This Carrot Passion Fruit Pie with Molasses Meringue recipe yields a cinnamon crust filled with carrot passion fruit curd topped with a molasses Swiss meringue. This is like a lemon meringue pie but the filling is flavored with carrot juice and passion fruit puree. This is a unique pie for Thanksgiving, or any time of year.
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You won't find an abundance of pies on this blog, and that's because I don't always like making them! It's funny because I make A LOT of tarts. The truth is I struggle with pie crust. I've tried every trick, hack and award-winning recipe and still haven't found one that reliably pleases myself or my partner (he's a pie lover). So this was another attempt at trying to fall in love with pie. The carrot passion fruit filling and molasses meringue though? That's another story. I am in love with them. They are perfect and I am so proud to bring those recipes to you. But, it won't hurt my feelings if you want to use someone else's pie crust recipe and just add cinnamon to it! I know a lot of folks love this one by Erin Jeanne McDowell. The filling recipe is adapted from Sally's Baking Blog and the meringue is adapted from Serious Eats.
A big change I made to the standard meringue pie with this passion fruit meringue pie recipe is using a Swiss meringue rather than a French. I just love the stability and peace of mind that comes with cooking the egg white syrup to a safe temperature. Another great option for this recipe would be a fruity Swiss meringue, like the strawberry version here. If you're like me and prefer a tart crust, I love this vanilla tart crust dough.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- The carrot and passion fruit come together to create a deliciously tart tropical candy flavor in the filling that is reminiscent of lemon curd.
- The cinnamon pie crust brings even more flavor and tastes just like graham crackers.
- The molasses meringue works beautifully with the cinnamon crust and it's delicate tartness pairs well with the pie filling.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour is the base of the pie crust. It gives a tender crumb.
- Kosher salt and vanilla extract balance the overall flavor profile.
- Ground cinnamon flavors the pie crust.
- Vegetable shortening and unsalted butter are the fats in the crust. They add richness and help the crust puff a bit. Butter also enriches the filling.
- Whole large egg binds the crust, large egg yolks enrich the filling and large egg whites whip up to create the meringue.
- Vinegar in the pie dough keeps it tender and keeps the dough from oxidizing and turning gray.
- Carrot juice is the bulk of the moisture in the filling.
- Passion fruit pulp flavors the filling. I used thawed from frozen passion fruit pulp which is cheaper and more readily available than fresh passion fruit pulp.
- Lemon juice adds tang to the filling.
- Granulated sugar sweetens the pie.
- Molasses adds flavor and additional sweetness to the meringue.
- Cream of tartar helps the meringue whip up.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and variations
Here's how to customize this carrot passion fruit pie with molasses meringue to your liking:
- No meringue — swap the meringue for whipped cream. Whip up 1 cup of heavy whipping cream with 2 tablespoon of powdered sugar or molasses and a pinch of kosher salt.
- No molasses — swap for brown sugar or granulated sugar, depending on your preference.
- Crust variations — omit the cinnamon, use a store-bought crust or make a graham cracker crust.
- Fresh passion fruit — swap the frozen passion fruit pulp for fresh. You can even leave in the seeds.
- Tart tin — instead of a pie plate, make a passion fruit tart in a tart pan with a removable bottom.
- Another meringue — swap for a French meringue or an Italian meringue instead.
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This recipe has not been tested with any substitutions or variations. If you try any, please let me know how it turned out by commenting below!
How to make This Carrot Passion Fruit Pie with Molasses Meringue
Step 1: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and cinnamon. Add the cold shortening and butter and toss to coat. With a pastry blender, two knives or your fingers, work in the fats until they are just a bit smaller than pea sized. Add half of a beaten egg, vinegar and half of the ice cold water. Mix just until the dough clumps together when you squeeze it in your hand. Add more water as needed, but try to avoid using too much. You want the dough to just barely stick together. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours, but overnight is best.
Step 2: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Roll the dough on a lightly-floured surface with a rolling pin until ¼-inch thick, or wide enough to hang 2-3 inches over your pie plate. Gently place the dough into the pie plate. Fold under and crimp the edges. Place in the freezer for at least 20 minutes to chill. When ready to bake, place a circle of parchment paper on top and fill the center with pie weights or dried rice. Brush the crust edges with beaten egg, if desired. Blind bake with the parchment and weights for 14-16 minutes, then remove the parchment and weights and bake for another 5-10 or until the bottom is not wet-looking. Remove from the oven.
Step 3: Preheat the oven to 375°F, lower it to 350°F after it reaches temperature. In a medium saucepan, add the granulated sugar, cornstarch and kosher salt. Whisk to remove any lumps. Whisk in the carrot juice, passion fruit and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until bubbling, about 6-8 minutes, and then remove from the heat. Whisk the egg yolks in a medium heatproof bowl. Very slowly, dribble in a bit of the warm carrot passion fruit mixture while whisking constantly to temper the yolks. Continue adding the mixture to the egg yolks while whisking. Then return the entire mixture back to the saucepan and place back over medium heat. Whisk constantly and cook until thickened, about 5-7 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the two tablespoons of cold butter.
Step 4: Whisk in until combined, then pour into the prepared pie crust. Bake the pie in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 30 minutes before transferring to the fridge to chill at least 4 hours, but ideally overnight.
