Jugo de Chinola (Dominican Passion Fruit Juice)
Fresh passion fruit pulp blended with cold water and sugar, strained and served over ice. Sweet, tart and intensely tropical, it's the most popular fresh juice in Dominican homes.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Scoop the pulp
Cut the 8 passion fruits in half and scoop the pulp and seeds into a blender.
- 8 passion fruits
Blend briefly
Add 500 ml of the cold water and pulse 3-4 times, just long enough to loosen the pulp from the seeds without crushing them.
- 500 ml cold water
- 8 scooped pulp and seeds from step 1
✅ Done when: pulp has separated from the seeds but seeds are still whole
Strain
Pour the blended mixture through a sieve into a jug, pressing the pulp with a spoon to extract all the juice. Discard the seeds.
- all the blended mixture from step 2
✅ Done when: only dry seeds remain in the sieve
Sweeten and serve
Add the remaining 500 ml of cold water and the sugar to the strained juice, stir until the sugar dissolves, then taste. Serve over the ice cubes.
- 500 ml cold water
- 100 g, or to taste sugar
- 2 cups ice cubes
- all the strained juice from step 3
✅ Done when: sugar is fully dissolved and the juice tastes balanced
Scoop the pulp
Cut the 8 passion fruits in half and scoop the pulp and seeds into a blender.
- 8 passion fruits
Blend briefly
Add 500 ml of the cold water and pulse 3-4 times, just long enough to loosen the pulp from the seeds without crushing them.
- 500 ml cold water
- 8 scooped pulp and seeds from step 1
✅ Done when: pulp has separated from the seeds but seeds are still whole
Strain
Pour the blended mixture through a sieve into a jug, pressing the pulp with a spoon to extract all the juice. Discard the seeds.
- all the blended mixture from step 2
✅ Done when: only dry seeds remain in the sieve
Sweeten and serve
Add the remaining 500 ml of cold water and the sugar to the strained juice, stir until the sugar dissolves, then taste. Serve over the ice cubes.
- 500 ml cold water
- 100 g, or to taste sugar
- 2 cups ice cubes
- all the strained juice from step 3
✅ Done when: sugar is fully dissolved and the juice tastes balanced
The Story Behind the Dish
Chinola is the Dominican name for passion fruit, which grows on vines in backyards across the island. Fresh juice, made every day at home, is a central part of the Dominican lunch table.
Chinola is also used in mousses, ice lollies (frío-fríos) and cocktails.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Bright, tangy and refreshing, it's the taste of a hot Caribbean afternoon.
💡 Fun Fact
In most Spanish-speaking countries passion fruit is called maracuyá; 'chinola' is used mainly in the Dominican Republic.
All over the Dominican Republic
18.49°N, -69.93°W
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