10 Best Passion Fruit Dishes

This tropical fruit is the star of many fun food and drink recipes

Written by
Syrie Wongkaew
Sydney-based food writer, editor, photographer, and food stylist with a focus on Australian and Thai cuisine.
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Syrie Wongkaew
Updated 08/18/19
Close-up of fresh passion fruits on table
Thu Thai Thanh / EyeEm/Getty Images

Passion fruit is a small, round fruit with a hard purple casing and a delicious, sweet, and tangy yellow pulp with edible seeds. This fruit flourishes in tropical weather and you'll find the fresh fruit in summer with purees and juices available year-round.

The sweet-tart flavor of passion fruit is found in drinks, desserts, condiments, and even poultry glazes. It's a fantastic fruit to play with in the kitchen. Let's explore some fun recipes from around the world.

  • 01 of 10

    Passion Fruit Butter

    Passion Fruit
    Mark Gillow / Getty Images

    Passionfruit butter is also known as passion fruit curd and it's a favorite in Australian and South American cuisines. It's a deliciously sweet, creamy condiment that can be used in a variety of recipes or simply enjoyed as a spread. It is simple to prepare and a fantastic way to enjoy this tropical fruit.

  • 02 of 10

    Salsa de Maracuyá

    Passion Fruit Sauce
    Passion Fruit Sauce.

    The Spruce / Marian Blazes

    Salsa de maracuyá (Spanish for passion fruit) is a basic passion fruit sauce that's a South American favorite. This recipe pairs the fruit with garlic and vinegar to give it a savory touch that is fabulous with chicken. You can also skip those ingredients and turn the sauce into a delicious dessert topping.

  • 03 of 10

    Passion Fruit Salad Dressing

    Vegetable salad with passion fruit dressing
    everydayplus / Getty Images

    While fresh passion fruit is at its best, you'll definitely want to try this tropical salad dressing. This recipe is also from South America and it's incredibly simple. You'll love the sweet touch a little honey adds to the mix and it's perfect for a strawberry spinach salad.

  • 04 of 10

    Chicken Breasts With Ginger Passion Fruit Sauce

    Chicken and passion fruit are a perfect pairing. This recipe goes even further, bringing fresh ginger into the mix. Add some apple cider, soy sauce, and brown sugar to the broth and you'll have a chicken entree you will not forget anytime soon. 

    Continue to 5 of 10 below.
  • 05 of 10

    Passion Fruit Mousse

    Passion Fruit, Mousse, Brazil
    Fandrade / Getty Images

    While entrees are great, the passion fruit really shines in dessert recipes. It makes a fabulous mousse, especially when topped with a crust of macadamia nuts and coconut. This is the summer dessert you'll want to serve when you really need to impress your guests.

  • 06 of 10

    Passion Fruit Tart

    passion-fruit-tart.jpg
    Passion Fruit Tart. GrenouilleFilms

    Tarts are another fun way to get the sweet taste of passion fruit onto the dessert table. They're surprisingly easy to make, so if you haven't tried one yet, here's your chance. The zing of this passion fruit tart recipe can rival the best lemon tarts and it's a pure pleasure to eat.

  • 07 of 10

    Passion Fruit Caramels

    Passion Fruit Caramels

    The Spruce / Elizabeth LaBau

    If you want to dabble in candy making, pick up some passion fruit puree and whip up these caramels. The fruit gives the sweet candy a tart flavor that's a lot of fun and rather addicting. 

  • 08 of 10

    Passion Fruit Sangria

    tropical cocktail with passion fruit, lime and mint
    wmaster890 / Getty Images

    Passion fruit is also a perfect flavor to bring into your drinks. A recipe like this white wine sangria makes it easy to share the fruit's tropical taste at your summer parties. The best part is that it uses passion fruit juice, which is just as easy to find as the pineapple juice.

    Continue to 9 of 10 below.
  • 09 of 10

    Spiced Passion Cocktail

    Spiced Passion Cocktail
    Few drinks will beat this Spiced Passion cocktail that mixes cinnamon tequila with horchata. Kimberlee Reimer/Moment Open/Getty Images

    The spiced passion cocktail puts a passion fruit twist on a traditional Mexican drink. Horchata is a creamy rice drink that looks like milk. It's the perfect base for cinnamon tequila and a passion fruit puree, creating a tropical drink that is both sweet and soothing.

  • 10 of 10

    Bem Casados With Passion Fruit Curd

    homemade passion fruit curd
    bonchan / Getty Images

    Remember that passion fruit butter? It is the ideal filling for these delicious little cookies. Bem casados are often called "happily married cookies" because they're served to wedding guests in Brazil. The sandwich cookies can be filled with a variety of things, though the passion fruit with a sugar glaze is a favorite.