What is Passion Fruit?

Passion fruit is a vine-grown fruit originating from South America.  The fruit is round with a tough purple skin, though sometimes the skin is yellow.  The inside contains a thick white pith between the skin and the pulp.  The pulp is yellow, thick, and juicy, with many dark colored-seeds.  The skin is described as leathery and the seeds are crunchy.  Unripe passion fruit has a smooth skin, but ripe passion fruit has wrinkly skin.

What Does Passion Fruit Taste Like?

Passion fruit tastes tart, slightly sweet, and fruity.  The seeds also have a sour tang.

How Do You Eat Passion Fruit?

Because raw passion fruit tastes tart, most people do not eat it raw. Most people enjoy passion fruit cooked.  The seeds are edible and are often eaten with the pulp.  Sweet recipes, such as fruit bars, cakes, mousse, tarts, and cheesecakes, use passion fruit.  Jams, preserves, and curds use passion fruit.  Passion fruit comes in nectar and juice, which are both used in smoothies and smoothie bowls, beverages, and flavoring syrups.  Passion fruit pairs well with pork when used as a glaze or sauce.

Where Can You Buy Passion Fruit?

Fresh passion fruit may be challenging to find in your local grocery store. Look for it in the produce section.  International grocery stores and Asian food stores are more likely to carry passion fruit, which is located in the produce section.  To find passion fruit juice, look in the fruit juice or health food aisle of the grocery store.  Passion fruit pulp is likely found in well-stocked grocery stores in the frozen food section.

How Do You Store Passion Fruit?

Store unripe passion fruit in a cool, dry place.  Refrigerate ripe passion fruit for up to two weeks.  Passion fruit juice should be stored in a cool, dry place.  Once opened, seal the container and store it in the refrigerator.  Store passion fruit pulp in the freezer in a sealed container.

Fun Fact About Passion Fruit

Yellow passion fruit is usually larger than purple passion fruit. 

Did You Know?

Most of the United States enjoys purple passion fruit, but the majority of the world eats yellow passion fruit.

Recipes Using Passion Fruit

Passion Fruit Mousse

In a blender, combine passion fruit juice, heavy cream, and sweetened condensed milk, and blend until well incorporated. Pour the mousse into individual glasses and refrigerate for at least four hours to thicken. Garnish the mousse with passion fruit pulp, whipped cream, and toasted cashews for texture.

Passion Fruit Cheesecake

Make a standard cheesecake extraordinary with a passionfruit topping. To do this, make a regular cheesecake using a graham cracker crust, cream cheese, vanilla, and eggs. Once the cake is cooked, let it cool at room temperature and store it in the refrigerator.

To make the passion fruit topping, combine passion fruit juice, lime juice, and some gelatin. Set aside. In a small saucepan, combine passion fruit juice and sugar, and cook until the sugar dissolves. Combine the juice and sugar mixture with the gelatin mixture and refrigerate for 20 minutes until it starts to set. Stir in passion fruit pulp and seeds into the cooled topping and pour over the cheesecake. Allow the topping to set on top of the cheesecake in the fridge, preferably overnight.

Rosemary Passion Fruit Cookies

In a small bowl, use a hand mixer to beat butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add egg, vanilla extract, passion fruit puree, lime zest, and rosemary, and stir to combine. Then, stir in flour, baking soda, and salt. Chill the dough for at least two hours, roll into balls, and bake on a baking sheet at 350 degrees until the bottoms begin to turn brown.

Passion Fruit Basil Chutney

In a small saucepan, fry diced onion, garlic, and habanero peppers in oil until fragrant and softened. Then, add lime juice, brown sugar, chopped basil, and passion fruit that has been strained. Cook the mixture on low for an additional 1-2 minutes and remove from the heat. This chutney pairs well with pork, chicken, and even tofu.

Salmon with Passion Fruit Sauce

To make the sauce, put passion fruit pulp and honey in a small saucepan. Cook until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. In a frying pan, cook salmon fillets seasoned with salt and pepper for 3 minutes on each side. Serve the salmon with the passionfruit sauce and top with fresh cilantro.