It's easy and fun to learn how to juice and how to eat passion fruit. A tropical fruit, their scent is out of this world, and their flavor is deliciously tart and subtly sweet. Passion fruit is dreamy on its own, in desserts, cocktails, and in savory recipes, too.
Have you ever wondered how to eat passion fruit? Or what to do with its juice.
My Brazilian chef friend, Rosalia, introduced me to this, now favorite, tropical fruit many moons ago. She taught me all about it: how to eat passion fruit, how to tell when they're ripe, how to store them, and everything else in between.
Once you try one, you'll want to get your hands on this amazingly aromatic, luscious tropical fruit whenever you can.
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How to Tell if Passion Fruit is Ripe
- This best indicator of a ripe passion fruit is wrinkled skin. Wrinkled skin is fantastic -- the more wrinkled, the better. They might even look bad, they're so wrinkled, but that's in fact, exactly how we want them.
- Storage. If the skin is smooth when you bring them home, let them ripen at room temperature. As with most fruits, they should not be refrigerated to ripen. Once they're ripe however, passion fruit can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week or so.
- Wrinkled or not, choose passion fruits that feel a bit heavy for their size.
What do they taste like?
The flavor of passion fruit is the true taste and essence of the tropics. The pulp of a purple passion fruit is golden yellow and intensely aromatic -- the flavor ranges from sweet-tart to very tart.
Can you eat passion fruit seeds?
It's very common to eat passion fruit seeds. In fact, passion fruit lovers just spoon the pulp with the seeds, directly from the skin into their mouth. The seeds have a delicate crunch, which is a delightful addition to most passion fruit recipes.
How to Juice Them
- Slice the passion fruits in half. I find this is easiest with a serrated knife.
- Use a small spoon to scoop the pulp from its skin.
- Add it to a small pot and over low-medium heat, gently warm it to liquefy it a bit. Keep it over the heat for about 3 minutes. This will make it much easier to strain -- don't skip this step!
- Strain the warmed pulp through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds. Use the back of a spoon to press down on the pulp and seeds to be sure to get as much juice as possible.
The juice is now ready for all sorts of recipes.
How much juice do they yield? There isn't one answer for this because no two passion fruit are alike. They can vary in size and even when they're close in size, the amount of pulp inside can vary. Below is an approximate guideline to follow:
- 1¼-pounds of ripe, fresh passion fruit yields about 1 cup of pulp (seeds included).
- If you strain the seeds out, there should be about ½ to ¾ cup of juice. (Since they vary in size, it's impossible to say exactly how many passion fruits this is, but it's likely around 10.)
How to Use Passion Fruit
There are so many possibilities when it comes to what to do with passion fruit. It's very common in Brazilian desserts, as well as all sorts of other recipes, both sweet and savory. Below are a handful of delicious ideas:
- Drizzle it over ice cream and yogurt.
- Stir it into hot or iced tea with a touch of honey.
- Make a tropical fruit smoothie.
- Add a few spoonfuls to Spicy Mango Salsa.
- Pour it over ice with sugar to taste.
- Make a Passion Fruit Cheesecake.
- Make Chocolate Passion Fruit Bars.
- Blend it into a Creamy Passion Fruit Mousse.
- Make passion fruit cocktails. (Try a Maracuya Sour or Passion Fruit Mojito.)
- Mix it into Vanilla Buttercream Frosting and layer a cake or frost cupcakes with it.
- It's delicious made into a passion fruit sauce and drizzled over fish or chicken.
- Turn it into a salad dressing. (With the seeds, which add a lovely crunch, mix it to taste with sugar, salt, black pepper, lime juice and extra virgin olive oil.)
Different names for Passion fruit. Maracuya (Spanish), Grenadille (French), Maracujá (Portuguese), Lilikoi (Hawaiian), and Chinola (Dominican Spanish.)
