This Prickly Pear Syrup recipe walks you through step-by-step how to make this delicious simple syrup for all your dessert and cocktail needs. It can be intimidating at first, but if you have access to this delicious fruit, you are going to want to make this recipe!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Making this syrup from scratch is pretty easy once you put your mind to it...and your gloves on!
- Preserve the unique color and flavor of this cactus fruit so you can enjoy it all year long.
- Prickly Pear fruit creates the most amazing bright pink colored syrup to enhance desserts and drinks just like Hibiscus Simple Syrup.
- Making homemade syrup is impressive and makes a great gift like my Lavender Simple Syrup and my Candy Cane Syrup.
- Put that beautiful fruit to work instead of just a pop of color in the desert once a year.
What are Prickly Pear Fruit?
Prickly pear fruit, or tunas, come from the nopales cactus. These sweet, oval fruits have edible seeds and come in colors from green to reddish-purple. The spiny skin must be removed before eating, and they're often used in jams, syrups, and drinks.
What Does Prickly Pear Fruit Taste Like?
Prickly pear fruit has a mild flavor similar to dragon fruit and tastes like pear and watermelon. Its pulp is juicy and full of crunchy little seeds, which are edible, but usually not used in cooking.
Ingredients Needed for This Recipe
For this prickly pear syrup recipe you will need prickly pear fruit, sugar, water, and lemon or lime juice or citric acid if desired. See the recipe card below for measurements and instructions.
How to Get the Thorns of Prickly Pear Fruit
There are a few ways to remove the thorns (spines) from prickly pear fruit. Some people use a torch or flame on a stove to burn off the thorns. While this method works, it takes more time and effort.
You can also shake off the thorns in a bowl with some water. This is my preferred method and it worked better than expected the first time I tried it.
Expert Tips and Substitutions
- Look for brightly colored, ripe fruit: When choosing the fruit to use for your syrup, look for dark, brightly colored fruit with no holes or damage. You want to pick them at peak freshness before they start to wrinkle and get to the end of their life cycle.
- Add lemon or lime juice or citric acid for balance: This step is optional but will balance out the sweetness of the syrup and add brightness to the flavor.
- Gloves are highly recommended: Cactus thorns are not fun when you get them in your skin and some people have strong reactions to them. Use tongs for picking and thick rubber-coated gloves when handling the fruit.
- You can use a spoon or squeeze out the pulp: To get all of that delicious pulp out of the fruit, use a regular teaspoon to scoop it all out. Alternatively, you can squeeze the pulp out using gloved hands.
- Adjust the sweetness as desired: You can add more or less sugar depending on the sweetness level you are looking for. More sugar will also result in a thicker syrup.
How to Make Prickly Pear Syrup
Step 1: After picking the fresh prickly pear fruit, rinse well to remove any dirt or debris.
Step 2: Place in a bowl and shake the fruit around so that they knock off the thorns from each other. Rinse with water then drain and repeat as necessary.
Step 3: With gloved hands, cut each fruit in half and scoop out the pulp using a small spoon. Discard the skin.
Step 4: Smash the pulp using a masher to release the juices and break up the pulp.
Step 5: Place the mashed fruit, sugar, and water into a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Allow the mixture to come to a boil, occasionally stirring. Turn down the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Step 6: Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer using the back of a spoon to smash through the syrup gently. Discard the seeds and pulp and pour the syrup into a sealable bottle or jar.
Recipe FAQs
Prickly pear syrup should last up to 1 month when stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
Yes, you can freeze homemade syrup. Ensure the syrup has cooled completely and is in a freezer-safe vessel such as a sealable plastic bag or storage container. The syrup will last up to 6 months in the freezer.
Yes, you can use frozen fruit or puree for this recipe. Thaw the prickly pear completely before using it for this recipe.
Prickly pear fruit is packed with nutrients like vitamin C, fiber, and antioxidants, offering health benefits such as improved digestion, blood sugar regulation, and heart health. It also helps with hydration due to its high water content. However, it’s best consumed in moderation to avoid digestive discomfort from its fiber.
More Unique Syrup Recipes to Check Out
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Prickly Pear Syrup
Equipment
- tough rubber gloves (optional but highly recommended)
- spoon (for scooping fruit)
- medium saucepot
Ingredients
- 4 cups prickly pear fruit (596 grams)
- 1½ cups sugar (250 grams)
- 2 cups water (470 grams)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, optional (30 grams)
Instructions
- After picking the fresh prickly pear fruit, rinse well to remove any dirt or debris.
- Place in a bowl and shake the fruit around so that they knock off the thorns from each other. Rinse with water, drain then repeat as necessary.
- With gloved hands, cut each fruit in half and scoop out the pulp using a small spoon. Discard the skin.
- Smash the pulp using a masher to release the juices and break up the pulp.
- Place the mashed fruit, sugar, and water into a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Allow the mixture to come to a boil, occasionally stirring. Turn down the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer using the back of a spoon to gently smash through the syrup. Discard the seeds and pulp and pour the syrup into a sealable bottle or jar.
Notes
- Look for brightly colored, ripe fruit: When choosing the fruit to use for your syrup, look for dark, brightly colored fruit with no holes or damage. You want to pick them at peak freshness before they start to wrinkle and get to the end of their life cycle.
- Add lemon or lime juice or citric acid for balance: This step is optional but will balance out the sweetness of the syrup and add brightness to the flavor.
- Gloves are highly recommended: Cactus thorns are not fun when you get them in your skin and some people have strong reactions to them. Use tongs for picking and thick rubber-coated gloves when handling the fruit.
- You can use a spoon or squeeze out the pulp: To get all of that delicious pulp out of the fruit, use a regular teaspoon to scoop it all out. Alternatively, you can squeeze the pulp out using gloved hands.
- Adjust the sweetness as desired: You can add more or less sugar depending on the sweetness level you are looking for. More sugar will also result in a thicker syrup.
Nutrition
Any nutrition calculations are only estimates using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Jasmine says
Finally! I found an easy to follow recipe for prickly pear! I can't wait to make this next year!