Tropical Strawberry Pitaya Smoothie (Paleo or Vegan)

Tropical Strawberry Pitaya Smoothie – This pretty in pink dragonfruit smoothie is packed with strawberry, mango, and pineapple. The tropical flavors and bright pink color hide the secret: it’s actually a green smoothie! (Vegan or Paleo)

I’m convinced that marketing is about 87% of parenting.

When I need a child to get excited about cleaning up, I turn it into a game. When no one wants to take a bath, I market bath time as a chance to splash and play with bubbles. When my people don’t want to eat veggies, I pack them in a smoothie. This doesn’t work for everyone, but for my gags-and-worse-upon-trying-something-he-doesn’t-want-to-eat little guy is getting his veggie count in basically through baby carrots (THE only vegetable he will eat) and whatever I can hide in a smoothie these days.

Now, he’d never willingly eat spinach or kale on their own, but when I tuck them into a smoothie? He’s on board. He loves baking with me, so I’ve been able to say “You know how vanilla extract doesn’t taste good on its own but it’s good in cookies? It’s kind of like that with spinach! You might not like it on its own, but you love it in smoothies!” and somehow it’s worked. (Praise the smoothie gods!)

We’ve also tried calling green smoothies things like “Shrek smoothies,” “Jedi juice,” “Hulk smoothies,” and all sorts of other things. It’s alllll about marketing. As for this pretty pink one? It’s a pink power smoothie. A love smoothie. A Valentine’s Day smoothie. A princess smoothie.

And that super amazing pink color? It comes from the secret ingredient that hides this smoothie’s secret identity.

It’s pitaya! Pitaya (also called dragonfruit) is a nutrient powerhouse, packed with things like vitamin C, B vitamins, flavonoids (which boost immunity), and antioxidants. Pitaya is also responsible for that gorgeous (almost neon!) pink color. And all that pink is hiding the greens. Yep, this pink smoothie is actually a green smoothie in disguise! Plus, with bright, tropical flavors, it’s fresh and light, and sweet enough that my two veggie-hating littles love it.

I cannot tell you how much this always feels like a win!

Call it what you will (seriously, sometimes marketing is everything!), but this Tropical Strawberry Pitaya Smoothie is pretty in pink and just begging to be made!

Notes on this Tropical Strawberry Pitaya Smoothie:

Where do you find pitaya? I get little frozen pitaya smoothie packs at my local Sprouts, but other stores carry them too. Some stores carry actual dragonfruit in their stores, and you can use that, too. I just prefer the smoothie packs because they’re already pureed and less likely to add a gritty texture to the smoothie.

What if I can’t find it? You can substitute acai packs (a little easier to find), or add a 1/2 cup or so of raspberries to your smoothie for some extra pink color.

Let’s talk smoothie boosts. My two favorites are chia seeds and collagen peptides. Collagen is dairy free, but not vegan, so if you’re looking for a vegan option, I recommend going with chia seeds. As an added bonus of using chia seeds, you’ll also get an even MORE pink smoothie (the collagen dilutes the color a tiny bit).

Sweetness? Some people find that pitaya isn’t sweet enough for them. If this is true for you, I’ve occasionally added a drizzle of honey or pure maple syrup (or a date or two) to the smoothie to sweeten things up a bit. Do what works for you!

Topping suggestions. I love topping my smoothies with goodies (or pouring them out smoothie bowl style). Fresh blueberries, strawberries, and granola or nut-ola are my favorites!

Other delicious (kid-friendly!) smoothies:

• Energizing Pineapple Ginger Smoothie (Milo’s fave!)
• Superfood Blueberry Pomegranate Smoothie
• Pineapple Peach Perfection
• Chai Spice Banana Smoothie
• Peach Mango Bliss

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