Refreshing Kiwano Fruit Smoothie Recipe

Please note that I may earn a small commission from purchases made through product links in this article at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Last updated: July 18, 2021

As you may already know, I love experimenting with exotic fruits. I often visit markets and specialty grocery stores, hunting for new fruits and vegetables to try out.

One of these weird fruits is the kiwano fruit, otherwise known as horned melon. An interesting looking fruit that is a mix between a melon and a cucumber.

This kiwano fruit smoothie recipe with spinach and blueberry is surprisingly refreshing. Unfortunately I can’t make this smoothie all too often, because kiwanos are quite hard to find.

Please find the printable version of this recipe further below.

Here’s a list of all the ingredients of this kiwano smoothie.

Feel free to experiment with other ingredients of course, but I find that the below mix of ingredients results in a super refreshing smoothie.

The kiwano is indeed a fascinating piece of fruit. The spiky, orange skin of kiwano melons will immediately grab your attention.

And when you cut them open, the soft and bright green flesh may surprise you even more. It looks very similar to cucumber flesh, with lots of seeds that are actually edible.

The texture around the seeds is like a green jelly, which may taste kind of weird the first time you try it out.

Kiwano fruit is native to southern and central Africa, but has also been grown in New Zealand, Australia and parts of the USA in recent times. It’s hard to describe the taste, but it’s a bit like a mix of cucumber, zucchini, kiwifruit and banana.

For this smoothie, we are of course only using the flesh inside. I can’t find any sources that say the skin is not edible, but I prefer not to try!.

Simply cut the kiwano in half and then scoop out the bits and pieces with a spoon. It’s quite leaky, so make sure to do this above a plate so you won’t lose any of the juice.

I really wanted to make this smoothie as nutritious as possible, without sacrificing on the flavors too much.

So for this smoothie I’ve added some spinach as the leafy green content. Spinach always works well in smoothies as it doesn’t have too much impact on how it tastes, and the health benefits are obviously great.

I’m also a fan of blueberries, so I’m adding a small cup. Blueberries contain anthocyanin, a flavonoid with potent antioxidant capacity. Antioxidants are very important as they help our bodies protect against age-related health risks.

I am also adding a large banana in this smoothie, which is a bit of a habit. Bananas are essentially my go-to smoothie recipe fruit, they always work well with other fruits and vegetables. And they add a nice dose of sweetness, which is also important!

Ginger is my favorite smoothie add-in. I personally love the taste and smell of fresh ginger, so much so that I even tried to grow ginger at home, which turns out is actually much easier than you may think.

Are you thinking to buy a new quality blender?
Have a look at my list of recommended blenders for making green smoothies.