As promised, here is the fourth of five recipes I am sharing from my cookbook for FREE! This recipe is for Jamaican Jerk Jackfruit Tacos! This recipe was adapted from a recipe for Jamaican Jerk Jackfruit Tacos from the blog Yup, Itโs Vegan, and it is incredibly flavorful and well-balanced.
And if you want more than 90 incredible vegan Instant Pot recipes, be sure to order my cookbook, The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook!
With my recipes, I strive to balance flavors in a harmonious way. In this recipe, the jackfruit is spicy (thanks to the habanero pepper and cayenne pepper) and smoky (thanks to the liquid smoke), so it needs a cooling balance. Thatโs where the mango avocado salsa comes in! Itโs so refreshing and cooling and creamy, making it the perfect complement to the jackfruit.
Finally, this recipe is really easy to make. Just sautรฉ a few aromatics in the Instant Pot, toss in the canned and shredded jackfruit with some seasonings, and let the Instant Pot do its magic! And for the salsa, itโs as easy as combining a few diced ingredients!
If you are sensitive to spicy food, I recommend not using the whole habanero pepper, which is very spicy. If you can tolerate moderate spiciness, you can use half or even just 1/4 of the pepper. If you are very sensitive to spicy food, I recommend using a less spicy pepper, such as a serrano pepper or a jalapeรฑo (jalapeรฑos are the least spicy).
And finally, I highly recommend flame grilling your tortillas! It adds a nice textural dimension and slight smoky taste to the tacos!
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Instant Pot Jamaican Jerk Jackfruit Tacos (recipe from the Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook)
Ingredients
Mango-Avocado Salsa
- 2 cups peeled and diced mango, about 2 medium
- 1 medium ripe avocado, diced
- 3/4 cup diced red onion
- 1/2 cup diced cucumber
- 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, about 11โ2 limes
- 1 โ2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro, finely chopped Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Jackfruit
- 2 (20-ounce) cans jackfruit in brine or water
- 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil or other neutral cooking oil
- 6 scallions (white and light-green parts only), sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 -inch piece fresh ginger, grated or minced
- 1 habanero or Scotch bonnet pepper, seeded and minced (use only 1โ2 pepper for less heat or substitute with a milder pepper such as serrano or jalapenฬo)
Jamaican Jerk Seasoning, store-bought or homemade (recipe follows)
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar, coconut nectar, or agave nectar
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 cup reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, about 11โ2 limes
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
- 1/2 cup water
Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
- 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon sweet or hot paprika
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 to 1โ2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg
For serving
- 12 corn tortillas
- Vegan sour cream (optional)
Instructions
- Make the mango-avocado salsa: In a medium bowl, combine the mango, avocado, onion, cucumber, orange juice, lime juice, and cilantro and mix gently. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Preparing the salsa in advance gives it some time to marinate and will deepen the flavor, but you can also make it while the jackfruit pressure cooks.)
- Prepare the jackfruit: Drain the canned jackfruit and lightly rinse under water, shaking off excess water. Use your fingers to remove any thick cores and pull the pieces apart so that it resembles shredded pork.
- Select the Sauteฬ setting on the Instant Pot and, after a few minutes, add the oil. Once the display reads โHOT,โ add the scallions and cook until browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and chile pepper and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
- Add all of the Jamaican jerk seasoning, stir to coat, and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly, until very fragrant. Select the Cancel setting.
- Add the shredded jackfruit, along with the coconut sugar, tomato paste, tamari, lime juice, and liquid smoke (if using). Stir well. Pour in 1โ2 cup water and mix again.
- Secure the lid and set the Pressure Release to Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook setting at high pressure and set the cook time to 4 minutes.
- Once the 4-minute timer has completed and beeps, allow a natural pressure release. Open the pot and stir well. Transfer the jackfruit to a serving bowl.
- To serve: Heat the tortillas over an open flame (I place them directly on the burner of my gas stove) and use tongs to ip them after 30 to 45 seconds or when small brown spots appear, and cook for another 15 to 30 seconds. Stack them in a clean kitchen towel or in foil to keep them warm.
