What Does Jackfruit Meat Taste Like? (2024)

  • What Is
    • What is jackfruit?
  • What Does It Taste Like?
    • What does jackfruit meat taste like?
  • Health Benefits
    • What are the health benefits of eating jackfruit?
  • Can It Be Bad for You?
    • Can jackfruit consumption cause any harm?
  • Comments
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What is jackfruit?

What Does Jackfruit Meat Taste Like? (1)

Jackfruit is a fruit native to India and parts of southeast Asia.

Jackfruit is a spikey, green-colored fruit native to India and some parts of Southeast Asia. It contains rich yellow pods that have a fiber-like texture when raw and they become sweeter and softer when ripe. Raw jackfruit is sought by vegans as a meat substitute for its fiber-like texture. For this reason, it is labeled as jackfruit meat. Both the pods and the seeds of jackfruit are edible. Roasted seeds have a nutty flavor and may be used in breads, hummus and other foods.

Although it is an exotic fruit, jackfruit is available in the US mainly in canned form. Canning is a process of cleaning, shelling and deseeding the fruit and packing it in airtight cans and heating them to pasteurize the contents. Canning increases the shelf life of a food item. Both ripe and unripe jackfruit pods may be available in canned forms.

What does jackfruit meat taste like?

Typical jackfruit meat consists of the unripe jackfruit pod. It is tasteless and it has a fibrous texture. You can cook it by boiling it, grilling it or including it in a curry dish. Jackfruit meat takes on the flavor of the spices that it is cooked with. Given its fibrous texture, unripe jackfruit is used in veggie patties, vegan burgers and vegan tortillas as a chicken substitute.

Ripe jackfruit tastes sweet. The overripe fruit has a strong fruity odor and a sweet, almost pungent, taste. The taste of jackfruit is described as the flavor of apples and bananas mixed together.

Jackfruit seeds may be boiled or roasted. Seeds have a milky taste. Roasted seeds taste nutty and can be used in breads or puddings or simply snacked on.

What are the health benefits of eating jackfruit?

A 3.5 ounce portion of jackfruit contains only 94 calories. It is rich in vitamin C, niacin, riboflavin, vitamin B6 and folic acid. It is rich in potassium, calcium and magnesium as well. Ripe jackfruit is an excellent source of polyphenols like carotenoids, flavonoids, volatile acids sterols and tannins. Polyphenols are compounds with beneficial effects on blood pressure, blood sugars, aging and blood vessels. Polyphenols offer protection against aging and they help maintain the health of the skin and eyes. They also have anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties.

Table 1. The Composition of a Typical Jackfruit

CompositionYoung fruitRipe fruit
Water (g)76.2 to 85.272.0 to 94.0
Protein (g)2.0 to 2.61.2 to 1.9
Fat (g)0.1 to 0.60.1 to 0.4
Carbohydrate (g)9.4 to 11.516.0 to 25.4
Fiber (g)2.6 to 3.61.0 to1.5
Total sugars (g) -20.6
Total minerals (g)0.90.87 to 0.9
Calcium (mg)30.0 to 73.220.0 to 37.0
Magnesium (mg) -27.0
Phosphorus (mg)20.0 to 57.238.0 to 41.0
Potassium (mg)287 to 323191 to 407
Sodium (mg)3.0 to 35.02.0 to 41.0
Iron (mg)0.4 to 1.90.5 to 1.1
Vitamin A (IU)30175 to 540
Thiamine (mg)0.05 to 0.150.03 to 0.09
Riboflavin (mg)0.05 to 0.20.05 to 0.4
Vitamin C (mg)12.0 to 14.07.0 to 10.0
Energy (KJ)50 to 21088 to 410

Can jackfruit consumption cause any harm?

Eating jackfruit in large quantities may cause unwanted fluctuation in blood sugar levels. The glycemic index of jackfruit (ability to raise post-consumption blood sugar levels) is 63, which is moderately high.

A few people have oral allergy syndrome (OAS), a form of food allergy to jackfruit. This is more common in people who have a history of pollen allergy. Patients typically report itching and/or mild swelling of the mouth and throat immediately following ingestion of uncooked, canned, ripe or raw jackfruit.

Given that the fruit has a high amount of potassium, caution is advised in patients with advanced kidney disease.

