This quick and easy 3 ingredients Passion Fruit Coulis is deliciously fresh, crunchy and tangy. The passion fruit sauce is perfect for cheesecakes, cakes, desserts or as a breakfast topping!
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Why we love this recipe
Topping your favourite cakes, cheesecakes, desserts or even breakfast with this passion fruit coulis is like pouring little bit of sunshine to your plate. Sweet yet slightly tangy, super fresh and with a delicious crunch, this passion fruit compote is the perfect addition to any of your sweet cravings - just like this Passion Fruit Curd!
This recipe is great because:
- It is made from 3 simple ingredients only.
- It is super easy to make and takes less than 20 minutes to be ready.
- The sauce can be kept in the fridge for a little while or even frozen for later.
More Coulis Recipes:
Ingredients
The passionfruit coulis is made from 3 simple ingredients (scroll down to recipe card for all quantities):
- Passion Fruit: pulp with seeds. Depending on the size of the fruits, you will need 10 to 12 (more or less) to get the required quantity. Try to choose ripe passion fruits for more sweetness.
- Sugar: Caster Sugar - or fine white granulated sugar. See FAQs section below if you want to use a liquid sweetener instead.
- Lemon Juice: just a drop to balance the flavours as well as help the coulis thicken and set. You could also use Lime instead of Lemon if preferred, or even Orange for a slightly sweeter taste.
Optional Additions
- Cornstarch: if you want a thicker sauce, you can add a little bit of cornstarch dissolved in water towards the end of the cooking time.
- Vanilla: a little bit of vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste) will make a delicious addition to the fruity flavours of the sauce.
- Zest: for a tangier flavour, you could also add the zest of half a lemon (or even lime).
How to make Passion Fruit Coulis
- Photo 1: Slice the passion fruits in half and scoop out the flesh into a small saucepan.
- Photo 2: Add the Lemon Juice.
- Photo 3: Add the Sugar.
- Photo 4: Stir the ingredients together then place on the stove on low to medium heat.
- Photo 5: bring to a simmer (it does not need to boil), then leave to reduce for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the sugar dissolves and juices have slightly thickened. Occasionally stir to insure the juices don't caramelise too much and burn at the bottom of the pan.
Optionally, for a thicker passion fruit coulis:
- Photo 6: while the coulis is cooking, whisk together the cornstarch with one tablespoon of cold water in a small bowl. When the coulis is almost ready, pour in the cornstarch.
- Photo 7: Whisk well to incorporate, then decrease to a low heat and continuously whisk until the sauce has thickened.
- Photo 8: You should get a coulis that is slightly thick but still quite fluid.
Optionally for a smooth sauce, pour through a fine sieve to remove the seeds.
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- Leave to cool down for about 30 minutes, then transfer into an airtight jar or sealed container and place in the fridge to cool down completely - about 1,5 to 2 hours.
Recipe FAQs
A Coulis is a type of thin sweet sauce made from pureed (and sometimes strained) fruits. The French word 'coulis' comes from the verb 'couler', which means to drip or pour. Fruit Coulis can be used as a topping for cakes, cheesecakes, desserts or even breakfast.
Yes if it is 100% fruit (no added sugar). You might need to cook the passion fruit coulis for a little bit longer if the canned pulp contains more water than the fresh one. You can use frozen passion fruit puree straight from the freezer; simply thaw it in the saucepan on low heat before adding the rest of the ingredients.
You could replace the granulated sugar with a natural liquid sweetener like maple syrup or honey if preferred, but you might need to cook the sauce for longer as it will be more liquid.
That is up to you - I personally like the texture the seeds add to the recipe, but you could remove them by pouring the sauce through a thin mesh sieve once cooked and discarding the seeds.
Tips for Success
- The exact cooking time will depend on how much liquid the passion fruits contain ant the texture you are after. Make sure to keep an eye on the coulis while it is cooking on the stove and occasionally stir to avoid burning the bottom of the saucepan.
- Once the coulis is ready, taste and adjust the sweetness to your liking if needed. Some passion fruits can be way more tangy than others, so you might need more sugar to balance the natural acidity of the fruits.
- If you plan on using this passion fruit sauce as a cake filling, you might want to add a little bit of gelatin to help it set - about 1 sheet of gelatin or 1 teaspoon of gelatin powder (more or less depending on the texture you are after).
- How to thicken a coulis: for a thicker sauce, simply add a little bit of cornstarch (dissolved in a little bit of water) at the end of the cooking time.
- To get a smooth sauce: if you are after a thinner, smooth texture, pour the coulis through a thin mesh sieve to remove all the seeds and keep the sauce only. Note that you will yield less passionfruit sauce if you remove the seeds.
How to use this passion fruit sauce
There are so many delicious ways to use this passionfruit coulis recipe:
- Pour a good drizzle over cakes like this Lemon Ricotta Cake or Lemon Yogurt Cake or tart like my Passion Fruit Tart.
- As a cheesecake topping, like a Baked Ricotta Cheesecake, No Bake Mango Cheesecake or Passion Fruit Cheesecake.
- Over dessert like Passion Fruit Ice Cream, Pavlova Wreath, yogurt, custard and panna cotta - or like a dressing for a fruit salad.
- Topped over your favourite breakfast like Banana Pancakes, French Toast, Waffles or even porridge.
You could ever use this passion fruit sauce for cocktails!
Storing & Freezing
The passion fruit coulis will last for up to a week in the fridge if stored properly in an airtight container or sealed jar. Alternatively, the sauce does freeze well.
You could freeze the whole batch of coulis (in a freezing bag or container), or into individual portions using an ice tray or silicone mold for example.
You might need to re-cook the sauce for a few minutes when thawed as it tends to be less thick and more liquid after being frozen. This recipe is not meant to be canned or preserved.
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Recipe
Easy Passion Fruit Coulis
Ingredients
- 250 gr (9 oz) Passion Fruit pulp, about 10 to 12 medium size passion fruits
- 80 gr (1/3 cup) Caster Sugar, or fine white granulated sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 1/2 tablespoon Cornstarch, optional, with 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Slice the passion fruits in half and scoop out the flesh into a small saucepan. Mix in the Sugar and Lemon Juice.
- Place on the stove on low to medium heat and leave to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes (see note 1), or until the sugar has dissolved and the juices have thickened. Occasionally stir to make sure the fruits don't burn. Taste and adjust the quantity of sugar if required (see note 2).
- Optionally for a thicker coulis: while the coulis is cooking, whisk the cornstarch with one tablespoon of cold water in a small bowl. Pour into the saucepan when the coulis is almost ready. Whisk well to incorporate, then decrease to a low heat and continuously whisk until the sauce has thickened.
- Leave to cool down for about 30 minutes, then transfer into an airtight jar or sealed container and place in the fridge to cool down completely - about 1,5 to 2 hours.
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Notes
- Sugar: you might need more sugar if the passion fruits you are using are very tangy. Once the coulis is cooked, taste and adjust the level of sweetness to your liking if required.
- Cornstarch: this optional ingredient is only used to thicken the sauce if you plan on using it on a dish that requires it to be thicker. Make sure to mix the cornstarch with water first to dilute it before adding it to the warm sauce, or it won't mix properly and you will get lumps.
- The exact cooking time will depend on how much liquid the passion fruits contain ant the texture you are after.
- Some passion fruits are sweeter than others, and some are something quite tangy. I recommend tasting and adjusting the sugar quantities to suit your taste if needed.
Nutrition (per serving)
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