Passion Fruit Curd

A velvety tart, yet sweet passion fruit curd that takes only minutes to prepare. Drizzle it on ice cream, use it in a tart, layer it in a cake, or more. The possibilities are endless with this moreish sauce.

jars of fruity curd on coasters with a grey kitchen towel

Ingredients

Passion fruit pulp - We can't have passion fruit without, well, passion fruit. Fresh fruit is great, but it is so hard to find. I even had trouble finding some. You can use passion fruit pulp though. Many grocery stores keep it in the frozen section, but you can find shelf-stable pulp online.
Lemon juice - We only use a touch of lemon juice just to brighten the flavors a bit more, and it also helps encourage the thickening of the curd. I highly recommend using fresh lemon juice - you need only one lemon's worth.
Eggs - We use a combination of yolk and whole eggs in this curd for the best thick and creamy texture.
Salt - The salt is used to enhance all the flavors in the curd. A pinch is all it takes.
Sugar - Granulated sugar is recommended for making curd. I don't recommend trying to cutting down the sugar any more than it is right now unless you like your curd very tart.
Vanilla - I think the vanilla rounds out the flavor beautifully. You only need just a touch. I recommend using pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
Butter - We add in the salt ourselves, so I recommend using unsalted butter. Even if you skipped the salt, I would not use salted butter because we risk making the curd too salty. Melting your butter and whisking it in helps make the process easier.

close up of jar full of passion fruit curd

How to use

There are endless possibilities when it comes to how to use passion fruit curd. It is so versatile and so delicious you will want it with everything. Here are a few of my favorite ways to use it.

Drizzled over ice cream (it is especially good when mixed with mango sorbet and vanilla ice cream together).
Added into popsicles.
Slathered on scones.
Used as a topping for cheesecake.
Layered between fluffy cake layers and surrounded by frosting.
Turned into a beautiful tart filling.
Folded into pastry cream for eclairs, doughnuts, or cream puffs.
Topping pancakes, waffles, or Dutch baby pancakes.
Filling for macarons.

Storage

I like to keep my passion fruit curd in a mason jar or weck jar. You can process the mason jars which will lengthen the time the curd will last. Once opened, or if not processing the jar, the curd will last about two weeks.

You can freeze your curd in an airtight container as long as the container is not made from glass. When frozen, the curd should last about a year. To thaw, leave it in the refrigerator overnight.

F.A.Q.s

Can I use fresh passion fruit to make this curd?

Definitely! You will need several passion fruit to make up the ¾ cup of pulp we need. You can keep the seeds in the curd, or leave them out.

Do I really need to use lemon juice?

Yes! The lemon juice brightens the flavor of the passion fruit and the acidity helps the thickening process.

Can I thicken the curd enough to hold up to filling a cake or being sliced in a tart?

The curd thickens well once it is cool and you can cook it for longer to help it thicken more, but for insurance, I would add gelatin. Bloom a teaspoon of gelatin and heat the curd just enough to melt the gelatin so it can mix into the curd. If possible, do this before you add the butter, or else heat the curd as slow as possible to prevent splitting.

Why does my curd taste metallic?

It may be because you are using metal to make the curd and the eggs and lemon are reacting to it. You can instead use a heat-proof glass bowl

Related recipes

If you are a passion fruit fan, you will love this passion fruit mojito. This passion fruit lemonade is also incredible. These mini pavlova are perfect with a touch of passion fruit.