Savory Jackfruit Tacos Recipe

Taco night doesn't have to be a cheat meal with this jackfruit tacos recipe from wellness coach and recipe developer Miriam Hahn. If the thought of fruit tacos gives you pause, don't worry — the finished product resembles pulled pork and tastes pretty close to it, too. Not only is jackfruit a tasty meat alternative for those with plant-based diets, it's a bit of a nutritional powerhouse as well.

It's an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, and potassium. But the best part? It's super high in protein, according to Healthline, which makes it an ideal meat alternative. "As a wellness coach, I am always looking for recipes that are a healthy copy of a common, easy dinner," Hahn says. "I first learned about jackfruit a few years ago and have loved using it in tacos, chilis, and burritos."

This is a quick recipe that only requires a few ingredients. Let's get started!

To make this recipe, you'll first need to get some canned jackfruit. While you can buy fresh jackfruit if you can find it, it can be a lot more difficult to work with. Hahn has never worked with fresh jackfruit because they are hard to find. "I have never taken on working with a whole one because the process is pretty involved," says Hahn. "The canned type that I buy is free of additives and is just the pure jackfruit."

Other than canned jackfruit, you'll need cooking oil, an onion, garlic, and one jalapeño. The spices that Hahn uses in this recipe are smoked paprika, cumin, and salt. You'll also need green salsa, canned chipotle peppers, lime juice, and some water. For the taco shells or corn tortillas, Hahn recommends using the small street taco size. You'll also need whatever additional toppings you'd like such as pico de gallo, avocado, sour cream, or red onions.

Add the oil to a large frying pan, and cook the onions, garlic, and jalapeño on medium-high heat for five minutes.

Meanwhile, drain the cans of jackfruit and rinse the jackfruit in a colander. Take each jackfruit piece, trim off the hard tip, and discard. Shred the jackfruit using your hands or a knife. At this point, the jackfruit texture and color are not that close to pork, but don't worry — it will soften up and darken with cooking.

Add the shredded jackfruit, spices, chipotle peppers, green salsa, and lime juice to the frying pan, and stir to combine. Cook on low heat for about 10 minutes, and add water when the contents of the pan start to look dry. How do you know when the jackfruit is fully cooked? "It will look just like pulled pork when it is done," Hahn says. "It will be very soft and tender and darker in color due to the spices."

Warm up your taco shells in the oven, fill with the taco mixture, add toppings, and serve. The world is your oyster here — this can be a completely plant-based meal depending on the toppings, or you can go all-out with dairy and add shredded cheese and sour cream. The toppings are really up to you. "I like it with salsa or pico de gallo and chopped avocado," Hahn says.

This recipe makes four servings. If you have any leftover taco filling, it should keep in an air-tight container in the fridge for about five days.