How to Eat White Guava
The white guava (psidium guajava) is a white fleshed version of the more popular red and pink varieties. There are over a dozen kinds of white fleshed guava, which look similar to other varieties of the fruit on the outside. About the size of a medium pear, white guavas have thin, edible, yellowish green skin. Inside, the flesh is bright white with a texture that varies between an apple and a ripe pear. The edible seeds are yellowish white, distributed throughout the center of the fruit.
More sour in flavor than the sweeter pink and red fleshed guavas, white guavas give off a bright fragrance when ripe. The white flesh is firm and juicy, with a lime-like sweetness and musky melon flavor.
White guava is a versatile fruit that’s perfect when eaten raw, or added to your favorite food and beverage recipes. It can be pureed into breakfast bowls, or drinks like smoothies, fresh juices, cocktails and other drinks to add tangy sweetness and fragrant tropical flavor. Because it’s high in pectin, a natural substance that can thicken liquids and even turn them into flavorful gels, guavas are especially prized in candies, confections, desserts and sauces.
It’s easy to spot a ripe white guava! At first, it will be hard to miss its bright, tropical fragrance. The skin will be bumpy and a yellowish green color. The white guava will feel heavy in your hand for its size, and feel soft and yielding to gentle thumb pressure.
How to prepare your white guava will depend on the recipe you’re using. Here are the most common ways to prepare white guava for just about any recipe.
White guava fruits can be enjoyed raw, directly from the branch, sliced into salads, or cooked in a variety of preparations from candy to sauces. When ripe, the fruit is completely edible - skin, seeds and all! To easily prepare a white guava when raw, slice away the tip and the very bottom of the fruit. Slice it in half long ways and share with a friend!
White guava is as delicious as it is useful in many kinds of recipes. Slice up white guava as a raw after school snack, or tuck slices into a beautiful cheese board. Use this pectin-rich fruit in recipes for jellies, jams, marmalades, candies and savory sauces. When frozen, guava can be added to sorbets and granitas.
- Baking: white guava can be baked into cakes, breads, chiffons and beyond.
- Confection: Tangy white guava is delicious in jams, jellies and candy making because of its bright flavor and high pectin content.
- Sauces: Use white guava to add sour sweetness and thickening properties to soups, stews and sauces.
White guavas make impressive and delicious drinks for fruit fans of all ages! From fresh juice to tea, punch, cocktails and frozen beverages, white guava adds tropical sweetness and a dose of nutrition to all kinds of drinks. To make delicious alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, use your white guavas to make a basic syrup, for stirring into drinks.
Here are some easy ways use white guava in your drinks:
- Juicing: Simply feed whole or sliced guavas into your electric juicer for a tangy, sweet, tropical taste with a healthy dose of vitamin C.
- Smoothies: Whether you have leftover white guava or want to use it whole, we recommend freezing it for super delicious smoothies. Freeze slices of guava on a cookie sheet with space in between each piece. Once frozen, store them in an airtight container in the freezer. You can easily pop frozen white guava cubes into smoothies!
- Cocktails: Puree fresh ripe white guava for a tropical experience that pairs well with rum, tequila or vodka.
White guavas have a relatively short shelf life, and knowing how to store them will help you enjoy them longer. White guava can be left on a cool, dry countertop for about three days to ripen. Once ripe, refrigerate them for up to four more days in an airtight container.
To freeze white guava, wait until they are fully ripened. Freeze white guava whole or sliced on a cookie sheet with space between each piece. Once frozen, store white guava in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a year.
Do you feel like a white guava eating expert now? Show us your favorite ways to prepare and eat white guava by tagging us in your culinary masterpieces on Instagram @Fruitstandcom!