Mmm, smoky marinated jackfruit. If you haven’t delved into the world of jackfruit yet, you’re missing out!
Green or underripe jackfruit has a neutral flavor and the texture of shredded cooked chicken, making it perfect for absorbing just about any flavor or sauce.
This smoky jackfruit recipe is incredibly easy to make, and great for preparing ahead of time and enjoying throughout the week in Mexican-inspired dishes and beyond. Let me show you how it’s done!
This recipe requires 30 minutes to make, starting with the marinade.
Once your jackfruit is rinsed and shredded, blend together sautéed onion and garlic, vegetable broth, dairy-free milk, chipotle pepper, maple syrup, lime, salt, coconut aminos, and smoked paprika. The result is a thin but semi-creamy sauce that’s smoky, tangy, salty, and sweet.
You can marinate your jackfruit for as long as five days. But if you’re looking to use it sooner, at least 15-20 minutes is recommended.
Then it’s perfect for sautéing until golden brown and hot!
We hope you LOVE this jackfruit! It’s:
Smoky
Versatile
Easy to make
& SUPER delicious
This jackfruit is perfect for adding to things like enchiladas, tacos, burrito bowls, or a simple plate of roasted vegetables. Top with our 5-Minute Cashew Queso for the ultimate meal!
Want more jackfruit inspiration? Check out our BBQ Jackfruit Sandwiches, Spicy Jackfruit Tacos, and 1-Pot Vegan Tortilla Soup!
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Smoky Shredded Marinated Jackfruit
Ingredients
JACKFRUIT
- 1 20-ounce can jackfruit, rinsed dried, sorted
- 1 pinch each sea salt and black pepper
SAUCE
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil (if avoiding oil, sub water)
- 1/4 cup diced red or white onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth (or store-bought — we like Imagine brand)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened plain cashew milk (for store-bought we like Forager brand // or sub other dairy-free milk, such as almond or rice)
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (reduce amount for less heat)
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp lime juice (or sub lemon)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt (plus more for seasoning jackfruit)
- 1 Tbsp coconut aminos (or sub tamari, but halve the amount as it’s saltier)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
FOR SERVING optional
- Red cabbage
- Fresh radish
- Cilantro
- 1-2 medium limes
Instructions
- Thoroughly rinse and drain jackfruit. Then begin sorting. The pieces come in chunks or triangle shapes. Cut off the center “core” portion of the jackfruit that’s tougher in texture and separate it from the rest of the fruit. Then chop core into smaller pieces. Use your hands or two forks to pull the remaining portion of the jackfruit that appears more stringy into small shredded pieces. You’re aiming to get the jackfruit into small, shredded/chopped pieces. Once shredded, rinse once more in a colander, drain, and thoroughly dry.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add oil (or water), onion, and garlic. Sauté for 4-5 minutes or until onions are golden brown and softened. Set aside.
- To a small or high speed blender, add sautéed onion and garlic, vegetable broth, cashew milk, chipotle in adobo, maple syrup, lime juice, salt, coconut aminos, and paprika.
- Blend until completely combined, then taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more lime for acidity, chipotle pepper for heat, paprika for smokiness, maple syrup for sweetness, coconut aminos for depth of flavor, or salt to taste.
- Add jackfruit to a medium mixing bowl and toss with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Then add all of sauce and stir to combine.
- At this point your prep is done. It just needs to marinate. You can get away with as little as 15-20 minutes. But for deeper flavor we recommend at least 2 hours and up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
- To cook, heat a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add a little oil to coat the pan and add desired amount of jackfruit, leaving a bit of the sauce behind. For even more flavor, sauté thinly sliced shallot or onion along with the jackfruit. Cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden brown, adding more of the reserved sauce for extra flavor while cooking.
- Enjoy as is, on top of salads or nachos, or in enchiladas, burritos, or tacos! It would also be delicious alongside roasted vegetables or fresh or sautéed greens.
- Store marinated jackfruit up to 5 days in the refrigerator or 1 month in the freezer. If cooking from frozen, let thaw before cooking as instructed above.
Video
Notes
*Prep time does not include marinating.
Melissa Moyes says
On the metric version of the ingredients it says 12 teaspoons of salt just FYI!!!!
Thanks for bringing this to our attention, Melissa! It should say 1/2 tsp. We’ll get that fixed!
Dana Jones says
Can the marinated jackfruit be cooked in a crockpot?
We haven’t tried it that way, but we think so!
Linsey says
I made this last night for Tamale filling and it was delish! Next time, I’ll add a second can of jackfruit – there was plenty of marinade, and I ended up running out. I marinated for ~1 hour which was plenty, but next time I’ll try making ahead to marinate longer, and to cut back on dinner cooking time :)
Super easy, tasty, and versatile.
