Grilled Nopales

By
Molly Watson
Molly Watson
An award-winning food writer and cookbook author, Molly Watson has created more than 1,000 recipes focused on local, seasonal ingredients.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 08/23/22
Tested by
Jacqueline Tris
Jacqueline Tris
Tested by Jacqueline Tris
Jacqueline is a freelance recipe tester and developer, with a love of content creation and fun recipes.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Grilled Nopales

The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 15 mins
Serving: 1 serving
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
165 Calories
14g Fat
10g Carbs
4g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 165
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 14g 18%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 641mg 28%
Total Carbohydrate 10g 4%
Dietary Fiber 6g 21%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 16mg 79%
Calcium 489mg 38%
Iron 1mg 8%
Potassium 581mg 12%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Nopales are cactus leaves. You may not be able to find them everywhere, but they are fairly commonly available at markets in the American Southwest. Nopales are delicious when simply grilled. Their thick, meaty texture lends them their nickname: green steaks. A single leaf can be grilled and served on a plate and pretty much take over the center stage of a meal if you're feeling vegetarian. While it's super easy to serve grilled nopales whole, similar to steaks, grilled nopales can also be sliced and served on salads or chopped and added to stir-fries or served on their own as more of a side dish.

What do nopales taste like? They have a mild flavor that's a bit grassy and that reminds some people a bit of asparagus. It goes well with mild Mexican-style cheeses and is particularly good with fresh salsa and/or your favorite hot sauce. Try serving them with corn avocado salsa for a satisfying vegan meal.

This is more a method than a recipe, so scale up or down as the number of people around your table (or filling your backyard) requires.

"Nopales are super-meaty and filling. Grilling them takes little effort, but prepping takes some effort. I recommend buying them with thorns removed. If you can't find them prepped, use gloves and a sharp knife. Run the knife on the surface of the nopal, this should get rid of most of its thorns." -Jacqueline Tris

Grilled Nopales/Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 1 to 2 medium nopales

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, canola oil, or grapeseed oil

  • Fine sea salt, to taste

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Grilled Nopales ingredients

    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

  2. Prepare a medium-high (400°F to 475°F) gas or charcoal grill fire. (you should be able to hold your hand about 1 inch over the cooking grate for 3 to 4 seconds before pulling it away from the heat).

    prepare the grill

    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

  3. Liberally brush each cleaned nopales with oil.

    cactus brushed with oil

    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

  4. Put them on the hot grill and cook, undisturbed, until grill marks form on 1 side and the nopales wilt, about 4 minutes. Turn them over to cook on the other side and let sit until grill marks form on the other side and the leaf is tender all the way through, about another 4 minutes. Tip: Avoid moving them around as they cook if you want clear grill marks to form.

    cactus cooking on the grill

    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

  5. Remove the cooked nopales from the grill, sprinkle with salt, and serve hot or warm.

    Grilled Nopales sprinkled with salt

    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

Cleaning Nopales

While the grill heats, prepare the nopales. If you're lucky, you bought them someplace where they clean them up for you and remove the thorns first; if not, you might want to put on a pair of gloves. Their thorns can be tricky to see, but wherever there's a bump on the leaf there is likely to be a thorn. Use a small paring knife or vegetable peeler to knick all of them off. This is easiest to do with the leaf laying flat on the cutting board. Once all the thorns are removed, you may be tempted to peel off the rest of the dark green skin. Resist that temptation: there's a lot of flavor there! Rinse each leaf clean and pat it dry.

 

Recipe Variations

  • Slice the grilled nopales and serve with a spritz of lemon.
  • Chop up the grilled nopales and toss with chopped green onions, red wine vinegar, and a bit of olive oil—sort of like a salad—and top with crumbled queso fresco.
  • When you turn the nopales over, top with beans and cheese, cover the grill to help the cheese melt.

 

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