Elevate Your Next Smoothie With The Bright Flavors Of Canned Lychees
Fruit smoothies are a tasty way to boost your mood and energy while keeping you full between meals. From classic strawberry-banana combos to chocolate protein smoothies, there's seemingly no wrong way to enjoy a blended fruit drink. There are, however, ways to reimagine how we prepare them. Although we love fresh fruit as much as the next foodie, we're not afraid to use canned fruit in our smoothies either, and no canned fruit can rival canned lychee.
Praised for its succulent texture and tart flavor, lychee is a small red fruit native to Southeast Asia. The dainty fruit boasts a fragrant aroma with pleasantly bitter underpinnings that pair well with a wide range of fruits, vegetables, and other classic smoothie ingredients such as honey and nut butter.
Lychees can add a refreshing edge to your favorite smoothie recipe. And if you've ever found yourself struggling to fully emulsify a smoothie, lychee's water content can help thin out a too-thick smoothie.
Canned lychees versus fresh
Now that you're ready to add lychees to your next smoothie, you might be wondering about the difference between canned and fresh lycheess. Fresh lychee has a tough, prickly outer skin that's peeled to reveal the white flesh of the fruit. Canned lychees, on the other hand, are already peeled and ready to eat, reducing the amount of time it takes to prepare your lychee-kissed smoothie. Fresh lychees have a large and highly toxic seed at the center that's not safe for consumption. Because canned lychees are pitted, the threat of food-borne illness caused by the lychee seed is significantly lower.
Unlike their fresh counterparts, canned lychees are often preserved in syrup. This can give your smoothie more of a dessert feel and if you're preparing one with bitter or earthy ingredients, canned lychees can balance out the flavor. But if you're watching your added sugar intake, limit how much you use in your smoothie or avoid pouring it directly from the can into your blender. Although it's common to see them submerged in syrup, you can find canned lychees with no added sugar.
Finally, like many canned goods, canned lychee has a much longer shelf life than fresh lychee, so you don't have to rush to put them to use immediately after purchasing.
Smoothie ideas featuring canned lychee
Create a taste of the tropics by combining canned lychee with pineapple chunks, mango, ripe avocado, and a splash of coconut milk. The result is a creamy, tropical escape in a smoothie cup — thank us later. But if you're not in the mood for something sweet, prepare a well-balanced smoothie by combining canned lychee with spinach, kale, cucumber, lime, and filtered water. You'll meet your daily greens goal faster than you can say lychee.
Feeling sophisticated? Elevate your lunchtime smoothie by infusing the subtle floral notes of canned lychee with a hint of lavender. Combine the canned fruit with banana, strawberry, almond milk, and a pinch of dried lavender flowers for a fragrant and soothing smoothie. If you need a sweet protein boost, mix canned lychee with banana, blueberries, chia seeds, almond butter, and oat milk for a satisfying, protein-rich concoction.
When it comes to crafting crave-worthy smoothies with canned lychees, the options are practically endless, so have fun with it! Just try not to eat them all before they make it into your smoothie.