On first glance, dried goji berries look like nothing more remarkable than slightly oversized red raisins. But these nutrient-dense berries, which taste like a cross between cranberry, cherry, and tomato, make regular appearances on the Instagrams of popular health food bloggers like Hemsley and Hemsley and My New Roots. What's so special about these chewy, sweet-tart berries? Here's your guide to eating and cooking with Goji berries.
What You Need to Know
Goji berries are indigenous to parts of Asia, particularly the Himalayan mountain region of Tibet, where they've been used for thousands of years for medicinal and spiritual purposes. Consequently, it's rare to see fresh goji berries—which grow on lush vines and resemble miniature Roma tomatoes—in the U.S. Here, you'll most commonly find dried goji berries and goji berry powder, both of which you can buy at health food stores and, increasingly, at well-stocked supermarkets. Dried goji berries have a distinct flavor reminiscent of a cranberry or a sour cherry.
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Goji berries (top left) are a popular topping for smoothie bowls, along with hemp seeds and chia seeds. Photo: Instagram/@leefromamerica
How to Eat Them
You can cook with dried goji berries in both sweet and savory recipes. The easiest way to get started is to use dried goji berries the way you would use raisins. That means putting them in baked goods like cookies, on top of your morning oatmeal or porridge, in trail mix, or by the handful as a snack. You can also soak dried goji berries in hot water for a few minutes until they've softened. When rehydrated, the goji berries taste almost like a "very sweet cherry tomato," says Julie Morris, the executive chef of Navitas Naturals, a health foods company that sells organic dried goji berries.
Fold the hydrated berries into spiced rice and grain pilafs, salsas, chili, or anything else that could benefit from a dose of goji's slightly sweet flavor. You can also blend a spoonful of soaked goji berries into smoothies, tomato sauces, or frozen desserts like ice cream and popsicles for a flavor and nutritional boost. Morris says some people find dried goji berry powder easier to incorporate than the berries when preparing smoother foods like sauces, salad dressings, and smoothies.
