A wonderful Lilikoi Cheesecake with an aromatic passion fruit topping, macadamia nut shortbread crust and a smooth cheesecake filling is always in fashion. Try this passionfruit cheesecake and treat yourself and your loved ones.
What is a Lilikoi Cheesecake?
Lilikoi is a yellow, big fruit, related to passion fruit, maracuja. Lilikoi has bright yellow pulp and is a typical Hawaiian fruit. So is this cheesecake with a lilikoi topping. Liliko’i is the Hawaiian word for passion fruit. Originally native to South America, maracujas have been brought to Hawaii in the 1920s. The most common variety is the yellow liliko’i.
Btw: If you are in for a savory Hawaiian treat, try these Hawaiian roll sliders.

But no worries, you can easily make this cheesecake topping with the dark purple passion fruit, even the orange one. Once you are on it, why don’t you make lilikoi curd for use all year round?
Adding the passion fruit topping and filling
For this cheesecake, you can either add 3/4 of the batter to the shell and then add about a cup of lilikoi to the center before topping it off with the remaining cheesecake filling.

Or you fill the crust and then add dots of the lilikoi curd and swirl it into the top. This makes for a great pattern.
Also try Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake or Pumpkin Cheesecake with Sugared Pepitas.
Lilikoi (Passion Fruit) Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 2 cups Macadamia Shortbread Cookies ground
- ¾ cup butter molten
- 16 ounces cream cheese 2x 8 oz blocks, softened
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 pint sour cream
- ¼ Tsp vanilla essence
- 1 pinch of salt
- Lilikoi Curd
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest finely grated
Step by Step
- Ground-up the shortbread cookies, about 13 – 15 cookies depending on the size. Mix the cookie crumbs with the molten butter and press it down and up the sides of the 7" springform pan. Refrigerate the pan.
- Preheat the oven to 300° F (140° C)
- Cream the cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add in the eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla, lemon zest and sour cream. The mixture should be smooth and have no lumps.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared crust, adding ½ cup of passion fruit (lilikoi) curd and bring it into a pattern of your choice.
- Wrap the springform pan completely with foil to create a watertight seal. Place it into a larger Springform pan (10" inch) and fill ⅔ up the side with water to make a waterbath.
- Place in the oven and bake for 45 – 50 minutes in the waterbath to prevent cracking.
- Take the smaller pan out of the water bath and cool in the pan for 1 hour. Then cover it and place it into the fridge for eight hours. Overnight is best.
- Remove cheesecake from the springform pan and top with the lilikoi curd before serving.
Equipment
Nutrition
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