Passion Fruit Facts

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Passion fruit is the small, round edible fruit of the passion flower. Passion fruit is red, gold or brownish-purple on the outside with a yellowish pulp that has small, black, edible seeds.

History:

Purple passion fruit is thought to have originated in South America while yellow passion fruit may have originated in the Amazon region of South America or perhaps in Australia.

Passion fruit arrived in Florida and Hawaii in the 1880s. It is now cultivated in both Florida and California.

Varieties/Availability:

There are two main types of passion fruit – yellow and purple. Both types are about the size of a lime and contain yellowish pulp. The main difference is the color of the outside skin.
Passion fruit is available year-round with supplies from Florida, California and New Zealand.

Choosing:

Choose fruits with wrinkled skin – the passion fruit skin wrinkles as it ripens. Avoid moldy fruit.

Preparation/uses:

Raw preparation
The passion fruit can be cut in half and the pulp scooped out and eaten. The seeds are edible. It can also be strained through cheesecloth to remove the seeds.
Passion fruit juice can be added to pineapple or orange juice to make a cold drink. The pulp can also be added to yogurt.

Baking
The pulp of the passion fruit can be boiled into a syrup, which can be used in cakes and pies.

Cooking
Passion fruit pulp can be used in jams, jellies and drinks. The pulp can be boiled into a syrup and used in sauce, candy, ice cream and cocktails.

Freezing
Remove the pulp and place in ice cube trays to freeze. Once frozen, place the cubes in a freezer-safe container.

Equivalents:

1 3-ounce passion fruit = 1 to 1 1/3 tablespoons of pulp

Handling, storage & care:

Store passion fruit in the refrigerator for up to a week.