• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Green Smoothie Gourmet
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Cookbooks
  • Free Courses
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Cookbooks
  • Free Courses
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Frozen Desserts » Ice Cream » Dragon Fruit Ice Cream

    Dragon Fruit Ice Cream

    Sep 20, 2016 · Updated: Dec 20, 2022 by Dee Dine · Affliate links disclosure.

    Jump to Recipe

    This dragon fruit ice cream is made with pitaya, also known as dragon fruit, and is creamy and delicious, plus high in iron, magnesium and fiber.

    Vegan Dragonfruit Pitaya Ice Cream

    Dragon fruit ice cream has the best flavor and best color to lift your mood.

    Pitaya, also known as dragon fruit, is a tropical fruit that comes in a dinosaur-egg-like pink shell with odd little horns, and can be white or pink inside. The white meat version is fairly easy to find fresh on the East Coast in the USA. However, the pink meat version is not easy to find here.

    Why Use Dragon Fruit for Ice Cream?

    Dragon fruit tastes like kiwi but is a stunning pink although there is also a white version. When blended with milk and mango, it makes a fantastic ice cream texture. And dragon fruit is considered a super food with tons of nutrition.

    How Healthy is Dragon fruit?

    Pitaya is high in magnesium which helps with sleep. Pitaya is also rich in vitamin C, B1, B2 and B3, and minerals calcium, iron, magnesium and phosphorus. They are also a good source of fiber, protein and omega essential fatty acids. Read more about the health benefits of pitaya here.

    Ingredients

    Frozen milk cubes - Just freeze milk in ice cube trays, a creamy one is best such as canned coconut milk or cashew or almond milk. You can also use frozen bananas instead.

    Mango chunks - Freeze this fruit beforehand, or again use bananas instead.

    Pink dragon fruit - You'll find it in the freezer section of most high-end grocery stories. You can buy a fresh dragon fruit, but it mostly like is white inside.

    Extra add ins - I added baobab powder which is high in vitamin C, but that's totaly optional. I also added lemon juice to give the ice cream a bright flavor.

    How to Make

    Step 1: Pour milk into ice cube trays and freeze overnight. Or chop and freeze bananas overnight. Also, freeze mango chunks overnight.

    Step 2: I used a frozen pitaya packet but if you use fresh pitaya, chop the correct amount and freeze overnight.

    Step 3: Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.

    Step 4: To make the ice cream, first let the milk ice cubes thaw for 20 minutes before blending. You want them to be easy to blend.

    Step 5: Then, blend all ingredients, pour the mixture into the loaf pan and freeze for 1 hour.

    Step 6: Chop it up, blend again. Line the loaf pan with new parchment paper, pour in mixture and freeze again, at least 4 hours or until it reaches a texture you want.

    Step 7: If you let it freeze overnight, let the mixture thaw 20 minutes or more until it is scoopable.

    Variations & Substitutions

    Use banana instead of mango for a sweet creamy support.

    You can freeze any milk, but the higher the fat, the creamier  your ice cream will be.

    You can add lime juice instead of lemon juice for that tart bright additional flavor.

    FAQS

    How Does Dragon fruit or Pitaya Taste?

    Pitaya, either the pink or the white, basically looks and tastes like kiwi, only a bit more watery.

    How to Find Dragon Fruit or Pitaya?

    I find pink pitaya in frozen packets found in the frozen fruit area of Whole Foods. If you can't find frozen fresh pitaya, then use freeze-dried powder found online.

    Add mangos, frozen milk cubes, and energizing baobab, and you have a super healthy frosty treat. Blend, freeze, blend again and serve. If you prefer, you can use 1 cup of chopped frozen bananas instead of the milk cubes - it will be more of a soft serve.

    More Dragon Fruit Recipes

    Dragon fruit smoothie
    Pitaya (dragon fruit) smoothie bowl
    Dragon fruit Limeade
    Dragon fruit protein bites
    Dragon fruit pina colada popsicles

    Interested in sharing on pinterest? Perhaps use this image...

