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South American Passionfruit Pie Recipe (Torta de Maracujá / Pie de Maracuyá)
South American passionfruit pie is a delicious tropical dessert. A rich, creamy passionfruit custard is baked inside of a cookie crust. This recipe for passionfruit pie uses a Biscoff cookie crust. Called Pie de Maracuyá in Spanish, and Torta de Maracujá in Brazilian Portuguese, passionfruit pie is a classic dessert across South America. In South Africa, a similar dessert is called granadilla pie. This easy pie recipe is the perfect Summer pie recipe.
What is a South American Passionfruit Pie?
Passionfruit pie is a South American pie that’s made a lot like key lime pie. A creamy, rich passionfruit custard is set inside a cookie crumb crust, then topped with whipped cream, toasted meringue, or passionfruit seeds. This pie is enjoyed all over South America, but it’s especially popular in Brazil, Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador, where it’s considered a signature dessert in Peru and a beloved favorite throughout Brazil. Depending on where you are, the pie goes by different names: Torta de Maracujá in Portuguese, or Pie de Maracuyá in Spanish.
Passionfruit pie is originally from South America, and if you search for this dessert online, you’re more likely to find recipes for Pie de Maracuyá or recipes for Torta de Maracujá than ones for passionfruit pie. Passionfruit itself is native to the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. Although passionfruit pie is most commonly found in South America, this delicious pie is easy to make anywhere!
Other Similar Icebox Pie Recipes
Although this passionfruit pie recipe originates in South America, it belongs to a whole family of icebox pie recipes that includes key lime pie. These pies are usually baked in a crumb crust and have a custard filling made with fruit juice (usually citrus juice), sweetened condensed milk, and egg yolks. Here are a few other pies that fall into this same family:
- Key Lime Pie: Florida key lime pie is probably the most popular and most iconic pie recipe in this category.
- Sour Orange Pie: Also from Florida, sour orange pie may be the predecessor to key lime pie, made with juice from Seville oranges.
- Atlantic Beach Pie: A variation of Carolina lemon pie, Atlantic beach pie mixes lemon and lime juice and is baked in a distinctive saltine cracker pie crust.
- Pink Grapefruit Pie: Grapefruit juice gives the pie a floral flavor you won’t get from other citrus juices, and the sweetened condensed milk balances out grapefruit’s natural tartness and bitterness.
How to Get Passionfruit Pulp for Passionfruit Pie
Making this passionfruit pie requires some passionfruit pulp or passionfruit puree, ideally without any seeds. The easiest way to get passionfruit juice or passionfruit puree is to head to a Mexican or other Latin American grocery store, where you’ll usually find passionfruit pulp sold frozen in plastic pouches labeled “pulpa de fruta de Maracuyá.” Just defrost the pouch and use the passionfruit puree as-is for this recipe.
If it’s easier for you to find, you can also buy frozen passionfruit cubes instead of pulp. They’re often sold right alongside other frozen tropical fruits like mango and guava. Simply puree the passionfruit cubes in a blender until smooth to get the passionfruit pulp you need for this pie.
Regardless which direction you go, make sure you use seedless passionfruit pulp for this passionfruit pie recipe.
Step-by-step Passionfruit Pie Recipe
Crust:
Passionfruit pie is most often sold in a cookie crumb crust like Biscoff pie crust. You can also branch out and try making this pie in another type of crumb crust like graham cracker crust.
Passionfruit Pie Filling Recipe:
Passionfruit pie filling is one of the easiest pie fillings you can make. You don’t need any special equipment, and it only requires four ingredients.
Ingredients
- 28oz Sweetened Condensed Milk (795g)
- 1c Passionfruit Pulp (237mL)
- 5 Egg Yolks
- ¼t Salt
1.
Preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C).
2.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, and salt. Using a whisk or even a fork, mix until fully combined.
3.
Add the passionfruit pulp, and once again mix until fully combined.
4.
Pour the filling into your prepared Biscoff crust.
5.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until very tiny cracks begin to appear around the edges of the pie. (To be quite honest, baked and unbaked passionfruit pies look very similar. But after 30 minutes at the correct temperature, the pie should be done).
6.
Chill the pie for at least 3 hours in the refrigerator so the filling can fully set before serving.
Homemade Whipped Cream Topping:
Passionfruit pies are usually topped with a whipped cream topping, a meringue pie topping, or passionfruit seeds. This recipe uses a homemade whipped cream topping.
Ingredients
- 1½ c Heavy Whipping Cream, cold
- ¼c Powdered Sugar, sifted (60g)
- ½t Vanilla Extract
1.
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the cold heavy cream, sifted powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Whip on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the cream holds its shape.
2.
Spread the whipped cream evenly over the chilled passionfruit pie using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. For a more decorative look, transfer it to a piping bag and pipe rosettes or swirls across the top.
Pro-Tip: Sifting your powdered sugar is an important step to prevent clumps in your whipped cream. You can shake the powdered sugar through a fine-mesh sieve to sift it.