- Serve the jackfruit with the warmed corn tortillas, mango avocado salsa, and vegan sour cream (if using).
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Overall a wonderful recipe, but beware that it takes quite a bit of time, especially if you prepare the jerk seasoning as the recipe suggests.
Great flavors with an immense depth. The only thing I would say is that the jackfruit portion is quite tangy. I would suggest using less lime juice, or none at all.
Sorry to hear it took you longer than expected, Lauren! Thank you for sharing your experience, we’re glad you think the jackfruit had great flavors. :)
So delicious! Mouth watering, juicy,tender and flavorful! Mimics pulled pork with the bonus of being truly cruelty-free, since it’s vegan!! I loved the addition of your homemade mango salsa and homemade Jamaican jerk seasoning! I omitted the avocados in the salsa and added red bell peppers, then sliced the avocados and topped them last with Cocojune coconut yogurt! It transported me back to tropical paradise on a hot summer day! Thank you Nisha ๐
Thanks for sharing, Teresa!
I’ve been keeping making this recipe over and over again – sometimes we swap the jackfruit with oyster mushrooms and it is as delicious.
Thank you for posting such incredibly tasty recipes! :)
Oana, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
This was so delicious ! I didnโt have 2 cans of jackfruit so I cut up some cauliflower in small pieces and used that as my ยซย second canย ยป. I used a jalapeรฑo as the pepper. I also made the salsa! So good! Then I made Jicama Carrot slaw but used fennel instead and locally made tortillas. It was an amazing meal!
Mary, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
This recipe is absolutely delicious and I plan to make it again in the near future!! All the different flavors and spices blended perfectly!!!
Hi Mary, weโre thrilled to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating alongside your review? Star ratings are big help to readers who are thinking of making the recipe. Thanks!
I have tried several jackfruit recipes and have soaked and rinsed the jackfruit several times to remove the sour flavor and still am having a hard time getting passed this. Do the spices in this recipe solve that problem or do you have suggestions?
Can I use frozen jackfruit as a substitute for the canned?
Once you get the spices together, this recipe is pretty easy! It is a bit on the spicy side, so be careful if you’re sensitive. It’s really delish with the mango salsa, and I think a lot of non-vegans would enjoy it.
Absolutely delicious! Added 1/2 tsp of cayenne and it was the perfect spice. The jackfruit flavoring was delicious and balanced so well with the mango salsa. We didnโt have fresh mangos so I used frozen but when mangos are in season will be making this with a fresh mango. Husband enjoyed this for dinner and were able to enjoy for 2 more lunches. Super easy with so much flavor. My favorite jackfruit recipe yet. 5 โญ๏ธ
I just loooove this recipe, thank you Nisha! We already made it a couple of times and our friends we made it for always found it very special and delicious. Since I donโt have a pressure cooker we prepare the Jackfruit in a non-stick pan and it worked out perfectly as well.
โญ๏ธ โญ๏ธ โญ๏ธ โญ๏ธ โญ๏ธThis recipe takes a while to chop and measure everything but it is well worth it! These were restaurant-level delicious! I would definitely make again. The balance of sweet and spicy was perfect. Definitely recommend the sour cream to help cut some of the heat. (We used Greek yogurt.) I served on arepa tortillas because I didnโt have any masa harina. Would also be really good over rice cooked in coconut milk.
A couple comments on the salsa. We only had clementines and one was exactly 3T of juice so I used that instead of orange juice. I also donโt like cilantro (Iโm one of those โtastes like soapโ people) so I just sprinkled a little cumin on top of the salsa. One large red mango was about 1.9 cups, so I didnโt bother cutting into the second mango. I also had really small avocados so used two instead of just one. You donโt really notice the cucumber so if you donโt have that you could probably leave out.
A couple suggestions: In step 2 thereโs no need to pull jack fruit apart before putting in the instapot. Just pull out any hard cores and then when the instapot is done mash with a fork. In step 5 I added the water before adding the jackfruit, tomatoes paste etc. to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom.
Thanks for a great delicious recipe!
This is such a great recipe! Loved it!