    Vegan Dragon fruit Pitaya Ice Cream

    I invite you to keep up with me on: Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Food Gawker | Twitter

    Don’t miss a thing, subscribe here to get recipes delivered to your inbox!

    Vegan Dragonfruit Pitaya Ice Cream

    Dragon Fruit Ice Cream

    Created by Dee Dine
    This dragon fruit ice cream is made with pitaya, also known as dragon fruit, and is creamy and delicious, plus high in iron, magnesium and fiber.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe
    Prep Time 1 d
    Cook Time 17 mins
    Total Time 1 d 17 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 6
    Calories 41 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 8 frozen milk cubes (I used almond milk or use two bananas, chopped and frozen)
    • 1 cup frozen mango chunks
    • 1 cup fresh (pink inside, not white) pitaya meat (or 1 packet of frozen pink pitaya found in grocery store freezer section - PitayaPlus.com)
    • 1 teaspoon baobab powder
    • 1 teaspoon lemon juice

    Useful Equipment

    • Covered Ice Cube Tray
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    Prep

    • Pour milk into ice cube trays and freeze overnight. Or chop and freeze bananas overnight.
    • Freeze mango chunks overnight.
    • I used a frozen pitaya packet but if you use fresh pitaya, chop the correct amount and freeze overnight.
      Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.

    Make Pitaya Ice Cream

    • Let the milk ice cubes thaw for 20 minutes before blending. You want them to be easy to blend. Then, blend all ingredients, pour into the loaf pan and freeze for 1 hour.
      8 frozen milk cubes, 1 cup frozen mango chunks, 1 cup fresh (pink inside, not white) pitaya meat, 1 teaspoon baobab powder, 1 teaspoon lemon juice
    • Chop it up, blend again. Line the loaf pan with new parchment paper, pour in mixture and freeze again, at least 4 hours or until it reaches a texture you want.
    • If you have let is freeze overnight, let the mixture thaw 20 minutes or more until it is scoopable.

    Notes

    Use banana instead of mango for a sweet creamy support.
    You can freeze any milk, but the higher the fat, the creamier  your ice cream will be.
    You can add lime juice instead of lemon juice for that tart bright additional flavor.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 41kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 0.2gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.02gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.03gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.05gSodium: 26mgPotassium: 47mgFiber: 1gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 298IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 5mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword dragon fruit ice cream, dragonfruit, pink ice cream, pitaya
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    More Healthy Ice Cream Recipes

    • Magic Shell in Three Flavors
    • Cherry Ice Cream
    • Sweet Potato Ice Cream
    • Raspberry Ice Cream

    Feel Great in 2023

    1. Ginger Shots
    2. Ginger Juice
    3. Celery Juice
    4. Turmeric Shots
    5. How to Make Ginger Tea

    Buy My Two Cookbooks

    4-Ingredient Dessert Cookbook 4-Ingredient Smoothie CookBook

    About Dee

    Chocolate and ginger enthusiast. Dog and bird lover. I'm probably chopping chocolate in my Washington DC kitchen right now. More about Dee and Green Smoothie Gourmet »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Anna

      September 21, 2016 at 6:32 am

      5 stars
      love how pitaya turns everything into this gorgeous pink color!!! They are quite tricky to find in UK, but as soon as i will get my hands on any, I will be trying this for sure! Hugs! xxx

      Reply
      • Dee

        September 22, 2016 at 9:53 am

        Hi Anna,

        Thank you! Oh, really? You can't get Pitaya Plus either? The frozen online version. Hope you do find it some day! Have a great Thursday! Dee xx.

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
    Dee Dine of Green Smoothie Gourmet

    I'm Dee, sharing delicious, science-centric recipes using nourishing plant-based foods laser-focused on nutritional impact. No matter your tastes, I hope you'll find a recipe to love. About Dee →

    Valentine's Day

    • Homemade Chocolates in a Box
    • Marzipan Chocolates

    Popular

    • Homemade Fudge Bars
    • Easy Vegan Brownies
    logos of publications that shared green smoothie gourmet content

    Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved. Green Smoothie Gourmet · Log in
    Design by BDW | Privacy Policy | Disclosure & Copyright