Passion Fruit Bars

Move over, lemon bars! These Passion Fruit Bars are going to be your new sweet/tart obsession. They have a buttery shortbread crust and a deliciously creamy, tangy and tropical passion fruit filling.

Want to save this recipe?

Get this sent right to your inbox, plus great new recipes weekly!

First Name

Email *

Save Recipe

🧡 My Favorite Passion Fruit Dessert

I’m a little obsessed with passion fruit. The flavor, the concept—even the name. (Adding “passion” basically means you’re required to love it, right?)

What is passion fruit?

Passion fruit is a tropical fruit that’s filled with a mixture of delicious, edible pulp and seeds. You strain the seeds from the pulp, and blam – you have passion fruit puree, which tastes like if mango and guava and lemon had a baby together. It’s tart, with a bit of sweetness, and a flavor that makes me want to book a beach vacation, immediately.

If you’re new to the passion fruit, don’t miss my full guide to passion fruit, including tips for picking the best, most ripe fruit, how to store them, and more. I also have a tutorial showing how to make your own passion fruit puree, with photos and videos to walk you through it.

Why You’ll Love These Bars

These bars are a twist on classic lemon bars. Since passion fruit is quite tart, it’s a good substitute for lemon in a lot of baking recipes. I swapped passion fruit puree for lemon juice in my favorite Lemon Bars recipe, and magic was made. ✨

The base is a super-crispy buttery crust that comes together in a minute and doesn’t require any chilling. The filling is tart and tropical, with a soft and creamy texture that melts in your mouth, but sets enough so you can easily and neatly cut and serve the bars.

What if I don’t have fresh passion fruit?

Never fear — you don’t have to have your own passion fruit vine to make these bars. (Yes, they grow on vines – told you they were cool!)

I typically use frozen passion fruit puree in this recipe. It’s easier for me to find, much cheaper than using fresh passion fruit, and I love that I can keep a supply in my freezer for whenever a craving strikes!

I usually buy Goya brand passion fruit puree from my local Mexican market. (I live in CA, availability and brands will vary based on location.) One 14-oz package of puree is the perfect amount for this recipe. All you have to do is defrost and you’re ready to go!

Ingredients

Now here’s the rest of what you’ll need to make these bars! Full ingredient amounts can be found in the recipe card below. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

For the Crust

• Unsalted butter and salt: I like to use unsalted butter in baked goods so that I can adjust the salt to my exact tastes. However, if you only have salted butter, you can still use it, but make sure to omit the additional salt in the crust.
• Sugar: You’ll need regular granulated sugar to sweeten the crust.  
• Vanilla extract: To give the shortbread crust a little flavor.
• Flour: Use all-purpose flour for the base of the crust. If possible, use a scale to measure the flour so that you add the correct amount.

For the Filling

• Eggs: You’ll need 8 large eggs to make the filling. (Avoid other sizes, like medium or jumbo – using too much or too little egg might result in a gooey or gummy filling.) For the best results, have the eggs at room temperature.
• Sugar: Granulated sugar for the filling, and a bit of powdered sugar on top before serving!
• Passion fruit puree: This is the star of the show! I typically use Goya passion fruit puree, and you can read more about that above.
• Flour: A little all-purpose flour in the filling helps it to firm up and will make the bars easier to cut.

📸 Photo Tutorial: How to Make Passion Fruit Bars

Here’s a step-by-step guide for how to make Passion Fruit Bars! Printable instructions are included in the recipe card above.

Make the Crust

1. Prepare to bake. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper so that it extends up the sides, and spray the paper with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Mix crust ingredients. In a bowl, whisk together 8 oz (1 cup) melted butter, 3.5 oz (1/2 cup) granulated sugar, 2 tsp vanilla, and 1/2 tsp salt. Once mixed, add 8.5 oz (2 cups) purpose flour and stir with a spatula until no streaks of flour remain.

3. Press crust into pan. Scrape the dough into the pan and press it into an even layer. It might seem a little greasy—this is normal.
4. Bake crust. Bake the crust for about 25 minutes at 350° F, until it’s light golden on top. While the crust is baking, prepare the filling so it’s ready to go as soon as the crust is done.

Make the Filling

1. Mix eggs, sugar and puree. In a large bowl, whisk together 8 large eggs, 16.3 oz (2 1/3 cups) granulated sugar, and 14 oz (1 1/2 cups) passion fruit puree.

2. Sift flour in. Sift 2.12 oz (1/2 cup) flour on top of the egg mixture, and whisk it in well.

3. Pour filling over hot crust. When the crust is done baking, slide the rack part-way out of the oven. Pour the filling over the hot crust and slide it back into the oven.
4. Reduce temperature and bake till done. Reduce the temperature to 325°F and bake for 25-30 minutes. It’s done when the center barely jiggles when you tap the pan.
5. Cool. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool until it reaches room temperature. Then refrigerate until completely chilled.
6. Cut into squares. Cut bars into squares with a large sharp knife. Before serving, sprinkle the tops with powdered sugar. Enjoy!

💡Tips and FAQs

Here are my top tips for making these bars!