Step 5: Make a bain marie: Set a heatproof bowl over a pot filled with just enough water so that it doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl. Turn the heat to medium. You want the water simmering. Into the heatproof bowl, combine the egg whites, granulated sugar, molasses, cream of tartar, kosher salt and vanilla. Whisk constantly while heating until the mixture holds steady at 170°F. It will become foamy on top as you stir and cook. Remove from the heat and either transfer it to a storage container if you are making it ahead, or to the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. When ready to serve the pie, whisk the egg white sugar syrup mixture to glossy, stiff peaks.
Step 6: Pile the meringue onto the chilled pie and flick it with the back of a spoon to make peaks. Toast the peaks with a kitchen torch. Slice and serve immediately.
Top tips
- To ensure your meringue doesn't weep, sift in 2 teaspoons of cornstarch when the meringue is at soft peaks and then continue to whip to stiff peaks.
- Keep all of your pie crust ingredients COLD and all of the rest of the ingredients room temperature, unless otherwise noted.
- You can make the crust in the food processor, just be sure to use very short bursts so you don't overwork the dough.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can swap for passion fruit juice, just be sure to use one with very concentrated flavor.
No, this is not recommended.
This is not recommended. If you skip blind baking your crust will be soggy.
Store a meringue pie in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
More recipes you'll love
Lastly, if you make this Carrot Passion Fruit Pie with Molasses Meringue recipe be sure to leave a comment or give it a rating. I love to see when people make my recipes, so please tag me @youthsweets on Instagram if you post!
📖 Recipe
Carrot Passion Fruit Pie with Molasses Meringue
Equipment
Ingredients
Cinnamon pie crust
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (187g)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 5 tablespoon vegetable shortening cold, diced into 1-inch cubes (56g)
- 5 tablespoon unsalted butter cold diced into 1-inch cubes (68g)
- ½ large egg
- ½ tablespoon vinegar
- 3 ½ tablespoon very cold water start with less
Carrot passion fruit filling
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- ⅓ cup cornstarch (45g)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ⅓ cups carrot juice (322g)
- ⅓ cup passion fruit pulp (82g) I used thawed from frozen
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 5 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
Molasses meringue
- 170 g egg whites (⅔ cup, 6 oz, from 5 to 6 large eggs)
- 200 g granulated sugar (1 cup plus 1 tbsp)
- ¼ cup molasses (72g)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Do ahead
- The crust and the baked pie need to rest overnight. It can be made 2-3 days ahead of time and the dough can be stored in the refrigerator until ready to use or up to 3 weeks in the freezer.
- You can make the egg white sugar syrup for the meringue a day ahead (same day you make the filling etc.) and chill it in the refrigerator overnight, or you can make it before serving and whip it up while it is still warm.
Make the crust
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and cinnamon.
- Add the cold shortening and butter and toss to coat. With a pastry blender, two knives or your fingers, work in the fats until they are just a bit smaller than pea sized.
- Add half of a beaten egg, vinegar and half of the ice cold water. Mix just until the dough clumps together when you squeeze it in your hand. Add more water as needed, but try to avoid using too much. You want the dough to just barely stick together.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours, but overnight is best.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Roll the dough on a lightly-floured surface with a rolling pin until ¼-inch thick, or wide enough to hang 2-3 inches over your pie plate.
- Gently place the dough into the pie plate. Fold under and crimp the edges. Place in the freezer for at least 20 minutes to chill. When ready to bake, place a circle of parchment paper on top and fill the center with pie weights or dried rice. Brush the crust edges with beaten egg, if desired.
- Bake with the parchment and weights for 14-16 minutes, then remove the parchment and weights and bake for another 5-10 or until the bottom is not wet-looking. Remove from the oven.
Make the filling
- Preheat the oven to 375°F, lower it to 350°F after it reaches temperature.
- In a medium saucepan, add the granulated sugar, cornstarch and kosher salt. Whisk to remove any lumps. Whisk in the carrot juice, passion fruit and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until bubbling, about 6-8 minutes, and then remove from the heat.
- Whisk the egg yolks in a medium heatproof bowl. Very slowly, dribble in a bit of the warm carrot passion fruit mixture while whisking constantly to temper the yolks. Continue adding the mixture to the egg yolks while whisking. Then return the entire mixture back to the saucepan and place back over medium heat. Whisk constantly and cook until thickened, about 5-7 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and add the two tablespoons of cold butter. Whisk in until combined, then pour into the prepared pie crust.
- Bake the pie in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 30 minutes before transferring to the fridge to chill at least 4 hours, but ideally overnight.
Make the meringue
- Make a bain marie: Set a heatproof bowl over a pot filled with just enough water so that it doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl. Turn the heat to medium. You want the water simmering.
- Into the heatproof bowl, combine the egg whites, granulated sugar, molasses, cream of tartar, kosher salt and vanilla. Whisk constantly while heating until the mixture holds steady at 170°F. It will become foamy on top as you stir and cook.
- Remove from the heat and either transfer it to a storage container if you are making it ahead, or to the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. When ready to serve the pie, beat the egg white sugar syrup mixture to glossy, stiff peaks.
Assemble
- Pile the meringue onto the chilled pie and flick it with the back of a spoon to make peaks. Toast the peaks with a kitchen torch. Slice and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published 11/20/2025.
This is truly a flavor masterpiece. I am shocked I put this together! (full disclosure, I am the author of this recipe)