This quick passion fruit curd (passion fruit butter) is rich, bright and tangy. It pairs perfectly with everything from tarts to cheesecakes, scones and of course pavlova!
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What is passion fruit curd?
Passion fruit curd, also known as passion fruit butter, maracuya curd or lilikoi butter is a thick, tangy, decadent dessert sauce made with passion fruit, sugar, butter and egg yolks.
Tips and frequently asked questions
What to do with passion fruit curd?
There are so many delicious uses for passion fruit curd. Drizzle, spread, spoon or dollop it generously on:
- For breakfast on toast, crumpets, English muffins, pancakes, waffles or with yogurt.
- Spooned onto creamy desserts such as passion fruit cheesecake, passion fruit panna cotta (recipe coming soon!) or triffle.
- Drizzled onto ice cream such as my easy vanilla ice cream
- Spooned into pastry cases for a simply stunning tart
- Sandwiched in or drizzled on cakes, such as classic victoria sponge, a coconut cake or for a twist try it with chocolate cake.
- And of course with an epic pavlova (recipe coming soon)
Can I make this with frozen or canned pulp or juice?
Yes if you can't get fresh passion fruit you can use frozen or canned passion fruit pulp or juice. Look for pure passion fruit with no added sugar or anything else. If you can only get pulp or juice with added sugar you may need to reduce the sugar in the recipe to account for this. If you are using frozen passion fruit pump make sure it's fully defrosted before making the curd.
Why does my curd taste 'eggy'?
Using older eggs can sometimes result in an eggy taste to the curd. Try using fresh eggs to reduce the risk of this happening.
How can I thicken the curd to make it pipeable?
This recipe makes a spoonable, spreadable thickness - check out How to Serve to see it in action. To thicken it to a pipeable consistency to fill cakes and macarons try one of the following:
- Cook the curd for longer. Remember to stir stir stir and don't overheat it or you risk scrambling your eggs.
- Try adding an extra egg yolk. Make sure you use fresh eggs to reduce the risk of an eggy taste.
- Try adding 1 teaspoon to one tablespoon of cornflour. Mix with one tablespoon of water to form a slurry and add at the beginning of the cooking process.
How to fix lumpy/ curdled/ separated/ gritty curd
The main reason fruit curd becomes lumpy/curdled/separated or gritty is because it hasn't been stirred enough when cooking and it's been cooked too quickly on to high heat. Sometimes curd can be rescued, sometimes it can't, depending on how far it's gone. Try one of the following:
- Cool and strain it. This may help remove the larger curdled/lumpy bits.
- Carefully blitz it with an immersion/stick blender. You may need to gently reheat the curd to thicken it up again.
- Blitz the curd as above and try adding an extra egg yolk or a couple of extra lumps of butter to help thicken it up again.
- Remember next time to stir stir stir your curd and don't have the heat up to high. You can also try using a double boiler which will reduce the direct heat but take longer to cook your curd.
How long does passion fruit curd keep?
- In regular clean containers, up to a week in the fridge.
- In sterilized containers, up to three weeks in the fridge.
- In the freezer, up to a year, but for best flavor use within three months.
Note because of the butter and eggs this curd is not suitable for home canning.
Ingredients
Passion fruit: I used fresh, ripe passionfruit for this recipe. You will need 1 cup of passionfruit pulp in total, which could be anywhere from six to fifteen or more passion fruits, depending on how big and juicy they are.
If you can't get fresh passion fruit you could try using frozen passion fruit pulp or even tinned passion fruit. Look for one without any added sugar if possible. I recommend tasting the pulp. If it's very sweet you may need to reduce the amount of added sugar in the recipe.
Eggs: this recipe uses egg yokes from large eggs (approx. 2oz/55gms per egg including shells before separating). You can put aside the egg whites to use in another recipe, such as my passion fruit pavlova (recipe coming soon) amaretti cookies or pretty rainbow meringues.
Sugar: white sugar is best in this recipe. You could use castor sugar if you prefer. You could experiment with other types of sugar if you like but be aware this may add other flavors that could compete with the fresh passionfruit taste. I like my passion fruit curd on the tart side and passion fruit can vary in their natural sweetness. I recommend tasting the curd and adding a little more sugar if needed.
Butter: a little unsalted butter adds richness to this curd and helps it thicken. Plus it helps make it taste good.