Passion Fruit Season
Depending on their location, passion fruit can be found almost all year, though mainly mid-summer through winter. You'll likely find the best selection at your local Farmers' Market (and the best price, to boot.)
How they got their name. Passion fruit are named for the bloom of the spectacular passion fruit flower, not for the fruit itself. It's believed that Spanish missionaries thought parts of the flower resembled different religious symbols.
Where do they grow? Thought to be native to southern Brazil, passion fruit is now grown in Australia, California, Florida, New Zealand and Hawaii, and other parts of the tropics.
Below is a super easy recipe for passion fruit juice. Enjoy!
Passion Fruit Juice Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound passion fruits OR ½ cup frozen passion fruit pulp
- 1 cup water
- sugar to taste
Instructions
- Slice the passion fruits in half.
- Use a small spoon to scoop the pulp from their skin and add it to a small pot over low-medium heat. Gently heat it to liquefy it a bit — keep it over the heat for about 3 minutes. This will make it much easier to strain.
- Strain the warmed pulp through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds. Use the back of a spoon to gently press down on the pulp to be sure to get as much juice as possible.*If you use frozen pulp, just warm it to liquefy. (Typically it comes without the seeds.)
- You should have about ½ of juice. Mix it with 1 cup of water and sugar to taste. Serve it over ice.
NOTES
NUTRITION
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Judy at Two Broads Abroad
Stunning photos that provided a sensual journey. Thanks.
valentina
Thank YOU!!
Roland
So easy. Thanks for the tip!
Barbara
Great tip heating the pulp before straining! I've been leery about getting this fruit before but now I can't wait to go at it.
valentina
It makes a huge difference to warm it up - so much easier. And you want every drop of that juice. It's like gold!
Nancy Rose Eisman
Thanks for the great guide and photos, but especially for the virtual scratch/sniff experience!
valentina
Nancy, I always love your comments. Thank you! xo
Christina
Wow, Valentina! How beautiful was that tutorial?! I have never tasted a passion fruit, or cooked with one, so that was perfect for me. I would totally use those skins as a way of serving a passion fruit dessert! Can't wait for my first passion fruit experience now!
valentina
Thank you! Good minds think alike! I made Passion Fruit Mousse and presented it in the skins (posting soon). xo
Sandra
I would love to find an ice cream recipe for this.
valentina
You can turn this passion fruit mousse into ice cream. 🙂 Enjoy!
Jimson
I like to simply scoop the fresh pulp directly over vanilla ice cream, seeds and all! The tangy fruit blends well with the vanilla ice creaminess, and the seeds add a surprise crunch!
valentina
Delicious, Jimson! 🙂 ~Valentina
Deb
Such an enchanting post! Passion fruit never looked as lush and inviting!
valentina
Thanks Deb! 🙂
Coco in the Kitchen
Beautiful pics, Valentina!
I love that you introduce us to very interesting fruits & veggies.
We have several passionfruit vines growing in our backyard. Shawn freezes the nectar.
Then he makes a cordial/sharbat/syrup with the juice. Add a bit of fizzy water and you have a healthy, tasty soda pop!
valentina
Does Shawn want to start a garden behind our house? 😉 That's awesome! And aren't the flowers so beautiful!?
Lizthechef
I can totally do this! Terrific tutorial - thanks.
valentina
Of course you can! I'm in love with the juice, and you will be, too.
Sarah Greene
wow, great photos and great post. I just love passion fruit and your article makes me want to start my morning with refreshing Passion fruit cocktail. Thanks
Kim Lange
What a great tutorial! I never knew how to do this and you've made it super easy to follow. Looking forward to trying your method! Pinning! xo
valentina
Thanks, Kim. And for the pin, too. 😀
sippitysup
I have a great big sprawling passionfruit vine, I almost never get fruit though because the squirrels eat the blossoms! GREG
valentina
Those pesky squirrels! The know a pretty flower when they see one. 😉
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop
This is so interesting and amazing. I don't know if I've actually had a passion fruit before. I am definitely missing out!