How to Separate Eggs for Pie de Maracuyá
This passionfruit pie filling requires egg yolks rather than whole eggs. If you have never separated eggs before, this can seem like an odd or intimidating task. However, once you get the hang of it, it becomes quite easy.
You can separate eggs with a special egg separator tool that is very affordable online. Or you can use the egg shell itself or clean hands to separate the whites from the yolks.
The most important part is to cleanly crack the eggs so the yolk does not break when the egg is opened. Then either crack the egg into an egg separator, or, using clean hands, lift the yolk out of the bowl and allow the egg whites to slip through your fingers.
Other Latin American Pie Recipes
Pies are enjoyed all around the world, but you’ll find different pies in different places. Here are a few South American pies that might become one of your new favorites!
- Empanadas: Savory hand pies found all over South America, empanadas can be filled with a wide variety of fillings.
- Pay de Queso: A traditional Mexican cheesecake pie made with a crust of galletas Marias cookies and a creamy, cheesecake-like filling.
- Pastel Azteca: Sometimes called Mexican lasagna, pastel azteca is a savory casserole made with layers of corn tortillas, shredded chicken, and vegetables with cheese.
- Torta Capixaba: Also known as Capixaba Pie, this traditional, savory Brazilian Easter pie is complex and features seafood and heart of palm.
- Torta Holandesa: An iconic Brazilian dessert pie, this no-bake pie has a distinctive look with cookies surrounding a vanilla cream filling topped with a chocolate ganache.
- Torta Alemã: Similar to Torta Holandesa, except the filling features layers of buttercream and cake topped with a chocolate ganache. This dessert straddles the line between a pie and a cake.
- Torta de Cupuaçu: A pie from Northern Brazil, this dessert has a filling made with cupuaçu pulp, a fruit native to the Amazon rainforest that’s related to cacao and tastes like fruity chocolate.
- Torta Goiana: Also known as an Empadão Goiano, this Brazilian savory pie is filled with meat, heart of palm, and pequi fruit.
Other Passionfruit Pie Recipes
While there might not be an endless number of different pies made with passionfruit like you might find with apples and peaches, there are a few different pies I’ve found that use passionfruit in the filling.
- Lilikoi Chiffon Pie: Lilikoi is the Hawaiian word for passionfruit, and this pie was created by Hawaiian TV personality Sam Choy. It features a light and fluffy passionfruit chiffon filling in a flaky pastry crust topped with whipped cream.
- Norfolk Island Passionfruit Pie: Norfolk Island is a small volcanic island in the South Pacific that’s a territory of Australia. An old cookbook called The Norfolk Island Cookery Book has a recipe for this pie, which is similar to South American passionfruit pie except it doesn’t use any sweetened condensed milk.
- Passionfruit Impossible Pie: Impossible pies are a group of pie recipes popularized by Bisquick, with cheeseburger impossible pie and coconut impossible pie among the most common. These dump-and-mix recipes separate by themselves into a “crust” and “filling” as they bake.
How to Store a Passionfruit Pie
Passionfruit pie is most delicious when served chilled, and it needs to be chilled for a few hours after baking so the custard filling can fully set. Store Torta de Maracujá in the refrigerator, so you can serve a slice at any time. The pie keeps well in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. The filling will remain stable, but after a few days the Biscoff cookie crust will begin to soften and the whipped cream topping will no longer hold up.
South American passionfruit pies also store very well in the freezer. In fact, they are often sold whole in the frozen section of grocery stores. Bake your pie as usual, and instead of storing it in the refrigerator, place it in the freezer wrapped in plastic and sealed in a freezer bag to prevent freezer burn. Do not top the pie with whipped cream or meringue until you are ready to serve it, since the toppings do not freeze well. When you are ready to enjoy your passionfruit pie, thaw it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours and then cut your slices.
We’d love to see your passionfruit pie creations! If you give this recipe a try, tag @doggone_baking on social media so we can share in the baking fun.
Passionfruit Pie (Pie de Maracuyá)
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 Biscoff Cookie Crust (or other crumb crust)
Key Lime Pie
- 28 oz Sweetened Condensed Milk (795g)
- ⅔ cup Passionfruit Puree (160mL)
- 5 Egg Yolks
- ¼ tsp Salt
Whipped Cream
- 1½ cups Heavy Whipping Cream (355mL)
- ¼ cup Powdered Sugar, sifted (30g)
- ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
Make the Pink Grapefruit Pie
- Preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C).
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, salt, and egg yolks. Mix until fully combined.
- Add the passionfruit puree, and once again mix until fully combined.
- Pour the filling into your prepared Biscoff cookie crust.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until very tiny cracks begin to appear around the edges of the pie.
- Chill the pie for at least 3 hours in the refrigerator so the filling can fully set before serving.
Finish with Whipped Cream
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the cold heavy cream, sifted powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Whip on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the cream holds its shape.
- Spread the whipped cream evenly over the chilled passionfruit pie using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. For a more decorative look, transfer it to a piping bag and pipe rosettes or swirls across the top.
About Me
In 2016, I left my office job and became a professional baker. These days I spend my days testing recipes and baking pies while my two dogs snooze happily nearby.
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