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What does Passion Fruit Taste Like?

Passion fruit is a tropical fruit (known as lilikoi in Hawaii) and definitely has that tropical flavor you would expect. If you ask five different people, you’ll probably get five different descriptions.

For me, passion fruit has hints of mango and pineapple. Some people say that it also tastes a little bit like citrus. It is tart and sweet. It’s texture is not like your average fruit with its gooey, seedy, juicy center.

Close up of passion fruit cut in half on wood board. Cupcake partially visible on right.

When is Passion Fruit Ripe?

The skin should be a little wrinkled and have some purple visible. If the outside is very dark, almost green looking, and smooth, the nectar will be sour. If you can’t find ripe ones, let them sit on the counter for 3 days or so,

Rectangular white plate with half of a passion fruit on left and gluten-free passion fruit cupcake with cream cheese frosting on right. Pink napkin on right, white background.

Ingredients

These cupcakes use a base of gluten-free flour blend. My favorite gluten-free flour for baking is King Arthur Measure for Measure flour. It works in almost all of my baked goods and is widely available. It is also the most affordable of the gluten-free flours I’ve tested.

Pamela’s All Purpose Artisan Blend yields similar results and works in this recipe. I have not tested with Cup4Cup (contains milk powder) or Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 (not GF certified).

Regardless of which gf flour blend you use, if yours does not contain xanthan gum, guar gum or inulin, add 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum to the recipe.

Rectangular white plate with 3 gluten-free passion fruit cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and passion fruit drizzle. Milk bottle and glasses in back. White background.

Pure passion fruit nectar is available packaged but is difficult to find. There are several juices and nectars that contain passion fruit but are not pure passion fruit. I highly recommend using pure passion fruit nectar. So if you can’t find the packaged stuff, whole fresh passion fruit will do the trick.

The recipe calls for just one quarter cup, so two to three passion fruits is enough to get the amount needed. Simply cut the fruit in half and empty the contents into a mesh strainer over a measuring cup. Then use the back of a spoon to push the pulp and juice through. The seeds are relatively large and very crunchy so I prefer to leave them out of the cupcakes.

I use oil as the moisture and rich ingredient in gluten-free baking. It does a much better job of keeping gluten-free baked goods moist for a couple of days. I do prefer the taste of butter, but butter has a high water content which can evaporate easily in baked cupcakes.

Any neutral flavored vegetable oil will work. Avocado oil is my favorite, but canola sunflower, safflower, corn or even light olive oil are all good options.

Even though the flavor of these cupcakes is passion fruit, I still add some vanilla to the recipe. Vanilla is an excellent flavor enhancer and gives a lovely background flavor. My favorite vanilla is Cook’s vanilla Powder. It’s alcohol-free and has excellent flavor. Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste will also work.

Unfortunately vanilla has become crazy expensive lately. So if you can’t afford the real stuff, go right ahead and use imitation vanilla extract. The cupcakes will still taste amazing.

round marble platter with gluten-free passion fruit cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Half of a passion fruit and spoon on left. Pink and white napkin on right. White background.

Cupcake Frosting

The recipe card below includes a my pipeable cream cheese frosting. If you prefer something different, these cupcakes would also be delicious with my pink strawberry buttercream frosting (no food coloring) and classic vanilla buttercream frosting.