How to Eat Passion Fruit: Tips for Eating Passion Fruit

Passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) is a tropical fruit produced by the passion flower vine. It is native to South America—specifically southern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northern Argentina. Today the plant is grown in tropical and semi-tropical climates around the world, including Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic.

Two principal types of passion fruit are found in world cuisines. The first is golden or yellow passion fruit, which grows as large as a grapefruit, has a smooth rind, and has a very tart flavor. The other prominent variety is purple passion fruit, which has dark purple skin that gets wrinkly when ripe. Purple passion fruit pulp and passion fruit juice are notably less acidic than yellow passion fruit pulp and juice. Both offer a good source of vitamin A, vitamin C, B vitamins, magnesium, and potassium.

Passion fruit has a sweet yet tangy flavor. Yellow passion fruit tends to be more tart and acidic, while purple passion fruit has a somewhat more mellow flavor and can even be used as a sweetener in some recipes. The fruit is extremely fragrant, which adds to its flavor profile.

There are three main ways to eat passion fruit.

1. 1. Fresh passion fruit: Passion fruit seeds are a rich source of vitamins and dietary fiber. To eat a passion fruit—seeds and all—slice it in half using a serrated knife and then scoop out the soft mixture of orange flesh and black seeds. You can transfer the flesh into a bowl, or you can eat it directly out of the rind with a spoon.
2. 2. Passion fruit puree: You can puree passion fruit for use in fruit smoothies or in your baking. Use a sharp knife to slice the passion fruit in half or in quarters on a cutting board. Place the seeds and pulp into a food processor for pureeing and toss the inedible rind in your compost bin.
3. 3. Passion fruit juice: If you don't want to deal with passion fruit seeds, separate them from the juice by using a strainer or a piece of cheesecloth. You will need many individual passion fruits to create a glass of passion fruit juice.

Passion fruit blends brilliantly into all sorts of recipes. Consider using passion fruit juice, pulp, or puree in the following concoctions.

1. 1. Passion fruit ice cream: You can add passion fruit juice to an ice cream recipe, or you can make passion fruit sorbet by blending passion fruit puree with sugar and water before adding it to your ice cream maker.
2. 2. Passion fruit mousse: Add passion fruit to an existing mousse recipe for a floral, tangy flavor.
3. 3. Passion fruit jam: You can make a passion fruit jam by boiling passion fruit pulp with lemon and sugar. You can also mix it with other tropical fruits as part of a blended jam.
4. 4. Passion fruit pie: To make a tropical version of a key lime pie, use passion fruit juice instead of lime juice when following the recipe.
5. 5. Passion fruit smoothie: Perhaps the simplest passion fruit recipe is to toss some passion fruit pulp in a blender with ice and other fruits like banana, kiwi, and pineapple for a sweet, delicious treat.

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