If you like passion fruit and want to preserve the wonderful tropical flavor of this fruit for longer, this deliciously creamy Passion Fruit Curd (Passion Fruit Butter) is the ideal solution!
This passion fruit curd recipe is amazingly versatile and can be used to as a filling or topping for a variety of desserts, like the best pavlova ever!
I absolutely adore passion fruit, and I’ve shared a few recipes before on the blog before, like this matcha panna cotta with passion fruit mango compote, and this brown butter madeleines with passion fruit glaze and also this delicious passion fruit hollandaise sauce!
Living in Missouri, it’s not a fruit that I come by often these days unfortunately, and even when I do fine them, they are ridiculously expensive. So I usually buy enough to preserve them for later use.
There are TWO main ways that I use to preserve this gorgeous fruit. One is to make passion fruit syrup that I can freeze for later. I love making fruit syrups, and my summers are usually spent making a variety of them like this delicious rhubarb syrup, lychee syrup, grilled pineapple syrup, the best lemon syrup, vanilla blood orange syrup, peach shrub syrup, strawberry shrub syrup etc.!
OR my second favorite way is to make passion fruit curd (which is also sometimes referred to as passion fruit butter).
Both of these can be frozen for later, which makes them ideal ways to preserve passion fruit.
What is passion fruit curd?
Passion fruit curd is basically a type of fruit preservative made with passion fruit, lemon, sugar and butter, and thickened with eggs and/or egg yolks.
If you like homemade lemon curd, then you’ll LOVE passion fruit curd. It’s basically a passion fruit custard that’s packed with tropical citrus flavor, and delightfully creamy and buttery! I put it on pretty much everything! 🙂
Whatever you put lemon curd on, will be even better with this passion fruit curd (passion fruit butter). With the added floral, tropical flavor of passion fruit, it really enhances the flavor profile of anything that you pair it with.
And may I also suggest delicious pineapple curd and kiwi curd? Just as amazing as a topping or a filling for a variety of desserts.
How to make passion fruit curd
Usually, when you make lemon curd, there’s room for small mistakes. If the curd starts to lump up, you can rescue it by passing the curd through a sieve.
But with passion fruit curd, it’s harder to pass it through a sieve because of the seeds, so you have to be more careful to not let any lumps form. So you will need to cook the passion fruit curd over low heat, very slowly.
But the good news is that there’s a way for even complete novices to make this passion fruit curd perfectly!
Two methods to make this passion fruit curd recipe
Method 1 – Direct heat cooking on the stove. This is for more confident and experienced cooks. If you’re confident with your custard making skills (with cornflour/cornstarch), or lemon curd making skills, then follow this method. This way is quicker, but requires you to stay near the stove, stirring the curd the whole time. The direct heat can cause lumps to form easily (because the eggs are scrambling), so it’s important to keep the curd moving and stirring constantly to prevent that from happening.
Method 2 – Indirect heat cooking in a double boiler. This is the best way for less experienced cooks who prefer to be more careful. Cooking the passion fruit curd this way allows the curd to cook over a lower, less harsh heat. You still have to stir the curd, but not continuously. This method is less likely to scramble the eggs. The trade off is that it takes longer to cook the curd this way.
I prefer to use the first method when I’m making a big batch of this passion fruit crud (passion fruit butter). Mostly because it’s actually faster this way when I’m making large portions. The large quantity of ingredients acts as a buffer against the heat.
HOWEVER, if I’m making a single batch, then I usually go with the double boiler method because there’s not enough ingredients to form a buffer against the heat, and it’s more likely to scramble the eggs and result in lumps. And since passion fruits are hard to come by AND expensive, I want to be extra careful that I make the best of my precious passion fruits! 🙂
Should I use whole eggs or egg yolks?
I prefer to add egg yolks because it yields a richer and thicker passion fruit curd. But if you prefer it runny, then you can reduce the amount of egg yolks, OR replace 2 of the egg yolks with 2 whole eggs.
Conversely, if you want the passion fruit curd to be very thick and spoonable (like Greek yogurt or pastry cream), then you will need to add more egg yolks (about 2 more than directed in the recipe here).
Why is it important to cook the fruit curd up to 160°F
I like to be able to make this passion fruit curd and then store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. To be able to do this, then I need to make sure that the eggs are completely pasteurized, so that they don’t go bad early.
So the eggs need to be cooked to a temperature of 160°F. I use my temp. probe to keep track of the temp. of the passion fruit curd because it’s simply the most accurate way to do so.
But you can still make this passion fruit curd even if you don’t have a temp. probe, just make sure to cook it until it’s thickened as much as possible, and for this recipe, it needs to be cooked at least 15 minutes (over direct heat), and 20 – 30 minutes (over indirect heat).
