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How to Cook Nopales

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By: IsabelPosted: 2/10/21

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How to prep and cook nopales

Learn how to cook nopales at home! You’ll learn how to choose the best nopales, how to clean and prep them by removing the spines, and how to cook them to use in all your favorite dishes!

Cooked nopales on a spoon.

Nopales have always been in regular rotation in my Mexican kitchen growing up. My mom and dad would bring home fresh nopales from the local hispanic grocery store and would prep and cook them that day to eat in different dishes throughout the week.

Nowadays, many grocery stores are starting to carry already prepped and chopped nopales in the produce aisle. But if you don’t live near a store that carries them, don’t worry! Prepping and cooking nopales at home is actually super easy!

What are nopales?

Nopales, or cactus paddles, are the pads of the prickly pear cactus. They’re a very common ingredient in Mexican cuisine and are used in all sorts of dishes, including tacos and salad. They have a thick and meaty texture with a mild flavor that’s a cross between asparagus and okra.

When their spines and thorns are removed, they can be chopped or sliced and then cooked until tender. During the cooking process, they release a slime that’s also similar to okra. This is easily removed by rinsing the cooked nopales a few times before using them in other dishes.

Nopales (cactus paddles) on a cutting board

Picking the best nopales

If you can, try to pick the best nopales you can find.

You’ll want to pick ones that are flexible, but not too soft. You don’t want them to be extremely floppy and limp. Also try to choose ones that are bright green. The brighter the color, the fresher they are.

How to cook nopales

Step 1: Carefully remove the spines and brown bumps from the cactus paddles.

First things first, if you’ve never worked with cactus paddles before, be careful because each pad has little tiny spines and thorns that will easily prick your fingers. I recommend using gloves at first. Once you get the hang of it, you can try to handle them without gloves.

Lay the cactus paddles flat on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, carefully scrape and slice off the spines and the brown bumps by running the knife back and forth along the paddles. Most of the spines and brown bumps will come off by scraping, but you’ll likely have a few stubborn spots that you’ll need to slice off.

Nopales on a cutting board with spines and thorns sliced off.

Step 2: Cut, dice, or slice nopales.

Next, give the cactus paddles a quick rinse to make sure they’re totally clean. Then dice them into 1/2-inch pieces or slice them into 1/2-inch strips (like you would fajitas).

Dicing is great for quick veggie side dishes, and slicing is great for eating in tacos and salads.

A bowl of diced nopales (cactus paddles) ready to be cooked.

Step 3: Cook in boiling water until tender.

Add the fresh cut nopales to a medium pot and fill it with enough water to cover them. Add in a little salt and bring it to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for 10 more minutes until tender.

Once they’re cooked through, drain all the water from the pot and give them another rinse under warm water to remove any excess slimy liquid.

Cooked nopales on a spoon.

That’s it! You can eat them just like this, or saute them in a little olive oil with some garlic, onions and any other spices you like.

One popular recipe using nopales is nopales con huevo, or nopales cooked with scrambled eggs. They’re a delicious vegetable addition to any meal, and even make delicious vegetarian tacos!

More Mexican recipes to try

  • Sopes
  • Entomatadas
  • Chiles Rellenos

Recipe

4.93 from 14 votes

How to Cook Nopales

Serves: 2 servings
Print
Rate
Cooked nopales on a spoon.
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total : 20 minutes
Learn how to cook nopales at home! How to choose the best nopales, how clean them by removing the spines, and how to cook them.

Ingredients

  • 2 cactus paddles
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • water

Instructions

  • Place the cactus paddles on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, carefully scrape and slice off the thorns and dark brown bumps on all sides.
  • Rinse the cactus paddles under running water to remove any dirt and grime.
  • Dice the cactus paddles into bite-size pieces or slice them into thin strips.
  • Place in a medium pot with salt, and fill with water until all the cactus paddles are covered.
  • Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover with a lid, and cook for 10 more minutes.
  • Drain the water from the nopales and give them another rinse under warm water to remove any excess slimy liquid.
  • Eat plain or saute in a little olive oil with your favorite seasonings. (See post above for more ways to use cooked nopales.)

