Easy Jackfruit Tacos with Black Beans

These easy jackfruit tacos make for a delicious vegan meal that's ready in 30 minutes or less. Simply simmer the ingredients for the filling to thicken and let the flavours come together, then load up soft tortillas with the toppings of your choice.

Recipe originally written in 2020 and updated with minor changes in 2024.

I like a combination of pico de gallo, guacamole, vegan mayo, and fresh coriander, but the options are almost endless when it comes to tacos. The filling also keeps well in the fridge or freezer, so make up a big batch and enjoy it in future meals.

If you're on the lookout for more vegan taco recipes, check out these shredded tofu tacos and 15-minute kidney bean tacos.

Why you'll love this recipe

• It can be ready in as little as 30 minutes
• You need just one pot to create the basic jackfruit and black bean filling
• I'd never claim that jackfruit is exactly like meat, but it does have a satisfying meaty texture
• The filling itself is gluten-free, meaning you'd just need to get GF tortillas for the dish to be GF

Recipe testing notes

• Use the right jackfruit: When buying tinned jackfruit, be sure to get a 'young' or 'green' variety. You'll also want it in brine or water rather than syrup.
• Chopping the jackfruit: I like to roughly chop the jackfruit in a few different ways for a variety of textures. I cut the tougher core parts into smaller pieces, then slice up the rest more liberally.
• Tortillas: The number of tacos you can make will depend on the size of the tortillas and how much you put in them. For me, this was enough to fill roughly 10-12 small flour tortillas. You can also use soft corn tortillas, hard taco shells, or gluten-free tortillas if necessary.

What is jackfruit?

Jackfruit is a large tropical fruit that has various uses depending on its ripeness. When very ripe, it can be eaten fresh and has a sweet taste similar to mango and pineapple.

When young, however, the taste is fairly neutral and the jackfruit takes on other flavours that you add to it. Since young jackfruit also has a meaty, stringy consistency, it's become popular as a meat alternative in plant-based cooking.

Interested in more vegan jackfruit recipes? 👀👇

Where can I buy jackfruit?

Here in the UK, I've noticed that many of the larger supermarket stores have started to sell tinned jackfruit. It also tends to be available in my local international supermarket, smaller specialist shops, and of course online.

When buying canned jackfruit, be sure to get a 'young' or 'green' variety. You'll also want it in brine or water rather than syrup.

What you'll need

To make these tasty jackfruit tacos, you'll need:

• Canned jackfruit in water that has been drained and roughly chopped
• Aromatic veg in the form of onion, garlic, chilli, and green pepper
• Canned black beans that have been drained and rinsed
• Seasoning in the form of ground cumin, smoked paprika, and dried sage (you could also use homemade Cajun seasoning mix)
• Umami flavours from the tomato paste and nutritional yeast
• Lime and coriander for freshness
• Small tortillas to serve

The image below is an old one that I updated and doesn’t include the tomato paste (puree), nutritional yeast, or tortillas for serving.

How to make jackfruit tacos

Heat the oil in a large pan on medium heat. Add the sliced onion and soften for 5-6 minutes, before adding the garlic, chilli, and green pepper.

Stir well and cook for 2-3 minutes until the peppers start to soften.

Next, add the chopped jackfruit, black beans, tomato puree, vegan stock, cumin, smoked paprika, sage, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper.

Stir everything well and cover with a lid. Reduce the heat and simmer for around 6-8 minutes.

After 6-8 minutes, remove the lid. Using a wooden spoon or potato masher, gently break apart the jackfruit pieces so that there's a mix of small tender chunks and stringy pieces.

Do this until you have a texture you're happy with, and don't worry if some black beans get mashed up in the process.

Next, stir in the lime juice and half of the chopped coriander.

Continue to cook for another few minutes until the liquid has evaporated and you have a fairly thick mix. If the mix looks a little too dry, you can add more water or stock to loosen it up.

Adjust the seasoning then turn off the heat and set aside.

Warm the tortillas according to package instructions. Once ready, add a heaped spoonful of the jackfruit filling to the centre of each and any other toppings you like (see serving suggestions below).

What to serve with jackfruit tacos

When it comes to taco toppings, the list is almost endless. Some of my favourites include:

• Guacamole with chunky tomatoes
• Vegan mayo
• Pico de gallo
• Chopped coriander
• Cashew lime crema
• Hot sauce
• Sliced spring onions
• Super seed mix
• Grated vegan cheese

Recipe FAQ

Variations and tips for jackfruit tacos

• Other beans: You could easily swap out the black beans for another type of canned bean, or other canned legumes such as chickpeas or lentils. You could also soak and/or pre-cook your own dried beans – see my Beginner’s Guide to Pulses to find out more.
• Heat: I like to include the chilli seeds, but you can remove these if you don’t like the heat.
• Cajun seasoning: You could replace the cumin, smoked paprika, and dried sage in this recipe with a similar amount of homemade Cajun seasoning.

More vegan recipe ideas

If you liked this recipe, you might also enjoy:

You can also check out my full list of vegan mains and quick vegan dinners.

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