Jackfruit 101: Everything You Need to Know About This Versatile and Sustainable Ingredient

Have you heard of jackfruit before? Recently, you may have heard or seen it in passing more frequently—after all, “jackfruit” has seen a 400% increase in Google searches in just the past five years, and The Wall Street Journal touted it as the next meat alternative with “the most potential to go mainstream” in its list of The Next Hot Trends in Food!

However, the details surrounding this exotic fruit are most likely still a mystery to you and most people. If you’re interested in learning more, this jackfruit guide is for you. Keep reading to get the 101 on jackfruit and become an expert by the end of this article!

What is Jackfruit?

Jackfruit is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world (an individual fruit can reach up to 120 lbs or 55 kg!), and originates in South and Southeast Asia. Not to be confused with the durian, which also has a green and spiky exterior, jackfruit is actually a species in the Moraceae family—the same family as the fig. Crazy, right?

As a tropical plant, most of the world’s jackfruit production is in its areas of origin, South and Southeast Asia. Due to its increasing popularity though, jackfruit is not only becoming more widely available to consumers across the world, but also being introduced to farms in other regions like the U.S. and Mexico that have the climate to support it. This is great news for everyone since many have started to look towards jackfruit and its unique, meaty texture as plant-based food and meat alternatives continue to skyrocket.

Nutritional Benefits of Jackfruit

In addition to its desirable texture for meat alternative applications, jackfruit also boasts an impressive nutritional profile. It’s full of fiber and important minerals, such as iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium, and has a higher protein content than most typical fruits. Jackfruit also has a modest calorie count and is extremely low in fat. One cup (165g) of raw jackfruit contains:

• Calories: 157

• Protein: 2.84 g

• Fat: 1.06 g

• Carbohydrates: 38.4 g

• Fiber: 2.48 g

• Vitamin C: 22.6 mg, 25% DV

• Riboflavin: 0.091 mg, 7% DV

• Calcium: 39.6 mg, 3% DV

• Iron: 0.379 mg, 2% DV

• Magnesium: 47.8 mg, 11% DV

• Potassium: 739 mg, 16% DV

• Copper: 0.125 mg, 14% DV

• Manganese: 0.071 mg, 3% DV

Because of its high mineral and antioxidant content, jackfruit has also been said to promote immune and heart health. The fruit has other potential health benefits, including digestional aid and skin health, but these claims have not been widely studied.

Ripe vs. Unripe / Young Green Jackfruit

Jackfruit is somewhat magical in that it has two completely different flavor profiles and appearances depending on its stage of growth.

Ripe Jackfruit

When ripe, the inside of a jackfruit is bright yellow and the majority of the fruit is comprised of large pods. Once the pods are separated from the jackfruit’s rind and core, the seeds can be removed from these pods (although the seeds are edible too!) so all you’re left with is the sweet, yellow flesh to eat. Ripe jackfruit has a very chewy, stringy texture and unique, tropical flavor—almost a hybrid of pineapple, banana, and mango.

Unripe / Young Green Jackfruit

Alternatively, the flesh of unripe or young green jackfruit is off-white in color and almost neutral in flavor. These attributes in addition to its signature texture make it ideal for cooking applications in meat alternative or plant-based recipes. Because the fruit is not fully developed, the pods and seeds are also smaller!

How to Prepare and Eat Jackfruit

Because jackfruit is an extremely versatile fruit, both when ripe and unripe, it’s important to know how to prepare a fresh jackfruit and all the ways you can utilize it in different applications! In this section of the jackfruit 101 guide, we’ll walk you through each step. When breaking down a whole jackfruit:

• Use a large knife to first cut the entire fruit lengthwise in half (please note that jackfruit contains a very sticky sap, so it’s best to wear gloves and lightly oil any utensils that will come into contact with the fruit).

• Cut each half lengthwise again so you have quarter wedges.

• The center of the fruit will contain a white core, which should be cut away next. Removing the core will allow you to bend back each wedge, consequently loosening and separating the pods from each other!

• Now, it should be fairly easy to remove the pods from the outer spiky rind. You can remove the seeds from each pod, but remember, these seeds are edible as well (we recommend roasting them for a nutty snack).

Here’s a video demonstrating each step we just described:

Once you have finished breaking down your jackfruit and have all the flesh separated, it’s ready to eat or cook with! Ripe jackfruit is commonly eaten raw like other fruits, or it can be used in sweet applications like desserts.

Unripe or young green jackfruit can be consumed raw as well, but because of its neutral flavor, it is much more suited for absorbing flavor in savory cooking applications. To use it as a meat alternative, we recommend shredding the jackfruit and cooking it in your favorite sauces or spices!

