If you love fresh and tropical smoothies, you will love this Dragon Fruit Smoothie! It’s made with a blend of Dragon Fruit, Mango and Banana and tastes like a tropical paradise!

a dragon fruit smoothie in a glass topped with coconut flakes

What is dragon fruit?

Dragon Fruit, also known as pitaya and strawberry pear is a tropical fruit that grows in South East Asia and Latin America. It was a vibrant pink skin with green pointy “scales” that resemble a dragon.

Dragon fruit comes in a few different varieties. The two most common have pink skin on the outside and either white or vibrant magenta flesh on the inside. You may also see dragonfruit that has yellow skin on the outside with white flesh on the inside. Each variety has the same taste, but it’s the dragon fruit with the pink flesh inside that has made dragon fruit so popular, primarily for its gorgeous colour.

Dragon fruit is packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Each 170 gram serving of dragon fruit has 60 calories, 5 grams of fibre and 2 grams of protein.

Only the flesh on the inside of the dragonfruit can be eaten, not the peel.

What does dragon fruit taste like?

Dragon fruit has a very mild taste. It’s slightly sweet and has a similar flavour to a kiwi and a pear. You may find that dragon fruit looks more appealing than it tastes since the flavour isn’t very strong.

This is why when making a dragon fruit pitaya smoothie you want to make sure to use some other flavourful tropical fruits in your smoothie. If you just use dragon fruit, you’ll actually end up with a pretty bland-tasting smoothie.

Where can I buy dragon fruit?

Dragon fruit can be bought in a few different varieties. Here are the different varieties of dragon fruit and where you can buy each of them.

  • Fresh dragon fruit: buy your local asian grocery store. Make sure to check the label if it is a “red” dragon fruit (pink fruit on the inside.) You can use a white flesh dragon fruit, however you won’t get that beautiful pink colour.
  • Frozen dragon fruit: you can find this at most health food stores and even order it online. (You can order here in the USA and here in Canada)
  • Freeze-dried powdered dragon fruit: you can find this at most healthfood stores on online. It might also be refered to as “pitaya powder.”

You can use any of these varieties of dragon fruit to make this dragon fruit smoothie.

Pitaya smoothie ingredients

Ingredients for a dragon fruit smoothie

  • Dragon fruit: you can use fresh, frozen or powdered dragon fruit. The dragon fruit doesn’t actually add that much flavour to the smoothie, but adds a beautiful colour.
  • Mango: I love pairing dragon fruit with mango! It’s creamy, tropical and sweet.
  • Banana: this gives a great creamy texture to the smoothie. If you don’t like banana you can just use mango.
  • Light coconut milk: to keep with the tropical theme, I recommend using light coconut milk for this smoothie.
  • Lime: for a little brightness.

Substitutions and add-ins

This Pitaya smoothie recipe is very versatile and can be adjusted with any ingredients you love. Here are some substitutions and optional add-ins you can make with this smoothie.

Recipe substitutions

  • Substitute banana for frozen avocado, coconut meat, or more mango
  • Substitute mango for banana, pineapple, or papaya
  • Substitute lime juice with lemon juice
  • Substitute light coconut milk with full-fat coconut milk or any plant based milk you love.

Recipe add-ins

Try adding in these additional ingredients if you want to add an extra nutrition boost to your smoothie!

  • 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 tbsp hemp seeds
  • 1/2 tbsp ground flax seeds
  • 1 scoop protein powder
  • 1 tbsp almond butter
  • 1 tbsp honey or agave
  • 1/4 cup plain yogurt (dairy-free if needed)
  • Any additional fruit you love

How to make a Dragon Fruit Smoothie

Add all the smoothie ingredients to a high-speed blender.