Isabel’s Tips:

If you’ve never worked with cactus paddles before, be careful because each pad has little tiny spines and thorns that will easily prick your fingers. I recommend using gloves the first time. Once you get the hang of it, you can try to handle them without gloves.
Cooked nopales can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1serving Calories: 14kcal (1%) Carbohydrates: 3g (1%) Protein: 1g (2%) Fat: 1g (2%) Saturated Fat: 1g (5%) Sodium: 3506mg (146%) Potassium: 222mg (6%) Fiber: 2g (8%) Sugar: 1g (1%) Vitamin A: 393IU (8%) Vitamin C: 8mg (10%) Calcium: 143mg (14%) Iron: 1mg (6%)
Author: Isabel Eats
Course:Side
Cuisine:Mexican
Cooked nopales on a spoon.
Did you Make my How to Cook Nopales?Leave a comment below and tag @isabeleats on social media!
@isabeleats

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Recipe Rating:




  1. Francisco Melendez says

    Posted on 3/21 at 9:03 am

    El nopal yo lo uso en haser bebidas verdes un poco de sávila un poco de nopal crudo agua y lo echo a licuar despues le esprimo un limón y para que no sepa feo le ponge miel al gusto

    Reply
    • Ana @ Isabel Eats says

      Posted on 3/21 at 12:18 pm

      Hola Francisco! Si hemos visto recetas para usar los nopales en las bebidas pero nunca los hemos probado. Gracias por compartir tu tip!

      Reply
  2. Gini says

    Posted on 3/11 at 7:46 am

    I remember eating nopales con huevo as a child. My used to make a salad with nopales, tomato, and maybe cilantro….? Wish I had the recipe for it, it was so refreshing and tasty!

    Reply
  3. dee dominguez says

    Posted on 2/28 at 10:34 pm

    thank you so much for these instructions and suggestions, I really appreciate learning to prepare and cook nopales, and not rely on the bottled version of nopales.

    Reply
    • Ana @ Isabel Eats says

      Posted on 3/7 at 11:31 am

      Thank you Dee!

      Reply
  4. Liz Robles says

    Posted on 2/6 at 7:51 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you, very Thorough directions, I feel confident.
    I’m very excited to make my first nopal cactus dish!

    Reply
  5. Joy says

    Posted on 11/26 at 1:45 pm

    5 stars
    First time trying it thanks for sharing
    I love it In the Virgin Islands we would utilize the prickly pear, but it was a drink if I recall correctly

    Reply
  6. Deann Jillette says

    Posted on 11/23 at 2:31 pm

    Good to know I was thinking of a Napole casserole basically a green bean casserole but napoles instead of green beans just curious on your opinion?

    Reply
    • Ana @ Isabel Eats says

      Posted on 11/28 at 10:56 am

      Hi Deann! I think that would work great! They’re very similar so I think it would turn out well.

      Reply
  7. Fred says

    Posted on 9/30 at 12:17 pm

    I decided to go ahead and try them after seeing my plant blown over after the storm on Sept 29 in Florida. I must say that if I had any idea what the shock I was in for when I took the first bite. Unbelievable how I missed out eating this wonderfully very good taste all my life. Made them exactly as this recipe is and all I can say to anyone who is afraid to eat this plant is missing out on a great meal. Hats off to the chief Isabel eats

    Reply
    • Ana @ Isabel Eats says

      Posted on 10/3 at 12:49 pm

      Hi Fred! Yeah they definitely sound unusual but they’re delicious!

      Reply
  8. Jennifer says

    Posted on 9/15 at 6:00 pm

    5 stars
    I learned a lot from you, about nopales, really helpful to me while cooking a brand new vegetable!

    Reply
  9. Diana Palafox says

    Posted on 7/1 at 11:26 am

    5 stars
    Thanks! My mom used to make these for us. As a little girl I would help pick and then remove the spines. But I never paid attention how to cook. They were delicious.