Lime juice: freshly squeezed lime juice is best for this recipe. I do not recommend using bottled lime juice, it won't taste the same. The lime juice really helps add some brightness to this recipe and balance out the sugar. You could also use more traditional lemon juice.
How to make passion fruit curd
See the full recipe card at the end of the post for ingredient amounts and instructions.
Cut the passion fruit in half and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Strain the passion fruit pulp and put aside the seeds. Slice and juice the lime.
Hot tip: straining the passion fruit seeds and adding them back in later is optional. But it means you can strain the curd after its cooked to get out any stray lumpy bits and gives a silkier, smoother curd.
Cube the butter and add it to a small nonreactive pot with the sugar, passion fruit pulp and lime juice. Heat on medium-low, stirring well until the sugar is all dissolved. Increase the heat to medium and continue to stir stir stir the curd for about twenty minutes until it thickens and 'coats the back of the spatula'. Make sure you get all the edges at the sides and bottom of the pot. The general rule is if you run your finger through the mix the line will stay, However the curd will be hot, so be careful not to burn your finger if you do this!
Hot tip: for a more foolproof curd use a food thermometer and cook the curd until get to between 160°F (71°C) and no more than 170°F (76°C). Do no go higher than this or you risk scrambling your eggs. Remember low and slow is the way to go.
Do not be tempted to turn up the heat to speed up the process, you will scramble the eggs! Also it's quite normal for a few bits of stray egg white to end up the mix, and for this to cook and form little white lumps in your curd. This is normal. Egg whites cook faster than egg yolks However it does mean you need to turn down the heat as you are at risk of overcooking the egg yolks.
Hot tip: to reduce the risk of scrambling the egg yolks you can make this curd using a double boiler. You can get specific double boilers, which is safest, or use a non-reactive heat-proof bowl that fits into your pot. Make sure the water underneath is not touching the double boiler/bowl. Using a double boiler will reduce the chance of scrambling the eggs, but it will take longer. You still need to keep a careful eye on it and stir stir stir.
Once the curd is thick enough remove it from the heat and allow it to cool. Strain to remove any lumpy bits. For a silky smooth curd leave it as it is, or if you prefer some texture add about a quarter to half the passion fruit seeds back in and stir through. Serve warm or transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge until needed.
How to serve
To serve this passionfruit butter spread or dollop on to your favorite desserts, such as yogurt, ice cream, muffins, cakes, scones, cheesecakes and of course pavlova. Delicious!
How to store
This curd will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to seven days, or in sterilized jars stored in the fridge for up to one month.
Passion fruit curd is can be stored in the freezer for up to a year safely, but for best flavor and to reduce the risk of freezer burn I recommend freezer for no more than three months. For easy portioning freeze curd in ice cube trays then transfer the cubes to an airtight container once frozen.
It is not suitable for home canning due to the butter and eggs.
Have you made this recipe? Tell me how it went in the comments below and tag me on instagram so I can see your delicious creations! @keep_calm_and_eat_icecream
Looking for more yummy passion fruit dessert recipes?
Why not try making
- Passion fruit coulis
- Passion fruit ice cream
- Passion fruit cheesecake
- Passion fruit panna cotta
- Passion fruit pavlova (recipe coming soon!)
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📋 Recipe
Passion fruit curd
Equipment
- double boiler optional
- food thermometer optional
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250mls) passion fruit pulp (from about 4 - 12 fresh passion fruits or frozen pulp)
- 6 egg yolks from large eggs
- 1 stick Plus 1 tablespoon (½ cup plus 1 tablespoon/125gms) unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup (75gms) white sugar
- 1 & ½ tablespoons lime juice (approx. ½ to one whole lime)
Instructions
- Cut the passion fruit in half and scoop out the flesh. If using frozen passion fruit pulp defrost it first. Strain the passion fruit pulp and put aside the seeds. Slice and juice the lime.
- Cube the butter and add it to a small pot with the egg yolks, sugar, passion fruit pulp and lime juice. Heat on medium low, stirring well until the sugar is all dissolved.
- Increase the heat to medium and continue to stir stir stir the curd for about twenty minutes until it thickens and 'coats the back of the spatula'. Make sure you get all the edges at the sides and bottom of the pot.
- Once the curd is thick enough remove from the heat and allow to cool. Strain to remove any lumpy bits. For a silky smooth curd leave it as it is, or if you prefer some texture add about a quarter to half the passion fruit seeds back in and stir through.
- Serve warm or transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge until needed.
Notes
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