This creamy jackfruit curry is a delightful dish that delivers texture and flavour in abundance. Combining meaty jackfruit pieces with aromatic spices, tomatoes, coconut milk, and fragrant lime, it's a top-drawer vegan recipe that's also gluten-free.
Relying heavily on store cupboard ingredients and dried spices, you can use either tinned or fresh tomatoes and add any extra veg you like. I include a few bird's eye chillies for heat, but you can decrease the amount or omit these altogether if you don't want a kick.
If you've been on the lookout for a new and exciting vegan jackfruit recipe to try, I daresay the search is over. If you want to continue the search, however, I can highly recommend this smoky jackfruit chilli or these jackfruit and black bean tacos.
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What is jackfruit?
Jackfruit is a large fruit found in tropical and subtropical areas around the world. When young, it has a neutral taste and meaty consistency that has seen it become popular in plant-based cooking.
Unless you live in a tropical region, you're most likely to come across jackfruit in some sort of tinned form.
Does jackfruit taste like meat?
I'm not going to pretend that jackfruit actually tastes like meat, but it does have a texture that is surprisingly similar to something like slow-cooked chicken or pulled pork. With its relatively neutral taste, young jackfruit is a great vessel for flavours like the ones in this curry.
For another 'meaty' jackfruit recipe, check out this vegan 'beef' stew.
How to make creamy jackfruit curry
Heat the oil in a large pan on medium heat. Add the onion and red pepper and soften for 4-5 minutes, stirring regularly.
Next, add the chopped garlic, ginger, and chilli. Stir well and cook for another couple of minutes.
After a couple of minutes, add the jackfruit pieces, cumin, coriander, garam masala, and turmeric. Lightly crush the cardamom pods with the flat of your knife and add these to the pan.
Stir well for a minute or so, using a wooden spoon to break apart some of the jackfruit for a mix of tender chunks and stringy pieces.
Next, add the tomatoes and break these apart with a spoon. If using tinned tomatoes, fill up a third of the empty can with water and swirl this around before adding to the pan. If using fresh tomatoes, simply add around 150 ml (approx. ½ cup) of water.
Add salt and pepper and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes, adding extra water if necessary. Next, add the coconut milk and lime zest.
Stir well, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook for a further 10 minutes or until the curry is thick and creamy, being careful not to let the coconut milk boil.
Once thick and creamy, remove the cardamom pods and stir in most of the chopped coriander. Adjust the seasoning and serve.
Serving suggestions
- Boiled basmati/white rice
- Pilau rice
- Brown rice
- Quinoa
- Vegan raita
- Chopped fresh coriander
- Fresh lime juice
- Fresh chilli
- Sliced spring onions
Recipe FAQ
Here in the UK, I've found tinned jackfruit in several of the larger supermarket stores. It's also often available in international supermarkets, smaller specialist shops, and of course online.
When buying tinned jackfruit, make sure you get a variety labelled as 'young' or 'green'. You'll also want it in water (or brine) as opposed to syrup.
This recipe is 100% gluten-free as it is. To keep it that way, be sure to serve it with GF sides such as rice or quinoa.
Variations and tips
- Jackfruit texture: I cut the tougher core parts into small pieces, then slice up the rest more liberally. If you want more of a shredded texture, you can do this using two forks to pull the pieces apart at the end of cooking.
- Coconut milk: Full-fat coconut milk is best for creaminess and flavour, but you could swap this out for a 'light' variety if you prefer (or use half of the regular version and save the rest for a sweet potato dal).
- Cardamom: This is optional, however it adds a really nice fragrance to the curry.
- Chilli: I used bird's eye chillies (a.k.a. finger chillies), but the level of heat will depend on the type of chilli you use. If you're unsure, start with a small amount and add more during cooking to suit your taste.
- Add protein: If you want extra plant-based protein, you could add a drained can of chickpeas and/or greens such as spinach.
How to store jackfruit curry
Refrigerate: You can store the curry in the fridge for up to four days, before reheating in the microwave or in a pan with a splash of water.
Freeze: Store this curry in the freezer in sealed containers or resealable bags for several months. The coconut milk may sometimes separate after being frozen, but it shouldn't be a problem if you thoroughly defrost and reheat.
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More vegan recipe ideas
If you liked this recipe, you may also enjoy:
- Vegan Biryani with Chickpeas
- Aloo Palak (Potato and Spinach Curry)
- Creamy Black Bean Curry
- Healthy Aubergine Curry
- Easy Vegan Chana Masala
- Vegan Rajma Masala
- Spicy Tofu Jalfrezi
- Vegan Lentil Dal
You can also check out my full list of vegan mains.
Full recipe
Creamy Jackfruit Curry with Tomato, Coconut & Lime
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or other cooking oil)
- 1 onion, finely sliced
- 1 red pepper, deseeded and finely sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 2-3 fresh chillies, finely sliced (I used bird's eye chillies – see notes)
- 2x 14 oz (400 g) tins young jackfruit, drained and each piece roughly chopped a couple of times
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 4 cardamom pods (optional)
- 1x 14 oz (400 g) tin plum tomatoes (or 6 fresh medium tomatoes, roughly chopped)
- 1x 14 oz (400 ml) tin coconut milk (full-fat is best)
- Grated zest of 1 lime (save the juice to serve)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Small bunch fresh coriander, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pan on medium heat. Add the onion and red pepper and soften for 4-5 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Next, add the chopped garlic, ginger, and chilli. Stir well and cook for another couple of minutes.
- After a couple of minutes, add the jackfruit pieces, cumin, coriander, garam masala, and turmeric. Lightly crush the cardamom pods with the flat of your knife and add these to the pan. Stir well for a minute or so, using a wooden spoon to break apart some of the jackfruit for a mix of tender chunks and stringy pieces.
- Next, add the tomatoes and break these apart with a spoon. If using tinned tomatoes, fill up a third of the empty can with water and swirl this around before adding to the pan. If using fresh tomatoes, simply add around 150 ml (approx. ½ cup) of water. Add salt and pepper and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes, adding extra water if necessary.
- After 10 minutes, add the coconut milk and lime zest. Stir well, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook for a further 10 minutes or until the curry is thick and creamy, being careful not to let the coconut milk boil.
- Once thick and creamy, remove the cardamom pods and stir in most of the chopped coriander. Adjust the seasoning and serve with rice, fresh coriander, and a squeeze of lime juice.
Notes
Nutrition
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Karin
First vegan meal I ever made and I loved it!
The Pesky Vegan
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