Fun to Say, Fun to Eat: 10 Ways to Use Guava Paste

Have you tried guava paste? We first encountered this sweet concoction in an empanada at our favorite Cuban restaurant. Guava, cheese and fried dough in one bite? Yes, please! But there are lots of ways to use guava paste. We've got 10 ideas for you below.

Guava paste – also known as guayabate or goiabada – is a very thick puree of guava fruit and sugar, often with added pectin. The consistency is similar to membrillo, or quince paste.

Popular in the Caribbean and Spain, guava paste is typically sold in short, wide cans or plastic packaging. It's usually available at Latin markets or in the Hispanic ingredients section of larger grocery stores.

Cheese is a common pairing for guava paste. Guava empanadas are often made with cream cheese, queso blanco or farmer's cheese. Or, you can simply cut it into squares and serve with cheese for a quick appetizer. We've also seen a lot of dessert recipes that incorporate guava paste.

Here are 10 recipes with guava paste that caught our eye:

(Images: Flickr user Mr. T in DC, licensed under Creative Commons, Joanna Miller)

Comments (20)

Soooo gooood! In puerto rico they package bites of it singly, like candy. I like to eat it just by itself, but it's nice to have greater purpose. :) The turnovers look especially promising.

I got a package of individually-wrapped pieces from a friend, they were like guava jujubes...yum.

I vacationed in Columbia (BTW BEAUTIFUL country, I highly HIGHLY recommend visiting). while there, my husband and I ran a half marathon, they handed out wrapped guava paste as energy food. we loved it so much we both finished the race with about 10 extra pieces each in our pockets.

One of my favorite memories of the trip is the people calling out Guaiaba, Guaiba Guaiaba (not sure of the spelling but that's how it sounded).

this stuff is de-lish!

You almost had it, larchgirl! It's "guayaba." Deelishuss as a paste! Just as good fresh off the tree (we picked a lot of guava near my aunt's house growing up in Puerto Rico).

And I've had the individually-wrapped slices before. But better still is having my momma slice wedges from the big tin wheel it normally comes in and eating it with Export Soda (Rovira not Keebler) crackers! Oh, good times.

I would buy it to feed it to my hermit crabs. They loved it!

Thank you so much for the tips! A friend of mine has decided to send me an exotic food item by mail once a month, and sent guava paste for March! I haven't ever had it before, so I am excited to try your recipes! :)

It is perfect with Monterey Jack cheese — I've tried it with other cheeses and always come back to MJC. This stuff is wonderful!

I love guava paste. Infact I make guava cake all them time. Even had a baker make it for my wedding cake!

Hmm... Goiabada is the typical brazillian cheap "sweet du jour". Three of my favorites:

"Goiabinha", a type of cookie with goiabada filling: http://kitchencorners.blogspot.com/2009/03/goiabadagoiabinhas.html
"Bolo de Rolo", a rolled guava cake: http://thecookieshopinenglish.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/the-day-i-was-featured-on-a-magazine-guava-roll-cake-bolo-de-rolo/
...aaaand Goiabada cheesecake. Just melt the goiabada on a pan with a little water to make it spreadable, and use it on top of a regular cheesecake.

Brazillians have a saying: "A hug without a kiss is like goiabada without cheese". Cheese is the best companion to goiabada indeed!

guayaba on a toasted bagel with cream cheese is the best!

This makes me want to find a place here to buy guava paste. I had it all the time when I was in south america...it was amazing.

Definitely Delish - I prefer the taste of it with Cream Cheese or Marscapone - but it will depend how sweet the particular brand you have is. In fact one of my favorite ways is to make a Guava paste tart and instead of icecream top it with Marscapone

Just about anything you can imagine to do with strawberries/strawberry perserves you can do with Goiabada - and in fact even more because you can slice it like cheese.

I like to keep some in the pantry (I can buy it super cheap) for when I need a binder for any fruit based sauce I am making - it will melt and there is no need to add any sugar to the sauce - just throw in the frozen/fresh fruit and a dash of red wine and its great.

The other thing I do is buy jarred non-paste - or melt the paste a bit and spread it with cream cheese over puff pastry dough - roll it up and wrap it in plastic and keep it in the freezer. When company is coming over and you need something - slice it and stick it on a buttered cookie sheet in a mid-temp oven until lightly browned. Usually done in less than 30 mins. - This is also a great way to use up any leftover artichoke dip - and makes sure you always have an appetizer or tea time treat on hand.

Ooh, tasty. I'm sticking this on my weekly shopping list. There are some nights when I just don't want to cook and I wind up assembling a plate of cheese, crackers, meats, veggies, and fruits. Currently, I've been sticking dates on that plate, but I bet some guava paste would go nicely too.

I have had it as a dessert "sushi" served with cream cheese and strawberries.
very yummy indeed!

Oh man. I love guava paste and cream cheese turnovers. It's a total cuban-american thing (cream cheese was and remains not a popular food stuff in Havana) my abuelita used to call them tortas de refugiado---refugee cakes.

Mmmm, guava y queso pastelitos...I haven't been able to find any since I moved from Miami to Charlotte. :(

I eat guava paste with sharp cheddar cheese on a cracker with a cup of coffee. It's one of my favorite snacks.

I've seen this stuff before, but didn't think anything of it at the time. I'll have to pick some up...You know, anything that's good with cheese sounds good to me.