The very first time I tried jackfruit in a savory dish was in New York. Jackfruit was already then a trendy food, that is often used as a product to prepare a ”meat like” dish in a vegetarian / vegan way. Jackfruit is 100% vegan and a popular meat / fish substitute based on … fruit. I was intrigued! And yes, it was delicious! It looks very similar to meat in appearance, but it tastes (if well flavored) really delicious. The texture is like meat, but still pleasant (not too much like meat) and has a slightly sweet taste. It’s kind of important though that you know how to flavor jackfruit. That was exactly where my jackfruit story ended. Once at home I found it a bit too much of a hassle to try out a jackfruit recipe (where do I buy good young jackfruit and how do I flavor it?). So as you can imagine when Upton’s Naturals came out with a whole range of jackfruit products, I was more than excited!
Upton’s Naturals
Upton’s Naturals offers a whole range of jackfruit products so you don’t have to think about how to flavor your jackfruit. They have made jackfruit really accessible. Even if you’re not a vegan or vegetarian you’ll love this. Jackfruit is naturally gluten, lactose and soy-free and because it’s young flesh it absorbs all flavors very well. This makes jackfruit super easy to season and marinate. What is also great about these products is that they can be kept unrefrigerated for a very long time.
Of course you can also choose the completely natural jackfruit product (jackfruit only) and experiment yourself with herbs and spices. But for a quick and easy preparation, choose one of their ready-made products such as:
✓ Bar-B-Que Jackfruit
✓ Chili Lime Carnitas Jackfruit
✓ Thai Curry Jackfruit
✓ Sweet & Smoky Jackfruit
✓ Sriracha Jackfruit
I can hear you think. ”But what can I do with this? How do I make a recipe with these products?” Today I’m going to show you how to make jackfruit tacos, but the possibilities are endless. You can use jackfruit in:
- burgers
- a salad
- a stir fry
- with nacho’s
- as a side dish with for example rice
- a soup
- a noodle- or pasta dish
- a sandwich or wrap
- a tofu scramble
- as a filling in a puffed (sweet) potato
- on a pizza
You get the point, right? Endless possibilities….
I’m not a vegan who is always looking for a meat replacement, but jackfruit in a savory dish has really surprised me. So delicious! So versatile! I like to use jackfruit in a salad, serve it in a wrap, in a burger or as tacos. With tacos, burgers and wraps I have an excuse to add extra ingredients that cause an explosion of tastes. Such as crispy veggies, peanuts, spring onions, fresh herbs, lettuce, avocado, pickles, pickled onions, sauces and tomatoes. All you have to buy are the tacos. I always go for a brand that contains as little ingredients as possible. You could also use a burger or a wrap for this recipe.
For this recipe I used the Upton’s Naturals Bar-B-Que Jackfruit and although I haven’t eaten ”pulled pork” for a very long time, this reminded me a bit of that. Young jackfruit is a very smart replacement for meat. It’s really bizarre how meat-like the structure is and how easily the young flesh absorbs all the flavors.
Isn’t it great that you can prepare a delicious vegan / vegetarian dish that is so meat-like, but then completely cruelty-free?
Have you ever tried jackfruit in a savory dish? I really hope you’ll give it a try, because it’s so surprisingly tasty! And don’t forget to take a photo. I love to see your creations on Instagram with #thegreencreator.
For more information and inspiration from Upton’s Naturals you can have a look here. The jackfruit of Upton’s Naturals is available in the Netherlands at the Albert Heijn, Marqt and Food2Love.nl.
Jackfruit Tacos
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 10 mins
- Yield: 5 small tacos 1x
- Category: taco, main course, lunch, side dish
- Cuisine: vegan, vegetarian, lactose-free, gluten-free
Description
Jackfruit can be quite intimidating, right? Where do I buy really good young jackfruit? How do I flavor it? This is the easiest vegan jackfruit taco recipe ever. With incredibly delicious young jackfruit that already has been flavored for you. Perfect for tacos, taco salads, burritos, nachos, sandwiches and more!
Ingredients
- ~ For the tacos ~
- 1 pack of Upton’s Naturals jackfruit (I used Bar-B-Que Jackfruit)
- 4 tablespoons of water or 2 tablespoons of oil
- ½ avocado, cut into cubes
- 5 cherry tomatoes, cut into small pieces
- fresh herbs such as parsley
- 5 lettuce leaves
- 1 lime (optional for drizzling)
- 5 tacos
- ~ For the sour cashew sauce ~
- 1 cup of unroasted unsalted cashew nuts (150 g)
- 1/2 cup of water (125 ml)
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 3/4 teaspoon of sea salt
- Optional: a clove of garlic
- ~ For the pickled red onions ~
- 1–2 large red onions (I always make a bit more for later)
- 1 ½ cups (375 ml) white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon of sugar (optional)
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- ~ Other tasty additions ~
- freshly cut chili
- ¼ piece of cucumber, cut into small strips
- 1 carrot, cut into small strips
- 2 pickles, cut into cubes
- (red) cabbage, shredded
- spring onion, finely cut
- ketchup
- sriracha sauce
Instructions
- ~ Sour cashew sauce ~
- Soak the cashew nuts in warm water for at least 20 minutes or overnight.
- Drain the cashew nuts. Rinse the cashew nuts and place in a blender with the other ingredients. Blend to a smooth substance.
- You can serve the sauce straight away, although I prefer to serve it cold.
- Store the sauce in a sealed container in the refrigerator for a maximum of 5 days. Feel free to use a different type of vinegar for this sauce.
- Add more or less water, depending on the consistency you that you are looking for.
- Taste the sauce before serving it and if necessary add more salt or vinegar / lemon juice.
- ~ Pickled red onions ~
- Peel and cut the red onions into thin slices. Place in a glass jar, plastic or any container you have with a lid.
- Stir the vinegar, sugar and salt together in a small bowl. Pour the mixture over the onions until it is filled to the brim. Place the lid on the pot and store in the refrigerator.
- ~ Tacos ~
- Heat a pan over medium heat. Open the pack of Upton’s Naturals jackfruit and disassemble all pieces of jackfruit with a fork to create small pieces. Take your time for this. You’ll see that you’ll have twice as much jackfruit after this.
- In a pan, heat 4 tablespoons of water or 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the jackfruit in the pan and heat briefly. You don’t have to add anything else anymore. The jackfruit is already flavored.
- Fill each taco with a lettuce leaf, the jackfruit, avocado, herbs, tomatoes and pickled red onions. Drizzle generously with the sauce.
This article was written in collaboration with Upton’s Naturals. Thank you for supporting brands like Upton’s Naturals that are not only offering products that make me happy, but also help make The Green Creator possible. All text and opinions are 100% my own.
