How To Know If Passion Fruit Is Ripe

As mentioned before, passion fruits are delicious tropical fruit that grow in clusters on trees or plants. They can be red, white, yellow, or golden in color depending on the variety!

When they are ripe, you will know them by their sweet taste and texture. Unfortunately, most passion fruit varieties do not stay fresh for very long so it is best to get them when they are almost at the end of its season.

This article will talk about how to tell when your passion fruits are close to giving up and then what to do with it once it has finished.

Use your fingers to feel the fruit

The texture of passion fruits changes as they ripen. As they are still slightly firm, they can be pressed down and squeezed gently to determine whether or not they have dried out.

If you get a strong sweet taste, then they are ripe! They will keep their shape when bitten because there is no pulp.

You can store them in a sealed container at room temperature until you find one that is mature.

Use a knife to test it

Pressing down on a piece of passion fruit with a knife is an easy way to know when it’s ripe. When you feel the soft, squishy flesh give under pressure, then it's time to pick!

This doesn't necessarily indicate that the fruit will taste good, but you can be sure it'll wash away easily. Try one just to make sure we're talking about this year's crop here! 😉

And don't worry — most people agree that the green seeds always taste better than the white ones anyway. So do not hesitate to throw out any deciduous seed pods unless you want them! 🙂

Another tip is to check whether the top half of the pulp has separated from the skin. This happens as the water in the mouth breaks down the sugar content and acidity levels.

Put it in the fridge

The texture of passion fruits changes as they ripen, so before you can taste them, you have to make sure they are ripe!

As passion fruit season comes around again, this is an excellent time to know when those juicy gems are at their peak flavor.

One way to determine whether a passionfruit is sweet enough for eating is to put it in the refrigerator and see how it tastes after one hour. If it’s not sweet enough, then pull it out and wash off any residual seeds or strings that may be left behind.

Check it every few hours

When passion fruit is not soft, put it back in the refrigerator or discard it!
You can check whether it has ripened by squeezing it- when it gives away its liquid, it is ready.

After it is squeezed, place it back into the fridge for it to set overnight! This will help preserve the flavor and make it last longer!

Too ripe passion fruits can be difficult to enjoy as they become very watery. You may want to just buy ones that are slightly underripe so they retain some shape and therefore taste better.

Use a taste test

Pressing your tongue onto the fruit’s skin is an easy way to check whether it has reached its peak flavor. If you can clearly taste acid, then it has!

The texture of the pulp will also change as it ripens. The flesh should be slightly cream-colored and soft, and only become thicker as it dries out.

Once it is dried down, however, it will feel grainy and crispy like chocolate chips. This is due to the presence of antioxidants called proanthocyanins that dry down during baking.

You can refresh the palate by washing your mouth with some water or plain milk after tasting each variety.

Ask a friend

It’s one of those lovely, bright yellow fruits that many people seem to love eating them alone or using them in recipes. Unfortunately, passion fruit can be tricky to find a perfect ripeness.

As with most foods, when it comes down to it, taste is a major factor. If you don’t like passion fruit then chances are someone else won’t either so knowing how to tell whether it’s at its best flavor-wise may help.

We’ve gathered some tips here for you to try out. Read on to see what they are and which ones work for you!

How to know if passion fruit is ripe

By this time of year, nearly every grocery store will have fresh passion fruit available. That being said, even better than trying to buy it online is walking into your local supermarket and picking your own!

That way, you don’t need to worry about buying too much because there’s an adequate supply left over. (And we all know how expensive passion fruit can be!)

Be aware though that depending on the variety, passion fruit can rapidly spoil. Make sure to check and rotate it every few days to ensure it doesn’t turn brown and sour.

Also remember that not only does color change as it matures but texture changes as well. The skin gets thinner and the seeds lose their fluffy quality.

Do not buy until it is ripe

This fruit will not taste good unless you eat it when it is fully ripened. The flavor can be described as tangy with notes of sour, sweet, or both. If the skin starts to come away easily, that is another tip-off!

When passion fruits are in season, there are many ways to prepare them. You can soak them in sugar water and then refrigerate so they poach down and add sweetness to whatever meal you serve them with. They can also be dried and mixed into recipes or eaten alone.

If you find one that looks slightly soft, chances are it has already overripe. Avoid buying any which look hard or have cracks in the peel.

Reaching for it too early

When passion fruits are not soft, do not buy them unless you know they have no sepals or flowers attached. This is because as they ripen, the plant sends out branches that grow leaves and seeds. If the fruit is already separated from the branch, then it has already gone through at least one stage of growth and will taste different than if it was fresh.

However, there is an easy way to check whether passion fruits are ripe! Simply squeeze one between your thumb and index finger. If it breaks down quickly under pressure, then it is probably close to being perfect and should be eaten right away.

Alternatively, you can cut into the passion fruit to see how much white liquid it contains. As it matures, the acidity changes and this difference can tell you when it is ready to be consumed.