• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Cooking On The Weekends
  • About Valentina
    • Press
    • Contact
  • Recipe Index
  • "How To"
  • Work with Me
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About Valentina
    • Contact
  • Recipe Index
  • Collaborate
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • About Valentina
      • Contact
    • Recipe Index
    • Collaborate
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » How To (Cooking Techniques) » 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.

    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

    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.

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

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

    - Use the tip of the knife to lift the skin away from the slit.prickly pear being cut withe a paring knife

    - 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.  prickly pear that's partially peeled

    You can cut the fruit into slices any way you like.pieces of peeled prickly pear fruit

    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

    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 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.
    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 How To (Cooking Techniques)

    • Wooden bowl with peeled and roasted chestnuts, surrounded by the shells.
      How To Roast And Peel Chestnuts
    • Many passion fruit skins and one facing up with pulp still inside.
      How to Juice and Eat Passion Fruit
    • Half of a strawberry papaya with berries and mint
      How to Cut Papaya
    • jar filled with red annatto oil
      Annatto Oil: How to Make and Use it

    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

    Get new recipes
    you’ll love!

    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 →

    Seasonal Comfort Foods

    • ceramic bowl with Tuscan Bean Stew with green and white striped napkin
      Vegetarian Tuscan Bean Stew
    • Smoky Spanish Smashed Potato Casserole -- These potatoes are deliciously rich, super creamy, and comforting beyond belief. This is the perfect fall side dish to go with braised meats, chicken or even a salad.
      Smashed Potato Casserole
    • Creamy Parsnip Soup with Baby Parsnip French Fries in a purple bowl on a wood with a green floral cloth.
      Creamy Parsnip Soup Recipe
    • Cheesy Pancetta Brussels Sprouts Bake being spooned out of cast iron skillet with an orange spoon.
      Baked Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta

    Spring!

    • One slice of upside down carrot cake with whipped cream on top.
      Olive Oil Carrot Cake with Apricot
    • Blue-rimmed plate with asparagus salad and pickled red onions
      Parmesan Asparagus Salad
    • Steamed artichoke with lemons slices between the leaves on a white plate
      Steamed Artichokes with Lemon Beurre Blanc
    • Top view of Spring Lamb Stew with Green Garlic in a cream-colored bowl
      Spring Lamb Stew with Green Garlic

    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 © 2023 Cooking On The Weekends, All Rights Reserved