Costa Rican Blackberry Juice (Fresco de mora)
This Costa Rican blackberry juice (fresco de mora) is my all-time favorite drink—and the best part? You don’t need a juicer. Just blend, strain, and enjoy! Packed with antioxidants and tropical flavor, it’s a must-try recipe for any Costa Rican kitchen.
This mora juice recipe is made from blackberries, with no juicer needed! Packed with antioxidants and flavor, this recipe will be a new favorite at your house!
About Mora Juice (Costa Rica)
Mora juice is made from blackberries blended with water and sugar. It’s one of the few Costa Rican drink recipes you can make in just minutes.
Full transparency here- this is my all-time favorite of all the Costa Rican fruit drinks ever. Literally, any chance I have to drink this juice, I take it. Just call me a blackberry juice connoisseur.
Because there is so much high country in Costa Rica, blackberries are abundant in the Central Valley. The same goes for strawberries, although raspberries are difficult, if not impossible, to find anywhere in the country. Blackberries are not a common fresh fruit in the beach areas of Costa Rica.
Blackberries in Costa Rica are generally sold by the kilo in plastic bags and packed in water, whereas blackberries in the United States are packed in plastic boxes that are generally devoid of moisture. This means that this recipe has been modified to create an authentic Costa Rican drink in the United States.
RELATED POST: Guide To Costa Rican Fruit
This drink is commonly found on menus in the Central Valley of Costa Rica, especially in San José and La Fortuna. It is generally called jugo de mora, fresco de mora or refresco de mora. For a time, you could even purchase bottled blackberry juice in grocery stores and convenience stores, but recently that is not the case as they took it off the shelves. (Does anyone else really miss Tropical de mora?)
Blackberries have tons of health benefits–they are packed with vitamin C and vitamin K, and are also high in fiber. This makes blackberries great for digestion. This recipe does not use a juicer and is easy to make in just a few minutes.
Costa Rican Mora Juice Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 cups ripe blackberries
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, more to taste
- 1 liter of cold water
Instructions:
Wash your blackberries and place them in a plastic bag or deep dish. Cover with three cups of water and allow to sit overnight in the refrigerator.
Place the blackberry juice mixture and sugar in the blender and puree for 1-2 minutes. You want this to be really smooth.
Place your fine mesh strainer over a large pitcher and pour the blackberry mixture over it. Using a soup spoon or a spatula, press the blackberry pulp through the strainer. When you can no longer get any of the pulp through, start to pour the cold water over the strainer, pushing more pulp through.
When you can no longer push the pulp through, discard the seeds from the strainer and pour the rest of the water into the pitcher. Test for sugar and water, and add more as needed.
Serve your mora juice in a large glass with ice!
Related Costa Rican Juice Recipes:
Substitutions
You can always substitute a low-calorie or no-calorie sweetener for the granulated sugar.
In Costa Rica, we use cane sugar for this recipe, which is also completely acceptable.
I’m sure you could substitute strawberries or raspberries for the blackberries as well, but I’ve honestly never tried.
Variations
If you don’t want to “marinate” the blackberries overnight, you can just blend them in water and then strain them through the fine mesh strainer. The mora juice taste is similar, although not exactly the same- it sure does save a lot of time!
You can add half a cup of powdered milk to the recipe for a batido de mora en leche (traditional blackberry smoothie). I also make this mora juice into popsicles in the summer!
Many other countries make homemade blackberry juice by cooking the blackberries and using the blackberry reduction with water to make juice. Super cool–but we don’t do that in Costa Rica.
Serving Suggestions
This blackberry juice is very common on any menu in the Central Valley of Costa Rica, and is served with almost any main meal. Some of my favorite fresco de mora pairings include:
- Costa Rican Arroz con Pollo Recipe
- Olla’e Carne- Costa Rican Vegetable Beef Stew Recipe
- Costa Rican Tres Leches Recipe
- Costa Rican Yuca Fries
- Costa Rican Empanada Recipes
Printable Recipe
Costa Rican Blackberry Juice
Costa Rican Blackberry juice is packed with antioxidants and beyond delicious. No juicer, easy to make!
Ingredients
- 2 cups ripe blackberries
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, more to taste
- 1 liter cold water
Instructions
- Wash your blackberries and place them in a plastic bag or deep dish.
- Cover with three cups of water and allow to sit overnight in the refrigerator.
- Place the blackberry juice mixture and sugar in the blender and puree for 1-2 minutes. You want this to be really smooth.
- Place your fine mesh strainer over a large pitcher and pour the blackberry mixture over it.
- Using a soup spoon or a spatula, press the blackberry pulp through the strainer. When you can no longer get any of the pulp through, start to pour the cold water over the strainer, pushing more pulp through.
- When you can no longer push the pulp through, discard the seeds from the strainer and pour the rest of the water into the pitcher.
- Test for sugar and water, and add more as needed.
- Serve in a large glass with ice!
Notes
If you don't want to "marinate" the blackberries overnight, you can just blend them in water and then strain them through the fine mesh strainer. The taste is similar, although not exactly the same- it sure does save a lot of time!
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Meet Christa
I’m Christa and I help families plan stress-free, culturally immersive trips to Costa Rica. As a home chef, I also share my passion for Costa Rican food through authentic recipes. My mission is to help your family fall in love with Costa Rica through practical advice, unforgettable experiences, and delicious meals.
