Easy Vegan Jackfruit Tacos are a perfect quick and easy dish. Jackfruit has a shredded meat texture, and in this recipe, it is packed full of spices and can be layered on a taco with your favorite toppings. Perfect for Taco Tuesday!
There are four of my favorite words in the title of this recipe... yeah, I bet you guessed each and every word, you clever minx you. Easy Vegan Jackfruit Tacos. Boom.
EASY: Every now and then I don't mind a more complicated recipe such as my Vegan Tiramisu (so worth it), but for the most part, I like my recipes easy, and I like 'em quick. These jackfruit tacos just require a little sautéing, add some seasonings, then mash, and done. They take less than 30 minutes to prepare. Easy peasy, quick, and so super delicious.
VEGAN: pre-tay sure that you aren't surprised that this is one of my favourite words. Not only did this life-changing word make me a healthier, happier, more compassionate and environmentally-friendly human being, but it also gave my career a 180-degree flip. Now I have the job of my dreams (that I didn't even know I was dreaming about)!
JACKFRUIT: the fruit that is the jack of all trades. You can eat this fruit ripe and sweet, which to be honest is not my fave, but where jackfruit really shines is when you get it young and green. At this stage, it's starchy, savoury and is so amazing in that it replicates pulled or shredded meat almost exactly. Except, of course, it's so much better! I swear I was eating these tacos and wondered why in the world would anyone want to eat a chicken when they can have jackfruit!?
TACOS: this Mexican handheld food with endless topping combos is an all-time fave for me. There's an entire day of the week dedicated to tacos called #tacotuesday! So I'm clearly not the only one who get's this excited about tacos. Just as this shirt says, mas tacos por favor.
Common Questions:
What can you make with jackfruit?
Jackfruit is perfect for making a shredded meat texture so it is great in tacos, on a BBQ jackfruit sandwich, as a jackfruit salad sandwich, or try my buffalo jackfruit to use on nachos!
Is jackfruit healthier than meat?
Yes! Jackfruit is a whole plant food that is full of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It is also cholesterol-free, and free of harmful animal proteins.
How do you use jackfruit?
When ripe, jackfruit is very sweet and can be eaten as is like any other fruit. I prefer to use young green jackfruit found in a can that is in brine or water (not syrup). When the jackfruit is young (and not fully ripe), it's much starchier and not sweet and makes for a great meat substitute. The cool thing about it is that once cooked, it has this pulled pork, shredded texture that is totally fun.
How do you use jackfruit?
To prepare young green jackfruit, slice it into thin pieces, then cook it for a bit to soften it. Once it is softened you can mash it with a potato masher to get a shredded meat texture. Season with any spices, sauces, or flavor you like! You can use it in tacos, burgers, curry, on pizza, in stir-fries, pot pie, on nachos, in sandwiches- really anywhere you wanted a shredded meat replacement.
How make Easy Vegan Jackfruit Tacos:
First, you are going to need jackfruit. (I know, you're probably shocked). It's important that you find young green jackfruit in brine or in water, and not the sweet ripe kind in syrup. You can pick it up on Amazon, or check out any Asian grocery store.
For optimal texture, use a knife to cut the jackfruit into thin slices from core to the outer edge as seen in the picture above. This breaks up the tougher core as much as possible and makes for the best shredded texture.
Do NOT discard the core or seeds, they are totally edible and you are just wasting precious jackfruit!
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onions and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes until the onions have softened and begin to brown.
Add the chopped jackfruit, broth, agave, lime juice and all the spices to the pot and cover. Reduce heat and let it simmer until the jackfruit softens slightly, and about ½ of the liquid is absorbed. About 5 minutes.
Take a potato masher and smash all the jackfruit to get that shredded texture. Pretty cool huh? If you find it a bit wet, just cook a little longer. If you find it a little dry, just add a splash more vegetable broth.
To assemble the tacos, warm the taco shells according to the package directions. When warmed, add a scoop of the jackfruit, with the toppings and a squeeze of lime juice. OR you can top with whatever toppings you enjoy such as pico de gallo, guacamole, salsa, roasted sweet potato, pineapple chunks, (for something sweet), vegan cheese, vegan sour cream, hot sauce, or more salt and pepper to taste. Omnomnom.
