Tangy, creamy, sweet, and tart, passionfruit ice cream is really delicious! I am in love with this wonderful tropical “Sicilian Gelato,” and I think you will love it as well.
If you enjoy off-the-beaten-path flavors, you may also enjoy my strawberry rose kulfi.
And don’t miss the round-up of all my ice cream recipes in one place. Thank you for visiting!
Aboslutely fabulous recipe!
Reader Monica
Why This Recipe?
Y’all. This passion fruit ice cream is one of the smoothest and creamiest I’ve ever made.
It’s also nice that there’s a very short ingredient list.
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There are no eggs to worry about, and that also allows the passion fruit flavor to really shine through.
Eggs often tend to muddy bright flavors, so you won’t have that issue here. All you’ll taste is pure sweet-tangy passionfruit bite. So great!
In ice cream making, large ice crystals are the enemy of smooth, creamy goodness, and the goal is to minimize them.
One of the easiest ways to do that is to limit the amount of water in the base.
For this ice cream, I cut off the water supply in two ways.
First, I cooked the half and half, reducing its volume by 25%.
I also cooked the puree with corn starch. The starch binds up some water and also thickens up the base.
The resulting ice cream, and I guess it’s really more of a “Sicilian gelato” according to Anders over at Ice Cream Nation since it doesn’t contain eggs and uses a starch as a thickener, is smooth, dense, creamy and delicious.
It melts to a thin custard-like consistency that coats the still-frozen parts like a sauce.
What Does It Taste Like?
Passion fruit is one of those flavors that’s juicy. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water in anticipation.
Passionfruit ice cream is paradoxically creamy and tart at the same time. Think of it like a super creamy sorbet, even though it’s dairy-based.
It firms up nicely in the freezer but only needs about five minutes on the counter to a scoopable texture.
Made this recipe according to the first variation. I used tapioca starch instead of cornstarch, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. This ice cream is perfect. Captures the flavor of passion fruit. Gelato-like texture that scoops beautifully. Thank you so much for sharing, I’ll be making this one a lot and will use this base for all my tropical fruit ice creams.
Reader Sarah
How to Make It
Ingredients
- passion fruit puree: I used Goya brand, but you could also use a confectionary passion fruit puree available on Amazon. Or if you have access to fresh passion fruit, run the pulp through a food mill to get out the seeds. You can also substitute mango puree or raspberry puree to change the flavor completely. Or try a mango passion fruit combination
- sugar: necessary for both sweetness and balance and to keep the ice cream from setting up too firmly
- half and half: provides the bulk of the liquid, body, and creaminess. I have not tried to substitute other dairy, but I think you could use whole milk as long as you up the amount of cornstarch by 2 teaspoons or so
- lemon juice: adds an additional punch of citric acid, rounding out the juiciness of the passion fruit
- salt: counteracts any bitterness. Because we want tart and puckery. Not bitter
- cornstarch: gives the final base a thicker texture to help inhibit large ice crystals. It also prevents the ice cream from setting up too hard in the freezer
Procedure
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When I first made this ice cream, I allowed the amount of half and half to reduce on the stove to 2 1/4 cups to help limit water content.
Since then, I realized you can just add additional cornstarch and cook everything together at once.
I will outline both procedures, and then you can decide which best fits your time constraints.
Version 1
- Cook the half and half and salt until weight is reduced by 6 oz. In this case, that’s 25%. Strain and chill.
- Bring puree, sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch to a boil. Keep at a low boil, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes. Strain and chill.
- Whisk both the half and half and puree mixtures together until evenly combined.
- Chill until at least 40F.
- Churn in your ice cream maker until it is the consistency of soft serve.
- Pack in a container and freeze for at least four hours before serving.
Version 2
In this second version, we’re reducing the amount of half and half and increasing the corn starch to make sure the base still has a velvety texture.
- Cook half and half, salt, and cornstarch together. Boil for 2 minutes. Strain and chill.
- Bring puree, sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch to a boil. Keep at a low boil, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes. Strain and chill.
- Whisk the two mixtures together, and chill until at least 40F.
- Churn in your ice cream making until it’s the consistency of soft serve.
- Pack in a container and freeze fo at least four hours before serving.
Tips for Success
The reason I don’t combine the dairy with the passionfruit before cooking is I don’t want to risk the base curdling when the acid hits the dairy.
Cooking the two parts of the base separately takes this issue off the table.
The more you strain your base, the smoother your final ice cream will be. Is it strictly necessary to strain 3 times? No. But multiple strainings will give you the smoothest and creamiest ice cream possible.
Make sure to thoroughly chill the base before churning. The longer it takes to churn the base, the more potential for larger ice crystals.
And larger ice crystals equals grainy ice cream. Which is good for exactly nobody.
Q&A
Your ice cream will keep just fine, well-covered, in the freezer for up to two weeks. After that, it may start picking up some “freezer flavor.” For best flavor and texture, eat within a week.
Make the base up to five days before you want to churn. Keep the base in a covered container in the fridge until you’re ready to churn.
Yes. If you want to make passion fruit paletas or popsicles, simply pour the churned puree into popsicle molds. Make sure to tap the molds firmly on the counter to get rid of air bubbles. For longer-lasting popsicles, pour the base directly into molds without churning. They will be denser and won’t melt as quickly.
A Note About Measurements
Don't let its small price and small size fool you. The Escali Primo is an accurate and easy-to-use food scale that I have used for years. It's easy to store, easy to use, has a tare function, and easily switches between grams and ounces/pounds for accurate measurements.
