These dragon fruit protein bites are high in protein, only 3-ingredients, vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free. Obviously with so few ingredients, they are easy to make and come with the zing of citrus and nutrients that help restore muscles, make hair shiny and boost your mood.
3-ingredient Dragon Fruit Protein Bites
Remember those pastel candy wafers called Necco wafers?
Well, these are not those.
I used to pick out all the chocolate and pink ones, haha. It was crazy because those never tasted any different then the other colors hahahah!
These are in fact packed with protein and citrus-y fruit! I used dragon fruit and lemon juice today and the result is a refreshing bite that melts in your mouth.
If you have never tasted dragon fruit, you should try it! It has a very mild taste, kind of like a kiwi, and yet it is very nutritious.
How Healthy is Dragon Fruit (pitaya)?
Dragon fruit, actually from the cactus family, has such numerous nutritional benefits. They strengthen your immune system with flavonoids and extremely high levels of vitamin C. They fight disease with a huge concentration of antioxidants, as well as B vitamins.
The fruit is also high in calcium, iron, protein, and fiber. And even contains substances that serve as prebiotics which support gut health and digestion.
The colorful fruits also stabilize blood sugar, support the heart, have a ton of phosphorus which is helpful in anti-aging of skin.
What is Dragonfruit or Pitaya?
Since it is cultivated mainly in Florida, Hawaii and Taiwan, it’s hard to find, especially the pink one, so I buy it in frozen packs at my grocery. So perhaps you can too! Look for a pink and white bag of the brand, PitayaPlus.
Pairing these spiky wonders with white beans is a perfect idea, isn’t it? It was on my list for a while, and then a blog visitor actually requested this pitaya flavor as well.
White beans, as you know if you’ve seen my other protein work out bite recipes here and here, are tiny white packages are full of nutrition.
How Nutritious are Dragon Fruit Protein Bites?
Specifically, these 3-ingredient dragon fruit protein bites that I blend and freeze in molds are rich in:
-protein
-fiber
-potassium
-iron
-nutrients that support shiny hair
-thiamine for a boost to your cognitive abilities
-folate that supports the heart
-magnesium to support your sleep
-and many nutrients including copper to fight inflammation and antioxidants galore!
How To Make Dragon Fruit Protein Bites
Easy, just open a can of BP-free, organic white beans, rinse and add to a blender. Add the pink pitaya and lemon or lime juice and blend! Pour into silicon molds of any shape and freeze overnight. We love to keep a stash of these in the freezer and pop them during the 3 pm slump!
And, just as I found with my white bean chocolate chip cookie dough, this bean, normally found in savory dishes such as chili, is the perfect partner in this workout snack recipe.
Since dragon fruit tastes mild, I added a good bit of lemon juice to make my dragon fruit energy bites taste fresh and to cover any bean taste. You can actually add lime juice instead if you want a sweeter tasting wafer. I hope you love this handy dandy bite!
Like working with white beans? Here are two other recipes that use them:
Try My Other Dragon fruit Recipes
dragonfruit smoothie
making smoothies
dragonfruit smoothie bowl
dragon fruit pink cookies
dragon fruit pink ice cream
dragon fruit protein bites
pitaya protein cups
dragonfruit pina colada popsicles
Enjoy your workout!
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Dragon Fruit Protein Bites
Ingredients
- 1 can (15oz/425gms) white beans (Navy beans, organic & precooked - I have used Eden and Whole Foods 365 brand)
- 1 cup pink dragon fruit (I used 2 (3.5oz) packages of frozen)
- 4 tbsp lemon juice or lime juice which is a bit sweeter
Instructions
- Rinse the white beans, thaw the pink dragon fruit, juice the lemons, and pop them all in the blender.
- Blend up until creamy.
- Pour into molds or mini cupcakes papers, freeze an hour (or longer depending on your freezer temperature) and then eat! Keep frozen until ready to eat, and ours lasted at least 3 days. And the possibilities are endless with this recipe, right? We can try other fruits or coat these in healthy chocolate! I intend to do just that in the near future.
Nutrition
Dee Dine is founder of Green Smoothie Gourmet, a plant based recipe blog, and author of the recent cookbook, Crazy Healthy with 4 Ingredients . On this blog you’ll find incredibly easy recipes with hidden veggies for anyone wanting to eat healthier, regardless of diet. Dee has graduate degrees in immunological nutritional studies and journalism. More about Dee Dine here.
Paige
Can you substitute pinto beans?
Dee Dine | Green Smoothie Gourmet
You can but the flavor might be a bit more “beany”.