Last Updated on 20th July 2022 by
How do you take fresh or frozen fruit and turn it into ice cream bars, pie filling, topping and other uses?
You’ll need to turn it into fruit puree first of all, and it’s a process that is more than just sticking fruit in the blender.
Traditional fruit puree is made from fruit that has been cooked and broken down into a thick, pulpy mixture, sometimes combined with syrup or sugar.
What Is Fruit Puree?
When chefs talk about fruit puree, they usually mean a specific kind of mashed, boiled, or prepared fruit, and it could be a single kind of fruit like strawberries or peaches, or it could be a combination of several fruits.
This fruit puree is typically a mixture of fruit and some kind of sweetener, and when they are combined, they make a food that can be used in all sorts of ways.
How to Make Fruit Puree
If you’re wondering how to puree fruit, let me give you the traditional method of creating a fruit puree at home. You’ll be using your stovetop for this, and you’ll need a blender as well.
- Start by cooking a cup of water and two cups of sugar on the stovetop in a saucepan.
- You’re using medium heat and cooking at that heat for about 5 minutes, until the sugar dissolves completely.
- Take the pan off the stove afterwards, and allow it to cool all the way.
The kind of fruit you’re using may determine how you make the puree.
For a strawberry or a blueberry puree, you want to use about 16 ounces of berries and puree them in a blender with about 1/3 cup of sugar syrup from the syrup that you made on the stovetop.
If you’re making peach puree, take about 16 ounces of peaches and puree them in a blender with 1/2 cup of the sugar syrup and then about a teaspoon of grated orange zest for some incredible flavor.
It’s not a bad idea to strain the fruit puree you’ve made, just to get out the seeds and other little bits you don’t want. Once you’ve strained your puree, you can store it in a jar or a bottle in their refrigerator.
How to Puree Frozen Fruit
Can you take frozen fruit and puree it for fruit puree? You can use frozen fruit, but it’s best to let it thaw first before you try to puree it.
Allow it to thaw in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight before you try to use it in a puree.
Some blenders can handle frozen fruits, like peaches, strawberries, and blueberries, but for many blenders, you’ll just damage them by putting frozen fruit in there.
It’s best to let the fruit thaw out completely so you don’t run the risk of potentially damaging your blender as you make fruit puree.
How to Make Fruit Puree for Drinks
Whenever you’re using fruit puree to make beverages of any kind, you want to make sure that you strain it well.
Some people like to leave the bits of seeds in for the extra fiber they add, so if that’s your preference, you may not want to strain it.
It’s a good idea to puree the fruit in the blender very finely, though, if you’re making a drink from the fruit.
How Long Does Fruit Puree Last in the Fridge?
Fruit puree won’t last very long in the fridge. Estimates put it around 48 to 72 hours, so make sure you use it quickly.
Look for signs that it might be turning, including changes in color and smell. If it smells a little bit off, you should be on the safe side and toss it.
How to Make Fruit Puree for Baking
I love adding fruit puree to pies, tarts, and other baked goods. It makes for an excellent filling, particularly when it’s homemade rather than bought from the grocery.
I prefer peaches, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and boysenberries as fruit filling. To make a fruit puree that works well for baking, you puree the fruit in the blender along with sugar syrup that you’ve made on the stovetop according to the directions above.
Use the right ratios of sugar syrup to fruit so that you get a really great tasting puree that’s not too heavy on the fruit and too thick and not too heavy on the syrup and too sweet and soupy.
I’ve given you a few ratios above for several fruits, but if you deviate beyond those and do something different, you may want to look up what the recommended ratios are for the fruit you’re using.
When making a fruit puree, take into account where you’re getting the fruit from. If you purchased a bag of frozen fruit, you don’t have to worry about taking out any little bits and pieces. Everything there should be edible.
However, if you use fresh fruit from the produce section, you may want to take off stems cut out rinds, and other parts that aren’t edible or aren’t very flavorful.
How to Make Passion Fruit Puree
Passion fruit puree is one of the easier fruit purees to make at home. You just need to put a few passion fruits into the blender, along with a spoonful of sugar and a cup of water.
That’s all it takes to make a wonderful fruit puree from passion fruit, and you don’t have to remove any seeds, stems, other parts. It can all be blended.
These are few tips and methods for pureeing fruit at home. It doesn’t take much work. There are no complicated methods you need to use, and you don’t need to incorporate a lot of different ingredients to make a really good puree.
Just follow the simple instructions I’ve given you, and you can make puree from almost anything.
Add fruit puree to your pies, pastries, ice cream, and frozen fruit bars, or use it as a topping on all sorts of foods.
I'm Pauline, a mother of four grown children, my passion for cooking stemmed from the joy i get cooking for my family. I love to try new dishes, especially when dining out but creating and sharing my own recipes is my favourite thing to do!