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Passion Fruit Ice Cream
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 24 oz 3 cups half and half (or 18 oz if going with variation 2, see NOTES)
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 12 oz 1 1/2 cups passion fruit puree
- 1 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons corn starch 2 additional teaspoons if going with variation 2. See NOTES
- 7.5 oz a slightly generous cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, bring the half and half and salt to a low boil. Watch it carefully so it doesn’t boil over, and let it boil until it has reduced by 25%. When finished, it should weigh 18 oz (2 1/4 cups).
- Strain through a fine mesh strainer into an ice bath and stir. until cool.
- In the meantime, bring the puree, lemon juice, corn starch and sugar to a boil, whisking constantly.
- Allow the puree to boil for about 10 seconds, still whisking constantly, to cook off any starchy taste and let the mixture thicken.
- Strain through a fine mesh strainer into the same bowl the dairy is in. You may need to add more ice to your ice bath.
- Stir the mixture together until cold, about 45F.
- Cover and refrigerate the mixture until thoroughly chilled. I shoot for about 38-39F.
- When chilled, strain the mixture once more through a fine mesh strainer and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- When the ice cream is the consistency of soft-serve, pack into a container/s and press plastic wrap onto the surface of the ice cream.
- Put a lid on your container and ripen in the freezer for at least 4 hours.
- Allow the ice cream to sit out for 5-10 minutes for Optimal Scooping.
Did You Make Any Changes?
Notes
FOR VARIATION 2
Reduce the amount of half and half from 3 cups to 2 1/4 cups and cook together with 2 additional teaspoons of cornstarch. Proceed with the rest of the recipe as written.Nutrition
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This is hands down the best passion fruit ice cream recipe! I use homemade passionfruit purée and it comes out amazing. Don’t try and double the recipe unless you have a huge ice cream maker! I tried it one time and it it would have been too full to churn right, so I took some base out and used it in smoothies.
Ooh, I’m so happy you like it, and hooray for bonus smoothies!
Made this recipe according to the first variation. I used tapioca starch instead of cornstarch, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. This ice cream is perfect. Captures the flavor of passion fruit. Gelato-like texture that scoops beautifully. Thank you so much for sharing, I’ll be making this one a lot and will use this base for all my tropical fruit ice creams.
Absolutely fabulous recipe.
I’m so thrilled you like it, Monica!
What brand of passion fruit puree did you use ?
I believe it was Goya in the frozen section at my local Latin grocery.
wow i think this recipe is delicious, infact i try today in my kitchen, but i search some any secret ingredient to add, now i know i need to add passion fruit juice too it might be one cup? thanks ….
I call for 1 1/2 cups of passion fruit puree. If you like it slightly less tangy, one cup should work just fine, Theresa. Enjoy!
Hi Jennifer, sorry for sounding very ignorant but what is half and half? Is it half cream and half milk or is it half cream and half water? We live in Victoria Falls and my friend Portia has given us a bucket full of fresh granadillas (as we normally call them here) from her garden. So I came across your recipe and it looks to divine to resist.
Thanks a lot,
Marie
No worries at all–it is crazy all the different names for dairy products around the world, Marie! In the US, half and half is a mixture of heavy cream and whole milk. You can use that as a sub, or if you have “light cream” or “coffee cream,” that will work as well. How lovely that you have fresh granadillas (a new word for me!) Enjoy the ice cream, and let me know how you like it!
Could you make this recipe with whole milk instead?
Yes you can, but add a Tablespoon or two of cornstarch to the mix and don’t do the reduction step. The cornstarch will improve the body you’re losing when you reduce the fat.
Can you make this with whole milk?
I only have passionfruit juice, will this recipe still work?
Good question, Channing. Look at the ingredient list. If it’s nothing but passionfruit juice and some sugar, you should be fine. If it’s just passion fruit *flavored* sweet water (if you know what I mean), it won’t work. If you want to make passion fruit pdf’s, they are so worth it, and it is worth getting the puree to make them. You won’t be sorry!
You are so making me crave ice cream. Oooh now I understand why I have started asking JP to take me for an ice cream in the afternoons! Man having a machine at home would kill me. All your ice creams look fabulously delicious!
Having a machine is seriously bad news, Jamie. I don’t recommend it. 😉 =D
Hi Jennifer, I have been wanting to buy an ice cream maker for a while now, is there a particular brand you would recommend? Also this ice cream looks delicious!
Hey, Cheri! Glad you stopped by! I don’t have a lot of experience with home ice cream makers. I owned a 4 quart electric churn a long time ago, the kind where you add ice and salt around the central cylinder. That worked just fine, but it was a bit messy. On the other hand, it was only about $30 and was reliable for as long as I had it. I just got a new 2-quart Cuisinart–it’s called the ICE-30BC and is available on Amazon for about $80. So far, it’s working great. It’s the kind where you put the insert in the freezer, and it has churned out some lovely ice cream. I do suggest you start with a well-chilled base though. I try to get mine to at least 40F if not 38F or so. That way there is minimal thawing of the insert as the ice cream churns. I hope that helps!
YAAAAASSS this is what I’ve been waiting for. Thanks Jenni for the indepth explanation of what makes ice cream silky smooth =)
=) Any time, Lisa!
We’re having an “ice cream competition” for Easter Sunday this year. Can this be made in an ice cream maker? If so, which step do I add it?
I made this in the ice cream maker, Judy. I wrote to “churn using the manufacturer’s instructions,” in the recipe. I hope that answers your question. And I hope you win the ice cream competition! =)
This ice cream sounds delightful!
I am *still* being delighted by it, every time I shove some in my face, Christine! =)
Jenni, this looks absolutely delicious! I can’t wait to try it…thanks for sharing! I think I have a passion for your passionfruit ice cream!
Thank you so much, Jodee! I really do think you will enjoy it! =)