Cuban recipe

Cuban Natural Tamarind Refresco

Name: Cuban Natural Tamarind Refresco
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 95 min
Ingredients: 250 g tamarind pods (or 200 g shell-free tamarind pulp); 1 cup warm water for soaking; 4 cups cold water for diluting; ½ cup sugar, or to taste; Ice, as needed for serving

Homemade tamarind refresco made with soaked pulp, strained and sweetened to taste. Alcohol-free, served ice cold, with an amber color. Makes 4 glasses.

CiberCubaNovember 8, 2026

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Preparation15 min
Total time1 h 35 min
Servings4 glasses
DifficultyEasy

Tamarind refresco is one of those flavors Cubans remember from childhood: sweet-tart, refreshing, and with that amber-brown color you can spot from a mile away. It is made at home from the tree's pods, with no trick beyond soaking, rubbing and straining.

It is served ice cold on hot afternoons, as an afternoon snack, or alongside Sunday family meals. And if you are in the United States, you can make it just the same: in Latin, Caribbean and Asian stores you can find fresh pods or tamarind pulp already without the shell.

Ingredients

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250 g tamarind pods (or 200 g shell-free tamarind pulp)
1 cup warm water for soaking
4 cups cold water for diluting
½ cup sugar, or to taste
Ice, as needed for serving

Method

Peel the tamarind pods and remove the strands or fibers hanging off the outside of the pulp. If you are using block pulp, skip this step.
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Put the pulp in a bowl with 1 cup of warm water and let it soak for about 20 minutes, until it softens.
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Rub the pulp with your hands in the water to separate it from the seeds. If needed, use a strainer and press with a spoon.
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Strain the liquid through a mesh strainer, pressing well to get all the pulp. Discard the seeds and fibers left in the strainer.
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Add the 4 cups of cold water and the sugar, and stir until completely dissolved. Taste and add more sugar if needed.
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Chill the refresco in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Serve in glasses with ice and stir before serving.

Tips and variations

Storage: keep it in a covered pitcher or clean bottles in the refrigerator and consume it within 3 or 4 days. It separates a little as it rests, so stir it before serving.

Where to buy in the U.S.: look for fresh pods in Latin, Caribbean or Asian grocery stores and markets. There are also blocks of tamarind pulp (shell-free, sometimes with seeds) and frozen pulp. If you buy block pulp, check that it is pure tamarind, and always remove the seeds and fibers.

Sweetness level: tamarind varies a lot from one pod to another; some are more sour than others. Sweeten little by little and taste before adding more sugar.

Other fruits with seeds: if you make refrescos with star apple (caimito), sapodilla (níspero), custard apple (anón), mamoncillo or soursop (guanábana), always remove the seeds before using the blender, so they do not get crushed and make the drink bitter. With tamarind you do not need a blender: you pull the pulp off by hand and strain it.