This easy Passion Fruit Mousse topped with homemade Passion Fruit Curd is an incredibly light and fresh dessert. The mousse is super easy to make with 5 ingredients only and has a delicious crunch thanks to the passion fruit seeds.
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Why we love this recipe
If your vine is packed with passion fruits, this Mousse will be a perfect way to use them all. It is such a light and creamy dessert that is bursting with fresh flavours. Simply perfect for Summer!
This mousse is quite easy to make with no eggs and can be prepared in advance. The passion fruit curd topping brings an incredible tropical flavour to the dessert as well as a delicious crunch.
This recipe is simply made with fresh passion fruit pulp, whipped cream and a little bit of gelatine to stabilise it. No need for egg whites or sweetened condensed milk here!
Ingredients
To make the passion fruit mousse, you will need (scroll down to recipe card below for all quantities):
- Passion Fruit Pulp: both the passion fruit juice and the seeds you find inside the fruit. You can use fresh fruit or frozen passion fruit pulp, as long as it is 100% fruit (no added sugar or syrup).
- Sugar: Caster Sugar (fine white granulated sugar). I have not tried this recipe with a natural sweetener.
- Cream: Thickened / Heavy Cream (whipping cream) that has at least 30% fat content. A cream with lower fat percentage will not whip properly.
- Gelatine: I used unflavored gelatin powder but you could use one to two sheet of gelatines as well (the quantity will vary based on the strength of the gelatin sheet).
- Vanilla (optional): Use Vanilla Extract or Essence to boost the flavours of the mousse.
The mousse is topped with a homemade Passion Fruit Curd. It is made with Passionfruit Pulp, Lemon Juice, Caster Sugar, Egg Yolks and Butter. For an eggless substitute, you can top the mousse with my passion fruit coulis instead.
How to make Passion Fruit Mousse
- Photo 1: Scoop out the Passion Fruit Pulp from the fruits and place it in a small saucepan with the Sugar and Vanilla. Stir to blend together and turn on medium low heat. Bring to a simmer then remove from the heat.
If using frozen passion fruit, thaw it completely first.
To make this passion fruit mousse recipe without the seeds, pour the pulp through a thin mesh sieve first. Note that you will need the same amount of passion fruit juice than of passion fruit pulp, so make sure to account for extra passion fruits.
- Photo 2: Place the gelatin powder in a small bowl and mix in about 1 tablespoon of cold water. Mix until smooth then leave for a couple of minutes or until it turns into a thick paste.
- Photo 3: Away from the stove, add the bloomed gelatin to the passion fruit mixture.
- Photo 4: Whisk well until the gelatin is fully melted. Transfer into a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap touching the surface of the mixture and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour. It should't feel warm to the touch anymore.
Once the passion fruit mixture has cooled down, start preparing the whipped cream. If the mixture has started to set (if you leave it for longer in the fridge), simply re-whisk it vigorously to loosen it.
- Photo 5: Place the cold Cream in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Whip on medium to high speed until you reach medium peaks.
- Photo 6: Add the passion fruit mixture to the cream.
- Photo 7: Continue to whip on a medium low speed and stop just before you reach stiff peaks. The mousse should still feel slightly loose and fluid.
Alternatively, whip the cream until you get stiff peaks, then gently fold in the passion fruit mixture with a spatula until fully incorporated.
- Photo 8: Pour it into individual serving cups and place in the fridge to set for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
The last steps of this recipe are to prepare the passion fruit curd topping, which is optional. To make the curd, follow these instructions:
- Place the Passion Fruit Pulp and Lemon Juice in a small saucepan and turn on medium low heat. Bring to a simmer.
- Photo 9: in the meantime in a separate heat-proof bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar
- Photo 10: Once the passion fruit mixture simmers, slowly pour it over the egg yolks while whisking to temper the eggs. Pour it all back into the saucepan and place on low heat. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes or until the sugar has melted and the mixture has very slightly thickened.
- Photo 11: Add the butter a little bit at the time, stirring well until fully incorporated before adding more.
- Photo 12: Once all the butter has been added, continue to cook on low heat for about 10 minutes or until the curd has thickened. It should coat the back of a spoon or spatula without dripping.
- Leave to cool down for about 30 minutes then transfer into a clean jar. Place in the fridge to chill until it feels cool to the touch.
- Pour a little bit of the curd over the set mousse cups and gently spread it around. Serve straight away or keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, but the texture will be closer to a cream than an airy mousse. The taste will be the same, but the mousse won't be as stable or airy without the gelatine.
Simply substitute the heavy / thickened cream for a plant-based cream to make this recipe dairy-free. Note that you still need to use a cream that contains at least 30% fat or it will not whip properly.
