While I consider myself a big-time fan of lemon desserts, this passionfruit curd beats lemon curd for me. Also known as passionfruit butter, it has the same amazing sweetness and tang as lemon curd but also a bright zing of the tropics that brings sunshine to anything.

  • Sweet, tangy, creamy and buttery.
  • Very quick and easy.
  • Just 5 ingredients.
  • No double boiler necessary.
  • Make it from fresh, frozen or jarred pulp.

I make all my fruit curds directly in a saucepan (not in a double boiler). It’s quick, easy and works perfectly, so long as you keep the heat fairly low.

Try these passionfruit tartlets too!

This recipe was first published here on 8th January 2018 and has been updated with new information, a tweaked recipe and new images.

Two small glass jars of passionfruit curd on a white marble platter.

Table of contents

Ingredients you’ll need

Ingredients for passionfruit curd on a marble surface.

Detailed quantities and instructions in the recipe card below.

  • Passionfruit pulp: You can use pulp from fresh passionfruits (you’ll likely need 5-6 passionfruits, depending on their size) but you can also use frozen (and thawed) passionfruit pulp or jarred passionfruit pulp too. Check the ingredients on the jar to make sure it’s nothing but passionfruit. I know the tinned pulp tends to have a lot of water and sugar added so doesn’t work so well. You may also see passionfruit pulp labelled as passionfruit puree.
  • Eggs: I use large eggs in all my recipes. You’ll need 2 whole eggs and 2 egg yolks.
  • Sugar: Use white granulated sugar or caster sugar (not powdered sugar).
  • Lemon zest: Lemon zest adds a nice bit of tang to this recipe but you can skip it if you like.
  • Butter: Use unsalted butter in this recipe.

What is a passion fruit?

Sunshine, my friends, sunshine. Passionfruit is a tropical fruit also known by the names lilikoi or maracuyá (and many more). There are two main types being yellow and purple. Here in Australia, they are available year round, although they are more well known as a summer fruit. Cutting open a passionfruit reveals the most beautiful centre of thick yellow juice (or pulp) and little black crunchy seeds. All the flavour is in the pulp, so feel free to strain out the seeds if you don’t like the texture.

How to make passionfruit curd (step-by-step)

Truly luscious, creamy and smooth (except for the seeds), passionfruit curd is incredibly easy to make. While many recipes will require you to use a double boiler (aka a bowl over a pan of simmering water resulting in indirect heat) this recipe keeps it super simple.

A collage of 4 images showing how to make passionfruit curd.

Detailed quantities and instructions in the recipe card below.

  1. Mix the first 4 ingredients: Start by whisking together passion fruit pulp, sugar, eggs and lemon zest. Heat them over low heat until the sugar dissolves (this only takes a minute or so).
  2. Add butter: With the heat on low-medium, add the butter 2-3 cubes at a time and stir constantly until it melts before adding more.
  3. Thicken it up: You may find that your curd is already finished by the time all the butter has melted in but if not, let it cook another minute or two until it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
  4. Straining is optional: If you don’t like the crunchy seeds, feel free to push your curd through a strainer to remove them. All the flavour is in the pulp anyway so it won’t change the flavour of your curd.

Handy tools to have

All you need to make this recipe is a small saucepan (non-reactive like stainless steel), a balloon whisk, silicone spatula and some preserving jars (I love these Weck preserving jars). You’ll also need a fine mesh sieve if you plan to strain it. Don’t use cast iron or aluminium cookware which will affect the taste of the curd.

Tips and tricks

  • Use a heavy-based, non-reactive saucepan. This ensures the heat is distributed more evenly and the flavour of the curd will not be affected by the pan. Stick to stainless steel – no aluminium or cast-iron.
  • Keep the heat low or low-medium: You want the heat fairly low as you don’t want this to come to a boil. Doing that will scramble the eggs so you’re after a slow, low heat to cook the egg without scrambling them.
  • Stir constantly: You don’t want to leave the curd and must stay with it, stirring constantly. Don’t worry, it only takes around 10 minutes. The reason for this is to not only keep control over the temperature and not let the curd catch on the bottom of the pan but also, it’s helping to thicken and properly emulsify all the ingredients together.
  • How to tell when it’s ready: The curd is ready once it coats the back of a spoon and you can draw a line through it with your finger, that won’t run when you hold it upright. You can also use a digital thermometer to check – it should reach 75C / 170F.
  • Make sure to sterilise your jars: This will help the curd keep for longer.
  • For notes on troubleshooting fruit curds, see my lemon curd post.
A small jar filled with passionfruit curd.

How to sterilise preserving jars

Sterilising the jars that you store any type of preserves in is very important if you want them to last longer than a week. This passionfruit curd will be fine in unsterilised jars for around a week but if you want it to last longer, either boil them in a saucepan of boiling water for 10 minutes then set aside to drain, dry and cool. The second way is to wash the jars well with soapy water, rinse and then place them in an oven at 120C / 250F for 10 minutes. Let them cool.

How to use curd

Fruit curds, like this passion fruit curd, are really versatile and a lovely decadent twist on many desserts. You could just stir it through yoghurt or spread it on toast but there’s so many more ways.

Yield and storage

This recipe will yield about 1 ½ cups of passionfruit curd.

The curd will keep in the fridge, in an airtight jar for up to a month, unopened. Once opened, use it within 7-10 days.

A sponge finger being dipped into passionfruit curd.

More fruit curd recipes

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A spoon taking passionfruit curd out of a jar.

Homemade Passionfruit Curd

Yield: 31 serves
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
4.8 from 31 ratings
This homemade Passionfruit Curd recipe is easy to make and a delicious tropical touch to any desserts
Makes 1 1/2 cups
Print Rate Pin

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup caster (superfine) sugar (150g / 5.3oz)
  • ⅔ cup passionfruit pulp
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 egg yolks, from large eggs
  • Zest of ½ a lemon
  • 115 g unsalted butter, cubed and cold (½ cup / 1 stick / 4oz)

For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided

Instructions
 

  • Whisk together the sugar, passionfruit pulp, eggs, egg yolks and zest in a small heavy-based, stainless steel saucepan.
  • Stir over low-medium heat until the sugar has dissolved.
  • Add the butter 2-3 pieces at a time, stirring until each addition is melted and incorporated.
  • Turn the heat to low and continue cooking the mixture for 2-3 minutes until it is thickened and coats the back of a spoon or leaves a thick coating on the side of the pan when you tilt it. (Test by drawing a line through the curd on the back of the spoon and the line should not drip)
  • If you like, strain the curd through a fine mesh sieve to remove any cooked eggy bits and the passionfruit seeds.
  • Pour into sterilised preserve jars and store in the fridge.
  • Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.

Notes

  1. This curd will keep for up to 3 weeks in the fridge, unopened. Once opened use within a week. It will also freeze well.
  2. To sterilise the jars, boil them in a saucepan of boiling water for 10 minutes then set aside to drain, dry and cool. The second way is to wash the jars well with soapy water, rinse and then place them in an oven at 120C / 250F for 10 minutes. Let them cool.
  3. You can swap the butter for a vegetable based spread if you would like to make this curd dairy free.
MORE SWEET SAUCES AND CONDIMENTS!
Calories: 70kcal
Author: Marie Roffey
Course: Condiment, Desserts, Sweets
Cuisine: Tropical, World
Have you tried this recipe?Don’t forget to leave a rating and comment below and let me know how it was! I love hearing from you. Nutrition information is approximate and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use may cause variations.