• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About Me
    • Contact
    • Services
      • Contact
  • Recipes
    • Recipes Visual Index
    • How to Make Ice Cream without an Ice Cream Maker
    • Kitchen Cheat Sheet
    • Kitchen & Pantry Essentials
  • Order Cookie School!

A Cookie Named Desire

menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Order Cookie School!
  • Recipes
  • Services
×
Home - Drinks

Published: Apr 30, 2014 · Modified: Oct 5, 2021 by Amanda Powell · This post may contain affiliate links.

Detox Cactus Smoothie

Jump to Recipe

This detox cactus smoothie is creamy, with a lot of tropical zing. Healthy and very simple to make. It is highly irresistible and tastes just like the cactus smoothie from Crusssh juice bar. 

This tropical detox cactus smoothie is zingy, creamy, and tastes like you just stepped onto a beach. A healthy and delicious recipe for breakfast or as a snack!

Despite popular belief, I am not all chocolate, bread, and sweets. I have an intense fondness for smoothies. Detox cactus smoothies, in particular. When I stumbled upon cactus leaves at my local produce store, I knew I had to share this delicious drink with you.

I first discovered cactus smoothies in college (I've been coming up with a lot of college stories lately, haven't I?) While on a hunt for chocolate in a train station, I came across this little place called Crusssh which happened to sell these awesome vegan double chocolate brownies (whaat?!).

I also saw a sign that announced they were bringing back cactus smoothies.

detox-cactus-smoothie-recipe

Now, at that time, I never heard of using cactus for anything other than decoration, so I was intrigued and bought one. My life was changed.

How can I describe the amazingness that is the detox cactus smoothie? It is light, creamy, but tangy at the same time. Yes, tangy and sweet and kind-of tropical in the best way possible. There are only a few ingredients in this smoothie, but the complexity of the flavor is simply irresistible and even addictive.

When I discovered Crussh detox cactus smoothies, I would buy a large one to drink right away, and two or three more to drink later. I was an addict. I introduced my friend Erin to the smoothie and she drank hers so quickly that we had to turn around to get another. It was that good.

This tropical detox cactus smoothie is zingy, creamy, and tastes like you just stepped onto a beach. A healthy and delicious recipe for breakfast or as a snack!

The Crussh version is sweeter than mine because they use pineapple juice as their base. I decided to use almond milk for more creaminess. Other than that, this is basically dead on. 

This recipe makes a huge blenderful because, I quite frankly always end up drinking it all on my own. In the same day. And I know you will, too!

UPDATE: In the original recipe I shared, I also added aloe vera for my own twist. You can also add aloe vera if you want, but I honestly have been craving the real deal lately and took it back out.

This tropical detox cactus smoothie is zingy, creamy, and tastes like you just stepped onto a beach. A healthy and delicious recipe for breakfast or as a snack!

Prepping Cactus Leaves for a Detox Cactus Smoothie

Prepping cactus leaves can seem daunting, but it is fairly easy. Wear clean gloves if you feel nervous about being pricked. 

Grab a brand new dish scrubber and gently scrub the cactus in the opposite direction of the needles. The cactus leave will start to feel slimy as the needles come off. Cut off the edges around the cactus leaf.

If you want more delicious good for you smoothies, you need to try my avocado chocolate peanut butter smoothie

Don't have time to make this delish smoothie now? Pin it for later!

Recipe Card

This tropical detox cactus smoothie is zingy, creamy, and tastes like you just stepped onto a beach. A healthy and delicious recipe for breakfast or as a snack!

Detox Cactus Smoothie

Amanda Powell
A simple detox cactus smoothie recipe that is super delicious and highly addictive! This is a great smoothie to help cleanse your body in a tasty way!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 3 minutes mins
Total Time 8 minutes mins
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 6 cups
Calories 128 kcal
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients
  

  • 5 oz 1 ½ medium cactus leaves, needles removed and chopped
  • ½ 12 oz approx fresh pineapple, cut in cubes and chilled
  • 1 ½ 7 oz approx banana, sliced and frozen
  • 5.3 oz 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 lime juiced
  • 1 ½ cups 354 mL almond milk
  • ⅓ cup 79 mL aloe vera water (optional)
Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions
 

  • Place all ingredients in the blender in the order shown above.
  • Blend on low for 1 - 2 minutes, or until the cactus, pineapple, and banana are beginning to become well-blended.
  • Slowly raise the speed to medium for one minute, then slowly raise to high, until you see a vortex in the middle of the smoothie.
  • Once you see the vortex, blend for another minute, or until creamy.

