Baobab Fruit Is About to Be Everywhere — and for Good Reason

Find out what makes this fruit so special, according to nutrition experts.

But what is baobab, exactly and is all the buzz legit?

Read on to learn about all the baobab benefits, its many different forms (i.e.

baobab powder), and how to use it at home.

What Is Baobab?

It can also be further dehydrated into a powder, called baobab flour.

ICYMI: Baobab fruit ischock full of fiber.

This includes insoluble fiber, which doesn’t dissolve in water.

This stimulates the growth of friendly bacteria, helping prevent gut dysbiosis, an imbalanced gut microbiome.

Want to kick hanger to the curb?

A2017 studyfound that baobab can boost satiety thanks to its high fiber content.

(In fact, a study inNutrition Researchfound that baobab fruit extract can do just that.)

This may help stabilize your blood sugar and prevent those dreaded post-meal energy crashes, explains Louloudis.

Vitamin C also helpssynthesize collagen, which is key for proper wound healing.

Occasionally, you might also find a packaged product with actual baobab fruit pulp.

Avoid any products with added sugars and sugar alcohols, which can cause gastrointestinal distress, advises Acerra.

But heads up you’ll need to put in some elbow grease to eat it.

“Baobab comes in a hard shell that protects the actual edible fruit,” explains Msora-Kasago.

Inside, you’ll find clusters of powdery fruit chunks tangled in an inedible, stringy, wood-like web.

Each chunk contains a seed.

you could pick one out, suck on the pulp, then discard the seed, says Msora-Kasago.

As for the taste?

(BRB, drooling.)

Mix 1 or 2 tablespoons into a glass of cold water, juice, or iced tea.

Sweeten with honey or agave, if you’d like, then drink up.

In pancakes.Make a fiber-packed brunch spread with a batch of baobab pancakes.

Simply take your go-to pancake recipe and replace half the flour with baobab powder, suggests Louloudis.

Alternatively, use the fresh pulp and make thesebaobab fruit pancakesfrom the food blogZimbo Kitchen.

Add one tablespoon to the batter or try thesevegan baobab muffinsby food blogPlant Based Folk.

The powder can also be used as a substitute for cream of tartar in baked goods, notes Msora-Kasago.

Acerra is all about mixing baobab powder into yogurt bowls with fresh berries and gluten-free granola.

The tart flavor will taste amazing in tropical concoctions, such as a mango papaya coconut smoothie.

As a thickener.Need to thicken a sauce or soup sans gluten?

Try baobab flour, recommends Acerra.

Start with one teaspoon and gradually add more as needed.

The sweet, tangy flavor would work especially well in a BBQ sauce for shredded BBQ seitan.