Packaged Varieties and Where to Buy Jackfruit

At this point in the jackfruit guide, if you’re ready to start experimenting with jackfruit, you’re in luck—it’s becoming more widely available in U.S. supermarkets and can be found in a variety of styles. Jackfruit is most commonly available in grocery stores as:

• Fresh fruit (whole or already sliced)

• Canned

• Meal starters

You can also find dried jackfruit, but these are mostly for snacking purposes, so no preparation needed!

Fresh jackfruit may be the hardest variety to find, but chances are your local Whole Foods or Asian supermarket will carry it. If you’re buying a whole fruit, make sure to ask about its stage of ripening since it can be somewhat difficult to distinguish ripe and unripe jackfruit from the exterior appearance alone.

Canned jackfruit is also widely available in stores, which makes it easier for people who don’t want to worry about breaking down a whole fruit and storing any leftovers for future use (freezing leftover jackfruit is the way to go, by the way). Within the canned realm, there are also several varieties of liquid the jackfruit comes packed in:

• Syrup

• Brine (salt water)

• Water

You’ll find ripe jackfruit already seeded and packed in syrup, ready to eat as-is or use in desserts and other sweet applications. Young green jackfruit comes packed in brine or water, typically as triangular wedges that can be chopped or shredded for whichever savory dish you’ll be using it in.

Choosing brine- or water-packed jackfruit is really a matter of preference—we’ve used them interchangeably in most recipes! Canned jackfruit can also be found in your local supermarket (Trader Joe’s also has their own private label brand!), most likely in the canned food, Asian, or international aisles.

Last but not least, jackfruit meal starters (often pre-shredded and already seasoned in pouches or boxes) has recently started to increase its footprint. While some of these are plain, shredded jackfruit for maximum flexibility in cooking application, most contain seasoned or sauced jackfruit ready for you to just lightly sauté and enjoy! If you want a meat alternative meal, but don’t have the time to cook everything from scratch, these meal starters are by far the most convenient.

The two most common brands we’ve found in stores are The Jackfruit Co. and Upton’s Naturals, and in the supermarket, you will most likely find them in the packaged meal or ready-to-eat aisle, vegetarian section, or refrigerated and frozen aisles.

Jackfruit Recipes

Because jackfruit is so versatile, there are a TON of ways you can cook with it! Now that you’ve almost completed your jackfruit 101, here are some savory and sweet recipes to spark your imagination:

• BBQ Pulled Jackfruit Tacos - Simply Recipes

• BBQ Jackfruit Sandwiches with Avocado Slaw - Minimalist Baker

• Jackfruit Pizza with Roasted Garlic Sauce - Hot For Food

• Jackfruit Upside-Down Cake - Tasting Table

• Tropical Jackfruit Smoothie - The Little Epicurean

Sustainability and Solution as a Meat Alternative

Not only is jackfruit good for your body, it’s also good for the environment! The fruit is grown on trees that are resistant to drought, a variety of pests and diseases, and high temperatures, making it an ideal crop for farmers in sub-tropical areas. Jackfruit also provides a sustainable solution for farmers who are facing numerous challenges with crops under climate change.

As plant-based food continues to grow in popularity, jackfruit with its meaty texture is a realistic alternative for many meat-based products as well. Replacing the need for some livestock farming with jackfruit production would further benefit the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We don’t know about you, but we think that’s pretty awesome!

Jackfruit: The “Jack” in Jack & Friends

After reading through this comprehensive jackfruit guide, you’re probably thinking this is one amazingly versatile, nutritious, and sustainable plant. Well, we couldn’t agree more.

As the main ingredient of our plant-based, jackfruit jerky, jackfruit plays an important role in Jack & Friends—so much so that we honored it with the permanent place in our name! We chose jackfruit as the core of our product because its meat-like macrofibril structure helps create our vegan jerky’s chewy and tearable texture that mimics traditional beef jerky. As a nutrient-rich and sustainable ingredient, jackfruit provides added nutritional benefits while keeping the environment a bit greener as well.

Final Thoughts

Overall, jackfruit is an extremely versatile ingredient for both sweet and savory applications with nutritional and environmental benefits. Whether you’re using it fresh or canned, ripe or unripe, jackfruit is an interesting ingredient to experiment with and incorporate into your favorite dishes—especially if you’re vegan or vegetarian, or just looking to incorporate more plant-based food or meat alternatives into your diet.

Packed with fiber, minerals, and antioxidants, jackfruit will also provide your body with the nutrition it needs while satisfying your taste buds. As the world shifts towards greater plant-based eating and more sustainable agricultural practices and food production, the hearty jackfruit tree provides an environmental solution to dwindling crop yields as well. All of these qualities are gaining jackfruit industry and consumer recognition while further pushing it into the spotlight—and we believe it couldn’t be more deserved.