This Passion Fruit Salad Dressing is so delicious you will be tempted to drink it. Passion fruit's aroma immediately puts me in a good mood.

Memories of Growing Up in Honolulu

Passion fruit reminds my of my childhood in Honolulu. My favorite shave ice flavor was lilikoi, the Hawaiian word for passion fruit. Fast forward to my current life in Southern California and I have the most kick-ass passion fruit vine. A single vine covers the wall outside my bedroom, and if I don't trim it regularly, it will grow up over my roof. Each year between late August and December it produces 200-300 fruit. This particular vine delivers large generous fruit that are particularly sweet. My biggest fear is that my vine will stop producing as I read that passionfruit typically have a lifespan of only 5 - 7 years. My vine is closing in on 10 years and this year's fruit production was epic. Because my vine produces such plentiful and delicious fruit I have been working to grow a new vine both from seeds and clippings. So far none of the seeds have sprouted and only one clipping made it to the vine stage. It has produced its first fruit, but is struggling a bit. I am encouraging it to take over when its parent retires.

Passion Fruit Flowers and Seeds

These strangely beautiful, almost alien-looking flowers are actually edible and have a flavor reminiscent of asparagus. Remember you eat the seeds of the passion fruit. There is a lot of nutrition in the seeds, including insoluble fiber, protein, healthy fat, vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals.

What to Do if You Don't Have a Passion Fruit Vine?

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You can buy passion fruit at farmers' markets and sometimes at chain grocery stores. I warn you that they can be expensive, running $4 - $5 each. Amazon Fresh sells them for $2.99 each. Amazon also sells a delicious passion fruit puree, which is 90% passion fruit and 10% cane sugar. So if you are using Funkin Fruit passion fruit puree, remember to adjust the sweetener in your recipe because it is already sweetened. Mazonni also makes a puree with 100% passion fruit juice. Next time I need passion fruit when it is out of season I will try this brand.  

Food Processor or Hand-Whipped

I prefer using a food processor to make this passion fruit salad dressing. I start by blitzing the shallots until they are finally minced. Then I add everything but the olive oil and blitz again to combine. This breaks down the pulp and separates the seeds, leaving the remaining juice a uniform consistency.  As a last step, I leave the motor running and slowly add the olive oil to create an emulsion. Made with a food processor, the dressing stays in an emulsion and does not separate, even when stored in the fridge for days. Alternatively, you can make passion fruit salad dressing just like you would an oil and vinegar dressing. Hand whisk the passion fruit seeds and juice to break down the pulp a bit. Add all the remaining ingredients except the olie oil and briefly whisk to combine. Then stream in the olive oil while whisking to create an emulsion. Just like an oil and vinegar dressing, the ingredients will separate over time. Just whisk again right before serving.

What Do I Make with Passion Fruit?

People ask me this all the time. In addition to this Passion Fruit Salad Dressing, I put passion fruit on yogurt and cottage cheese, bake with it, make panna cotta with it, top a pavlova with it, throw it into cocktails and frankly slurp it up just by itself. Check out these passion fruit recipes:  

Passion Fruit Olive Oil Cake

 

Passion Fruit Ricotta Cake

 

Passion Fruit Panna Cotta

 

Passion Fruit Margarita

 

Passion Fruit Tequila Mojito

My Favorite Salad to Dress with Passion Fruit Salad Dressing

I like to pair Passion Fruit Salad Dressing with milder, delicate lettuce, such as butter lettuce, but I have also used it on stronger greens, like spinach. My favorite salad to use this dressing on is my Holiday Salad with Passion Fruit Dressing. This salad takes advantage of my favorite Fall and Winter fruits: Fuyu persimmons, pomegranates, and, of course, passion fruit. They are all in-season between September and January and combined together they make a bright, flavorful salad that will elevate any holiday meal, or for that matter, dinner any day of the week.

No Food Processor? No Problem

While I like to use the food processor to create a smooth and silky passion fruit salad dressing, you can also make it oil-and-vinegar style. Simply stir all the ingredients together except the olive oil, working to break up the passion fruit seeds. Then whisk the olive oil in slowly. The dressing will separate, but you can always re-whisk it to combine. Print