Dragon fruit (pitaya or strawberry pear) is an exotic tropical fruit packed with vitamin C and edible black seeds. It is a nutritious powerhouse essential in any fruit salad or smoothie bowl. With mild-tasting yet high nutritional content characteristics, its inclusion will surely boost any salad or smoothie bowl!
Dragon fruit can be easily cut into slices, cubes, and even melon baller-sized spheres for dessert garnishes. Follow these steps to prepare fresh dragon fruit for your meal or snack quickly!
Cut the Fruit in Half
Dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus) is a visually striking and refreshing exotic tropical treat. Also referred to as pitaya or strawberry pear, dragon fruit makes a strange addition to fruit salads, smoothie bowls, frosty drinks, dessert garnishes, and other dishes. Although it’s bright pink or yellow spiky exterior may seem intimidating initially, dragon fruit is relatively easy to cut and prepare, showcasing its colorful cover and soft white or reddish-pink flesh dotted with black seeds.
At first, when cutting dragon fruit, you must slice it lengthwise using a sharp knife on a flat surface, such as a cutting board with an equally sharp knife. This exposes its sweet edible flesh, giving you two options on how to proceed next – you could leave the fruit as is and use a spoon to scoop out its contents or slice it into slices, cubes, or spheres as desired.
If you plan to keep the fruit whole and uncut, ensure it doesn’t feel soft to the touch and does not have dark spots. If in doubt its ripeness has reached perfection, smell it; ripe dragon fruit has an inviting yet mild fragrance.
Start by placing the dragon fruit on a clean cutting board and using a sharp knife to slice it in half lengthwise, with its skin meeting its thicker stem at its thinnest point at the top. Discard or save any outer portions, as dragon fruit should be eaten together!
Once you’ve obtained two dragon fruit halves, you can prepare them for use in any recipe. For the fruit salad, slice it into strips or cube it for an extra fresh and colorful addition. Or you could try turning these delicate fruits into tasty snack pieces using a melon baller, making delicious additions for yogurt or chia pudding bowls!
Remove the Skin
People often dismiss dragon fruit because of its spikey exterior, which is unfortunate given that this tropical treat is delicious, mildly sweet, and packed full of antioxidants – plus, it’s super simple to prepare at home! You can enjoy dragon fruit in countless ways – snacking on it as an afternoon treat, adding it to smoothies or fresh salads, making desserts, or eating it as a breakfast cereal!
When it comes to dragon fruit, the first step should be removing its skin. You have two methods at your disposal for doing this – either pull it off by hand or peel with a knife – both are equally effective, but if choosing to pull, make sure it’s utterly ripe before pulling its skin away – firm, when pressed, will indicate complete maturity; soft or mushy fruits could indicate overripeness which could produce unpleasant flavors when consumed raw.
Once the skin has been peeled off, you can eat its flesh straight out of each half. However, cut it up into slices or cubes for recipes using dragon fruit before using it in any recipes.
To slice dragon fruit into slices, stabilize it with your non-dominant hand and use a sharp chef’s knife to slice lengthwise down its center. Pieces may then be cut thinner or thicker depending on your preference and desired result size.
As with other fruits, dragon fruits can be cut into bite-size pieces or cubes easily by cutting them horizontally into horizontal strips, then vertically slicing each strip to make smaller slices. Once this process has been completed on one side of the fruit, switch sides and repeat!
Another fun option for serving dragon fruit at parties or get-togethers is using a melon baller and pushing it into each unpeeled piece to form small round spheres. This creates an attractive presentation while adding interesting texture. Remember to wash the melon baller before and after use to prevent bacteria contamination of its edible flesh.
Cut the Fruit into Cubes
Dragon fruit may initially seem intimidating, but cutting through its spikey exterior is relatively straightforward. Once equipped with the necessary tools and techniques, cutting dragon fruit into slices, wedges, or cubes is direct for smoothie bowls, fruit salads, or recipes.
Start by cutting the dragon fruit lengthwise. A large chef’s knife or paring knife are suitable options; ensure they can quickly cut through all parts of the fruit. Also, work on a clean cutting board to minimize contamination of any prepared food and cleanup time.
Once you’ve cut the dragon fruit in half, you have two options for breaking apart its flesh: peel off its skin or scoop out its pulp with a melon baller. Any extra fruit should be stored in the fridge to prolong its shelf life – put cut pieces in an airtight container that seals shut to keep them fresh while protecting against picking up unwanted smells from other foods in your fridge.
Dragon fruit (Thanh long, pitaya, or strawberry pear) is an exciting treat in snacks, smoothie bowls, and breakfast dishes. Packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber-rich goodness, its tropical sweetness can brighten any day! As part of the cacti family, it comes in various colors, including pink, white, and red hues – an exciting and nutritious start to each day.
Cut the Fruit into Spheres
This exotic fruit makes an exquisite addition to fruit salads, smoothie bowls, and overnight oats – as well as being an eye-catching cocktail garnish! But its true magic lies in its mildly sweet flavor and refreshing texture; cutting may seem daunting, but it is effortless!
To prep a dragon fruit for slicing, rinse it under cold water before using a sharp knife to cut off both ends of it and create slice lines along its length using your knife – this will enable easy cutting when ready for recipes!
After cutting dragon fruit into slices, it can easily be added to smoothies or made into desserts. But for an exciting and original touch, why not create your dragon fruit spheres? Simply hold one half of an unpeeled dragon fruit securely while pressing a melon baller into its flesh and twisting to remove small round pieces – then do the same with its second half until you have an assortment of round pieces ready!
Once you have your assortment of spheres assembled, arrange them on a plate and top them off with honey drizzles or other exotic toppings for an exotic touch to any dish! Spherical fruits add a delicious extra dimension that any meal deserves!
If you prefer cubes over slices or spheres for dragon fruit enjoyment, another easy method exists – cubing! Start by rinsing and cutting your fruit in half before using the tip of your knife to draw slice lines around its circumference, creating strip lines which can then be cut crosswise to form strips – then slice each of these into approximately 1-inch cubes!
Dragon fruit makes an eye-catching and nutritious addition to many recipes, boasting fiber, prebiotics, magnesium, iron, and potassium – plus an abundance of vitamin C! So the next time you need something sweet to satisfy that sweet tooth craving give this tropical fruit a try – our step-by-step guide makes slicing, dicing and shaping dragon fruit easy so that it can easily fit into any of your favorite meals!
