Have You Tried Cooking With Jackfruit?

If you haven’t heard of jackfruit, it’s a tropical fruit that can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes. It grows on the largest trees in the world and is related to figs and mulberry. Jackfruit has a subtle sweetness and is known for its ability to absorb the flavors of whatever it is cooked in.

The jackfruit cooking trend is so popular because of its meat-like texture. The fleshy portion of the fruit breaks down into fibrous strings when it is cooked in liquid and the texture will resemble chicken or pork. Jackfruit is amazing in vegan recipes and if you haven’t tried it yet, here’s your chance!

Where to buy 

You can buy jackfruit from Asian markets and in the canned section of most grocery stores. Whole jackfruits are tricky to work with so we recommend getting the cut and canned version. You might find different types of the fruit so make sure you get the young green kind of jackfruit if you want to use them in “pulled pork” recipes.  You’re looking for a can like the one on the right in the photo below:

Since the recent popularity of jackfruit, companies have created fully prepared versions that you can buy. There are also pre-flavoured ones that you can buy which may be convenient for you. Check out Upton’s Naturals  or The Jackfruit Company.

How to make shredded jackfruit

You’ll need some BBQ sauce. You can whip up any of your favourites, but we recommend our sweet and smoky sauce. 

Next it’s time to tackle the fruit. Drain the liquid of your can, add the contents into a pot and cover it with your BBQ sauce.

How long should you cook it?

The longer you cook the jackfruit, the more “pulled” it becomes and the more flavour you get. Letting it cook for an hour or two is best and you’ll definitely get that meaty texture you’re looking for. If you are pressed for time, you can use a fork to shred the fruit and speed up the process. This way you’ll get the shredded fruit but it may have less flavour.

How to use it 

There are so many ways to incorporate the BBQ jackfruit base into your cooking. Make a “pulled pork” sandwich with an avocado slaw, or throw it into a salad. Try your hand at making pulled jackfruit by adding them to our Corn and Black Bean Fajitas recipe!

Your tastebuds will thank you.