How to Eat Cactus Fruit, Plus Tips on How to Cut It

Cacti don’t look like the friendliest plants, but some of them are indeed edible. Dragon fruit, for example, is considered a cactus, yet this tropical fruit is widely beloved in smoothies and smoothie bowls. Another fruit that’s not as commonly known but also comes from cacti is aptly called cactus fruit (Opuntia humifusa). It goes by several other names, including eastern prickly pear, Indian fig, and the devil’s tongue. Cactus fruits bloom on the edges of the flat pads of a cactus. They’re native to the Americas, where they’re an important staple in Mexican cuisine.

There’s just one thing you should know about cactus fruits—the outer skin shouldn’t be eaten. The fruit is pear-shaped and covered in glochids, which are tiny thorns that can pierce and stick to your skin. So, cactus fruit must be peeled or cut before the flesh can be eaten and enjoyed raw. Cactus fruits are juicy, soft, and refreshing. The taste can best be compared to that of watermelons, pears, or kiwis, and they’re sweet with a slight tartness to them.

Depending on where you live, cactus fruits might be in season in the summer, fall, or winter months. You’ll want to look for ripe cactus fruits because they’re bland when unripe. Ripe cactus fruits can appear red, green, or yellow depending on the variety, though the general rule of thumb is to look for ruby-red cactus fruit with no green at the ends. Look for cactus fruits that feel heavy for their size. As cactus fruits ripen, the thorny skin will become smoother and less likely to poke you, but you should still practice caution when handling them. Fortunately, when shopping at a grocery store, the glochids are likely already removed. When the glochids are present, you shouldn’t handle cactus fruit with your bare hands.

How to Cut Cactus Fruit

To get to the juicy insides of the cactus fruit, you first have to cut it. If the glochids haven’t been removed, you’ll need to remove them yourself before digging in. The best way to cut cactus fruit is to first remove the glochids and peel skin. Follow the instructions below so you can enjoy cactus fruit:

1. Carefully remove the glochids by using paper towels to rub the skin of the cactus fruit. Do this over a trash bin to avoid spreading the thorns around your workspace. You can also remove the glochids by holding the cactus fruit with a pair of tongs and placing it over an open flame, which will burn off the tiny thorns.
2. Place your cactus fruit horizontally on a cutting board.
3. Cut off the ends of the cactus fruit.
4. Use your knife to create a shallow slit in the skin from one end to the other. Do this without cutting through the whole fruit.
5. Use your fingers to peel the skin off the cactus fruit. The skin comes off easily when the fruit is ripe.
6. Discard the skin and cut the raw cactus fruit into your desired shape.

How to Eat Cactus Fruit

If you’ve never eaten cactus fruit before, it’s important to know which parts are edible. While the whole fruit can be eaten, the glochids found on the outer skin can get stuck on your hands and in your mouth. So, it’s best to peel cactus fruits before enjoying them. There are multiple ways to do this, and the glochids are fairly easy to remove because they’re not lodged deeply in the skin of the fruit. Once the fruit is cut and peeled, you can safely eat the inside flesh, which should have a soft texture and sweet taste when ripe. 

Ways to Serve Cactus Fruit

Cactus fruit is delicious on its own. You can eat it raw and enjoy it by itself as a snack. You can also incorporate cactus fruit into fruit salad recipes.

Cactus fruit is also where prickly pear juice comes from. The sweet juice can be used in jam, candy, cocktails, salad dressings, and more. You can make prickly pear juice by juicing or puréeing cactus fruit flesh, yielding a sweet juice commonly used by bartenders. The juice can also be used in Mexican recipes, like agua fresca.

Though covered in spikes, the pads or paddles of the cactus are edible. They’re commonly used in Mexican recipes, like nopales. The cactus fruit paddles are de-spiked, cleaned, cooked, and used as a meat substitute in tacos or salads.