Notes

Drink immediately

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 128kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 18gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 87mgSugar: 6g
Tried this recipe?Tag me on Instagram! @acookienameddesire #acookienameddesire
This tropical detox cactus smoothie is zingy, creamy, and tastes like you just stepped onto a beach. A healthy and delicious recipe for breakfast or as a snack!

More Drink Recipes

  • malted coffee coolatta in cup
    DIY Coffee Coolata (Frozen Coffee Malt)
  • finished coffee showing off layers
    Pistachio Cream Cold Brew
  • looking at collection of glasses of smoothie
    Coffee Smoothie
  • looking down at maple old fashioned with cherry and orange garnish
    Maple Old Fashioned

About Amanda Powell

Baker, photographer, and sometimes world traveler behind A Cookie Named Desire. Obsessed with helping people live life sweetly with delicious food to share with the special people in your life and creating lasting memories.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Melyna Sanchez says

    June 06, 2019 at 6:17 pm

    Growing up with Mexican culture we practically live off Cactus leaves or we call "nopales". I was looking for a good smoothie recipe and came across yours, I tried this smoothie mix and it is very yummy, and very healthy especially adding the aloe vera juice! Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  2. Elizabeth says

    May 09, 2019 at 1:29 pm

    Hello From Houston, TX!!

    Hope you are well,

    I am here because I browsing the net on Cactus Smoothies and how to "clean" them "take the needles off" which is my fear! I never heard of using a dish scrubber, I am so excited to doing this.

    In 2001 I was told by my aunt to drink a smoothie with water, Cactus with Aloe pulp and lime (with peel). I did that for 8 months in the mornings before breakfast and dropped 80 LBS in 8 months -10lbs (NO JOKE)... i was about 19 years old don't know if that had to do something with it too...

    I want to do this again but my aunt isn't around me (i did this when i was taking care of her baby at her house) she isn't around to clean the nopales, plus she can't see as too well... (age)
    I TOTALLY AM LOOKING FORWARD TO CLEANING THEM YOUR WAY... if it works... I WILL CRY of JOY haha
    Thank you!!

    Cheers to 2 months for 20 lbs....

    Reply
    • Amanda Powell says

      May 09, 2019 at 1:43 pm

      That is awesome!!! Maybe I need to make this more often and start storing extra nopales in the freezer! Just make sure you use the rough scrubby side and use a CLEAN UNUSED scrubber! If you are making them often, it’d probably be worth having a dedicated scrubber just for this! I hope it works for you!!

      Reply
  3. Nikky Trevino says

    January 26, 2018 at 8:52 am

    Cactus leaves is a Mexican food staple and has been for a long time. We use them for breakfast with scrambled eggs and use them for vegetarian tacos too.
    If you are having trouble looking for them, it's almost a for sure to find them in Latin supermarkets.
    Just ask for NOPALES but fresh to make smoothies.
    They also come in glass jars but I those are used for cooking. Use the fresh ones for smoothies.

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      January 26, 2018 at 5:09 pm

      Thank you so much for the extra info, I am sure everyone will find it handy!!!

      Reply
  4. Jabe says

    December 08, 2017 at 5:17 pm

    I tried this recipe as written, and thought it was pretty good. I would prefer if it was less tart. Also, it was too watery, could of been thicker.

    Reply
    • Meghan says

      July 15, 2021 at 3:41 pm

      I prep and freeze the bananas, nopales and pineapple in advance then just plop the frozen ingredients in to blender and add protein powder, coconut water and nut milk. They turn out creamy and not watery at all.

      Reply
  5. Keith @ How's it Lookin? says

    May 02, 2016 at 12:14 pm

    They look so healthy. Pineapple will definitely flavor it up, thanks for sharing

    Reply
  6. Kristina says

    April 25, 2016 at 11:13 am

    I am intrigued - the flavors sound fantastic!

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      April 26, 2016 at 12:43 am

      It's seriously good! I hope you are able to make it soon!

