Whether you’re already meat-free, giving it a try for Veganuary, or whatever the reason may be… With a similar texture to shredded meat, young jackfruit makes the perfect vegan alternative to shredded chicken or pork. It’s perfect for combining with seasonings and other ingredients to make delicious, juicy jackfruit tacos for your next taco night! These vegan tacos are really simple to prepare, too. And just like other taco recipes, they’re also really easy to customize with your favorite toppings. Plus, you can prepare the jackfruit “pulled pork” filling in advance and save leftovers to use in tons of other recipes.
What Is Jackfruit and What Does It Taste Like?
If you’ve ever seen a jackfruit in person, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s something from another planet. Growing up to 50 lbs in size, with a prickly green peel, this Indian/Southeast Asian fruit looks a little scary. But is actually hiding a truly revolutionary fruit inside. Cut it open and you’ll find hundreds of pods and seeds with a fibrous, meaty texture. When unripe – aka green jackfruit – the fresh jackfruit flavor is neutral and more of a flavor-sponge. This makes it perfect for savory recipes. When ripe, however, it’s sweet with an almost fruity bubble-gum flavor. Best of all, this fruit is loaded with nutrients and antioxidants and is wonderfully eco-friendly, with a low water and carbon footprint. So now it’s the perfect time to jump in headfirst to delicious, easy jack fruit recipes like pulled BBQ jackfruit and these juicy pulled jack fruit tacos!
The Ingredients
The ingredients for this jackfruit taco recipe are all simple, inexpensive, and either pantry staples or easy to find.
The Jackfruit Taco Filling
Jackfruit: Use canned young jackfruit (also called green jackfruit) in water or brine, not syrup. Or use frozen and thawed young jackfruit.Oil: Use a neutral cooking oil.Aromatics: This jackfruit “carnitas” filling includes onion (yellow or white) and garlic.Seasonings: I’ve used just 5 simple pantry staples/spices:Smoked paprika,Cumin,Chili powder (or cayenne pepper),Salt,Sugar.Tomato paste: For umami and a tart, tangy, tomato depth.Soy sauce: To add saltiness while packing in umami flavor, use soy sauce (regular or reduced sodium). If you’re gluten-free, use tamari or coconut aminos.Vegetable broth: Regular or reduced-sodium broth (or water) helps make a juicy, slightly sauce-like consistency.Apple cider vinegar: Just a little to add subtle tangy depth/complex flavors to the jackfruit pulled pork.
A few drops of liquid smoke would work to add an extra smoky flavor. For smoky heat, add a spoonful of adobo sauce.
The Other Taco Ingredients
Tortillas: I prefer to use homemade corn tortillas, but flour tortillas or taco shells will also work. Toppings: You can use any of your favorite taco toppings for this Mexican taco recipe. I used: Avocado – slices, diced, or guacamole/mashed.Cilantro – or flat-leaf parsley/green onions.Lime wedges – for the lime juice.Pico de Gallo – or another red salsa.Jalapeno slices – fresh or pickled.
How To Make Jackfruit Tacos
Get these plant-based jackfruit tacos from the kitchen to the table in less than 30 minutes, in just a few simple, low-fuss steps.
Prepare the Jackfruit
First, drain and rinse the canned jackfruit. Use two forks to shred the jackfruit (or pulse it in a food processor). Also, thinly slice the onion, and mince the garlic. There’s no need to discard any core or seeds, as they’re both edible. Use a knife to chop the core into smaller pieces if needed, if they don’t shred.
How to Season Jackfruit for Tacos
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion, cooking it for 2-3 minutes, then add the garlic, cooking for 1 minute – stirring often. Next, add the jackfruit and remaining filling ingredients to the onions and garlic and stir. Reduce the heat to a simmer and leave it to cook for about 5 minutes. Or until the jackfruit has slightly softened, and the liquid has reduced by half. If you’d left any larger jackfruit pieces, they should now be soft enough to mash into smaller pieces.
Assemble the Tacos
While the jackfruit cooks, prepare your chosen toppings. I.e., rinse and chop the cilantro and lime (into wedges), prepare the avocado, slice the jalapeno, etc. Also, gently heat the tortillas. You can do this for 20-30 seconds per side in a dry skillet. Hold the tortillas (with tongs) over an open flame for a few seconds per side until lightly charred. Or make a stack of them to wrap in foil and heat in the oven at 350ºF/175ºC for 10-15 minutes. This helps to make the tortillas more flexible, so they don’t break, and even improves the flavor. To assemble the vegan taco recipe, divide the jackfruit mixture between the tortillas and then top them with all your favorite toppings. Enjoy!
What To Serve With Jackfruit Tacos
Sweet potato fries or wedges, or regular fries,Refried beans,Mexican street corn or roasted corn on the cob,Mexican rice or other rice dishes,Cowboy caviar,Mango avocado salsa,Margaritas.
Ways To Use Leftover Jackfruit
This jackfruit carnitas/pulled pork style filling is highly versatile. Use it for other Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes (i.e., enchiladas, burritos and burrito bowls, tostadas, quesadillas, nachos, tamales, etc.). Or add it to pasta salads, vegan mac and cheese, and other jackfruit recipes!
More Taco Recipe Ideas
Oyster Mushroom TacosThe Best Beef Birria and Birria TacosEasy Shredded Chicken TacosGround Beef TacoEasy Taco Casserole
If you try this easy jackfruit tacos recipe, let me know how it goes in the comments below. I’d appreciate a recipe card rating and would love to see your recipe recreations – tag me on Instagram @Alphafoodie!
