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This Dragon Fruit Smoothie is jam-packed with antioxidants, and is incredibly easy to make. I love how vibrant the color is, especially since it makes my kids want to drink it, too!
Dragon Fruit Benenfits
Dragon fruit, also known as pitaya, comes in two varieties– one with white flesh, and one with a bright magenta-colored flesh. The magenta flesh is sweeter than the white version, and it also has a little more nutrition, so that’s what I’m using in this smoothie recipe.
Here’s what else I love about dragon fruit:
- It’s rich in fiber, which may help to prevent against heart disease (source)
- Fruit, in general, has been shown to aid in weight loss efforts despite its natural sugar content (source)
- It’s loaded with antioxidants, like vitamin C and carotenoids, which have been linked to reduced risk of cancer and heart disease (source)
- Dragon fruit contains prebiotics, which may promote a healthy gut (source)
- It may help boost your iron levels. One cup of dragon fruit has 8% of your daily iron needs, and it also contains vitamin C, which is thought to help boost iron absorption. (source)
- Dragon fruit has more magnesium than most other fruits, which is an important mineral that promotes bone health and food metabolism. (source)
- The vitamin C in Dragon Fruit may help to boost your immune system (source)
How to Eat Dragon Fruit
Dragon fruit is available fresh or frozen at grocery stores, and it’s similar to an avocado in the sense that you cut it in half, and then scoop out the flesh inside to eat. You can eat it on its own, add it to salads, or smoothies like this one. If you can find fresh dragon fruit, feel free to cut it into chunks and freeze those in an airtight container for this smoothie. The freezer packs I’ve found are 100g each, or just over 1/2 cup of puree.
If you’re like me and can only find frozen dragon fruit at the moment, there are convenient freezer packs available of dragon fruit puree. (That should be the only ingredient on the label!) I’m using Pitaya Plus brand in this recipe, because that’s what is available at my local store, but any similar freezer packs would work! I like to run the packs under my faucet for a moment to loosen them up, then I cut the bag in half to easily squeeze them into my blender.
Dragon Fruit Smoothie
I’ve been making this dragon fruit smoothie on a near daily-basis lately, even when it’s cold outside! The trick for me to enjoy a cold smoothie in the winter is adding a little bit of fresh ginger to the mix.
Ginger warms you up from the inside, and adds an amazing depth of flavor to this smoothie combination. Even my kids love it! If you’re leery of ginger, start with a very small piece, as a little can go a long way.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup orange juice (freshly squeezed, if possible)
- 1 banana , frozen (peel before freezing!)
- 1 100g packet of frozen dragon fruit (about 1/2 cup frozen puree)
- 1/2 cup frozen wild blueberries
- 1/2-inch piece of fresh ginger (or to taste)
- 1 large handful fresh baby spinach (optional; this will affect color)
Instructions
- In a high-speed blender, add the water, OJ, banana, dragon fruit, blueberries, ginger, and spinach, if using. Blend until very smooth, then serve right away.
Nutrition
For the whole batch: Calories: 263, Fat: 0g, Carbohydrates: 63g, Fiber: 7g, Protein: 3g
Recipe Notes:
- You can leave out the orange juice and just use more water, if you prefer a less-sweet smoothie. I like the added sweet & tart flavor from the juice, so you could add a small squeeze of lemon or lime juice as an alternative.
- As always, you can modify this smoothie to your needs. You can add hemp hearts for protein, or a spoonful of almond butter for some added fat and fiber.
- I used banana to sweeten this smoothie, and keep in mind that I don’t like the flavor of banana in smoothies. With the other ingredients, you can’t really taste it in this case. However, you could also use 2-3 Medjool dates for a similar sweetness if you want to leave out the banana.
Reader Feedback: Have you used dragon fruit before? Feel free to share other recipe ideas or requests in the comments below!
Dargon fruit is healthy and loved the recipe.