Answers
What Is Prickly Pear and What Does It Taste Like?
Meet our favorite desert fruit.

What is prickly pear?
Prickly pear is the fruit of the prickly pear cactus, also known by its Spanish name, tuna. It grows right on the flat pads of the cactus and has been a staple of the Sonoran Desert for centuries.
Its flavor is often described as a cross between watermelon and bubblegum — sweet, mellow and refreshing — and its natural color is a stunning fuchsia that makes shaved ice look as good as it tastes.
Prickly pear in shaved ice
Prickly pear syrup turns snow a vivid magenta and pairs beautifully with lime and mango. It's the signature flavor of our Arizona menu — desert fruit for a desert-native dessert.
Explore more: Our menu · More Answers · All locations
Meet the cutest ice on earth 🌵
Prickly Ice is opening soon in Hawaii, Arizona, Michigan and San Diego. Every bowl is hand-shaved snow sculpted into a smiling little cactus and buried in fresh fruit.
Get Opening-Day Alerts

