Homemade Lilikoi Gingerade for Tropical Punch

An icy cold beverage is the perfect way to finish off a hot day in the garden. Even better if that beverage starts with fresh juice like this lilikoi gingerade.

Orange colored liquid in a swingtop bottle with lilikoi rinds behind.

Fresh Lilikoi Gingerade

These summertime coolers might be just what you need! And making them with fresh fruit means they’re a bit healthier, too. No plastic jugs of “juice flavored” drinks here.

Filled with small black seeds wrapped in a juicy orange membrane, liliko‘i — or passion fruit — grows on a vine that can get rambunctious in our mild Hawai‘i climate. I’m told there have been attempts to eradicate the vine as a pest. I consider myself lucky to have one growing in my backyard. And hey, don’t tell anyone but we’re planting a few more!

There are a number of varieties of passion fruit. The yellow liliko‘i is the most common, but there’s also a purple variety and one known as Jamaican liliko‘i or peach liliko‘i.

 

I’m working on getting all three varieties (along with a giant passion fruit that is more melon-like) established here. Once they start fruiting, liliko‘i vines produce bucketloads of fruit.

One can only eat so much liliko‘i fresh out of hand, though, so I find myself juicing much of my bounty to turn into liliko‘i jelly and liliko‘i bread. I also use passion fruit juice to make a knock-your-socks-off liliko‘i gingerade.

It’s one of my favorite summer drink recipes. You can freeze this passion fruit gingerade so you always have some on hand, too. (It’s always a treat for guests who don’t have access to fresh passion fruit!) Here are some ideas for freezing it without using plastic containers.

Try this watermelon iced green tea refresher, too!

passion fruit gingerade in a glass bottle

★ Did you make this lilikoi gingerade? Don’t forget to give a star rating below!

Passion Fruit Gingerade

Passion Fruit Gingerade

Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

An icy cold beverage is the perfect way to finish off a hot day in the garden. Even better if that beverage starts with fresh juice.

Ingredients

  • 6 cups water
  • 1- 6" piece of fresh ginger
  • 2 cups lilko‘i juice, (how to juice liliko‘i)
  • 1 cup honey , or organic sugar

Instructions

  1. Wash the unpeeled ginger and cut into 1″ lengths; place in a blender with 6 cups water. Pulse until ginger is chopped.
  2. Strain ginger water into a pitcher or a half-gallon size Ball jar. Discard ginger.
  3. Stir in liliko‘i juice and sugar. Chill and enjoy.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 165Unsaturated Fat: 0gSodium: 15mgCarbohydrates: 44gSugar: 43g

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Originally published in May 2014; this post has been updated.

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About the author: Kris Bordessa is an award-winning National Geographic author and a certified Master Food Preserver. Read more about Kris and how she got started with this site here. If you want to send Kris a quick message, you can get in touch here.

5 comments… add one
  • Michelle Mar 24, 2018 @ 21:43

    Easy to make and so refreshing. Thanks for the recipe!

  • Linda May 18, 2016 @ 13:18

    This looks delicious! It’s too cold where I live to grow any type of the vines, but we can get the fruit from the shop! I’ve just used up our last lot making a paleo coconut banana bread…but next time we get a bunch I will make this!

  • Megan May 28, 2014 @ 12:46

    I just want to mention that I made this tonight with lemon juice and honey. You only need about 3/4 cup of lemon juice and 1/2 to 3/4 cups of honey. I’m lucky because that is all the lemon juice I could get to make it. This tastes very good and refreshing.

    • Kris Bordessa May 28, 2014 @ 12:53

      Oh, good to know!

  • foodiesleuth May 20, 2014 @ 6:50

    Oh, Kris…this sounds sooo good!
    I haven’t heard about the efforts to eradicate liliko’i vines!  That would be horrible!..They might be invasive, but they are useful and can be controlled, contrary to the banana poka vines, which have pretty flowers but are not edible (although a case can even be made that the vines can be used for weaving baskets and wreaths!)

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