Licuados a fresh, economical, and easy-to-make alternative to store-bought juice in your morning routine. Plus, you make them the day/night before, so in the morning, just stir, pour and savor the flavor!
Fresh and Delicious Licuados
- Yield: 2 liters
- Prep Time: 10 hr
Ingredients
- Fruit (or cucumber) of your choice
- Water
- Sweetener of your choice.
Preparation
- Licuado template: Select and wash fruit or cucumber you'd like to use. Each of the following fruits/veggie are commonly used to make 1 pitcher of licuados: 1 large cucumber, 1 pineapple, 1 cantaloupe, ½ of a small watermelon, 8 guayabas, ½ of a papaya or 3 mangos. For example, to make a two-liter pitcher of licuados with cucumber, you use 1 large cucumber. This is not an exact science, folks! You can adjust the proportions per your family's taste and the size of your blender. Try a type of fruit that you haven't tried before, if they are available where you live. You may find your next favorite thing!! Peel/remove rind from cucumber or fruit of choice – We use melons, papaya, guayaba, pineapple, and mango. Depending on where you live, melons, pineapple, and cucumbers may be simplest to find. Remove any seeds from your item of choice Cut in roughly one-inch pieces Put fruit/veggie in blender until well blended. Pour resulting juice and pulp in a pitcher and add water to fill Leave in the refrigerator overnight The next day, add stevia or other sweetener to taste, if you like Then stir, pour, and enjoy!!
Recipe Tags
So, what are licuados, and why should you care??
If you go to Mexico, you will likely see vendors selling fruit from carts all over. Fruit and fruit flavors are super popular in Mexico and other Latin American countries. Candies, ice creams, and soft drinks are often fruit-flavored. All are delish, but my favorite are the licuados.
Licuados are drinks typically made with fruit, milk, and ice/water or fruit and ice/water. They are popular in many Latin American countries, and Mexico is no exception.
My husband and I like to drink licuados in place of commercial fruit juices. They are so much cheaper and don't have all the preservatives and sugar that store brands often have.
Licuados are easy to make and are served any time of day, including breakfast-time. We love them for breakfast! We often don't use any kind of sweetener, but you can use the sweetener of your choice, as long as it dissolves quickly. Liquid stevia is our go-to for sweetening things up.
So, if you'd like to get more fruit and veggies in your diet, but not all the sugar, consider making a pitcher of licuados for breakfast in place of juice. You make them the day/evening before, and they are ready to drink in the morning. Below is Jose's template for making licuados with cucumbers and various fruits, so you can use what your family likes.
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