No undercooking, no overcooking, no watery pie filling, just a perfectly set, deliciously creamy, tangy, tropical filling encased in a buttery, flaky homemade pie crust! And you can top it with a pillowy meringue topping or whipped cream too.
What to expect with this passion fruit pie recipe
This recipe is an adaptation of my favorite lemon meringue pie, but with passion fruit, so the results are spectacular and foolproof. You can use either frozen passion fruit pulp or fresh passion fruit pulp to make this recipe. Made with the flakiest, buttery homemade pie crust, but you can also use store-bought pie crust, or even a graham cracker pie crust. The filling here is a cooked passion fruit curd filling, so there’s absolutely NO guesswork about baking the filling (i.e. overcooking, undercooking etc.), and the tropical passion fruit flavor is incredible! A thick, luscious filling that sets without any gelatin because of how thick it is, but still melts in your mouth. Top it with billowy marshmallow-like meringue to make a passion fruit meringue pie, or top it with whipped cream instead for a regular passionfruit pie. Super easy passion fruit pie to make. So many ways to enhance the flavor to make it taste even more tropical and summery!
Recipe ingredients
Pie crust
Flour Butter Chilled water and vodka (optional) Salt
Passion fruit filling
Passion fruit pulp (frozen or fresh) with no seeds and no sugar Lime juice (lemon juice can be used to, but lime juice complements the flavor of the passion fruit more) Sugar Egg yolks Cornstarch (or Instant ClearJel if you want to freeze the pie for later) Butter
Topping (optional)
Meringue topping Egg whites Cream of tartar Sugar Salt Water Or Stabilized whipped cream topping Heavy cream (whipping cream) Sugar Vanilla Instant ClearJel or instant vanilla pudding mix
How to make passion fruit pie
Making the pie crust
For this recipe, you need a blind baked 9 inch deep pie crust. I use my all butter flaky pie crust recipe for this. It’s the perfect recipe to follow if you’re a beginner because I provide a detailed, step by step recipe. And it’s meant for those who are new to baking pies! Line the pie dish with the pie dough and then blind bake the pie crust (image 1). When blind baking the pie crust, I like to bake it at a low temperature for a longer time so that the pie crust hold its shape better AND doesn’t shrink. It’s the best way to prevent the crust from shrinking and sliding down the sides of the pie dish. Line the pie crust with foil, and fill it with sugar or rice as pie weights when blind baking (image 2). To prevent the pie crust from getting soggy because of the filling,
Brush the whole pie crust with an egg wash during the last 5 minutes of baking (image 3). The egg wash will bake and seal the crust while giving the crust a beautiful golden sheen as well (image 4). OR Melt some cocoa butter and brush the inside of the pie crust with a 1 – 2 thin coatings of cocoa butter after the pie crust is fully blind baked. This will also create a shield between the crust and the filling.
Making the passion fruit filling
The first step is to decide whether you want to use cornstarch or Instant Clearjel. If you’re planning on freezing the pie, then I recommend instant clearjel, since it will not degrade when frozen and thawed. In contrast, cornstarch can be refrigerated but if cornstarch thickened liquid is frozen and then thawed, the thickened liquid will lose some of its texture. So once you’ve decided which of these two you wish to use, you can proceed with the recipe. In a saucepan, whisk the sugar, salt, and cornstarch together (image 5). Add the egg yolks and whisk until pale in color and the mixture is smooth and has no lumps (images 6 and 7). Next, whisk in the lime and passion fruit (image 8). Add the butter to the mixture and then start to cook the filling (image 9). Cook over medium high heat, while whisking to melt the butter. Continue to cook the filling after the butter has melted, until the mixture comes to a boil. When the filling comes to a boil, lower the heat, and continue to cook the filling while continuously whisking for a further 3 – 5 minutes. Once the filling is cooked, pass it through a sieve and let it cool down (image 10). While still warm, whisk the mixture very well (or use a stick blender), and then pour the mixture into the cooled pie crust (image 11). If the mixture is kept moving, and no filling is catching at the bottom of the pot, the eggs don’t have a chance to scramble either since the mixture heats up evenly. The heat distribution is also important for cornstarch to effectively thicken the filling. Cornstarch activates better in the liquid at boiling temperature, and by whisking the mixture while it simmers, we’re ensuring that all the starch is heated to the same point and can thicken effectively and efficiently. Spread the filling until it’s smooth on top (image 12), and then cover with plastic wrap and chill until set.
