How to make a Beautiful Pitaya Bowl | So Refreshing!

Pitaya is a really interesting fruit. For one, it grows on a cactus! In addition, its nickname is “Dragon Fruit”. Surely this awesome name comes from pitaya’s appearance. After all, it’s covered in spiky leaf-like appendages that look like scales! However, you’ll be glad to know that dragon fruit isn’t fearsome at all. It’s actually quite a softie! So, in this recipe, we’re turning a beautiful Red Dragon Fruit into a super-refreshing pitaya bowl.

What is Pitaya like?

Well, there are many different types of pitaya, but they are all very similar. For example, all of them look close enough to dragon eggs to be coveted by a Khaleesi (shout out to the Game of Thrones fans out there). In addition, they are very juicy and filled with tiny seeds. In fact, this combination of soft flesh and little seeds reminds people of kiwi fruit. Whatever you call them, these properties make pitaya/dragon fruit the perfect base for a smoothie bowl recipe.

In terms of flavor, it generally goes like this:

• White flesh/pink skin = the mildest taste.
• White flesh/yellow skin = the smallest and sweetest.
• Red flesh/pink skin = also sweet and have an absolutely striking color. We will take advantage of this in our beautiful pitaya bowl.

Note: this is quite a broad generalization. Also, new pitaya varieties are coming onto the market all the time.

How Nutritious is a Pitaya Bowl?

Given its juiciness, it’s no surprise that the pulp of dragon fruit is mostly water. This also means it’s low in calories. However, don’t let this fool you. Dragon fruit delivers multiple vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

For example, red fleshed dragonfruit contains lycopene, the same useful anti-oxidant found in tomatoes. Pitaya also contains B-vitamins, vitamins C and E, plus a reasonable amount of iron and magnesium. In addition, let’s not forget the seeds. The oils in these tiny black specks contain the two essential fatty acids required by humans (linoleic and alpha-linolenic acid).

Last, but not least, one cup of pitaya contains 7 grams of fiber! This is 18% and 28% of the recommended daily intake for men and women, respectively.

Now Go Full Throttle!

Making a pitaya bowl requires a high-speed blender, just like any other smoothie bowl or nice cream. A low power blender just won’t cut it with all these frozen ingredients.

For the red pitaya, we use smoothie packs from Pitaya Plus. The best way to approach them is to cut the frozen pitaya blocks into pieces. Similarly, your other fruit needs to be frozen solid. If it’s not, your breakfast bowl won’t have the right smooth, thick texture. For the strawberries, we buy them frozen for convenience (they’re often cheaper, too). In contrast, we buy fresh bananas and freeze them ourselves.

To start with, all the frozen fruit goes into the blender. Some coconut water or sweet fruit juice (like apple) are then added. This liquid helps the blending to get going. However, you may need to stop blending occasionally to scrape the sides and tamp down the ingredients.

You’ll know you’re on the right track when the mixture looks like this!

Now you need to move fast! It’s important to eat your pitaya bowl fresh because it’ll melt, and you’ll lose all that creamy texture. So, quickly garnish it with lashings of tropical fruit. Then sprinkle on some healthy granola to add some crunchy texture. Hurry up! It’s melting!

We hope you love this beautiful Pitaya Bowl, with all its wonderful color and flavor. If you tried it, please let us know how it turned out with a comment and rating. Every bit of feedback helps make the blog even better.

If you’re looking for more creamy breakfast dishes, we recommend our Chia Pudding article. Or, if you’re looking for more vibrant colors, check out our magical Butterfly Pea Tea.

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