Passion Fruit Simple Syrup Recipe

Passion fruit syrup is the perfect combination of sweet, sour, and tropical. Passion fruits are naturally sweet but also quite sour, with an almost floral-like aroma.

The bright yellow-orange pulp has an intense flavor that’s a little like pineapple, and a little like mango, but with a strong and refreshing acidity.

Passion fruit’s tropical sweetness makes it a great addition to many different kinds of drinks, from tangy lemonades to fancy rum cocktails and everything in between. Its acidity also makes it the perfect foil for rich and creamy vanilla or chocolate desserts. Yum!

What does passion fruit taste like?

Passion fruit has a very distinct and unique flavor, but it does have some notes in common with other tropical fruits like pineapple and mango. Some say that it is somewhat like kiwi, which is a good comparison in the sense of the fruit having both very sweet and very tart notes.

In general, most would probably say that the flavor of fresh passion fruit pulp leans a little more sour than sweet, but in the best, most refreshing way possible.

Personally, I think that passion fruit has a lot of citrusy notes, like meyer lemons, and a little hint of a floral-like aroma that’s reminiscent of grapefruit. There’s also a mix of sweetness and acidity that has a lot in common with strawberries. Which is probably why strawberries and passion fruit are an incredibly good combination!

How to pick ripe passion fruits

Learning new produce can always be a little tricky. How do you know how to pick a good one? Some fruits are a little more intuitive and harder to pick, but luckily passion fruits are pretty easy. Simply look for fruits that have skin that gives a little and feel heavy when you pick them up.

I have found that when they have wrinkly skin, rather than perfectly smooth skin, they seem to be a little sweeter. It also seems that their pulp scoops out more easily. Learn more about how to select and prepare passion fruit.

However, one of the great things about passion fruits at the grocery store is that even though you might pick a more sour one now and then, you won’t get one that isn’t good enough to eat.

I’ve bought passion fruits that were smooth, wrinkled, had reddish skins, deep purple skins, even yellow skin – and they were all good. Unripe passion fruits are green and you’re unlikely to encounter those at the store.

How to cut and eat passion fruit

Another great thing about passion fruit is that it’s really easy to prepare! All you have to do is cut the fruits in half and scoop out the insides. That’s it. Just be sure to wash off the skins of the fruits beforehand.

The seeds are edible, and tasty

To eat passion fruit, you can just scoop out the insides and enjoy! Both the yellow pulp and the black crunchy seeds are edible, no need to discard anything but the skin. The crunchiness of the seeds adds a really nice contrast to creamy dishes like yogurt or ice cream.

Uses for passion fruit syrup

Passion fruit simple syrup adds delicious tropical notes to all kinds of drinks, from cocktails to iced teas and lemonade. Use passion fruit syrup in place of simple syrup or sugar in a basic lemonade and you won’t be dissapointed!

Passion fruit syrup is also a key ingredient in the classic Hurricane cocktail recipe as well as the best known tiki drink made with gin, the Saturn. One of my favorite ways to use it is in a delicious Raspberry Passion Fruit Tequila Sour or even a very basic a sparkling passion fruit lemonade. More details on that below!

How to use fresh or frozen passion fruit for your syrup

It’s amazing if you can find fresh passion fruit, but if not, stores like Whole Foods have frozen passion fruit puree year round. I love the consistency of flavor and sweet-to-sour ratio of the brand Pitaya. I also love that the puree has already had the seeds removed, making straining the finished syrup a breeze.

If using frozen passion fruit, about a half cup of passion fruit per 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water is a good starting point. You can always add more if you feel it’s lacking in flavor.

If using fresh passion fruits, you’ll need the pulp from about 8-10 fruits, preferably wrinkly ones that will be extra sweet. It’s important to keep in mind that because passion fruits can vary greatly in their level of sweetness, you may want to use a little more or less, depending on your fruit. The recipe below is a great starting point and you can just adjust to taste as you go.

No cooking required

This syrup is incredibly easy to make and it does not need to be cooked on the stove top. Simply mix warm water with an equal measure of sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves.

Then add your passion fruit pulp and stir thoroughly. Strain out the passion fruit seeds and store your syrup in a glass container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

How to maximize the syrup’s shelf life

If you want your syrup to last as long as possible, consider using a plastic or tempered glass container and storing it in the freezer. The sugar content will keep the syrup from freezing solid, so you can still use it on demand. Bonus: your drinks will be extra chilled!

You can also opt to add an ounce of neutral-tasting alcohol such as vodka to help preserve your syrup for longer. You’ll still want to store it in the fridge, but it should keep longer than a couple weeks. Learn more about how to to store simple syrups.

If you love passion fruit, you’ll love the exotic fassionola syrup! You might also enjoy my fresh peach syrup recipe or fresh banana syrup recipe.