Start your day with this naturally-sweet hot pink pitaya smoothie, made with red dragon fruit and fresh superfood ingredients for healthy, flavorful refreshment in just five minutes!
Hi, Barbie! You're probably here for this beautiful pink drink drenched in flavor and nostalgia. She's not just cute. She's full of all the good stuff. Let's get into the delicious details.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll also love my Blackberry Açai Smoothie and Pineapple, Cherry & Ginger Smoothie.
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What does it taste like?
If you've ever tried the pink flamingo smoothie at Nekter Juice Bar, this will taste familiar. Fruity, sweet, and refreshing with subtle zing from ginger. The name obviously comes from the blindingly bright pink color, which reminds me of those little plastic pumps my Barbie dolls would wear!
I'm not always willing to part with my coins for restaurant food, no matter how pretty in pink it is, so I started making pink dragon fruit smoothies at home. Add this drink to your Barbie Movie party.
And check out my refreshing coconut water mocktail recipe for more beautiful hydration!
What You'll Need for this Recipe
I love dragon fruit in smoothies but don't stop there. Here are a few of the pitaya superfood smoothie ingredients to add to your grocery list.
Red Dragon Fruit (aka Pink Pitaya) is midly sweet and slightly tangy (kind of like a kiwi). And don't even think about substituting white or yellow dragon fruit in this recipe. In addition to the pleasing pink color, red dragon fruit tends to be juicier and sweeter than white dragon fruit I like to use frozen pitaya chunks for color and convenience but fresh also works.
Mango adds juicy sweetness and thicker texture. Use fresh or frozen here.
Strawberries add texture, sweetness, and a slight color boost to the mix. Use fresh or frozen.
Coconut Water is the liquid base for this recipe. It ups the hydration factor and adds a nice subtle flavor. You can also use water instead or another liquid of your choice.
Fresh Mint, Ginger, and Lime round out the flavor profile.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
What does dragon fruit taste like, anyway?
Unripe dragon fruit actually has a very bland and slightly sour taste. Many people say that it tastes like nothing. Ripe dragon fruit, at its peak, is lightly sweet with a flavor that reminds me of watermelon, pear, and kiwi.
More Pretty Pink Drinks
What are the Benefits of a Pitaya Smoothie?
Each of the ingredients in this vegan dragon fruit smoothies plays an important flavor, texture, and nutrition role. And the outcome is truly refreshment meets nourishment. I first thought about what fruit goes well with dragon fruit and went from there. Pitaya is high in fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins and minerals that support the immune system.
Mango is similar and also rich in folate and copper. Strawberries add potassium and lime supports the digestive system and healthy blood sugar. Ginger has SO many benefits but I'll just mention here that it fights inflammation.
Last but not least, the coconut water provides efficient hydration and a tropical twist of flavor.
Can you Flash Freeze Dragon Fruit?
If you can get your hands on fresh red dragon fruit, stock up and make it last forever to enjoy this recipe any time you want! Frozen pitaya will change color and texture as it thaws so smoothies and smoothie bowls are really the best way to use it. Here's how to freeze it.
- Line a sheet pan with wax or parchment paper.
- Peel the skin from the dragon fruit to expose its flesh. Here's a quick video on how to peel a dragon fruit.
- Cut the dragon fruit into bite-sized chunks.
- Spread pitaya chunks out onto lined sheet pan so that the pieces don't touch. This step prevents the fruit from freezing together in one big block.
- Place pan in freezer and leave for at least four hours.
- Transfer frozen fruit into a zipper seal storage bag. Seal and store in freezer.
More Favorite Smoothie Recipes
Salted Chocolate Protein Smoothie
If you need more smoothies in your life, check out my whole smoothie library. And sharing is caring, so be sure to pin this pretty pink dragon fruit smoothie on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
How to Make a Red Dragon Fruit Smoothie
📖 Recipe
Pink Pitaya Barbie Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup red dragon fruit
- 1 cup strawberries
- 1 cup mango chunks
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 knob of ginger about one inch, peeled
- 1 ½ cup coconut water
- 6 mint leaves
Instructions
- Hull (remove leaves from) strawberries and peel skin from knob of ginger.
- Add all ingredients to a blender and pulse until smooth and uniform (about one minute).
- Enjoy immediately. Extra smoothie can be stored in the refrigerator up to two days but will separate over time. Shake or stir before serving.
Kaluhi Adagala says
Beautiful as it is refreshing!! I really enjoyed each sip and the ginger notes in particular made this even more refreshing!
Jessica says
I LOVE the fact that this smoothie has no banana. I feel like banana in smoothies just takes over the whole thing. This was perfectly sweet and fruity and the color is just stunning. My new favorite breakfast!
Kate says
Oh my goodness this was awesome! I totally loved the dragon fruit and coconut water combination! I can't wait to make this smoothie again!
Geo says
Barbie is the moment and so is this smoothie! It is absolutely delicious and was the perfect way to boost my energy before I headed to see the film. I will definitely be making it again (and again!)
Robin says
My niece spent the weekend with me so I could take her to see the "Barbie" movie. Your smoothie was the perfect start to a terrific day - we both loved the hue and the taste too!
Krysten says
Now that it’s summer, I’m back on my smoothies! Came across this recipe, immediately the hot pink Barbie color caught my attention 😍 So cute! Tastes just as good as it looks too! Only change I made is I left out the ginger. My daughter begs me to make this every morning now!
Marta says
This pink pitaya smoothie made me smile so much when I was done blending it and the taste made me absolutely giddy. I was never a Barbie fan (parents couldn't afford to get me one), but this made me feel like a little girl again.
Mila says
One of my favorite ways to use dragon fruit lately. I was also so glad to see this didn't have
banana. I'm always watching my blood sugar and there's banana in just about everything. Really great recipe!