What goes well with dragon fruit?

The plant that it grows on is a member of the cactus family. While there are two main types of pitaya, sweet and sour, only the sweet variety is commonly known as dragon fruit. Its texture is often compared to kiwis, since they both have crunchy seeds. Its flesh is low-calorie and can be either white, red, or yellow. The flower of the plant can also be used to make tea.

Foods That Pair Well With Dragon Fruit

1. Lemon: Try adding dragon fruit to a glass of lemonade
2. Mango: Works well in a smoothie
3. Strawberry: Put them together in a breakfast bowl
4. Milk: Blend in some pitaya for a refreshing milkshake
5. Yogurt: For a thicker smoothie texture
6. Chia Seeds: Use them to create a healthy, tasty pudding
7. Pancakes: Mix pitaya into the batter, or add it as a topping

Dragon Fruit Recipes

How to Grow Your Own Dragon Fruit

Conclusion

There's a reason dragon fruit is called a superfood. Not only is it delicious, it's also packed with a variety of nutrients. And it goes well with a number of other foods, which makes it a versatile ingredient. If you haven't tried pitaya yet, go get one from your local grocery store and start experimenting today.

In Depth

Dragon fruit is a popular fruit across Southeast Asia. Also known as Pitaya, this plant comes from the cactus family. Its refreshing and delicious flesh can be paired with a wide range of other ingredients, such as yellow mangoes for a smoothie, or lemons for a breakfast bowl.

This exotic fruit is packed with antioxidants and has low-calorie content, making it an ideal ingredient for a breakfast fruit bowl. To add it often into one's diet and pair it with other nutritious fruits can help in reducing cholesterol levels and maintaining a healthy heart.

Nutrients found in dragon fruit include calcium, which helps build and strengthen bones, as well as fiber, which aids in digestive health. A single cup of this nutritious fruit contains a high amount of vitamin C, strengthening the immune system.

A single cup of this nutritious fruit contains a high amount of vitamin C, strengthening the immune system.

For people who are not familiar with dragon fruit, a white or red flesh can be found beneath its pink scaly skin. This fleshy part is flecked with black seeds and is sweet in flavor. These edible seeds are rich in essential fatty acids, including omega-3 and omega-6 that help increase one's energy.

Dragon fruit can be eaten in its raw form. You can scoop its flesh directly from the skin, or cut it up and add the fruit to salads and smoothies. While you can enjoy the juice as it is, the pulp can also be added to ice creams and cocktail drinks. Commercial products made from this superfood include teas, energy drinks, and sweet snacks.

One of the most common fruits that is typically paired with it is lemon. Lemons are rich in vitamin C and can strengthen the immune system. Pairing these two fruits will give you a good amount of fiber and help reduce bad cholesterol.

Lemons are rich in vitamin C and can strengthen the immune system.

If you want to make lemon-infused drinks, first cut off the dragon fruit's skin and cut its flesh into smaller bits. Take a lemon and, along with its skin, cut it into smaller pieces. Place them all into a juice blender, pour in a cup of yogurt, and add ice for a cool finish. Blend the ingredients until mixed evenly.

Other fruits that go well with dragon fruit are mangoes and strawberries. With antioxidant compounds, mangoes are recommended to combat and protect against certain types of cancer, such as colon and breast cancer. This delicious fruit also helps maintain healthy eyesight and clear skin. Similarly, strawberries are packed with antioxidants and have been found to help prevent heart disease and boost the immune system.

For a refreshing breakfast fruit bowl, you can mix chunks of these fruits while topping them with your favorite nuts, seeds, and granola.

For a refreshing breakfast fruit bowl, you can mix chunks of these fruits while topping them with your favorite nuts, seeds, and granola.

Dragon fruit also pairs well with milk. Fruit milk shakes are a healthier option than sodas and other drinks that are packed with artificial sweeteners. The seeds bring a slightly crunchy bite to this smooth, delicious shake.

