For the Love of Liliko‘i: 8 Unique Products with Passion Fruit You’ll Want to Try

Locals love liliko‘i. Whether you pluck it off a backyard vine, barter with neighbors for it or pick it up at a farmers market, there’s something so satisfying about scooping the sweet, tangy seeds straight out of a passion fruit.   

Although the fruit bears the Hawaiian name liliko‘i, the two varieties found in the Islands were both introduced. The purple passion fruit originated in South America while the yellow variety is believed to be native to Australia.  

While liliko‘i is delicious raw, its naturally high acidity makes it a great ingredient to add to baked goods, beverages and even hot sauce. Today, local companies are finding inventive ways to incorporate passion fruit into their products—because they know you love liliko‘i, too.  

From cookies to hot sauce, passion fruit isn’t just an ingredient in POG.
Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino

Products:

1. Liliko‘i Butter ($11.85), Liko Lehua, likolehua.com.

2. Liliko‘i Passion Fruit Jellies ($6.50 for box of six), Maui Fruit Jewels, mauifruitjewels.com.

3. Liliko‘i White Chocolate Cookie ($7.75), Maui Cookie Lady, themauicookielady.com.

4. Liliko‘i Caramel Bon Bons ($20 for a box of six), Koho Chocolates, kohochocolates.com.

5. Liliko‘i Roasted Macadamia Nuts ($8 for 4 ounces), Āhualoa Family Farms, ahualoafamilyfarms.com.

6. Liliko‘i Hot Sauce ($19), HI Spice, hispice.com.

7. Liliko‘i Balsamic Dressing ($10), Kahuku Farms, kahukufarms.com.

8. Liliko‘i Mead ($19.50), 8. Mānoa Honey & Mead, manoahoney.com.

This story was originally published in our SPRING/SUMMER 2025 issue, which you can buy here. Better yet, subscribe and get HAWAIʻI Magazine delivered to right to your mailbox.

Grace Maeda is the editor of HAWAIʻI Magazine.