Friends, I’m pumped for you to try a little sip of sunshine today. If you’ve ever wanted to know how to make Passion Fruit Juice at home (without a fruit juicer), you’re in luck! Made with just 5 ingredients in mere minutes, this simple, fuss-free recipe brings the taste of the tropics to your table. As a bonus, making your own passion fruit drink means there are no preservatives or artificial ingredients anywhere to be found.
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About This Recipe
If you’ve been following along with the blog lately, you know I’ve been on a real passionfruit kick. I mean, who doesn’t love a bright, sweet-tart, mouth full of sunshine and tropical flavor? I’m officially obsessed.
As I’ve been diving into the world of this amazing equatorial fruit, I’ve also come to discover it goes by many other names. In Hawaii it’s known as lilikoi, but I’ve only just discovered two more names for this magnificent fruit. In the Dominican Republic they call it chinola and in South America, the yellow variety is known as maracuya.
No matter what you call it, it’s delicious. I like to put it in everything from gin fizzes to mango passion mojitos, passion fruit cream donuts to meringue passion fruit tarts, and just about everything in between. But perhaps my favorite way to enjoy this gorgeous tropical wonder? As a glass of homemade passion fruit juice. There’s simply no better way to start hot summer days off on the right foot!
In the past, I thought my only option to find a fresh fruit version of this tropical libation was to fly somewhere exotic or shell out $9 for a glass at a juice shop, but I’ve discovered how easy it is to make chinola juice right from the comfort of my own kitchen. And best of all? You don’t need any fancy juicing equipment to do it!
Looking for more refreshing drink recipes to try? Start with these - an Iced Yuzu Coffee Soda, Basil Shrub & Blueberry Mocktail or a Tropical Dragonfruit Smoothie to get your day started!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Making a batch of lilikoi juice is simpler than you might think. In this easy recipe, I use just 5 ingredients:
- Cold Water - Make sure you use purified or filtered water for the best flavor.
- Passion Fruit Purée - To make your own, all you need are ripe passionfruits! Fresh passion fruit can be processed into passion fruit puree so that your passion fruit seeds are removed and you can freeze the puree until needed! Make sure you keep a few extra to the side if you want to garnish your drink with some pulp; the seeds are almost like boba pearls and add amazing texture and color to the glass.
- Limes - Make sure you reach for fresh limes here. You’ll want both the juice, as well as some extra wedges or rounds for a fun and fruity garnish.
- Passion Fruit Syrup - My simple syrup is made with just passionfruit purée, sugar, and water. A good option to store is to keep it in an airtight container in the fridge!
- Mint - While technically optional, a bit of herbaceous freshness adds a lot of depth, plus the dark green looks gorgeous as a garnish against the cheery yellow-orange hue.
Equipment
So long as you have your passion fruit purée and passionfruit syrup made, you only need to grab:
- A Pitcher - Technically, you can mix this passionfruit juice up in a mixing bowl, but then you’ll want a ladle to serve it. I find that a pitcher is a neater solution, and it also fits into my fridge much easier than a punch bowl!
- A Long Spoon - A bar spoon or a kitchen spoon will both work here.
- Serving Glasses - I suggest opting for roughly 10-12 oz size glasses to make room for the ice alongside a perfectly reasonable 8 oz serving of juice.
How To Make Passion Fruit Juice
Making homemade maracuya juice is a snap and a great way to start the morning. Here’s how it’s done:
Step 1: Mix. The easiest way to combine all ingredients is pouring into a pitcher with ice cubes and stir.
Step 2: Garnish & Serve. Pour into serving glasses and garnish with mint, lime wheels and passion fruit pulp. Enjoy!
Optional Variations
I love this simple maracuya healthy drink recipe just the way it is, but there’s always room for customization. Here are a few variations worth considering:
- Mix with other fruit juices for a tropical fruit punch. Mango passion fruit homemade juice or passion fruit guava orange juice? Yes, please! If you come up with a brilliant ripe fruit flavor combo with various fresh juices, make sure to let me know in the comments below or by tagging me in your social media posts so I can cheer you on!
- Make it pulp-free. If you’re not a fan of the texture of tapioca, you’re probably not going to love passion fruit pulp. There’s a simple solution: just omit it from your garnish!
- Make it sparkling. Swap out still water for your favorite sparkling mineral water like Topo Chico for a bright and refreshing mocktail.
Expert Tips
- Choosing a good passion fruit means looking for ones that are heavy for their size (that means they’ll be nice and juicy) and that have a little give (like an avocado). If you’re choosing the yellow maracuya variety, the color should be a deep golden; for the purple variety, the color will be almost ebony black. Also, look for slight wrinkles in the skin; this is generally an indication that they will be extra sweet.
- Roll your limes on the counter for 10-15 seconds before cutting them open to help you extract as much juice as possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Technically speaking, I suppose this could be considered a nectar because I’m adding both lime juice and just a touch of sugar (in the passionfruit syrup). That said, I drink it like and consider it to be a juice since the added sugar is so minimal and the lime juice is just there to brighten it up.
Taste is totally subjective, so that depends on your tastebuds! I like them both. Yellow maracuyas are typically larger, so you get more pulp per fruit. Purple chinolas are less acidic and have a higher amount of juice to pulp. Try them both, preferably side by side, to discover which you prefer!
Aside from drinking straight or adding the tart flavor to cocktails? I guess I’d say that there's great health benefits! Passion fruit natural juice is also a great source of nutrients including vitamin C, vitamin A, and potassium.
More Passion Fruit Recipes
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Looking for more treats and beverages to whip up? Head on over to my recipe page for more new delicious ideas to create in your kitchen!
Passion Fruit Juice
Equipment
- Serving Glasses
Ingredients
- 3 cups Water
- 1 cup Passion Fruit Puree
- 2 Limes, Juiced
- 2 oz Passion fruit syrup
- Lime wheels, Mint & Passion Fruit Pulp, for garnish
Instructions
- Add all ingredients into a pitcher with ice and stir.3 cups Water, 1 cup Passion Fruit Puree, 2 Limes, 2 oz Passion fruit syrup
- Pour into serving glasses and garnish with mint, lime wheels and passion fruit pulp to serve!Lime wheels, Mint & Passion Fruit Pulp
Video
Notes
- Mix with other fruit juices for a tropical fruit punch. Mango passion fruit juice or passion fruit orange guava juice? Yes, please! If you come up with a brilliant flavor combo, make sure to let me know in the comments below or by tagging me in your social media posts so I can cheer you on!
- Make it pulp-free. If you’re not a fan of the texture of tapioca, you’re probably not going to love passion fruit pulp. There’s a simple solution: just omit it from your garnish!
- Make it sparkling. Swap out still water for your favorite sparkling mineral water like Topo Chico for a bright and refreshing mocktail.
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