Guava Paste (Printable)

A smooth, fragrant guava paste ideal for pastries, desserts, or pairing with cheese and charcuterie boards.

# What You'll Need:

→ Fruit

01 - 2.2 pounds ripe guavas, washed, trimmed, and quartered

→ Sweetener

02 - 2.25 cups granulated sugar

→ Acid

03 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

→ Liquid

04 - 0.5 cup water

# How to Make It:

01 - Wash guavas thoroughly, trim the ends, and cut into quarters. Remove seeds if desired for a smoother final paste.
02 - Place guava quarters and water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until guavas are completely softened.
03 - Remove from heat. Use a food mill or fine mesh strainer to puree the guava pulp, discarding seeds and skins for a smooth consistency.
04 - Measure the resulting guava puree. For every cup of puree, prepare approximately 1 cup of sugar, adjusting based on desired sweetness.
05 - Return the guava puree to the pot. Add sugar and lemon juice, stirring to combine thoroughly.
06 - Cook over low heat, stirring constantly to prevent sticking, for 40 to 50 minutes until the mixture thickens and pulls away from the sides of the pan.
07 - When the paste is thick, glossy, and holds its shape on a spoon, pour into a parchment-lined loaf pan or baking dish. Smooth the surface evenly.
08 - Allow to cool at room temperature until firm, approximately 2 to 3 hours, then unmold and slice as desired.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen when it actually takes just over an hour, making you look like a cooking genius at dinner parties.
  • This paste becomes your secret weapon for everything from cheese boards to pastry fillings, and people will ask for the brand name until you reveal you made it.
  • Once you nail it, you'll always have something elegant and homemade ready to gift or enjoy, and the smell while it cooks is intoxicating in the best way.
02 -
  • The paste will seem too thin when you pull it off the heat—this is normal and terrifying the first time, but it will set properly as it cools, so resist the urge to cook it longer or you'll end up with a brick-hard disaster.
  • Scoring the cooling paste into a crosshatch pattern before it fully sets helps it firm more evenly and makes slicing easier, a trick I learned after struggling with cracked pieces.
03 -
  • Don't skip the lemon juice—it's not just flavor, it's insurance that your paste will set properly and stay preserved longer, plus it adds brightness that prevents the sweetness from becoming cloying.
  • If you have access to a food mill, use it instead of a strainer; it makes the whole process faster and gives you silkier results without the arm workout.
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