Tip: add liquid ingredients to your blender first. This will make it easier to blend.

dragon fruit, mango, banana and coconut milk in a blender

Blend until smooth and creamy. It’s best to start your blender on low and then set it on high for about 30 seconds to blend everything together.

dragon fruit smoothie in a blender

Pour the smoothie in a large glass and enjoy!

a dragon fruit smoothie topped with coconut and mint

Tips for making this smoothie recipe

  • Add liquids to the bottom of the blender first, followed by fresh ingredients, followed by add ins (protein powder, nut butters, seeds…etc.) followed by frozen ingredients. This will make it easier for your blender to blend everything together.
  • If using frozen fruit, let it thaw for 5-10 minutes first. You want the fruit to still be frozen, just ever-so slightly defrosted. This will make it easier to blend and will make the smoothie creamy.
  • Use more liquid if using frozen fruit and less liquid with fresh fruit. Since fresh fruit is packed with water, if you add too much coconut milk you’ll end up with a very thin smoothie. Alternatively, frozen fruit will require more liquid for blending.
  • Freeze your own fruit! Some store-bought frozen mango or other fruits can be a little bland. If you want a super flavourful smoothie try freezing your own mango and bananas when they’re at your desired ripeness. They’ll taste much better!

The secret to a thick and creamy smoothie

There are a few key “secrets” to creating a thick and creamy smoothie that is just the right texture.

Use at least one frozen fruit. Frozen fruit is essential in a smoothie to help thicken it up and make it creamy. If you use all fresh fruit, you won’t end up with a creamy smoothie. If you only have fresh fruit on hand, you can add a handful of ice to the blender which will help thicken the smoothie. (However frozen fruit makes it creamier.)

Add fruit with less water content. Fruits like banana, mango, coconut meat and avocado have less water in them than fruits like oranges and berries. Choosing at least one fruit that has a low water content to add to your smoothie will help make the smoothie creamier.

Don’t add too much liquid. The amount you will need will depend on how much frozen and fresh fruit you use, and your preferred smoothie texture. It’s always best to start with a little less liquid and add more as you go.

More smoothie recipes to try

a glass of dragon fruit smoothie on a marble counter

If you tried this Dragon Fruit Smoothie or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment/rating below! Be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook for even more deliciousness!

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a dragon fruit smoothie in a glass topped with coconut flakes

Dragon Fruit Smoothie

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
  • Author: Jessica Hoffman
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 1 smoothie 1x
  • Category: Drink
  • Method: Blend
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe

Description

This Dragon Fruit Smoothie is packed with tropical flavours and is perfect for a refreshing breakfast or snack!

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1/2 cup pink dragon fruit, frozen
  • 1/2 cup mango cubes, frozen
  • 1/2 banana, frozen
  • juice of 1/2 lime
  • 1/3–1/2 cup light coconut milk

Optional add-ins

  • 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 tbsp hemp seeds
  • 1/2 tbsp ground flax seeds
  • 1 scoop protein powder
  • 1 tbsp almond butter
  • 1 tbsp honey or agave
  • 1/4 cup plain yogurt (dairy-free if needed)

Instructions

  1. Let the frozen fruit thaw on the counter for 5 minutes to let it soften slightly.
  2. Add the coconut milk, lime juice, dragon fruit, mango and banana to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
  3. Pour into a large glass and enjoy!

Notes

Add liquids to the bottom of the blender first, followed by fresh ingredients, followed by add ins (protein powder, nut butters, seeds…etc.) followed by frozen ingredients. This will make it easier for your blender to blend everything together.

If using frozen fruit, let it thaw for 5-10 minutes first. You want the fruit to still be frozen, just ever-so slightly defrosted. This will make it easier to blend and will make the smoothie creamy.

Use more liquid if using frozen fruit and less liquid with fresh fruit. Since fresh fruit is packed with water, if you add too much coconut milk you’ll end up with a very thin smoothie. Alternatively, frozen fruit will require more liquid for blending.

Freeze your own fruit! Some store-bought frozen mango or other fruits can be a little bland. If you want a super flavourful smoothie try freezing your own mango and bananas when they’re at your desired ripeness. They’ll taste much better!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 smoothie
  • Calories: 175
  • Sugar: 25g
  • Fat: 2.5g
  • Carbohydrates: 38g
  • Fiber: 3g
  • Protein: 2g