Papaya, Iced Tea and Pineapple Smoothie
This Mexican papaya, iced tea, and pineapple smoothie is a tropical vacation in a glass.
The first time I saw a display of Mexican papayas at the grocery store I thought, wow those squash aren’t looking very good.
I couldn’t believe the store would have such a bad looking display of squash for sale.
Then I realized the “squash” were really Mexican papayas.
And I learned that the best ones to pick are those that don’t look so great.
The liquid in this smoothie is cold brewed tea which is made with just water, tea bags and refrigeration.
Or, instead of using cold brewed tea, feel free to substitute it with prepared iced tea of your choice.
About Cold Brewed Tea
After originally posting this recipe with tea brewed in the sun, I updated it to be cold brewed in the refrigerator.
I did this after learning that when tea is brewed in the sun there may be risk of bacteria growing because the heat from the sun isn’t hot enough to kill bacteria that may be in the container, water or tea leaves.
So now my go-to brewing method is a cold brew in the refrigerator.
Cold brewed tea needs to be made the day before serving so it has time to brew overnight for at least 6 hours in the refrigerator.
Directions on how to make cold brewed tea are included below.
In this recipe, tea adds a bit of a pick-me-up with the caffeine which is nice when drinking the smoothie in the morning.
But if you’re not a fan of caffeinated tea, the decaf version would work great too.
And the fresh pineapple in this smoothie not only adds to the tropical flavor of the papaya, but also makes the smoothie sweet.
About the Order of Ingredients
A rule of thumb is that liquids and soft ingredients go in first, and the harder ingredients go in last.
So, for example to the blender jar,
- First, add liquids such as juice, water or milk
- Second, add soft ingredients like yogurt, fresh (unfrozen) cut fruit and berries, or honey
- Then add items such as frozen cut fruit and berries, vegetables or nuts
- Lastly add the ice
When blending a smoothie, to avoid an air pocket from forming by the blade in the blender jar, there needs to be a good balance between the liquid and frozen ingredients (including ice).
Let’s check out the ingredients.
Cold brewed tea (or prepared iced tea of your choice), Greek plain yogurt, honey, a ripe Mexican papaya, fresh ripe pineapple, crushed ice or ice cubes
HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
A printable recipe with the measurements and instructions is located at the bottom of this post.
For the Cold Brewed Tea
To make the cold brewed tea for this recipe, which is 2 servings, use a thoroughly cleaned small-size glass container with a lid and fill it with 1 cup of cold water.
Add 2 regular size black tea bags (with the strings hanging over the top edge of the container), cover it with a lid and put it in the refrigerator overnight for at least 6 hours.
After it’s brewed, remove and discard the tea bags from the container and store the tea covered with a lid in the refrigerator for not more than a day for the best flavor and freshness.
Here’s an example of how to make cold brewed tea only this one is made with 3 different types of tea bags, fresh lemon and mint; “Lemon, Mint and Orange Tea”
Preparing the Fruit
Mexican Papaya:
Wash the outside of the papaya. Then…
…carefully cut it in half lengthwise.
Using a spoon, scoop out and discard the pulp and the seeds.
Cut the skin off of the papaya.
Then cut the papaya into chunks and set aside.
Pineapple:
Wash the outside of the pineapple.
Then cut the crown and stem off about an inch into the pineapple.
Stand the pineapple upright.
From top to bottom, cut the skin off of the sides while following the natural shape of the pineapple.
Make the cuts thick enough so that the inner spikes are removed along with the skin.
Next…
…cut the pineapple in half lengthwise.
Then cut each half into thirds lengthwise.
Cut off and discard the core from each piece.
Cut the pineapple into chunks.
For the Smoothie
In a blender, add the cold brewed tea, yogurt, pineapple, papaya, honey and ice cubes.
Blend on the smoothie setting.
After blending the smoothie, taste the smoothie and add more honey if needed.
Serve
Serve right away while ice cold.
Garnish
Garnish each serving glass with a slice of pineapple and…
…chunks of papaya.
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Mexican Papaya, Iced Tea & Pineapple Smoothie
Ingredients
For the Cold Brewed Tea (Can Substitute with Prepared Iced Tea):
- 1 cup cold water
- 2 black tea bags
For the Smoothie:
- 1 cup cold brewed tea
- Honey to taste
- 1 cup Greek nonfat plain yogurt
- 2 cups Mexican papaya chunks seeds and skin removed, cut into chunks
- 1 cup fresh pineapple chunks the crown, bottom, skin (including the inner spikes and core) removed, and cut into chunks
- 2 cups ice cubes
For Garnish:
- 4 small chunks Mexican papaya (for garnish)
- 2 slices pineapple (for garnish)
Equipment
- Blender
Instructions
For the Cold Brewed Tea:
- To make the cold brewed tea for this recipe which is 2 servings, use a thoroughly cleaned small-size glass container with a lid and fill it with 1 cup of cold water.Add 2 regular size black tea bags (with the strings hanging over the top edge of the container), cover it with a lid and put it in the refrigerator overnight for at least 6 hours.
- After its brewed, remove and discard the tea bags from the container and store the tea covered with a lid in the refrigerator for not more than a day for the best flavor and freshness.
For the Smoothie:
- In a blender, add the cold brewed tea, honey, yogurt, Mexican papaya chunks, pineapple chunks, and ice. Blend on the smoothie setting.
- After the smoothie is done blending, do a taste test and add more honey if needed.
- Serve right away while ice cold.
Garnish:
- Garnish each serving with a slice of pineapple and chunks of papaya.
Recipes Made with Pineapple
More recipes made with pineapple you may like “Pineapple and Banana Mini Bundt Cakes with Orange Marmalade Glaze“, “Fried Rice with Pineapple and Rice” and “Cherry, Pineapple and Mandarin Orange Ambrosia“.
Smoothie Recipes
More Smoothie Recipes You May Like:
Peanut Butter, Banana and Nutella Smoothie
