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
Smoky, 30-minute marinated jackfruit, perfect for adding to enchiladas, burritos, tacos, and more! Incredibly flavorful, easy to make, and so versatile!
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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.
*Prep time does not include marinating.
Nutrition Per Serving (1 of 4 half-cup servings)
- Calories: 79
- Fat: 3.9g
- Saturated fat: 0.5g
- Sodium: 610mg
- Potassium: 124mg
- Carbohydrates: 10g
- Fiber: 4.1g
- Sugar: 2.7g
- Protein: 0.8g
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
I buy Cha’s Young Jackfruit. If you cannot find it at Whole Foods, Amazon sells it.