Passionfruit Tartlets

Passionfruit tartlets are made with a gorgeous, buttery tart shell that is filled with passionfruit custard. They’re tropical, luscious, and soft yet crisp. The texture is so dreamy. These bite-sized treats are just as pretty to look at as they are delicious to eat.

• The texture of the filling is creamy and luscious – softer than custard slice but just firm enough to hold it’s shape.
• The flavour is bright and fruity, a little bit sweet, and boasts floral and citrus notes.
• Perfect as handheld desserts. A wonderful choice for high tea!
• The filling is a marriage of thickened pastry cream and passionfruit and that’s exactly how it tastes. 
• Sure to impress if you’re having guests over.

Not only are these passionfruit tartlets pleasing to the eye, but they also have a unique flavour thanks to the filling made with passionfruit pulp and cream – a little like a passionfruit curd but more set so that it holds it’s shape. And while they look super impressive, these mini tartlets do come together easily.

What kind of tart shells should I use?

I make these passionfruit tartlets in my homemade tartlet shells. I swear by this recipe because they are a perfectly buttery and crisp pâte sucrée crust, and you only need 4 ingredients to make them. Prepare them ahead of time, and they can freeze for up to 3 months — in fact, the ones shown in the pictures were from my freezer stash!

The tartlet shells are so easy to make. A stand mixer is best for mixing the dough though you can use a handheld electric mixer too. They’re shaped into a muffin tin, filled with paper liners and rice, then baked in the oven until golden brown.

That said, any store-bought pre-baked tart shells will work for passionfruit custard tartlets. You could also bake raw shells prior to filling. My own tartlet shells have roughly a ¼ cup capacity, and the filling is enough for around 16 shells at that size. Filling with just slightly under ¼ cup, you’ll get more like 18.

Capacities of store-bought will vary. Any size will work — if they’re smaller, you’ll just get more mini tartlets out of one batch of filling. You can also just use store-bought shortcrust pastry and shape it in a muffin tin as I do with my tartlet shells, then bake prior to filling.

Detailed quantities and instructions in the recipe card below.

• Tartlet Shells: Use my homemade version or refer to my tips on buying store-bought above.
• Whole Milk: Use milk as the base of the creamy passion fruit tartlets filling.
• Sugar: I use caster sugar (superfine sugar) for the filling but granulated sugar is perfect too. If making the tartlet shells from scratch, they contain some icing sugar.
• Vanilla Extract: This warm and earthy extract complements the passionfruit perfectly. Steer away from vanilla essence as it’s a synthetic flavouring and not nearly as good as the real thing.
• Cornflour: Also called cornstarch in some countries, this ingredient aids in thickening the filling.
• Eggs: You just egg yolks for the filling.
• Passionfruit Pulp: To use in the filling and as a garnish. I find that these passionfruit tartlets are best with a drizzle of extra passionfruit pulp right at serving time. The top of the custard does tend to look a touch dry after setting. It’s still totally soft and lovely, just looks prettier with the topping — plus, it amps up that passionfruit flavour. If it’s named passion fruit juice or passion fruit puree where you are, just check the ingredients label and make sure it’s nothing but passionfruit – no added sugars, flavours, preservatives etc.
• Butter: Adds richness to the custard filling.

You could also top these with slices of kiwi fruit.

Detailed quantities and instructions in the recipe card below.

1. Heat the milk: Add the milk to a saucepan, then add the sugar and vanilla. Heat over medium until it starts to steam, being careful to stir constantly.
2. Make the egg mixture: While your milk heats up, add the cornflour and egg yolks to a bowl and mix until well-combined (photo 1).
3. Combine the milk and eggs: When the milk starts to steam, add it to the eggs while whisking. Do this step slowly, as you don’t want to scramble the eggs (photo 2).
4. Create the custard: Add the milk and egg mixture back to the saucepan and heat over medium-low. Stir it with a balloon whisk constantly until it starts to thicken. Keep stirring to avoid lumpy results (photo 3).
5. Check for thickness: At this point in the cooking process, you should start to notice that the custard has thickened. Keep whisking and check to see if there are any bubbles that break through the surface. Continue cooking and whisking after you see the first bubbles appear — it will get so thick that it doesn’t quickly settle back in on itself anymore (photo 4).
6. Add the passionfruit: Remove the saucepan from the stovetop and stir in the butter. Carefully add the passionfruit pulp and whisk (photo 5).
7. Assemble the passionfruit tartlets: Pour the passionfruit custard / pastry cream into the tartlet shells with an ice cream scoop (photo 6). Let them set in the fridge for 2 hours before adding some extra pulp on top as a garnish. Enjoy!

Yield and storage

This passion fruit tarts recipe makes 16 tartlets (¼ cup capacity for the filling). If you purchase or make smaller shells, you’ll get more mini tartlets from one batch. 

Store your passion fruit tartlets in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container. If covering with plastic wrap, try not to let it touch the surface or it may stick and ruin the tops. The tartlet shells will soften slightly over this time but won’t become soggy. As mentioned, make them ahead of time if you’d like.

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