There are so many ways to use canned jackfruit. Here’s a round-up of delicious vegan jackfruit recipes for sandwiches, bowls, tacos, taquitos, and dips!
The first time I heard about jackfruit, I was living in Los Angeles.
Word spread fast about this fruit that had a piece-y quality reminiscent of pulled pork.
There was one restaurant in town that put it in their burritos. I drove over there special to try it out.
Then jackfruit exploded.
Now you can find cans of it on the shelves of natural grocery stores & Trader Joe’s all over the country, in addition to Asian markets.
It’s not unusual in the summer months to see TJ’s displays with burger buns, jars of barbecue sauce, and cans of jackfruit on end caps.
But as popular as the barbecue method is for jackfruit, there are so many more options out there.
Today I’m rounding up 8 vegan jackfruit recipes to use the cans in your pantry.
Keep in mind that all of these recipes use young green jackfruit that’s been canned in brine or water.
You don’t want to use fresh or canned ripe jackfruit in syrup for these recipes.
BBQ jackfruit sandwich
Of course, the most popular way of using jackfruit is doused in smoky barbecue sauce for a BBQ jackfruit sandwich.
Jackfruit soaks up all of those barbecued flavors.
And it leaves you with a texture similar to pulled pork.
Pile it on a sandwich along with vegan coleslaw, pickled red onions, mustard, and/or pickles.
French dip sandwich
This vegan French dip sandwich doesn’t hold back on flavor.
You’ve got wine infused jackfruit, sautéed onions, and horseradish mayo on toasted ciabatta.
Then dunk it into a full-bodied au jus before every bite.
Incredible!
Reuben sandwich
This toasted reuben jackfruit sandwich is filled with corned jackfruit, crunchy sauerkraut, and a tangy Thousand Island dressing.
It has all of that tangy flavor you want in a reuben, but in a totally plant-based form.
Reuben nourish bowl
For a gluten free option, make a jackfruit reuben nourish bowl.
It’s also a terrific way of repurposing leftovers from a reuben sandwich.
The base of this bowl is breakfast potatoes, baby spinach, and cabbage.
Philly cheesesteak
This hearty, heavy-duty vegan Philly cheesesteak is packed with savory jackfruit and cashew cheese.
It’s finished with sautéed onions & bell peppers.
This filling sandwich requires two hands!
Jackfruit carnitas tacos
Red wine adds so much flavor to these jackfruit carnitas tacos.
Flavorings also include cumin, ancho chili powder, and coriander.
Finish them off with lettuce, tomatoes, and guacamole.
Vegan taquitos
If you have leftovers from the carnitas tacos, roll them into crispy vegan taquitos!
They can be made in either the air fryer or the oven.
They’re great for dipping into guacamole, salsa, or cashew queso.
Jacked up vegan crab dip
Get dipping with this vegan crab dip.
It’s seasoned with Old Bay seasoning, Dijon mustard, paprika, and lemon juice.
Add crackers for dipping!
Penny
I love these ideas! I like jackfruit BBQ, but it’s not something I eat often. I can’t wait to try out the jackfruit Reuben!
Cadry
Excellent! I think you’re going to love it!
James Permana
Getting introduced to Indonesian cuisine in 2014, I realized what I had been missing all this time! Jackfruit is amazing and versatile. In addition to great coffee, Indonesians have so many wonderful vegan and vegetarian dishes (without even labeling them as such) thanks to abundance of all natural, organic, non-gmo fruits and veggies growing everywhere. Thanks for compiling some of my favorite American recipes using jackfruit. Love it!
Cadry Nelson
That’s great, James! It’s so wonderful to find new favorites. I often wonder what I ate when I was growing up, because I was missing out on a lot of good stuff! I would love to explore Indonesian cuisine more. Are there any dishes or restaurants you especially recommend?
Bianca Phillips
Whoa! I get so tired of BBQ jackfruit, but I never know what else to do with it! 🙂 Thanks for this! That reuben looks insane!
Cadry
Awesome! I hope you give the reuben a shot sometime. I think you’ll be all over it!
Shell
I learned about jackfruit from your blog, but had no idea it could be found in the canned food section! That makes these delicious recipes so much more simple!
Cadry
Yes, it’s super easy to keep a can or two on hand in the pantry. You’ll have to check it out the next time you’re at Trader Joe’s.
Susan
Love these ideas! I am always interested to see jackfruit used in other ways than just BBQ saucing it up. Though I did made a recipe once that just had chunks of it in a curry, which was not so much to my liking, so I do need to do something with it.
I have made your reuben jackfruit sandwich and nourish bowl, both so good! I really want to make your french dip as well.
There are so many pre-flavoured jackfruit products around these days, even in our supermarkets. But I am a big fan of just getting it in cans from the Asian grocery store to make myself. Plus buying it from there is much cheaper than buying it in vegan stores, and there are many other fun things to buy there as well.
Cadry
I hear you. Anytime I see jackfruit in big chunks, I’m wary. It’s really hard for the seasonings or sauces to penetrate that way. A couple years back, a local restaurant decided to use jackfruit, but they had no idea what to do with it. They put it on a pita, and it was still wet from the can!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the reuben & nourish bowl! I hope you give the French dip a whirl sometime.