valentina
Kathy, I hope you can get your hands on some. They're truly special. 🙂 ~Valentina
Marissa
I enjoy passion fruit, but have never prepared it at home. Thanks so much for your tips and inspiration, Valentina!
valentina
Hope you try it, Marissa. 🙂 Enjoy! ~Valentina
Maria
One of the best ways to enjoy passion fruit is to make passion fruit curd/butter. Made the same way as lemon butter. I often make fruit butters using the super easy quick micro wave method. Takes less than ten minutes. I keep the seeds in because I like the extra crunch but if you want you can strain them out and only use the juice. Delicious!
valentina
Maria, that sounds amazing. I will try it for sure. Thanks you! 🙂 ~Valentina
Nancy
Such a great tutorial Valentina! I usually use frozen but I know the fresh tastes so much better! Now, off the find some passionfruit!!!
valentina
In and around Santa Monica, they're at all of the Farmers Markets right now. Hope you find some where you are. Thank you. 🙂 ~Valentina
Catherine
We have some growing on a fence, would like to know is the inside suppose to be runny?
valentina
Hi Catherine, Thanks for writing in. Yes, it should be runny, though it's more or less held together by the seeds. If the skin is wrinkled on the outside of the fruit, it's good to go. Enjoy and thanks for visiting Cooking On The Weekends! 🙂 ~Valentina
Eha
Geography in play again - in Australia we naturally eat passionfruit every day throughput the year . . . indeed I would have ten of the fruit to each apple and pear 🙂 ! Best just cut in halves with a spoon in the other hand ! Absolutely beautiful . . . have a couple of dozen ripening in my fruit bowl at the moment. Valentina - for me the seeds and thick pulp are the best and nutritionally most valuable part of the fruit . . . truly I would feel like a veritable criminal if I did not use them first !! Geography and it being part of all our lives . . .
valentina
Hi Eha! I love that you eat these beauties daily and that their preferred over apples (for you). 😀 You'll be happy to know that yesterday I ate one with a spoon, in its entirety. 🙂 ~Valentina
David Scott Allen
I will go look now! I just got a recipe in Chile for a “maracuya” tart. Can’t wait to play its passion fruit but they are so hard to find in Tucson!
valentina
So fun! Hope you come across them! Thanks and have a delightful weekend, David. 🙂 ~Valentina
Adam Bonus
Have you ever just canned the juice for later use? I substitute lilikoi juice for milk and double the sugar in my cheese cake recipe. I would like to share it with my friends that are not lucky enough to grow their own.
Mahalo,
Adam
valentina
Hi Adam,
Sounds delicious! I don't have a lot of experience with canning, but you should be able to freeze the juice and save it for a few months. Hope this helps and thanks for writing in. 🙂 ~Valentina
Ron
Passion fruit has just become available here in the past couple of years and most over my way haven't a clue what to do with it. Well, now I know, thanks for the tutorial...
valentina
Hi Ron! So great you can get passion fruit there! You'll have to introduce everyone to it. 🙂 ~Valentina
Dawn
Passion fruit is not something I come across very often, but now when I do, this is a great guide to reference! I love all sorts of fruits and veggies and usually try to have a bunch on hand at all times. I love the idea of putting the passion fruit juice in a marinade. I bet that would add SO much flavour!
valentina
Thanks so much, Dawn. Enjoy! 🙂 ~Valentina
David Scott Allen
Thanks for the recipe shoutout! I just got back from Botswana where we had fresh passion fruit every day.
Valentina
I love your cocktail, David. Amazing that were in Botswana, and how dreamy to have a daily passion fruit. I look forward to reading about your travels. I got my most recent batch of passion fruit from a young girl selling them in her front hard. Her family grows them and it was a better deal than I ever would've gotten anywhere else -- and quite cute. I'd take a passion fruit stand over lemonade any day. Not that I wouldn't also support a lemonade stand. 😉 ~Valentina