Everything You Need To Know About Jackfruit (Plus Easy Jackfruit Recipes!) | ICanYouCanVegan (2024)

FAQs

What is the best way to cook jackfruit? ›

If you're ready to add them to your must-try list, simply boil them for 20-30 minutes, season and serve. When cooked, the flavor and texture is reminiscent of potatoes! They're also nutrient-rich and high in protein, so they're a great addition to your menu.

Simply tease the raw jackfruit apart with your hands or two forks, mix with your favorite spice blend (barbecue or fajita seasonings work well), and sauté before serving in buns with slaw or in fajitas, burritos, or tamales (these are filled with jackfruit and drizzled with a bright and fresh cilantro sauce).

Jackfruit is an exotic fruit with a unique shredded meat-like texture. This makes it a popular plant-based replacement for meat in curries, tacos, or pulled meat sandwiches. Thanks to its mild flavor, jackfruit can easily be incorporated into various other recipes, appetizers, and desserts.

Milder, not-yet-ripe jackfruit, meanwhile, is perhaps the *best* plant-based sub for pulled chicken or pork in sandwiches, tacos, and more. McGrane personally loves simmering the "meat" of this fruit in curry, tossing it with BBQ sauce, or cooking it with cumin and chili powder to (ahem) jack up burrito bowls.

Jackfruit can also be harmful if you eat it with milk or carbonated drinks. It may cause digestion and skin issues. You should avoid drinking water after the consumption of jackfruit as it can lead to diarrhoea. Jackfruit is a high water content fruit that smoothes out bowel movements.

If you use the more convenient canned jackfruit, take care to rinse as much of the brine away as possible. I like to soak it in cold water for a few hours to extract as much as I can. You also probably won't need to add salt to your recipe, so taste before adding any soy sauce or salty condiments.

However, before cooking with it in a recipe, you may like to boil the fresh unripe jackfruit for around 45 minutes to ensure it becomes tender in the final dish. If the recipe has a long cook time, like this jackfruit rendang, you can skip this step.

Allergy to birch pollen or latex: People who are allergic to birch pollen or latex might also be allergic to jackfruit. Surgery: Jackfruit might cause bleeding and too much drowsiness if combined with medications used during and after surgery. Stop taking jackfruit at least 2 weeks before scheduled surgery.

The taste of jackfruit is described as the flavor of apples and bananas mixed together.

How to Cook Jackfruit Seeds. The seeds are also edible—simply boil them for 20 to 30 minutes first (or fry them) and eat them like a nut or potato. The white strands are technically edible but not very tasty, so we recommend discarding them.

What does jackfruit do to your body? ›

Jackfruit is rich in antioxidants, phytonutrients and flavonoids. The presence of these antioxidants eliminates the toxins produced by the body as well as the free radicals which are harmful for us. Both toxins and free radicals have been known to cause cancer in the body. The reason behind ageing is free radicals.

Some ambitious chefs go a step further, stir-frying jackfruit seeds with curry or other seasonings. It makes sense, then, to pair plain seeds with spiced cheeses such as Marieke Gouda with Foenegreek—curry-like fenugreek meshes extremely well with the sweet earthiness of the jackfruit seeds.

And we could say, if we were prone to hyperbole and self-aggrandizement, that Trader Joe's has been instrumental in orchestrating that moment. What we will say, clearly, is that the early and exciting success of our Green Jackfruit in Brine led us to the realization that American palates have an appetite for jackfruit.

This depends on what you want your end result to be. Luckily, shredding and pre-boiling jackfruit (as above) makes the cooking time much shorter. Now, you'll need to marinade the jackfruit.

The boiling method creates a nice stringy texture and helps to remove any tinned or metallic taste that canned jackfruit (and other canned goods) can typically have. If you've already had jackfruit and don't think you like it, I urge you to try it prepared like this before swearing it off.