If you have ever wondered how to make prickly pear juice, now is your chance. Prickly pears can range from gorgeous, prickly fruits with a berry-like taste to yellow ones with a tropical flavour. The juice is perfect to enjoy on its own or to blend with other beverages like cocktails.
3poundsprickly pears (also called cactus berries, tunas in Spanish)about 1.35 kg or 12 medium-sized pieces
3limesoptional, more or less to taste
agave syrup to taste
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Instructions
If you are picking fresh prickly pears from a nopal cactus, be sure to use thick rubber gloves or tongs to avoid pricking yourself with the glochids.
Before handling the prickly pears, brush them under cool running water to remove as many of the glochids as possible from the skin. (Store-bought prickly pears may already have most of their glochids removed).
To peel the prickly pears you still may want to wears gloves or use tongs in case of any remaining glochids. Cut off both ends of the prickly pears. Make a skin-deep incision along the length of the fruit. Now you can easily pull the skin away from the inner flesh.
Add the peeled prickly pears to a blender along with optional lime juice and agave syrup. Prickly pears are so juicy that I have never needed to added additional water to get the blender going. Blend until smooth.
Pour the blended juice through a sieve to strain out the hard seeds.
Adjust lime juice & sweetener if needed. You can drink the juice as is or diluted with water. It is also great in smoothies or margaritas.
The juice can be stored refrigerated for 2-3 days. To store for longer, fill the juice into an ice cube tray and freeze. The frozen prickly pear juice cubes can be added to water for flavoring, or blended into smoothies or frozen margaritas.
Notes
To add a refreshing mint flavor, you can blend a few mint leaves together with the prickly pears.
Keyword Agua de Tuna, How to make prickly pear juice, Prickly Pear Juice
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