      Reply
  7. Lizz says

    April 16, 2015 at 8:25 am

    I have a bag of prepared, chopped, cleaned cactus leaves so I don't know how much to use since they are no longer full leaves? I hope someone can help me with this

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      April 16, 2015 at 9:07 am

      I'm making this smoothie again today, once I get my leaves prepared, I'll see how many cups it is for your

      Reply
    • Amanda says

      April 16, 2015 at 5:15 pm

      I just chipped some cactus leaves and two leaves equal about a cup of chopped leaves

      Reply
  8. Sonya says

    May 17, 2014 at 6:41 am

    Sounds yummy, I will have to look for some cactus leaves.

    Reply
  9. Clotilde/Craftybegonia says

    May 16, 2014 at 8:59 pm

    Hi Amanda, visiting you via The SITS Girls. That looks like a super healthy smoothie, and being a vegan myself, I double appreciated it. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      May 16, 2014 at 9:41 pm

      A lot of my close friends and a few of my blogging inspirations are vegan, so I like to share as many vegan-friendly things as I can. In fact, I think all but one non-dessert recipe is vegan or can easily be made vegan. I have a vegan cookie recipe I will post at some point that will rock your socks!

      Reply
  10. Jean Lynd says

    May 16, 2014 at 11:26 am

    Hmmm. I'm intrigued, yet I've NEVER seen cactus for sale anywhere near me. I may have to look a little harder. Happy SITS day!

    Reply
  11. Stacy B says

    May 16, 2014 at 10:25 am

    I'm an Arizona girl, so it's not unusual to see cactus in the grocery store or to eat it...but I've never heard of anyone making a smoothie out of it! I'm excited to try this!

    Reply
  12. Mary says

    May 16, 2014 at 7:54 am

    Can't wait to try this! My mom has been in town all week and although I have loved our days of binge watching and binge eating, a little "detox" sounds like the perfect thing!

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      May 16, 2014 at 9:02 am

      This smoothie is really addictive!! I hope you enjoy it!

      Reply
  13. Courtney Conover says

    May 16, 2014 at 5:00 am

    I know I'm just going to love this...

    Despite my extreme penchant for sweets, I've never really met a green smoothie I didn't like. The only problem I foresee is buying the cactus leaves: I never see these at my local produce market here in suburban Detroit. But now I'm on the hunt for them...

    Enjoy your day, Amanda! (Stopping by from SITS! 🙂

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      May 16, 2014 at 7:13 am

      I never saw them at my local market either until I stumbled across it and they said they have them in stock regularly during the warm weather! I think some health food store will stick them too. Hope you find some!

      Reply
      • Ky says

        September 15, 2020 at 6:01 pm

        My dad is diabetic so 86 carbs is too much . Looking on here for recipes for his cactus. It's supposed to help with diabetic yet all the drinks I see mostly have oh or like yours way over on carb do you have any awesome idea about low smoothies

      • Amanda Powell says

        September 15, 2020 at 6:05 pm

        Hi! Unfortunately, I am not well versed on low-carb/diabetes-friendly ingredients or swaps. I do know my avocado choco pb smoothie is very popular, but I don’t know how many carbs are in it at the top of my head. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help!!

4.67 from 6 votes (6 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Hey, I'm Amanda!

I am the baker and photographer behind A Cookie Named Desire. I'm a cookbook author, food science nerd, world traveler (sometimes) with a major weakness for cookies and cheese.

Read More

Reader Favorites

  • S'mores Stuffed Cookies
    S'mores Cookies Recipe

  • homemade cookies scattered out on baking sheet
    Milano Cookies Recipe

  • cookies piled together on rack
    Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • avocado chocolate peanut butter smoothie in a glass
    Avocado Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie

  • Making salt water taffy at home is actually easier than you think
    How to Make Salt Water Taffy

  • finished jelly donut shots on a tray
    Jelly Donut Shot

Autumn Favorites

  • black forest mug cake
    Black Forest Mug Brownie

  • lucky charms marshmallows inside hot chocolate mug
    Hot Chocolate Bombs

  • pumpkin spice syrup in jar
    Pumpkin Spice Syrup

  • Plate of coconut chocolate chip cookies with a glass of milk
    Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Footer

^ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact
  • Services
  • About Me

Copyright © 2024 A Cookie Named Desire

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.