A guava roll and a block of guava paste are the same recipe stopped 7 degrees apart. At 223 °F the paste sets just enough to roll up without cracking; by 230 °F it crystallizes and the sheet snaps when you fold it, and what you have is a bocadillo, cut into cubes. With 2.2 lb of guava, 3 cups of sugar and 90 minutes of drying you get 12 servings of a sheet that rolls.
How do you make a guava roll? Simmer quartered guavas for 20 minutes, push them through a sieve to remove the seeds, then reduce with sugar and lime to 223 °F. Spread in a ⅕-inch layer, dry 90 minutes and roll, dusting with sugar. 185 minutes for 12 servings.
The set point, which is the only critical step
Guava carries plenty of its own pectin, most of it in the skin, so nothing needs adding to make this gel. The only variable is how much water is left, and the thermometer measures exactly that: 219 °F gives a jam set that spreads, 223 °F gives a sheet that rolls, 230 °F crystallizes.
Without a thermometer, use the track test. Draw a spoon across the base of the pan and the paste takes about 2 seconds to close over. Instantly means it needs longer; not at all means it has gone too far.
As a practical marker, that point arrives around 35 minutes into the reduction with the sugar, stirring almost constantly so nothing catches on the base.
Why the skin stays and the seeds go
The skin holds most of the fruit’s pectin, so the guavas are quartered and cooked whole, unpeeled. Peel them and you will need commercial pectin to get the same set.
The seeds are the opposite. They are hard, they never soften no matter how long they cook, and you feel them in every bite, so the cooked pulp goes through a fine sieve with a ladle pressing it down: about 5 minutes of work. It is the step most often skipped and the most obvious in the result.
Which guava to buy in the US
Fresh guava appears seasonally in Latin and Caribbean markets and in Florida and California produce sections, usually pear guava, which is what this recipe is built on. When it is not around, frozen guava pulp is sold in 14 oz packets in the same markets, already seedless and unsweetened, which removes the slowest step entirely.
Two things to avoid. Canned guava in syrup works but carries its own sugar, so cut the recipe’s sugar by a third. Guava nectar never sets, and a block of guava paste is the finished product rather than an ingredient.
Drying and rolling
The paste is spread hot onto parchment in a ⅕-inch layer, because thicker will not dry through and thinner tears as it rolls. Ninety minutes at room temperature is enough: it is ready when the surface no longer sticks to a finger but the sheet still bends.
Roll it up using the parchment itself, tightening gradually and dusting with sugar so it does not stick to itself. If it dried too long and cracks as you roll, 30 seconds in a barely warm oven brings the flexibility back.
Roll, block and jam
All three are the same fruit with different amounts of water cooked out. Bocadillo in Colombia and goiabada in Brazil use more sugar and go to 226-230 °F, which is why they come as blocks; jam stops at 219 °F.
The roll sits in between, and that is what makes it the most delicate of the three: firm enough to hold itself, soft enough to bend.
Who this recipe is for
- If you have no thermometer → use the track test: 2 seconds to close over
- If it crystallized → cut it into cubes and serve it as guava paste; the sheet cannot be recovered
- If you use canned guava in syrup → cut the sugar by a third, since the syrup brings its own
- If you want less sugar → 2½ cups per 2.2 lb of fruit works, but it keeps 1 week rather than 2
- If it is still tacky → another 30 minutes of drying before rolling
What goes wrong
Sieving badly. The seeds stay in and never soften.
Peeling the guava. The pectin in the skin goes with it and the paste will not set on its own.
Going past 226 °F. It crystallizes and the sheet snaps when folded.
Spreading it too thick. Over ⅕ inch the middle stays wet and the roll collapses.
Storing it in a sealed jar. It sweats and softens; keep it rolled in paper.
Variations
With cheese inside. A 3.5 oz strip of firm white cheese before rolling, the guava-and-cheese pairing in roll form.
With cinnamon. One stick during the reduction, removed before spreading.
Less sugar. 2½ cups per 2.2 lb of fruit, sharper and shorter-keeping.
With sour guava. More acidic and deeper in color, with ¼ cup more sugar to balance it.
What to serve it with
Sliced ¾ inch thick with fresh white cheese alongside, which is how guava paste is eaten across Latin America: bocadillo con queso in Colombia, Romeu e Julieta in Brazil, guava and cream cheese in a Cuban pastelito. It also travels well, keeping 2 weeks without refrigeration.
On a dessert table it works next to Colombian dulce de leche and Colombian natilla, and for another fruit dessert there is the caramel pineapple upside-down cake. To drink, Colombian hot chocolate or coffee.
Frequently asked questions
Why will my paste not set? It did not reach 223 °F, or the fruit was peeled and lost the pectin in its skin.
Which guava is best? Pear guava, the most widely sold. Sour guava works and gives deeper color, but needs ¼ cup more sugar.
Can I skip the sieving? Not really: the seeds are hard, never soften and end up inside the roll. Frozen pulp skips the step for you.
How long does it keep? Two weeks rolled in paper at room temperature. In a sealed jar it sweats and softens.
Can it be frozen? Yes, up to 3 months wrapped in paper and a bag. It thaws at room temperature without losing texture.
Nutrition
Per serving of about 3 oz, a twelfth of the roll, calculated with the USDA database for the guava and sugar:
- Calories: 250 kcal
- Protein: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 62 g
- Fat: 0 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Sodium: 5 mg
- Sugars: 57 g
Guava is one of the highest-fiber fruits there is: according to the USDA it carries 5.4 g per 100 g, which is why a serving still holds 4 g despite all the added sugar. It is also the highest in vitamin C in the USDA’s fruit list at 228.3 mg per 100 g, though much of that degrades over 35 minutes of cooking.
At home guava paste got made whenever the tree gave more fruit than anyone could eat, which in Venezuela is most of the year. My grandmother used no thermometer and no track test: she knew it was ready when the smell changed and the spoon got heavy. I use the thermometer because I do not have her wrist, but I recognize the smell too. Josnaisis.