I topped the passionfruit mousse with a homemade Passion Fruit Curd, but you could also use a Passion Fruit Coulis sauce instead to make this easy recipe fully egg-free. For a different take on the tropical flavours, you could also top the mousses with a Mango Coulis for example.
The mousse cups can be finished with some fresh mint, some toasted coconut or even some fresh fruits like mango or raspberries.
Yes, although note that the mousse is quite light and airy so it won't be able to hold a lot of weight on top of it.
Tips for Success
- Both the mousse and the curd are quite tangy as they do not have a huge amount of added sugar. If you prefer sweeter dessert, you can increase the quantity of sugar in both elements.
- To cool down the passion fruit mixture more quickly before folding in the whipped cream, chill it inside a large shallow pan such as a brownie pan instead of in a bowl. It will allow for the mixture to cool down more quickly and more evenly.
- Don't skip on the chilling time; the temperature of the different preparations are key to get the perfect texture. This is especially important when combining the passion fruit mixture and the whipped cream, as whipped cream will melt if the mixture is too warm.
- The passion fruit curd can be prepared while the passion fruit mousses are chilling, or be made in advance and kept in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Storing & Freezing
These passion fruit cups should be kept in the fridge until ready to serve. They are best served within 24 hours (they are actually best prepared in advance as they require a fair bit of chilling) but they will stay fresh for up to 3 days. The passion fruit curd can be added just before serving as long as it is cool.
This recipe should not be frozen.
Made this recipe?
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Recipe
Easy Passion Fruit Mousse
Ingredients
Passion fruit Mousse
- 225 gr (8 oz) Passion Fruit Pulp - about 10 small passion fruits - see note 1 below
- 60 gr (1/4 cup) Caster Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract - optional
- 1 teaspoon Gelatin Powder - plus 1 tablespoon of cold water
- 375 ml (1 1/2 cup) Heavy / Thickened Cream - at least 30% fat content
Passion Fruit Curd Topping
- 75 gr (2.5 oz) Passion Fruit Pulp
- 15 ml (1 tablespoon) Lemon Juice
- 25 gr (2 tablespoons) Caster Sugar
- 2 Egg Yolks - at room temperature
- 30 gr (2 tablespoons) Unsalted Butter
Disclaimer
I highly recommend using the measurements in grams & ml (instead of cups & spoons) for more accuracy and better results.
Instructions
Passion fruit Mousse
- Scoop out the Passion Fruit Pulp from the fruits (see note 2) and place it in a small saucepan with the Sugar and Vanilla. Mix to combine then turn on low heat and bring to a simmer.
- In the meantime, mix the Gelatine powder with about 1 tablespoon of cold water in a small bowl. Leave for a couple of minutes or until it turns into a thick paste.
- Remove the passion fruit mixture from the heat and whisk in the bloomed gelatine. Mix well until the gelatine has fully dissolved.
- Transfer into a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap touching the surface of the mixture and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour (see note 3).
- Place the cold Heavy / Thickened Cream in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Whip on medium speed until you reach medium peaks. Add the passion fruit mixture and continue to whip on medium low speed. Stop just before you reach stiff peaks. The mousse should still feel slightly loose and fluid (see note 4).
- Scoop it into individual serving cups and place in the fridge to set for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
Passion Fruit Curd Topping
- Place the Passion Fruit Pulp and Lemon Juice in a small saucepan and turn on medium low heat. Bring to a simmer.
- In the meantime in a separate heat-proof bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Slowly pour the passion fruit mixture over the eggs while whisking, mix well then pour it all back into the saucepan. Place on low heat and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes or until the sugar has melted and the mixture has very slightly thickened.
- Add the butter a little bit at the time, stirring well until fully incorporated before adding more.
- Continue to cook on low heat for about 10 minutes or until the curd has thickened (see note 5).
- Leave to cool down for about 30 minutes then transfer into a clean jar. Place in the fridge to chill until it feels cool to the touch.
- Pour a little bit of the curd over the set mousse cups and gently spread it around. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
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Notes
- Passion fruit pulp: You can use both fresh and frozen passion fruit pulp (thawed) for this recipe. This contains both the seeds, juice and flesh of the passion fruit. I don't recommend using canned passion fruit that is usually preserve in syrup.
- To make this recipe without the passion fruit seeds, pour the pulp through a thin mesh sieve first. Note that you will need the same amount of passion fruit juice than of passion fruit pulp, so make sure to account for extra passion fruits.
- It could take more or less than 1 hour depending on the container it is stored in, but make sure it doesn't feel warm to the touch before using. To cool it down more quickly, chill it inside a large shallow pan such as a brownie pan instead of in a bowl.
- Alternatively, you can whip the cream until you get stiff peaks, then gently fold in the passion fruit mixture with a spatula until fully incorporated.
- The curd should coat the back of a spoon or spatula without dripping when it is fully cooked. It should have reached about 82 degree celsius when it is ready.
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