These jackfruit tacos are...
- Meaty
- Juicy
- Quick to make
- Delicious with your favorite taco toppings
More jackfruit recipes to try:
Vegan Jackfruit Salad Sandwich
Easy Vegan Buffalo Jackfruit
6 Ingredient Pulled Jackfruit
If you try this recipe let us know by leaving a comment, rating it, and don't forget to tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull
Easy Vegan Jackfruit Tacos
Ingredients
For the jackfruit:
- 2 20oz cans green jackfruit in water or brine , drained, rinsed, and chopped (see instructions)
- 1 tablespoon light oil (such as canola or vegetable)
- 1 yellow onion , sliced
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- ½ cup vegetable broth or water
- 1 tablespoon agave
- ½ lime , juiced
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the tacos:
- 8 taco shells , hard or soft (gluten-free if preferred)
- 1 avocado , sliced
- ¼ red onion , thinly sliced
- ¼ cup cilantro , roughly chopped
- lime wedges
Instructions
To chop the jackfruit:
- For optimal texture, cut the jackfruit into thin slices from core to the outer edge as seen in the pictures above in this post. This breaks up the tougher core as much as possible and makes for the best shredded texture. Do NOT discard the core or seeds, they are totally edible, and you are just wasting precious jackfruit!
To make the shredded jackfruit:
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onions and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes until the onions have softened and begin to brown.
- Add the chopped jackfruit, broth, agave, lime juice and all the spices to the pot and cover. Reduce heat and let it simmer until the jackfruit softens slightly, and about ½ of the liquid is absorbed. About 5 minutes.
- Now take a potato masher, and smash all the jackfruit up to get that shredded texture. If you find it a bit wet, just cook a little longer. If you find it a little dry, just add a splash more vegetable broth.
To assemble the tacos:
- Warm the taco shells according to the package directions. When warmed, add a scoop of the jackfruit, and top with an avocado slice, a couple red onion slices, some cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice. Or you can top with whatever your favourite taco toppings are! I also love a squeeze of hot sauce.
Nutrition
More delicious vegan recipes:
Julie Haughey says
This was so good and super easy! Topped the tacos with the recommended avocado and also added some pickled red onions. Totally going to make this again!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So happy you loved it, Julie! 🙂
Cornelia Guest says
Very good vegetarian taco! I offered both regular and vegetarian options, and my guests preferred the jackfruit. Easy to make, too. I did not have agave syrup so used molasses, which worked fine.
Deborah says
So happy I found this recipe. Now I’m able to enjoy tacos with the family. Such a great flavor, made as is. Another keeper.
Denise says
Has anyone made this in a Instant Pot? I want to make this and sadly don’t have a stove atm. Thank you
Cornelia Guest says
I made jackfruit in the Instant Pot for a barbecued "pork" sandwich and it was delicious (plus a bit easier to mash). I would think you could adjust the instructions to make this recipe in the Instant Pot.
KG says
Delicious! Served with quick pickled red onions, shredded cabbage, avocado, cilantro and hot sauce. So so good and super easy to make. Thanks for another winner, Sam!
Carol says
Made these the other night and was so happy with the results. Have been looking at the recipe for a long time and so sorry I waited so long to try. Took the leftovers this AM and some of my leftover pinto beans and made huevos rancheros for breakfast. Will make this again and again. Think it will be yummy in enchiladas and tamales.Going to experiment more with other uses. Thanks Sam for great recipes.
Irene says
Tried these last night and absolutely loved the jackfruit! My partner didn't like it much on tortillas (but he is new to jackfruit), but he thinks it will go well on pizza, so we will try that too! Thanks for the recipe and for the clear picture and instruction on how to cut the jackfruit and mash it, I only prepared jackfruit once before but this way of cutting it makes all the difference!
Stacey says
These are fabulous. Thank you!
Sarah says
This recipe was the bomb and soooo easy to make. I followed it exactly except for doing just one teaspoon of chilli in case it was too spicy but it wasn't so I topped it with a squeeze of vegan Mayo and Franks red hot sauce. Ermagod so tasty and I just heated it up again the next day for lunch and somehow it tastes even better. My meat eater boyfriend loved it! Thanks Sam all your recipes are amazing and healthy!