After cutting and scooping out its flesh, pour the pulp into the blender. Add cold milk and sugar; you can also put in vanilla extract if you prefer. After combining these ingredients, the milkshakes are best served cold.

Dragon fruit also goes well with yogurt. This dairy product contains probiotics that can reduce your chances of having intestinal infections. Yogurt helps get rid of harmful microorganisms in the digestive tract.

Dragon fruit also goes well with yogurt.

In preparing a smoothie, you can slice the dragon fruit into chunks and cut up other fruits, such as bananas and apples, into smaller slices. Mix them in a blender together with yogurt and sugar for added flavor.

For a boost of energy, you can add chia seeds to your shake or smoothie. Having been widely recognized in the health community as a superfood, chia seeds can be a handy ingredient to add to a wide range of recipes. Regularly adding this unprocessed food into your diet can help reduce signs of aging and promote healthy skin. This whole-grain superfood has also been found to help maintain a healthy heart, and strengthen bones and muscles.

To make pudding, prepare the ingredients the night before. These include blended dragon fruit and your choice of milk, along with some chia seeds. By the time you dig into your breakfast fruit bowl the next morning, the seeds will have absorbed the milk, producing a jelly-like texture. You can top it off with nuts and berries.

By the time you dig into your breakfast fruit bowl the next morning, the seeds will have absorbed the milk, producing a jelly-like texture.

If you enjoy eating pancakes for breakfast, pairing these with dragon fruit will yield impressive results. Making your own version at home will allow you to control what goes into these pancakes, including its toppings. Adding healthy ingredients can increase their nutritional content.

To prepare pancakes with dragon fruit, you should first combine flour, baking powder, milk, sugar, eggs, and butter. The fruit pieces can then be added to the batter or used later on as toppings. Heat your pan, melt the butter, and pour a small portion of the batter into the pan to let it cook. Once finished, serve your pancakes with powdered sugar, honey, or maple syrup.

All in all, while dragon fruit can be a delicious addition to your desserts and drinks, it also serves as a superfood that provides multiple benefits to the human body, especially when paired with other nutritious foods.

One Lovely Life

Any time you've scrolled through a food influencer’s Instagram page, you’ve likely come across those hard-to-miss bright pink smoothie bowls covered in a rainbow hue of toppings. The fruit behind these masterpieces? It’s often dragon fruit—also known as pitaya—which is the fruit of a cactus plant boasting a creamy white flesh and flecked with small edible seeds, says Krista Linares, RDN, founder and owner of Nutrition con Sabor. While originally indigenous to the Americas, mainly Mexico and Central America, it’s now also cultivated in a variety of tropical regions in Asia and Australia. Many Americans in hot climates even grow it in their backyard!

If you haven’t tried dragon fruit yet, you’re seriously missing out. It has a delicate, mild flavor that Linares describes as a cross between a kiwi and watermelon. It pairs well with more powerful-tasting tropical fruits like mango and pineapple, she says, but you can as easily include it in vegetable-centric salads for a dash of sweetness.

To find your ideal dragon fruit at the grocery store, think about how you’d choose an avocado. “You want to feel the dragon fruit and choose one that has a little bit of give to it, but is not extremely soft,” says Linares. Preparing it is super simple, too. All you need to do is cut the fruit in half and peel the flesh right out of the rind. For your convenience, though, many brands like PitayaPlus, Foraging Organics, and Pitaya Foods sell handy packets of pureed, frozen or freeze-dried powdered dragon fruit that are ready to go the second they arrive at your door.

Dragon fruit is best eaten raw. “Look for recipes that use raw dragon fruit like smoothies or sorbets,” Linares says. “A simple fruit salad would also make a great choice for dragon fruit.”

Ready to whip up something deliciously refreshing and dragon fruit-forward? Start with these 10 delectable, sweet (and even some savory) dragon fruit recipes.