Jugo de Acerola (Puerto Rican Acerola Juice)
A refreshing Puerto Rican fruit drink made with ripe acerolas, cold water, and sugar to taste. Briefly pulse the fruit, strain out the seeds, and serve over ice for a bright, pleasantly tart homemade juice.
Equipment
- Blender with a pulse setting
- Fine-mesh strainer
- Large bowl
- Measuring jug
- Pitcher
- Spoon
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 1 lb ripe fresh acerolas 454 g
- 3 cups cold water 720 ml, plus more as needed to make 4 cups of finished juice
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar 50 g, or less to taste
- Ice for serving
Instructions
- Sort through the acerolas, discarding any moldy or spoiled fruit. Remove stems and leaves, then rinse the fruit thoroughly under cool running water.
- Place the acerolas and 3 cups of cold water in a blender. Work in batches if needed, staying below the blender’s maximum fill line.
- Pulse briefly, checking after each pulse, just until the flesh separates from the seeds. Stop while the seeds remain mostly intact. Do not blend continuously or try to make a completely smooth mixture.
- Set a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl or measuring jug. Pour in the fruit mixture and gently stir and press the soft pulp with the back of a spoon to release the juice. Do not grind the seeds against the mesh. Discard the seeds and skins left in the strainer.
- Stir 2 tablespoons of the sugar into the strained juice until dissolved. Taste and gradually add the remaining sugar if needed. The finished drink should retain some of the fruit’s natural tartness.
- Add enough cold water to bring the total volume to 4 cups (960 ml). Stir and taste again. If you prefer a milder drink, add a little more water, noting that this increases the yield.
- Pour into glasses over ice and serve immediately. Stir the pitcher before pouring additional servings because natural settling can occur.
Notes
Fruit choice: Use ripe acerolas with good color and a fresh smell. Ripe fruit may be delicate, but it should not be moldy, leaking excessively, or fermented.
Seeds: Use short pulses to loosen the pulp while keeping the seeds mostly intact. Strain thoroughly before serving.
Sweetness: Start with half the sugar and adjust after straining. Acerolas can vary considerably in tartness.
Frozen whole acerolas: Thaw in the refrigerator until soft enough to pulse, then use the same weight and method as fresh fruit.
Frozen pulp option: For unsweetened, seedless, non-concentrated acerola pulp, begin with about 300 g pulp and 2 cups cold water. Blend until combined, sweeten to taste, and gradually dilute toward 4 cups total. Pulp strength varies, so taste before adding all the water. Follow package directions if the product is concentrated or already sweetened.
Texture: This is strained fruit juice, not a thick smoothie. A little cloudiness or settling is normal.
Storage: Refrigerate promptly in a covered pitcher and use within 1–2 days for best flavor. Stir before serving.
Ice: Add ice to individual glasses instead of the pitcher to avoid diluting the whole batch.
Nutrition: The estimate applies to the fresh-fruit version with the full amount of sugar.