Dragon Fruit Smoothie – A Beautiful Mess

This dragon fruit smoothie is sweet, fruity, and refreshing. Its bright pink color is very appealing and the recipe is easy to whip up in just five minutes.

Dragon fruit (also called Pitaya) is a delicious, nutrient-filled fruit that gets its name because the outside of the fruit resembles dragon’s scales. Dragon fruit has a mild flavor and tastes a bit like a kiwi.

Related: Blueberry Smoothie, Banana Smoothie, Watermelon Smoothie, Coffee Smoothie, and Chocolate Banana Smoothie.

Dragon Fruit Smoothie Ingredients

• Dragon Fruit Powder – This bright pink powder will give your smoothie a natural hot pink color. It’s a useful powder to have on hand anytime you want to dye a food pink.
• Frozen Mango – Makes the smoothie flavorful and tropical.
• Frozen Banana – Adds sweetness and a creamy texture.
• Milk – I used almond milk, you can use any type of milk you have on hand.
• Honey – For added sweetness.
• Lime Juice – Brings out the tropical flavors.

How to Find Dragon Fruit

The first time we visited China, I remember being surprised how plentiful dragon fruit is, selling in almost every street vendor we passed. In the U.S., it is not as easy to locate dragon fruit. Occasionally, I will see it at grocery stores, almost always the white variety as seen in my photos here.

Along with being difficult to locate, dragon fruit is usually very expensive in the United States. The best place to check is your local Asian markets, which have the best selection and pricing I have found.

Since dragon fruit isn’t always easy to locate, I recommend keeping a bag of dragon fruit powder on hand. This powder is made from pure dehydrated pitaya with no added sugar.

Occasionally, you will also see frozen pitaya packets in the freezer section—these are great for keeping on hand for smoothies.

How to Make a Pitaya Smoothie

In a blender, combine all your ingredients.

I started out with one tablespoon of dragon fruit powder, which created a soft pink smoothie. To get an intense hot pink like my photographs, you will need three tablespoons of pitaya powder.

Blend until smooth.

Optionally, garnish the smoothie with pieces of fresh dragon fruit. Serve immediately.

Tips for Making a Dragon Fruit Smoothie

• The top flavors that come through on this smoothie are mango and lime. For a more intense tropical flavor, try adding more lime juice and some frozen pineapple if you have it on hand.
• Keep dragon fruit powder on hand for this recipe. It’s also great for any other recipe you want to turn hot pink.
• My favorite way to serve smoothies is with these glass straws.

Dragon Fruit Smoothie Goes Great With

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