Guava Cheese Recipe with Raw Guavas - Goan Perad

Last Updated on May 20, 2023 by Babita

Guava cheese is a classic Goan sweet made simply with guava, sugar, and butter. It is a soft, fudgy, chewy Indian sweet/dessert made during Christmas.

Diamond Shape Guava Cheese on a White Plate

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About the Recipe

Guava Cheese is known as Perad in Goa. It is similar to Goiabada, a Portuguese ingredient. Goa was a colony of Portuguese and that is the reason a log of Goan cuisine has Portuguese influence.

I have beautiful childhood memories of Guava Cheese. My mom never made this sweet because it was not part of the traditional Diwali sweets. It is also a recipe that needs a lot of work to make just a few pieces of deliciousness. So Christmas was the only time I got to eat it when my Catholic neighbors would give it to us as part of their sweets and treat platter.

The minute the Christmas platters arrived, I would fish out the pieces of guava cheese and hide it from my siblings. When no one was looking, I would eat and relish every bite.

I cannot believe that now I make them my family and me. However, the struggle is real. Finding ripe guavas in NJ is like winning a lottery. So I decided to experiment with raw guavas, and guess what. There is no need to make guava cheese with ripe guavas. You can make it with raw guavas as well.

What is guava cheese or goan perad made of?

My recipe for guava cheese is very basic; guavas, sugar and butter. This delicious treat needs only 3 ingredients. Some people like to add lemon juice. I don’t feel the need for lemon juice as the guavas I am using are raw and has a naturally tart taste to them.

Ingredients Notes

Guavas: are the star of the show. Traditionally ripe guavas are used for this recipe. However, I used raw guavas . You should be able to find guavas in Indian and Asian stores. They are also available in local farmer’s markets.

Sugar: is the main ingredient used to sweeten this treat. The ratio of sugar is usually equal to the quantity of guava pulp (1:1). However, I have reduced the quantity of sugar as I found it too sweet for my taste.

Butter: is added at the end to give the guava cheese a glossy look.

Food Coloring: I have always seen guava cheese with a pinkish hue. I used red food coloring. You can use yellow or a combination of yellow and red food coloring to make it orange. If you don’t like food coloring, feel free to skip it.

How to Make Indian Style Guava Cheese or Goan Perad Step by Step

I have a video of this on Youtube as well as in the recipe card below. It is an easy recipe. It only needs some elbow grease.

The first step is to wash the guavas well. Cut each of them into four pieces
Pressure Cook them until soft.

Remove from the pressure cooker. Drain all the excess water. Set it aside to cool.
Blend the cooked guavas in a blender.
Strain the pulp with a strainer
Discard the seeds.

Guava Puree and Leftover Seeds on a Strainer

Add the guava puree to a non-stick pan.
Add sugar and combine well.
Allow it to come to a boil, and continue cooking.
Once the guava puree starts to thicken up add butter.
Next, add few drops of food coloring and continue to cook for the next 15 mins or until the mixture starts to leave the side of the pan.
Remove from heat.

Cooking Puree with and without Food Coloring

Pour it into a greased container.
Allow it to set for an hour.
Cut it into the desired shape.
Allow it to set for another 3 to 4 hours.

How to Eat or Serve Guava Cheese

You can eat it as is or you can make Pastelios ( see recipe here). If you cook it less, you can use it as a spread on toast with some cream cheese.

How long can you store it?

You can store it for a week at room temperature. In my house they are over in a day or two, so I really never had to worry about storing guava cheese for a long time.