Feijoa, a.k.a. pineapple guava, is a fruit originating from South America that is still today woefully underused in smoothies. Its delicate sweet taste with hints of pineapple, guava and strawberry goes well together with many tropical fruits, but also works on its own. In this recipe, I left other fruits out on purpose to give the feijoa a chance to shine – a decision I did not regret. If you want to add some other fruit to this recipe, add fruits with subtle taste like apples or pears. Avoid bananas, strawberries or other berries, since they easily take over the soft feijoa taste.
My feijoa smoothie recipe is very simple. All you need is four ingredients: feijoa, yogurt, oat bran and honey. The oat bran makes it even healthier and adds fibre, whereas honey makes the smoothie sweeter.
Feijoa: to peel or not to peel?
Most people eat feijoa as is. When you do so, you probably want to peel it or simply scoop the flesh out. The feijoa peel is totally edible. This is the reason why I don’t peel the fruit if I use it in smoothies. The skin might be too acidic for your taste, but you can give it a try and decide for yourself. Why waste the healthy fibres? If you have a powerful blender, the skins will process very well and will be broken into small unnoticeable pieces.
Healthy Feijoa Smoothie With Yogurt
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 100 g feijoa
- 200 g plain yogurt
- 1 tbsp oat bran (can be replaced with oats)
- 1 tbsp honey or sweet syrup
- ice cubes
Instructions
- Cut all feijoa in two halves using a knife. Use a teaspoon to scoop out the flesh. If the fruit skin doesn't bother you, you can use the whole fruit in your smoothie. The skin is edible so why waste it?
- Put feijoa, yogurt, oat bran, honey and ice cubes into a blender jar. Process until smooth. Enjoy while it's fresh and cool.
10 facts about feijoa
- The feijoa skins smell delicious and can be eaten!
- Research shows that feijoas have a very strong anti-inflammatory propertiesThe nickname ‘pineapple guava’ stems from its taste: it tastes like a mixture of pineapple, guava and strawberry
- The feijoa fruit grows on trees, which are usually between 8 and 15 feet tall
- Apart from smoothies, feijoas are also typically used in jellies, jams and chutneys
- The ripe fruit must be eaten immediately or it will go bad
- Outside South America, feijoas are grown in Azerbaijan, Iran, Georgia, Russi, New Zealand and Australia.
- Named after the Brazilian-born Portuguese botanist João da Silva Feijó.
- Feijoas have a natural laxative effect.
- The leaves of the feijoa tree can be used to brew tea.
- New Zealand is the largest producer of feijoas, producing 800 tonnes per year.
I hope that you will enjoy your feijoa smoothie. Leave a comment if you tried this smoothie and let us know what you thought!
