Licuado de Nopal (Cactus Smoothie)
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Updated Oct 05, 2026
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This refreshing Licuado de Nopal (Cactus Smoothie) is one of my favorite ways to enjoy fresh nopales beyond the savory Mexican dishes I grew up eating. Made with raw nopal, cucumber, fresh lime juice, and water, it’s light, tart, and comes together in just 2 minutes.
I first learned about this simple licuado from my friend Ania more than a decade ago, when we discovered our shared love of nopales during a Christmas gathering. She told me she drank a nopal smoothie every morning and shared her simple combination with me. I’ve been making my own version ever since.
Why This Is Muy Bueno
What I love most about this cactus smoothie is its simplicity. My version uses just four ingredients: fresh raw nopal, cucumber, lime juice, and water. There’s no added sugar, dairy, or complicated prep.
I also like to clean and slice several nopal paddles at once, portion them into freezer bags, and keep them frozen for smoothies. That little bit of prep makes this 2-minute licuado especially easy to blend in the morning.
Ingredients
You only need four simple ingredients to make my licuado de nopal:
- Nopal: Use a fresh, cleaned cactus paddle with the spines removed. You can use it fresh or frozen. Learn how to clean and prepare nopales.
- Cucumber: Peel and chop it before blending.
- Lime: Freshly squeezed lime juice gives the smoothie its bright, tart flavor.
- Water: Use more as needed for a thinner consistency.
- Crushed ice, optional: For a colder, frostier smoothie.
How to Make Licuado de Nopal
This cactus smoothie takes just a couple of minutes to make. If you’re starting with a whole cactus paddle, first clean and prepare the nopal by removing the spines and trimming the edges. You can use the nopal fresh or use some that you’ve already sliced and frozen.
Step 1: Add the ingredients. Place the nopal, cucumber, fresh lime juice, water, and crushed ice, if using, in a blender.
Step 2: Blend. Blend until smooth, adding a little more water if needed to reach your preferred consistency.
Licuado de Nopal Variations
I love this licuado de nopal as written, but it’s also easy to customize depending on what you have on hand or how sweet you like your smoothies.
- Adjust the consistency: For a thinner smoothie, add a little more water and blend until smooth.
- Coconut water: Replace the water with coconut water.
- Add fruit: Blend in frozen pineapple, mango, banana, or berries for natural sweetness.
- Lemon instead of lime: Fresh lemon juice works well if you don’t have lime.
Have you tried another fruit combination with nopal? Let me know in the comments. I always love hearing how you make these recipes your own.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. I use cleaned, raw nopal in this licuado. There’s no need to cook it first. If you’re starting with a whole cactus paddle, be sure to remove the spines and trim the edges before washing and adding it to the blender. See my guide to preparing nopales for step-by-step instructions.
I like to cube and freeze my cleaned nopales before making this smoothie. Blend the ingredients thoroughly, and add a little more water as needed until you reach your preferred consistency.
Look for fresh nopales in the produce section of Mexican or Latin markets and many well-stocked supermarkets. You may find whole cactus paddles with the spines intact or nopales that have already been cleaned and trimmed.
I enjoy this licuado as written, but you can blend in pineapple, mango, banana, or berries for natural sweetness.
More Nopal Recipes
Did you make this Licuado de Nopal? I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a ⭐ star rating and a comment below.
Ingredients
- ½ cup nopal (cactus paddle), cleaned, spines removed, and sliced
- 1/2 cucumber, peeled and chopped
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 cup water
- crushed ice, optional
Instructions
- Add the nopal, cucumber, lime juice, water, and crushed ice, if using, to a blender.
- Blend until smooth. Add additional water as needed to reach your preferred consistency.
Notes
- Meal-prep tip: I like to clean and slice fresh nopales, portion them into freezer bags, and freeze them for smoothies. You can blend the nopal straight from frozen.
- Consistency: For a thinner licuado, blend longer or add a little more water.
- Coconut water: You can replace the water with coconut water if you prefer.
- Sweeter smoothie: For natural sweetness, blend in frozen pineapple, mango, banana, or berries.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography by Jeanine Thurston & Jenna Sparks
I can tell right away that you never used cactus before. You have to clean the cactus before you use them. It Nice manicure, but clean the cactus. Seriously!
Agree with you 100%
Peel them, clean all those needles and trim edges and wash them then you choose to eat them raw for your licuados or cook them for ensaladas or or other plates.
Hello I love this smoothie and I have a question is that ok if before drinking this smoothie I have cup of coffee with milk?
I haven’t been able to kick the coffee habit, so I do, but recommend trying soy or almond creamer vs. milk.
I just came across this on Pinterest and was so excited! I’ve wanted to try cactus for such a long time but had yet to find a recipe that I think I’ll like. Today was day 4 of me starting my day off with this smoothie with a twist, eating better and working out every day and I’ve lost almost 5 pounds already!!! I’m attributing it to everything but I must say my first couple days of drinking this I could tell there was some changes happening with my body.
I’ve chosen to basically quarter the amount of cucumber I use each day because I don’t like it and instead of water I’ve been using pineapple juice and I added spinach this morning. So good!! I have notice that I can’t drink it once it’s a little warm ( the texture is a little weird for me so I can’t handle that plus it being warm) so I try to drink it fairly quickly. Thanks so much for the recipe!!
Hi, have you tried using it with the nopales having been frozen first? Maybe it wouldn’t get warm so quickly….Also….she does say you can add water…..maybe try making it with ice cubes and it’s more like a shake that way?
Hello, such a great post. I live in NY, so I’m wondering where to buy this to eat? Also, if I bought this as a plant would it still be edible?
Regards,
Topanga
Do you have any Latin markets in your area? Sometimes they even sell them frozen. And if you do buy a plant you can definitely do this at home!
My friend broke off two large nopal pads from a huge tree. She planted them in my flower bed and they started to grow right away. I relocated them to the side yard of my house. They grow fast.
I harvest the tender baby pads, remove the spines and roast them. They’re great chopped in my veggie and tofu soups/stews with zucchini, onion, garlic, tomatoes, brown rice, oregano, rosemary, and Trader Joe’s 31 seasoning, add vegetable broth. For more protein I add homemade turkey balls or chopped and chicken broth.
I’ve even roasted the tender baby nopal pads and placed on top of my grilled turkey burger sprinkled with garlic powder and sliced tomatoes. Looks like avocado on the sandwich. Yummy!
Hello
Where Can I Find the cactus nopal?
Regards
Roxana
was wondering if the Nopales are cooked before blending. I’m a little concerned about the texture of the juice with the jelly like substance that is in the cactus.
Hi Lynn,
No, the nopales are not cooked. I prefer to cube and freeze and you won’t get the jelly texture. I’ll be drinking lots of these after all the naughty Christmas food 🙂
I had a quick quastion can u sweeten it up? Like maybe adding pineapple or any kind of sweet fruit?
Absolutely! Add an apple or pineapple chunks to sweeten. Enjoy!
Is this good for weight loss? I’ve heard people drink it before each meal would you recommend it?
Thanks 🙂
Hi Judy,
I’m sure it’s a great weight loss if drank as a meal replacement. I don’t know about drinking one before every meal. I’m guessing you’d get tired of it. Try it for breakfast for a month 🙂
Is it okay if I add pineapple? aveces yo le hecho pero no se si es saludable
Absolutely! I love it with fresh pineapple.
Sounds like an interesting way to use nopal. I had heard it was great to eat for diabetics.