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.
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.
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
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.
Yes! The lemon juice brightens the flavor of the passion fruit and the acidity helps the thickening process.
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.
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.
Passion Fruit Curd
Ingredients
- ¾ cup passion fruit pulp
- 1 lemon juiced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup butter melted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Create a double boiler. Add about 2 inches of water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add a larger saucepan to the top of the smaller saucepan.
- Add the passion fruit pulp, lemon juice, salt, eggs, yolks, and sugar together on the top of the double boiler. Whisk the mixture well until fully combined.
- Switch to a wooden spoon and stir the mixture continuously until the curd is visibly thickened, the curd should coat the wooden spoon and leave a streak when you run your finger over the curd.
- Whisk in the butter and vanilla.
- Strain the curd for any cooked egg. Pour into your jars. and cool.
Notes
- If your curd dow not thicken, try turning up the heat on the double boiler and cooking for longer. If this does not help, try blooming a teaspoon of gelatin and stirring it into the curd while the curd it hot.
- You can freeze the curd up to 3-6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before enjoying.
valerie says
Thank for the recipe. Why do you recommend to NOT freeze in glass? Alternatives like metal or plastic is not what I would typically use.
Regards, Valerie
Amanda Powell says
Hi Valerie,
As a general rule, I do not recommend freezing anything that contains liquid in glass due to expansion and it also tends to have a more difficult time being air tight for freshness. If you only have glass, I recommend ensuring there is enough room for the liquid in the glass to expand and check the seal of the container.