Anna says
Hi there, just checking what chili powder is here? I'm from New Zealand and here it's ground chilli peppers but I'm never sure in American recipes how to tell when it's ground pepper (hot!) or the other mixed spice thing! Thank you!
Nick says
In the US typically chili powder refers to the red powder that's usually a blend of various types of peppers (from what I understand), basically what you think of when you think Mexican food. Ground pepper generally refers to black peppercorns and I haven't seen the two used interchangeably before here so that should be a good overall ground rule for American recipes!
Jen R says
Having lived abroad, I have made this error! Chili powder in this recipe is the less spicy blend and your version of “chili powder” is effectively what’s sold here as cayenne pepper or ground red pepper. So tread lightly!
b says
Chili powder in North America, is a spice blend use to make chili. It usually contains a type of hot spicy pepper, as well as cumin, coriander, garlic, oregano, cloves and all spice
Dustin says
What an amazing recipe …and it looks soo good & sound too delicious with more easy to make…i really loved your way of cooking…Thanks for sharing….!
Jay says
Sam, you are an absolute genius. I am perusing all kinds of Internet places for years but you are THE BEST and the smartest of them all. All your recipes are great and my favourite. If there are any items readers cannot find in the regular grocery store, they should look in the Asian (Chinese, Thai, Indian). Only I never thought about looking for Jack Fruit there and just assumed that the readers who are using them must live somewherre where it is available. Now, I am so happy I too can make these meals. As soon as possible I will be on my way to buy some. Thank you so much for all your work.
Louise says
I found your recipe after buying a tin of jackfruit (as we like to find new things to eat!) and then looking for a good way to use it! I'm glad we did as it was lovely! I acutally missed that it needed two tins and so like another person who commented I used one tin but did the rest the same. We just added some red and green peppers, a splash of chipotle chilli sauce and topped it with raw sheeps yoghurt. Great flavour and texture and one we will definitely be doing again.
Karen H says
I have never tried jackfruit tacos, but I had a can of jackfruit and made this for lunch. Yum, thank you! I threw in a can of black beans to sub for the other can of jackfruit, for some protein. I kept the spices the same, but honestly I'd add more next time. I like spicy! I omitted the agave and I'm glad I did because the jackfruit has a natural sweetness. Or maybe it's the brine I was tasting? I used Trader Joe's, and another reviewer commented on the briney taste. I still thought it was delicious though, and this is going into my rotation. Again with the black beans, as I think it makes a great taco filling. Too bad no one else in my family will eat this...I'll have to make us all watch the documentaries you recommend!
Kim B. says
Thank you!! I know, based on these ingredients, that I will love this recipe but only had one can of jackfruit. Didn't even think about adding beans but problem solved!!
Susan Maxey Townsend says
made the jackfruit tacos for dinner last night and they were delish! added shredded purple cabbage and thinly sliced red pepper, some guac and a little salsa! tasted better than any taco we've gotten out.
thanks for all the great recipes!!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! You're most welcome, Susan 🙂
Susan Hopkins says
I am brand new to healthy eating. I LOVED THIS RECIPE!! I’m going to double it next time and use half for chili .
Flavor was amazing!!!
Huynh Sang says
interesting.
I am Vietnamese, where I live a lot of jackfruit and I have never enjoyed this jackfruit tacos.
I will try it next time.
thank you
Danielle says
Can you use fresh Jackfruit? I live in Costa Rica, so its available year round. Just ask the farmer for a young one?
Sam Turnbull says
I'm sure you can, I've never had the pleasure of having a fresh jackfruit here in Canada 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Enjoy!
Shell Bell says
This is such a good recipe! I've tried a whole bunch out but since finding yours about a year ago its my go-to for jackfruit tacos. Its super simple, fast and delicious 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Aww yay!! SO happy to hear that, Shell 🙂
Kimberly Selchan says
Oh my goodness this is satiating! I like spicy meals so I increased the chili powder, topped with a little red salsa, red onion, cilantro, avocado and jalapeno.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful!
Margie says
I am going to use this recipe for tamale filling for our Christmas dinner. Can't wait!,
Silvia H says
Wonderful recipe, I love how simple it was to make, I'm new to plant based eating and your recipes have helped so much, thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome 🙂