If you’ve ever walked past a basket of fresh guavas at the farmers market and wondered exactly what to do with them, you’re not alone. Their heady, tropical fragrance may be familiar, but fresh guavas are still something of a mystery to many home cooks.
That’s a good reason to take some home.
Fresh guavas are wonderfully aromatic, pleasantly sweet-tart, and surprisingly versatile. Depending on the variety and degree of ripeness, their flavor can suggest strawberry, pear, melon, citrus, or even a hint of pineapple — all wrapped up in that unmistakable floral guava perfume.
Look for fresh guavas from KT Farms and Brokaw Ranch Company at the farmers markets while they’re in season.
How to Choose a Ripe Guava
Guavas are often harvested while still fairly firm, so don’t worry if the fruit you bring home isn’t ready to eat immediately.
A ripe guava should:
- Yield slightly when gently pressed
- Have a noticeably sweet, floral fragrance
- Feel heavy for its size
- Have skin that may soften or change color somewhat as it ripens, depending on the variety
If your guavas are still firm and don’t have much fragrance, leave them on the counter at room temperature for a few days.
Once ripe, refrigerate them and use them within several days for the best flavor and texture.
Can You Eat the Skin and Seeds?
Yes. Guava skin is edible, and so are the seeds.
Simply wash the fruit well and slice it. Some varieties have softer seeds than others, so whether you eat them comes down largely to personal preference.
For purées, sauces, beverages, or particularly silky preserves, you can press the cooked or blended fruit through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the seeds.
A Note About “Pineapple Guava”
California gardeners may also be familiar with pineapple guava, a handsome evergreen shrub commonly grown in home landscapes. Despite its name, pineapple guava (Acca sellowiana, formerly Feijoa sellowiana) is not actually a true guava. Its small green fruits are aromatic and edible, with a sweet-tart, tropical flavor that can suggest pineapple.
True guavas come in a number of varieties, with differences in fruit size, skin color, flesh color, sweetness, and fragrance. Since farmers may grow different selections, the best way to know exactly what you’re buying is to ask the grower — one of the advantages of shopping at a farmers market.
Eat Guavas Fresh
The simplest way to enjoy a perfectly ripe guava may also be the best.
Slice the fruit into wedges and eat it just as you would an apple or pear. A squeeze of fresh lime is especially good with guava, and a tiny sprinkle of flaky salt can make the fruit taste even sweeter.
Add sliced guava to a fruit platter, tuck it into a lunchbox, or serve it alongside yogurt and granola for breakfast.
For a simple dessert, try ripe guava slices with lime juice and a drizzle of honey.
Make Guava Jam, Jelly, or Fruit Butter
Guava’s intense fragrance makes it particularly well suited to preserves.
Cook chopped guavas with sugar and a little lemon or lime juice until tender, then purée or mash them. Depending on how thick you cook the mixture, you can make everything from a loose guava sauce to jam or a softly spreadable fruit butter.
Guava preserves are delicious on toast, biscuits, scones, or croissants — and especially good paired with cream cheese or a mild fresh cheese.
It’s also an excellent way to use several very ripe guavas at once.
Simmer a Quick Guava Compote
For something easier than jam, make a small batch of guava compote.
Dice ripe guavas and gently simmer them with a little sugar or honey, fresh lemon or lime juice, and just enough water to keep the fruit from sticking.
Ginger, vanilla, cinnamon, or cardamom all work beautifully with guava.
Spoon the warm or chilled compote over:
- Greek yogurt
- Oatmeal
- Pancakes or waffles
- Pound cake
- Cheesecake
- Vanilla ice cream
It also makes a lovely filling for crêpes or pastries.
Blend Guavas into Smoothies
Guava adds both flavor and fragrance to smoothies and pairs particularly well with other tropical fruits.
Try it with:
- Pineapple and lime
- Mango and orange
- Banana and yogurt
- Strawberry and coconut milk
- Papaya and fresh ginger
If the seeds bother you, blend the guava separately with a little liquid first, strain it, and then add the purée back to the smoothie.
Guava also works beautifully in smoothie bowls topped with toasted coconut, fruit, nuts, or granola.
Turn Guavas into Drinks
Ripe guavas make wonderful beverages.
For an easy guava agua fresca, blend ripe fruit with cold water and fresh lime juice, then strain and sweeten lightly to taste. Serve well chilled over ice.
Guava also makes an excellent syrup for sparkling water, iced tea, lemonade, or mocktails.
And for preserving-minded cooks, guava is a natural candidate for a fruit shrub — fruit macerated with sugar and combined with vinegar to create a tart-sweet concentrate for drinks.
The fruit’s floral character pairs especially well with apple cider vinegar, lime, ginger, or warm spices.
Take Guava in a Savory Direction
Guava doesn’t have to stay in the dessert category.
Its sweet-tart flavor works beautifully with chiles, citrus, herbs, and salty cheeses.
Try making a simple guava salsa with diced ripe guava, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeño or serrano chile, and a pinch of salt. Serve it with grilled fish, chicken, pork, or tacos.
Fresh guava is also wonderful on a cheese board. Pair it with cheeses such as:
- Fresh goat cheese
- Feta
- Brie or Camembert
- Cream cheese
- Manchego
- Aged cheddar
Add toasted nuts, honey, and good crackers, and you have an easy farmers-market appetizer.
A Few More Ideas
Once you begin cooking with guava, there are plenty of directions to explore.
Try guava in muffins or quick breads, spoon guava compote into thumbprint cookies, fold it into yogurt, make a guava glaze for roasted meats, or cook it down into a sauce for desserts.
And, of course, one of guava’s most famous companions is cheese. Guava paste paired with cheese is beloved throughout Latin America and the Caribbean for very good reason: the combination of sweet fruit and rich, salty cheese is remarkably satisfying.
Fresh guavas give you the opportunity to play with those same flavors while the fruit is in season.
Don’t Pass Them By
One of the pleasures of shopping at a farmers market is finding something you may not ordinarily put on your grocery list.
Fresh guavas are exactly that kind of fruit.
Take a few home, let them ripen until their perfume fills the kitchen, and start simply. Slice one. Add lime. Spoon another over yogurt. Simmer a few into compote.
Before long, you may find yourself hoping guava season lasts just a little longer.
Look for fresh guavas from KT Farms and Brokaw Ranch Company at the farmers markets.
