Well, friends, it seems that spring has finally arrived.
We’ve been enjoying sunny weather in the mid-high 60s these past few days, and it has been GLOR-I-OUS.
This weekend, I actually took time out of our busy weekend to sit and bask in the warm sun for a little bit. And then yesterday, I managed to get out of my office and walk for a bit outside. It was lovely and energizing. This time of year is so spectacular, albeit a little bit delayed.
As per usual, the weather is dictating my food cravings. And as of late, I cannot get enough smoothies in my life. I mean, this is pretty much true for me all year. I drink smoothies all the time, but lately, the craving has been something fierce. And I attribute it to all the tulips and daffodils popping up all over the place, and the beautiful dogwood and cherry blossom blooms. Smoothies just BELONG in spring.
Usually I opt for a green smoothie, or at least one that has a ton of greens hidden inside. It’s extremely rare that I opt for an all-fruit smoothie. But smoothies like this one are definitely the exception!
First, let’s just acknowledge how insanely beautiful the color is here! Frozen pitaya (aka dragon fruit) create that vibrant, almost neon, hue. These pictures hardly have any saturation/color editing – they really looked like this in person!
Insane, right?
The good news is that these taste as delicious as they are gorgeous. Dragon fruit is a fun and unique ingredient to work with, and luckily for us, it’s readily available at a lot of stores these days. If you can’t get your hands on a fresh dragon fruit (which is just for optional garnish in this recipe), look for the frozen puree packs! They are a fun and interesting twist on the everyday, and I love when my food is hot pink! Aside from beets, pink dragon fruit seems to be the only thing that can achieve color like this.
I decided to do the pineapple yogurt swirl because I love when smoothies have a somewhat creamy texture. Plus, it’s fun to swirl! You could definitely just blend the yogurt right into the dragon fruit portion of the smoothie; that will taste just as delicious. But I loved the appearance of that swirl, so I left it separate! Totally your call.
This smoothie is vibrant and not too sweet, and it tastes like warm weather.
Trust me.
Dragon Fruit & Pineapple Swirl Smoothies
- Yield: 2 smoothies, easily multiplied 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup pineapple juice (or water, almond milk, etc)
- 1 (100 g) packet of frozen pitaya puree (I use these)
- 1 banana, peeled, sliced, and frozen
- 1 cup fresh pineapple, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
- 1½ cups pineapple or plain Greek yogurt
- Fresh berries, for garnish
- Fresh dragon fruit, for garnish
- Fresh mint, for garnish
Instructions
- In a blender, place the pineapple juice (or water), pitaya puree, banana, pineapple chunks, and hemp seeds.
- Blend until smooth, creamy, and thick.
- Pour half the mixture into two glasses. Add a layer of the yogurt, and then top with the remaining half of the smoothie mixture. Swirl gently with a straw to combine the layers.
- Top with desired garnishes and serve immediately.
NOTE:
- Alternatively, you can just blend the yogurt right into the smoothie. There’s no wrong way to do this!
Avis Edwards says
Hey Molly, Thanks for sharing this recipe about dragon fruit & pineapple swirl Smoothie. I ever try this recipe right now but, I’ll try it today for my daughters. hope it will special things.!
Molly says
Hope you guys love it!