right now. GREG

    Reply
    • valentina

      October 17, 2014 at 1:29 pm

      I love it, Greg!

      Reply
  2. Blanca

    October 16, 2014 at 10:03 am

    TUNAS!! These were a regular household item growing up. We were not allowed to touch them. We would have to wait until my mom peeled and cut them. Then we would eat them with lemon, salt and powdered chile. THE BEST. It would have never occurred to me to juice them lol I feel like my mind expanded just a little. Thank you for the wonderful trip down memory lane.

    Reply
    • valentina

      October 17, 2014 at 1:29 pm

      Thank YOU, Blanca. I love good food memories! And adding a bit of powdered chile to them sounds soooo good. I'll try that.

      Reply
  3. Linda

    October 16, 2014 at 3:00 pm

    And they make fabulous jelly!

    Reply
    • valentina

      October 17, 2014 at 2:03 pm

      I hadn't thought of that. Excellent idea! How pretty would that be!?

      Reply
    • Sylvia

      September 27, 2021 at 7:32 am

      With the seeds or without the seeds? I’d love the recipe or just some instructions.

      Reply
  4. David

    October 18, 2014 at 8:33 am

    WE love to eat and cook with prickly pear fruit. You show too kinds here - the ones shown on the plant are pretty much used only for juicing, although they can be eaten at great peril! The ones you used (from the focus indica) are often served for dessert and make a lovely treat! We are lucky to have both growing in our garden!

    Reply
    • David

      October 18, 2014 at 8:36 am

      P.S. - those little invisible thorns are called glochids and they ARE really annoying and painful! Washing the fruit several times in cold water can help remove some of them, but your advice to wear gloves is very important and should be heeded!

      Reply
      • valentina

        October 20, 2014 at 4:23 pm

        Thanks for the additional tip! I'll never make that mistake again. :-/

        Reply
    • valentina

      October 20, 2014 at 4:23 pm

      Thanks for this info. Love it. And you are indeed so lucky to have them right outside your door!

      Reply
  5. mike w

    December 29, 2014 at 4:15 pm

    A couple years ago, here in central Texas, I set out on a mission to collect enough 'tuna' to make jelly. I used tongs to pry them from the plant. Standard metal kitchen tongs, with their tips coated in , I'm guessing, silicone. Part-way into the first 5-gallon buckets' worth, I happened to look at those tips . . . thoroughly embedded with these otherwise soft-looking 'hairs', The tuna are surprisingly sweet, no sugar needed, but beware those little bitty buggers.

    Reply
    • valentina

      December 30, 2014 at 12:03 pm

      Yes! I learned my lesson! Delicious, though. 🙂

      Reply
  6. Al

    August 19, 2016 at 3:09 pm

    Couldn't you burn the spines off on the stove, or with a lighter? I remember seeing a rancher using a blowtorch to burn off the spines so his cattle could eat the whole plant.

    Reply
    • valentina

      August 20, 2016 at 8:16 pm

      Oh, I will look into that! Interesting! 🙂

      Reply
  7. donnie

    March 30, 2018 at 2:54 pm

    I have eaten hundreds of these and better to buy. Not worth the tiny spikes that will get in everywhere. Also, no need to cut the top. Just slice all around vertically as explained and pry apart and you have the entire fruit...I prefer the young green ones, will be more firm and better tasting...

    Reply
    • valentina

      March 31, 2018 at 1:03 pm

      Thanks so much for the tips, Donne! 🙂

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Valentina, certified chef, owner, recipe developer and photographer at Cooking on the Weekends. I'm also a mom of two boys and a Los Angeleno. I use seasonal whole foods to create unique and comforting recipes for casual entertaining.

More about me →

POPULAR SIDES FOR A BARBECUE

  • Lemon Grilled Asparagus in Foil
  • Little Gem Lettuce Salad with avocado slices on white plate.
    Grilled Little Gem Lettuce Salad
  • Close up of sliced Sliced Marinated Grilled Portabello Mushrooms on a white rectangulsr plate with green onions.
    Marinated Grilled Portobello Mushrooms
  • Several grilled scallions on a white plate.
    Grilled Green Onions

POPULAR SPRING DESSERTS

  • Minty strawberries and apricots over vanilla ice cream in white bowl.
    Minty Strawberry Apricot Dessert
  • Loaf of Strawbery Rosemary Cake with three cut slices on a red and white floral cloth and fresh rosemary spring.
    Strawberry Rosemary Cake
  • Several mini pavlova nests filled with fresh berries, whipped cream and a mint leaf, on a baking sheet.
    Mini Pavlovas with Lemon and Beries
  • three slices of White Chocolate and Raspberry Loaf Cake stacked
    White Chocolate and Raspberry Loaf Cake

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Press

Newsletter

Get new recipes you’ll love!

Contact

  • Contact
  • Work with Me

Review the privacy policy for Cooking on the Weekends

Copyright © 2024 Cooking On The Weekends, All Rights Reserved