    Reply
  10. Ermelinda says

    Posted on 5/4 at 3:30 pm

    My mom taught me to soak the nopales overnight before scraping them. She would put them in a bucket and weight them down with something heavy and fill the bucket with water. The next day they’re much easier to lshave”.

    Reply
    • Ana @ Isabel Eats says

      Posted on 5/5 at 9:35 am

      Hi Ermelinda! Thanks so much for the tip! We’ll definitely try it out next time.

      Reply
    • Terri Flannery says

      Posted on 6/20 at 2:23 pm

      Thank you, Ermalinda. Just purchased a pkg of precut Nopales. Assume they still need boiling. Thiz is my first try.

      Reply
  11. Oprah prossy says

    Posted on 4/24 at 3:12 am

    Can I drink the water from which I cooked the nopales as well?

    Reply
    • Ana @ Isabel Eats says

      Posted on 4/25 at 10:13 am

      Hi Oprah, I’m not sure about that, you might try looking up a recipe that uses it to be sure. There are lots of great food blogs that may have what you’re looking for.

      Reply
  12. Goose says

    Posted on 3/7 at 12:12 pm

    Want to make nopales but had thrm the 1st time with a red juice and hamburger meat all mixed together cant remember the name of it?

    Reply
    • Ana @ Isabel Eats says

      Posted on 3/8 at 9:21 am

      Hello! It sounds like it may have been picadillo with nopales? We have a recipe for picadillo on our website if you wanted to check that out! That recipe doesn’t feature nopales but it’s super easy to add them.

      Reply
  13. Yolanda Trevino says

    Posted on 3/6 at 5:44 pm

    5 stars
    Thankyougod2020!!

    Reply
  14. Suz says

    Posted on 2/4 at 11:48 am

    I bought too many nopales. Do you know if I can freeze them (after cleaning and removing the thorns)? Or if they hold up well cooking them and then freeze them using a food saver?

    Reply
    • Ana @ Isabel Eats says

      Posted on 2/7 at 10:37 am

      Hi Sue! Yes, both of those options are fine!

      Reply
    • Ermelinda says

      Posted on 5/4 at 3:31 pm

      Boil them first

      Reply
  15. Frederick Jackson says

    Posted on 7/14 at 8:09 pm

    5 stars
    Had napoles tacos. Got me rethinking using them. Thanks for your notes on how to prep. They are good for us.

    Reply
  16. Donna says

    Posted on 7/5 at 8:34 am

    Hey Isabel, thank you for sharing!

    I was wondering if you have any suggestions on what to serve nopales with, or what dish do you enjoy nopales in?

    Reply
    • Ana @ Isabel Eats says

      Posted on 1/13 at 1:28 pm

      Hello Donna! We have different recipes that feature nopales on our website, like nopales con huevo and nopales slaw tostadas!

      Reply
  17. Rosalie C Archuleta says

    Posted on 5/11 at 10:17 pm

    5 stars
    Looking forward to trying recipes

    Reply
  18. Zongief says

    Posted on 3/21 at 7:34 pm

    Hi Isabel, I’m new here. It only took me one look at your recipes & I was already full😉 I’m following you now. You’re giveaway all your secret recipes. I thank you for sharing though. Congratulations & god bless you & your family.

    Reply
  19. Stephanie says

    Posted on 2/16 at 7:25 am

    Thanks for posting your nopales recipe, Isabel. As the product of 2 Arizonans and being a southern Californian myself, I’m surprised I haven’t cooked any yet. Just the confidence kick I needed. Will keep an eye out for them on my produce runs to the store.

    Reply
  20. GEORGE VIAU... unc' st. g says

    Posted on 2/10 at 3:29 pm

    5 stars
    on a visit to arizona in 2013 i had a pink nopales margarita.. flavored with the nectar of a pink flower of a nopales…blooms can also be in different shades of yellow and orange and are very edible and delicious

    Reply

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A first-generation Mexican American who loves to cook! Here at Isabel Eats, you’ll find a mix of all your favorite authentic Mexican recipes with a twist!

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