Homemade Prickly Pear Syrup
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Sweet and colorful Prickly Pear Syrup is simple to make and is great for use in cocktails, lemonade, cakes, and frostings.
While I’ve had prickly pear syrup before I’ve never seen a prickly pear in my grocery store. So when Melissa’s Produce shipped me two dozen prickly pears I was so excited to use them!
I knew I couldn’t use them all before they went bad so I went looking for a way to use them that would last a bit longer. I found a recipe for Prickly Pear syrup that would keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks and thought that would be my best bet.
Ingredients:
- prickly pears
- lemon juice
- sugar
- water
To Make the Syrup: In a pot combine the fruit of the pear, sugar, and water. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Cool and refrigerate.
I love the color of prickly pears. They are this gorgeous pink purple color inside and make the prettiest drinks because of it.
Make sure when buying these pears that you buy them with the thorns already off. The thorns are sharp and they do hurt. They are also hard to take off without cutting yourself.
The prickly pear is also full of seeds. You don’t want the seeds in your syrup because they are pretty hard. You’ll need to strain the seeds out after you make your prickly pear syrup.
What is a prickly pear?
A prickly pear is also called a cactus fruit because they grow on cacti. Prickly pears come in a wide variety of colors but you’ll usually see the deep pink or purple color when getting drinks or cocktails with the syrup.
What does a prickly pear taste like?
It is a juicy fruit that tastes similar to a melon. It has a light flavor with a hint of bubble gum. It’s definitely a unique fruit that needs to be tried.
How long can I store this syrup?
The syrup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. I like to put it in a mason jar so that I can keep a lid on it.
After straining the liquid you can keep it in the refrigerator. It’s a gorgeous pinkish purple color that looks great in beverages.
Some of my favorite things to make with this syrup are lemonades, iced tea, margaritas, and mojitos. You can also use it to make homemade pancake syrup or to drizzle over top of ice cream.
More Fruit Recipes:
- Individual Plum Crisp
- Brown Sugar and Bourbon Peach Pie
- Apple Spice Cake Mix Waffles
- Blood Orange Loaf Cake
- Peach Pie Bars
You can even use the syrup just to add color and a hint of sweetness to any drink or dessert. It’s light flavor lets the color be the star.
Homemade Prickly Pear Syrup
Ingredients
- 1 c. prickly pears
- 2 c. water
- 1/2 c. sugar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Cut the prickly pears in half and scoop out the fruit.
- Place the fruit, water, and sugar in a pot over medium high heat.
- Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice.
- Place a bowl in the sink and put a fine mesh strainer over the bowl. Scoop a bit of the mixture into the strainer.
- Use a spoon and press the prickly pear mixture into the strainer to get
all of the liquid out. Empty the strainer of the seeds and pulp
and repeat until the mixture is strained. - Pour the liquid into a jar and refrigerate for at least one hour before using.
Notes
