Those prickly pears are aptly named – watch out or you might catch yourself on one of their spikes! But, once you get underneath that hard surface, you find a soft and juicy interior that boasts a light but delicious flavor!
It’s the perfect flavor to add a bit of extra flare to your dishes – especially drinks and cocktails – while adding an electric pink/purple hue that’ll boost the look of whatever you pair it with!
Now, one of the best ways to add the flavor of this wonderful fruit is through prickly pear syrup, which is super convenient and doesn’t require you to hack your way through those defensive spikes! There are a bunch of brands to choose from, so it might get tricky figuring out which one to go for…
And that’s where we come in! We’ve tested a lot of these and ranked the best ones to help you find a prickly pear syrup that you’ll enjoy! We’ve also listed a couple that we think you should avoid!
Let’s check them out!
What is prickly pear syrup?
Prickly pears, also called “tunas,” come from cacti. Some cacti produce very pretty flowers, which bud after being pollinated, and then turn into the delicious fruit! Prickly pear syrup is made by taking the juicy interior of those fruits and often blending them or mashing them to turn the edible seeds into a puree. This is then combined with water and sugar, which are all boiled together!
The resulting liquid is then strained, leaving us with prickly pear syrup!
It has a soft flavor that’s sweet and slightly tangy – it’s often described as being a mix between watermelon or kiwi and bubblegum! The sugar in the syrup gives a bit of an extra pop in terms of sweetness, making for a great addition to many things…
How to use prickly pear syrup for flavoring
Prickly pear syrup is best used in beverages, as the light flavor blends super well in different cocktails while adding a wonderful color!
Try mixing it with your tequila, or add it to some soda water for a delicious non-alcoholic option! The flavor and color lend themselves well in things like prickly pear mojitos, Mexican Mules, prickly pear lemonade, ice teas, and almost anything else you can think of – get creative!
Try adding about 1-2 tablespoons to most standard drinks for flavoring. This should get you that delicious prickly pear taste, but you may have to experiment with adding more or less according to your preferences!
However, you don’t have to feel restricted using it just with beverages – that would mean you miss out on some delicious combinations!
For example, pour it over your ice cream, mix it into your yogurt and oatmeal, make popsicles with it, make vinaigrettes with it, or add the flavor and color to your meats! It’s quite versatile, and you can really let yourself explore!
Top recipes for prickly pear syrup
Try your prickly pear syrup in things like:
- Homemade fruit popsicles: Prickly pear syrup is a great addition to some homemade fruit popsicles! Perfect for the summer (or anytime you want a fun snack), you can simply add prickly pear syrup to a recipe that uses a different fruit like raspberries or kiwis, which will give it an extra pop of color and flavor!
- Almond flour pancakes: These pancakes are a suggestion for many types of syrups, as the nuttiness that comes from the almond flour just blends so well with the fruitiness of something like prickly pear syrup! Plus, it’ll give the dish a fun color! So next time you have these for breakfast, pour some prickly pear syrup over top!
- Coconut lime pomegranate mojito: This mojito is going to hit every delicious flavor note you need through the tropical coconut, tartness of lime, the fruitiness of pomegranates…and the unique twist of prickly pear syrup! Add a tablespoon or two for some extra oomph!
- Coconut milk vanilla bean ice cream: This ice cream is already delicious on its own, but adding some prickly pear syrup over top is going to create a whole new and tasty experience!
How to choose the best prickly pear syrup
With so many prickly pear syrups out there, we of course only want the best. That’s why we’ve done a ton of research for you, and also made this list of criteria that helps us hone in on only the good prickly pear syrups:
- Ingredients: The best syrups come from natural ingredients, and we don’t like artificial stuff – it’s unnecessary and doesn’t add any real value!
- Consumer feedback: We listen to what other people have to say about each product, giving us a better understanding of what’s good or bad about each one from someone else’s perspective!
- Track record: Every brand needs to have a good reputation, so we do a little detective work – this determines if the brand is even one we want to support!
- Price: From pricey options to more affordable ones, there are prickly pear syrups for everyone to enjoy!
Let’s check out the rankings!
#1 Best Overall: Liquid Alchemist
Coming in at number 1 is the prickly pear syrup from Liquid Alchemist!
This is a great syrup, boasting an amazing flavor and a powerful color! It’s an absolute joy to use, and adds a wonderful dimension to many beverages!
Liquid Alchemist makes their products in the USA, and their prickly pear syrup is non-GMO and uses organic cane sugar. It’s also really simple, with no extra ingredients except the ones needed to make a perfect syrup! Plus, it’s the second most affordable on this list, costing only $1.20 – that’s some amazing value for the quality!
Definitely check this one out, you’ll love it!
Ingredients: Prickly pear puree, organic cane sugar, water.
#2 Runner-Up: Cheri’s Desert Harvest
Hot on the heels of number 1 comes Cheri’s Desert Harvest!
This kosher prickly pear syrup comes from a brand that is perfectly named, since the cacti that prickly pears come from are in the desert! Now, the actual product is great too, providing an amazingly delicious flavor with a great color that’s sure to boost your beverages and dishes!
It’s super well received, with people commenting how much they love this one in their reviews. It’s a bit more expensive than number 1 on this list, coming in at $1.49 per fluid ounce – however, it’s well worth it!
Ingredients: Pure Cane Sugar, Organic Prickly Pear Cactus, Lemon, Citrus Pectin.
#3 Best For Cocktails: Shaker & Spoon
Rounding out the top 3, the best prickly pear syrup for cocktails comes from Shaker & Spoon!
First of all, this stuff is delicious. It blends the prickly pear flavor perfectly with warm cinnamon and hibiscus, creating a bold and powerful flavor profile that’ll add a tasty kick to your drinks! It’s made by a brand that makes products specifically for cocktails, so their prickly pear syrup is made with exactly that in mind!
Shaker & Spoon make this syrup in Brooklyn, at their cocktail factory. It’s made for home bartenders and mixologists specifically, perfect for both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages – so pick up a bottle of this fantastic prickly pear syrup and get your drink on!
Ingredients: Cane sugar, filtered water, plain dried Xoconostle (prickly pear), dried hibiscus flowers, cinnamon sticks, citric acid.
#4 Honorable Mention: Reàl Infused Exotics
A shoutout goes to Reàl Infused Exotics!
They’ve put out a solid overall prickly pear syrup that tastes really good and definitely gets the job done! It has good ratings, and is the most affordable in the rankings at $0.85 per fluid ounce – a great price for the value!
There are some extra ingredients added, which isn’t the most ideal, but they’re not a bunch of artificial things that we’d need to avoid – I always recommend going with the simplest and most natural ingredients like number 1, but this is a good choice too!
Ingredients: Sugar, prickly pear puree, water, fruit and vegetable juice for color, natural prickly pear flavor, potassium sorbate (to preserve freshness), citric acid.
Others we reviewed
Some prickly pear syrups are bound not to make the cut, but this was a surprising bunch that didn’t match up to our expectations…
Torani and Monin, which are giants in the flavoring syrup industry, unfortunately included a bunch of artificial ingredients that made them miss the mark here. We value natural ingredients here at Coconut Mama, as those produce the best flavors and are the best for our bodies! That being said, Monin’s prickly pear syrup is halal, if you want that.
DaVinci Gourmet is another popular brand that uses artificial ingredients in this syrup, so we also don’t recommend this one. However, the ones in our ranking above are all great choices, so we’re sure you’ll find one you like there!
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