How to make Passion Fruit Puree

Learn how simple it is to make homemade passion fruit puree from fresh fruit. Then you can use this fresh puree to make juices, cocktails, desserts and so many other recipes! Check out my list below.

Love Passion Fruit? Try my Batida de Maracuja – Passion Fruit Cocktail with Vodka, Passion Fruit Mousse and Caipirinha de Maracuja – Brazilian Passion Fruit Cocktail.

Oi Gente!

I have a lot of passion fruit recipes on the site.

And one common question people ask is how to handle a fresh passion fruit when they can’t find the puree at the store.

Passion fruit puree, is sometimes also referred to as passion fruit pulp but, as it turns out, they’re not quite the same. The pulp is everything inside the fruit, which includes the flesh, seeds and all. The puree is the flesh of the fruit without the black seeds.

So, clearly, there’s a lot to learn, amigos!

Let’s talk about passion fruit:

In case you didn’t know: Passion fruit is a sweet and tart tropical fruit that comes in two different varieties—purple and yellow. They taste the same, though their size is different—the purple being small, and the yellow being much larger.

Passion fruit is thought to be native to Brazil, coming from the Amazon. And this fruit is very important in Brazilian cuisine—we use it a lot to make anything from juices to desserts, even sauces for savory dishes!

Globally, passion fruit is also grown in Australia, South Africa and other countries in South America, like Venezuela, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, etc… In the United States, it’s grown in California, Florida and Hawaii.

Generally speaking, you should be able to find passion fruit close to year-round in countries where it grows. But depending on where you live, you may only find it imported, and the availability and price can vary greatly.

In California, I’ve oftentimes found it in places like Whole Foods or in Latin supermarkets. Here in Texas, I can find them at Central Market, HEB, and other places but ooofff, they can cost up to five dollars for each small fruit. Yikes! Luckily, they are well worth the price!

In some places, you can easily find passion fruit pulp or puree, frozen or from concentrate, which is what we usually need to make most passion fruit recipes.

But, when all you can find is the fruit itself and if you find yourself asking—what do you actually do with a passion fruit!?—you’ve come to the right place!

I’m going to walk you through a few more passion fruit deets, and of course, I’ll show you how to make passion fruit puree at home so you can then live your best tropical life using it in variety of recipes.

Beijinhos xx

What you need to make passion fruit puree:

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• Blender
• Liquid measuring cup
• Fine sieve or fine mesh strainer—you want this to remove the seeds
• Mason jar, for storage

In addition to these tools, you’re going to need one single ingredient:

• Passion fruit—you may use the smaller, purple passion fruit or the larger yellow passion fruit. The key is using fresh fruit! To make about a cup of puree, you’ll need about 6-8 (or maybe a couple more) small purple fruits or about two large yellow ones.

How to Pick Passion Fruit at the Store

You want the passion fruit to look wrinkly and bright in color. If it looks like it’s browning, it’s been there a while and it’s turning, so don’t pick that.

Hold it, give it a shake to feel the contents inside and then, you just “feel” for weight.

How do you do this? Pick up a few that look right on the outside and compare them to each other. If it’s too light, it may be hollow and might not have as much pulp. The more it weighs, the more fruit the passion fruit has inside.

How to make this passion fruit puree recipe:

Slice the fruit in half, then scoop the pulp into a container or directly into the cup of a blender.

Then, pulse a few times. This agitation will separate the puree and seeds. The seeds may break a little, but that’s OK because they won’t impart any taste to the puree.

If you cut the passion fruit, and the flesh doesn’t look plump and juicy, you may need to add a splash of water—just a splash!—to help you get the flavors out.

You don’t want a lot of water in your puree in case you’re using it in recipes.

However, if you’re aiming to make passion fruit juice with this, then it doesn’t matter how much water you add, since you’ll be adding more to make the juice anyway.

After you pulse the passion fruit, just strain the puree into a container. This will separate the passion fruit puree from the passion fruit seeds.

Use a spoon to push as much of the puree out, then store to make your favorite recipes!

How to store passion fruit puree:

Once you’ve strained the puree, transfer it to a mason jar or another container, and keep it in the fridge for up to a week.

You can also freeze it to use later.

Frequently Asked Questions

What to use passion fruit puree in:

• Passion Fruit Mousse
• Batida de Maracuja – Passion Fruit Cocktail with Vodka
• How to Make Passion Fruit Juice
• Passion Fruit Margarita

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