How to use and serve passion fruit curd
This delicious passion fruit preserve is super versatile!
- Use it to top your toasts, toasted English muffins or crumpets.
- Top French toast, pancakes or waffles.
- Mix a spoonful with Greek yogurt for an awesome afternoon snack.
- Add a spoonful to your breakfast granola bowl.
- Mix the passion fruit curd with vodka for a creamy and delicious cocktail.
- Fill tart shells with the passion fruit curd instead of lemon or lime curd for a tropical dessert.
- Passion fruit curd is the perfect topping for desserts like ice cream, panna cotta, bread pudding, meringues or pavlova.
- It’s the perfect filling or topping for cakes (including angel food cakes, sponge cakes or layered cakes). For example, I made this lemon raspberry cake with a lemon curd filling.
- Top a bowl of freshly cut fruits with this tangy fruit curd.
- Or just eat it by the spoonful! 🙂
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Passion Fruit Curd Recipe
Ingredients:
- ½ cup passion fruit pulp 3 – 4 passion fruits, depending on the size
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ cup sugar
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 egg yolks (from large eggs)
Instructions:
Indirect Heat Method
- Place the passion fruit pulp and sugar in a heat-proof glass bowl or the top of a double boiler.
- Heat a few inches of water in a saucepan or in the bottom part of a double boiler, and bring the water to a boil. Then lower the heat to a simmer.
- Place the bowl of passion fruit pulp and sugar on the saucepan or the double boiler, and whisk for a few minutes to warm up the ingredients and dissolve the sugar.
- Add the egg yolks and lemon juice into a separate jug or bowl, and whisk to form a smooth paste.
- Pour the warm passion fruit and sugar in a thin stream into the eggs, WHILE whisking constantly to temper the eggs.
- Next, pour the egg and passion fruit mix back into the bowl, and return the bowl to the double boiler.
- Add the unsalted butter to the warm passion fruit curd. The butter will melt as the passion fruit curd heats, and the whisking/stirring will help emulsify the butter into the passion fruit curd.
- Stir well (or whisk) frequently, while cooking the passion fruit egg mix. Make sure to not let the mixture set at the bottom of the bowl (this will cause the eggs to overcook). Stir or whisk frequently until the passion fruit curd thickens. This can take up to 10 – 20 minutes (the time depends on the bowl and the heat).
- The most accurate way to ensure that the passion fruit curd is cooked well is to use a temperature probe and check the temperature of the curd often, in between whisking. When the passion fruit curd registers 160° F, it’s ready!
Direct Heat Method (better for double batches)
- Place the passion fruit pulp and sugar in a small saucepan. Then place the saucepan over low-medium heat and heat while stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
- Add the egg yolks and lemon juice into a separate jug or bowl, and whisk to form a smooth paste.
- Pour the warm passion fruit and sugar in a thin stream into the eggs, WHILE whisking constantly to temper the eggs.
- Next pour the egg and passion fruit mix back into the saucepan, and return the saucepan to the stove.
- Add the unsalted butter to the warm passion fruit curd. The butter will melt as the passion fruit curd heats, and the whisking will help emulsify the butter into the passion fruit curd.
- Stir well (or whisk) constantly, while cooking the passion fruit egg mix. I prefer to use a rubber spatula to prevent any scratching of the saucepan. Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides so that the egg doesn’t cook and stick to the bottom. It’s very important to keep the passion fruit curd constantly moving to prevent curdling (eggs cooking).
- Stir or whisk frequently until the passion fruit curd thickens. This can take up to 10 minutes (the time depends on the heat of the stove, lower heat gives you better control over the cooking process, but will take longer). It can take up to 15 – 20 minutes for double batches.
- If you feel that the curd is heating too fast, remove the saucepan from the heat and mix well to disperse the heat.
- The most accurate way to ensure that the passion fruit curd is cooked well is to use a temperature probe and check the temperature of the curd often, while stirring. When the passion fruit curd registers 160° F, then it’s ready!
Cooling and Storing Passion Fruit Curd
- Sterilize a 1 x 11 oz glass jar (324 mL) and sealable lid in boiling water.
- Remove the sterilized jar from the water and pour the hot passion fruit curd into the jar.
- Close the jar with the lid. Store in the fridge overnight, to completely chill the curd.
- The passion fruit curd will last in the fridge for about 3 weeks (with unopened sterilized jars), or about 7 days with unsterilized jars or bowls.
- OR it will last longer in the freezer (up to 3 months). Once opened, use within 7 – 10 days for best results.