Lovely! Thanks for sharing, Linsey!
Ss says
Tasty and great in wraps!! Today I ended up putting the jackfruit in the air fryer for 10 mins to help dry it out before I sautéed.
Very good!
Great idea! Thanks so much for sharing!
Leta says
Love this jackfruit! Made the recipe as written, and it was so delicious. This one is going in the regular rotation- thank you!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Leta! Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Lindsay says
This recipe was so easy and delicious! I was making it with ingredients I already had in my cupboard and substituted a fire roasted red pepper for the chili in adobo. Gave it a sweeter red pepper flavor that deepened over time and added some cayenne for spice. Great as leftovers! Made wraps with dressed cabbage and brown rice for lunch the next day.
Thank you!
Jasmeet says
I’ve made this 3 times now and it’s been a hit! Once the original receipt. The next I added fresh tomatoes to sauté and sun dried tomatoes for a little extra something. And in my last attempt, I mixed this in with quinoa. Absolute delish! Thanks so much for offering us your creativity in the kitchen and making it a no brainer for us!
We’re so glad you enjoy it, Jasmeet! Thanks so much for your kind words and lovely review! xo
Lella Lowe says
I made this last night to serve as a vegan topping for a baked potato bar at my church. It was a huge hit, even with the nonvegans. I actually had to hide some so that the late-arriving vegans would have a chance to try it. Delicious!
We’re so glad to hear everyone enjoyed it, Lella! Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Rebekah says
SO GOOD! Served it with raw kale salad, quinoa, and avocados.
Thanks, Rebekah!
Ana María de js. Rodríguez Meléndez says
Deseo saber cómo es en su estado natural no enlatados la Jackfruit
Anna says
That was awesome – the sauce was delicious, super nice and spicy. I made a quick radish, avocado, cucumber salad with lemon dressing and cilantro for some freshness and crunch to go with the jackfruit. The jackfruit was a bit limp, any tipps on getting it a bit chewier (in a good way) or is that just how it is?
Thanks for sharing, Anna! Cooking the jackfruit for less time or trying a different brand (we like Trader Joe’s) might help!
Trisha says
I’m new to healthy eating but recipes like this fill me with hope that I can do this and love it! The flavors of this sauce were amazing!!! First time trying jackfruit and loved the entire experience. Great recipe!
Erin says
Loved it! I keep trying to add it to tacos, but mostly I just keep eating it with a fork. I think next time I would add more smoky flavor-maybe more smoked paprika or a hint of liquid smoke. Absolutely recommend!
Robin Miller says
I have followed you for years. I love all of your recipes and I recommend you to people who are trying to incorporate more plant based recipes into their diets! This was excellent! I didn’t saute the onions and garlic. I threw everything into the bullet. I didn’t even marinate the jackfruit. Just threw it in a pan, put the sauce on and cooked. Waited until all the liquid was absorbed. Served with red cabbage, cashew cream and collard leaves as wraps. Next time I’ll have some radish and sweet onion to add. Delicious!
Thanks for sharing, Robin!
Nirupama says
Hi Dana,
love love love this website! I’ve made a ton of recipes off of here and have only found success with all of them. thank you for all the work that you do.
I have a suggestion: like many major food-blogs, would it be possible for you to setup a login so that we can save recipes to our account? just a google, facebook or instagram login.
I hope you consider this!!
Thanks for the feedback! We’ll see what we can do!
Izzy says
Hi Dana,
Can I use chipotle paste? If so how much?
Thanks,
Izzy
You should be able to. Start with 1 tsp and work your way up!
Cassie says
This looks delicious! Jackfruit is such an amazing addition in tacos, salads, and sandwiches. For seasoning references, as the canned jackfruit in the recipe salted or unsalted?
unsalted!
Lynda says
I made this as written using one chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. I actual might use slightly less in the future since I like my food fairly mild. I also didn’t just rinse and drain the jackfruit, I actually squeezed moisture out of it before marinating it. After 2-3 hours I cooked a portion in a sauté pan, serving it on a flour tortilla with salsa and a touch of sour cream (actually plain nonfat Greek yogurt). I have never liked jackfruit, but I enjoyed this recipe and will most likely make it again. Thanks for great recipe!
So smart! Thanks for sharing your experience, Lynda!
Colin says
Dana, where do you get your jackfruit? I have trouble finding it fresh. I can only find it already processed or frozen (at Whole Foods). Thanks!
I have been buying mine online or at Trader Joe’s recently!
Isabelle says
I buy Cha’s Young Jackfruit. If you cannot find it at Whole Foods, Amazon sells it.