Topping (optional, but recommended!)
There are two options for toppings for this passion fruit pie. Either a meringue topping to make a passion fruit meringue pie, or whipped cream for a just as delicious, passion fruit and whipped cream pie!
Meringue
For the meringue topping, I prefer using either a swiss meringue topping or italian meringue topping. Swiss meringue is marginally easier to make, but italian meringue is more stable and for longevity (that’s what I make for my lemon meringue pie). When making meringue, make sure all the bowls, pots, and utensils are clean, dry and free from any fat residue. Make a sugar syrup with water and sugar until it reaches 240 F, and then drizzle it into egg whites and cream of tartar while whisking. Once all the syrup is added, keep whisking the egg whites until it at least doubles in size, and becomes a glossy meringue with stiff peaks (images 13 and 14). This meringue can be used to top your chilled passion fruit meringue pie (image 15)! Caramelize the meringue just before a serving with a kitchen blow torch (image 16).
Whipped cream
Yes, you can use cool whip. But homemade whipped cream tastes much better and it really is simple to make! For a stabilized whipped cream, you will add either instant clearjel or instant vanilla pudding mix. Stabilized whipped cream doesn’t melt or weep, and holds its shape better. Whisk the sugar and instant clear jel / instant vanilla pudding mix together and set aside. In a chilled mixing bowl, place the chilled whipped cream with a whisk attachement. While whisking on high speed, sprinkle in the sugar mixture. This will prevent any lumps from forming. Once all the sugar is added, lower the speed to medium or medium high and continue to whisk until you have just passed the soft peaks stage, but before stiff peaks. This medium stage is where the peak is still stiff at the base, but droops just a little bit at the tip. Whisking the heavy cream by hand after reaching soft peaks is easier for a small amount of cream. Then use the whipped cream to top the passion fruit pie! Either spread the cream in swirls, or pipe a border or pattern on top! Keep the pie chilled until ready to serve.
Recipe tips for success!
For the best pie crust, follow my beginner-friendly recipe for an incredibly buttery, flaky pie crust! I share heaps of tips on how to ensure a perfect pie crust. To add more flavor to the pie crust, add desiccated coconut to the flour. The combination of coconut and passion fruit is quintessentially tropical! Make sure to create a seal for the pie crust, so that the filling does not make the crust soggy when you store it overnight. Use either an egg wash or cocoa butter for this purpose. Make sure the passion fruit does not contain any sugar. If there’s sugar, you will need to adjust the amount of sugar added to the filling. Otherwise it’ll be too sweet. Make sure to whisk while making the filling to prevent the eggs from scrambling, and for even cooking. For a more tropical flavor, use lime juice or kalamansi juice! But if you only have lemon, you can use that too. Use instant clearjel in the filling if you want to freeze the passion fruit pie. To get clean, neat slices, use a sharp knife and warm it by dipping it in hot water and then wiping it dry between each cut. If you’d like to make a more spreadable, not as thick passion fruit curd / butter, you can try my reader-favorite passion fruit curd recipe.
Storage tips
This passion fruit pie will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days! However, the meringue topping will not last as long. I prefer to remove the meringue topping from leftovers before storing it in the fridge. Stabilized whipped cream will last for about 3 days in the fridge. Make sure to store the pie or leftovers in an airtight container. You can also store the pie (without topping) in the freezer for about 1 month, IF you used instant clearjel. But you must wrap it well and store in an airtight container. This is because the filling can absorb other smells and taste “off”. Let it thaw in the fridge over 24 hours before serving. Leftovers can also be frozen the same way, but I prefer to cut slices before storing them away.
Frequently asked questions
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