📊 Full nutrition facts — per 100g
| Nutrient | Amount | % Daily value | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 97 kcal | 5% | |
| Carbohydrates | 23.4g | 8% | |
| Dietary fibre | 10.4g | 37% | |
| Sugars | 11.2g | — | |
| GI (Glycaemic Index) | ~30 — Low | — | |
| Protein | 2.2g | 4% | |
| Vitamin C | 30mg | 33% | |
| Iron | 1.6mg | 9% | |
| Potassium | 348mg | 7% | |
| Vitamin A | 64µg RAE | 7% | |
| Folate | 14µg | 4% | |
| Phosphorus | 68mg | 7% |
Based on Australian NRV. Source: FSANZ Australian Food Composition Database.
📈 Glycaemic index (GI)
💊 Key vitamins & minerals
✅ Health benefits
Passion fruit provides 10.4g of dietary fibre per 100g — extraordinarily high for a fresh fruit and higher than most vegetables. The fibre includes both soluble pectin (prebiotic, cholesterol-lowering) and insoluble fibre from the seed coat. Just 3 passion fruits (approximately 50g pulp) provides about 5g of fibre — a significant daily contribution. This exceptional fibre content is the primary reason passion fruit has such a low GI despite its sweetness.
Passion fruit contains piceatannol (a stilbene polyphenol similar to resveratrol found in red grapes) and harmane alkaloids (including harman and norharman) that have demonstrated sedative, anxiolytic and mild antidepressant properties in research. Passion fruit tea and extract have been used in traditional medicine across South America and the Caribbean for insomnia and anxiety for centuries. A 2016 study found passion fruit extract significantly reduced anxiety-related behaviours in clinical measures.
Passion fruit peel extract has been studied specifically for cardiovascular effects — a 2017 randomised trial found that passion fruit peel powder significantly reduced systolic blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides over 8 weeks. The potassium (348mg/100g), fibre and piceatannol work together for comprehensive cardiovascular support. Yellow passion fruit varieties have higher flavonoid content than purple varieties and may provide stronger cardiovascular effects.
Passion fruit provides 33% of daily vitamin C per 100g — a meaningful immune support contribution. The combination of vitamin C, beta-carotene (vitamin A precursor, 64µg RAE/100g) and various phenolic acids provides multi-pathway antioxidant activity. The seeds contain high-potency antioxidant piceatannol — the same polyphenol found in red wine resveratrol with superior bioavailability.
⚠️ Who should limit or avoid
Passion fruit leaves and unripe fruit contain cyanogenic glycosides (linamarin) that can release hydrogen cyanide. Only eat fully ripe passion fruit pulp — never leaves, unripe fruit or plant parts other than the ripe pulp and seeds. This applies particularly to wild-growing Passiflora species that may grow as garden escapees across subtropical Australia. Only Passiflora edulis (the commercial passion fruit variety) should be consumed.
Passion fruit contains harmane alkaloids with mild sedative properties. People taking benzodiazepines, sedatives, or other CNS-depressant medications should be aware of potential additive sedative effects from large quantities of passion fruit or passion fruit extract supplements. At normal dietary amounts (1–4 fruits) this is generally not a clinical concern.
Passion fruit has documented cross-reactivity with latex (latex-fruit syndrome) — people with latex allergy should approach passion fruit with caution. Cross-reactivity is also documented with kiwi, avocado, banana and chestnut. If you have a latex allergy, test a small amount and monitor for reactions.
🛒 How to select & buy passion fruit
Unlike most fruits where smooth, taut skin means freshness, a passion fruit at its ripest best has distinctly wrinkled, dimpled skin. The wrinkling occurs as the pulp sweetens and the skin contracts — it is the sign of a fully ripe, sweet fruit at peak flavour and nutritional intensity. A smooth, taut purple passion fruit is unripe and will be very tart. Yellow (golden) passion fruit wrinkles less and is ripe when fully yellow with slight give.
Purple passion fruit (Passiflora edulis f. edulis) is the most common in Australian supermarkets — sweeter, more aromatic, richly flavoured. Yellow passion fruit (Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa) is larger, more tart and higher in juice content — preferred for juice production and cooking. Banana passion fruit (Passiflora tarminiana) is sold at some Queensland markets — elongated shape, very sweet, excellent for eating fresh. All are nutritionally similar with comparable fibre and vitamin content.
A ripe passion fruit has a penetrating, intensely tropical, slightly floral-musky aroma when held close — even through the intact skin. No smell means unripe or old. Overripe passion fruit smells fermented or alcoholic — still edible in small amounts but not ideal. The aromatic compounds (predominantly ethyl butanoate and ethyl hexanoate) are at their peak just as the skin finishes wrinkling.
🧊 Storage tips & shelf life
If your passion fruit has smooth skin, leave it on the bench to ripen — it will wrinkle naturally over 3–5 days and become significantly sweeter. Once wrinkled, it is at peak ripeness. Eat within 2–3 days or move to fridge. Do not refrigerate smooth (unripe) passion fruit.
Fully ripe wrinkled passion fruit keeps surprisingly well in the fridge for 2–4 weeks — the thick skin continues to protect the pulp. Store in a sealed bag to prevent moisture loss. Scooped pulp keeps 5–7 days in an airtight container. Passion fruit juice or coulis keeps 1 week refrigerated.
Passion fruit pulp freezes perfectly — perfect for cooking, smoothies, desserts and cocktails year-round. Scoop pulp into ice cube trays (each cube ≈ 1 fruit), freeze solid then transfer to zip-lock bags. Each cube is a ready-to-use single serving. One of the most practical fruits to freeze in bulk during the Australian season.
📖 About passion fruit — complete guide
Passion fruit takes its name from the passion of Christ — not from romantic passion, as many assume. Spanish Catholic missionaries travelling through South America in the 16th century encountered the extraordinary flower of Passiflora and interpreted its structural elements as symbols of the crucifixion: the three stigmas represented the three nails, the five anthers the five wounds, the corona filaments the crown of thorns, the ten petals the ten apostles (excluding Judas and Peter), and the vine tendrils the whips. They named it flor de las cinco llagas (flower of the five wounds) and later passionflower — flos passionis. The Jesuit missionaries used the flower as a teaching aid in their religious instruction of indigenous South American peoples.
The nutritional story of passion fruit is dominated by one extraordinary number: 10.4g of fibre per 100g of fresh fruit — a concentration that places it among the top fibre sources in the fresh produce department. For context, an apple provides 2.4g/100g, a banana 2.6g/100g and broccoli 2.6g/100g. The fibre in passion fruit comes in two forms: soluble pectin in the pulp (which forms a gel in the digestive system, slowing glucose absorption and feeding beneficial bacteria) and insoluble fibre from the seed coats (which adds bulk and supports regular bowel movements). A practical serving of 3–4 passion fruits (approximately 60–80g of pulp) provides 6–8g of dietary fibre — a substantial daily contribution from a fruit that takes 30 seconds to prepare.