Nutrition Information:
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Kay says
Absolutely Delicious! I buy frozen passion fruit pulp, it’s much cheaper, you can find it at Mexican stores. The recipe is perfect, I only had coconut sugar so it turned out even better! Thank you for amazing recipe!
Kin Tama says
Can l use tinned passion fruit instead it’s much cheaper
Dini says
Hi Kin Tama
You can, but you will need to use passionfruit that doesn’t have any sugar added.
If you are using tinned passionfruit syrup, then you will need to adjust the sugar levels as well. Or it would be too sweet.
Hope that helps!
Monica Altisent aragones says
Loved it , couldn’t wait for it to cool down had to put it on my bread & butter straight out of bowl . Enjoying it with a caffe latte .
Tekkie says
Nice and tangy! I used slightly less sugar and mixed the passion fruit, sugar and egg mixture together before heating directly on cooktop. Every once in a while I removed the pan from the heat so that it didn’t overcook. Scrumptious!
Anjali says
Really love your recipes.. I always come back to your recipe for passion and lemon curd.. Amazing!
Pippa Lee says
I made curd for the first time in my life, and the result was smooth and delicious.
Chris says
If I wanted to freeze this recipe what can I freeze it in, a glass jar or something else,
Dini says
Hi Chris
Any freezer safe, non reactive jar / container will do.
Kelly says
made this last night for a pavlova toping…super yummy..not to tart or to sweet. Will make again for sure
Dini says
I’m so glad it came out well, thanks for letting me know Kelly! 🙂
Evelyn says
I have just made the curd using your recipe and it is absolutely delicious. I only tweaked the method where I placed all ingredients (except butter) into the double boiler and whisked throughout the cooking process, similar to a sabayon, then added the butter as you directed. Will be using this in a layer cake. Thank you so much for sharing.
Dass says
Hi I tried this receipe and it was wonderful! Just wondering if I were to substitute lemon and turn it into a lemon curd would I have to change anything ?
Dini says
Hi Dass,
Thank you, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂
I already have a lemon curd recipe that I’ve previously shared, which you can find here.
And here’s my pineapple curd recipe just in case you might be interested.
Eisha says
It’s the tail end of the passionfruit season over here in SL. I’m terrified of recipes that involve cooking eggs over heat since with my tendency to not follow instructions I’m convinced I would end up with scrambled eggs in fruit juice but!! that did NOT happen!! In fact, this recipe was quite forgiving with my eyeballings of measurements and I’m obsessed!!! I increased my sugar a little bit since local passionfruit is quite sour and substituted lemon with lime since lemon isn’t readily available here, and despite all that it turned out gorgeous! Thank you!
Iulia says
I have about 780ml of passion fruit pulp, so I’m thinking to try using 600 of it for this recipe – which would mean multiplying everything by 5. Easy enough to do by adjusting the portions on your recipe – love that! The only question I have is, would you recommend making a batch this big? Any problems with it? Thank you.
Dini says
Hi Iulia
I wouldn’t recommend making such a big batch at once. The reason is that the cook times will vary greatly depending on the pot you use, and there is a chance you may curdle the egg if one section of the curd overheats too much.
If I was to make such a large amount, I would reduce the egg yolks (add whole eggs to compensate) and add more cornstarch that can act as a buffer to prevent the curdling of eggs. But I wouldn’t know how to do the substitutions for such a large amount and still keep the right consistency.
If I wanted to make a large batch at home, I wouldn’t make anymore than a double batch. I might make two double batches separately to ensure I get the right consistency. This way I wouldn’t feel bad if the curd does curdle as I wouldn’t have wasted 600mL of passionfruit pulp too!
I hope that helps!
iulia says
Thank you, very helpful!
iulia says
Reporting back after making a double batch of this using the indirect heat method:
AMAZING! I had some on toast and it was divine, the rest of the pulp is going in the freezer and I’ll defrost one cup at a time and make more later.
Thank you so much for a well-written recipe and guidance.
Cameron says
I love this recipe, but I do strain out the seeds at the end. The family objects. Using eggs from pastured chickens will give it even more richness, and depth of color and flavor. Great filling for macarons and fantastic on ice cream.
Lynniebobelle says
Such an easy, and delicious, recipe!
Ana says
It tasted so good, but at the end of the flavor the favor or the eggyolks keeps in mouth. What can I do to prevent that to happen?
Dini says
Hi Ana
I’m not sure what you mean by “flavor of egg yolks”. If you mean eggy smell / flavor, that’s usually because of the quality of the eggs. It can also happen if you overcooked the custard and the egg yolks are starting to curdle in the curd.
Hope that helps!