What Does Jackfruit Meat Taste Like? (2)

QUESTION

According to the USDA, there is no difference between a “portion” and a “serving.” See Answer

References

Medscape Medical Reference

International Journal of Food Science

What Does Jackfruit Meat Taste Like? (2024)

FAQs

What Does Jackfruit Meat Taste Like? ›

Ripe yellow jackfruit has a subtly sweet flavor, often described as a combination of banana, apple, and mango. Young green jackfruit

Young green jackfruit
The ripe fruit is sweet (depending on variety) and is commonly used in desserts. Canned green jackfruit has a mild taste and meat-like texture that lends itself to being called "vegetable meat". Jackfruit is commonly used in South and Southeast Asian cuisines. Both ripe and unripe fruits are consumed.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Jackfruit
, on the other hand, has a neutral flavor and texture similar to shredded meat, making it a popular meat substitute in savory dishes.

Does jackfruit really taste like meat? ›

Compared to ripe jackfruit, unripe jackfruit has a stringy, meaty texture similar to that of beef or pork. This texture—along with the fruit's neutral, almost bland taste, which can accommodate the flavor of whatever it's cooked in—is a large reason why jackfruit is such a popular meat alternative.

Does jackfruit taste like chicken? ›

Jackfruit has a mildly sweet flavor to it, and can be used in place of meats in a variety of recipes. The jackfruit will cook down into what resembles shredded chicken or pork, and when sautéed with BBQ sauce and put in a sandwich or wrap, it will have the same texture and is very satisfying.

What is the texture of jackfruit meat? ›

Unripe jackfruit has a stringy texture that looks and feels similar to pulled pork or shredded beef cheeks.

Can jackfruit replace meat? ›

Yep, we said jackfruit can stand in for most meats, and we weren't exaggerating. It can even replicate clams. Combine it with a briny, lemony, dairy-free white wine sauce for flavors and textures so delicious, you won't miss the original.

What is the side effects of eating jackfruit? ›

The high potassium content of Jackfruit can be harmful to people suffering from chronic kidney diseases or acute kidney failure. An excessive potassium diet can cause hyperkalaemia in such people. The build-up of potassium in the blood is a condition called hyperkalaemia.

Does jackfruit taste like pepperoni? ›

The jackfruit texture is not dissimilar to a banana, mango, or pineapple in terms of being dense and fibrous. But the taste is quite distinctive. Some say it's sweet, and some say a jackfruit has a flavor similar to pulled pork, especially when cooked.

Does jackfruit taste like artichoke? ›

The mature fruit yields a number of discrete pods, which only have to be deseeded in order to be eaten. Punyaratabandhu thinks unripe jackfruit tastes sort of like artichoke hearts—so much so that when she first came to the U.S. and felt nostalgic for jackfruit curry, she'd use canned artichoke hearts instead.

What does overripe jackfruit taste like? ›

Ripe jackfruit tastes sweet. The overripe fruit has a strong fruity odor and a sweet, almost pungent, taste.

Why is jackfruit so delicious? ›

Ripe jackfruit has a sweet, tropical fruit flavor that works well as a snack or added to sweet dishes. When ripe, it tastes like other tropical fruits like bananas, mangos or pineapples. If you're trying ripe jackfruit, use it like you would any other tropical fruit.

Why do vegans like jackfruit? ›

Its flesh has a texture that's reminiscent of shredded meat, which makes it a popular substitute for meat in vegetarian and vegan dishes ( 3 ).

Is jackfruit like tofu? ›

If you've been searching for a healthy vegetarian substitute for meat that isn't the usual soy or wheat gluten products (like tofu or seitan), you may have just found your perfect match. Jackfruit is the rare fruit that effortlessly doubles as a hearty meat substitute.

What does a gumless jackfruit taste like? ›

The Gumless Jackfruit is sweet and having no or little gum jackfruit. The deep orange flesh is soft, with a strong, sweet flavor and aroma. The fruit is medium in size, averaging of 6.7 kg, with an edible flesh percentage of 35% for each.

Does jackfruit taste like pulled pork? ›

Does jackfruit taste like pulled pork? Young jackfruit has a meaty texture and soaks up flavor like a sponge. Once it's cooked, it takes on all of the savory, smoky flavors the BBQ sauce has to offer! It tastes a lot like pulled pork!

What to avoid when eating jackfruit? ›

You should avoid drinking water after the consumption of jackfruit as it can lead to diarrhoea. Jackfruit is a high water content fruit that smoothes out bowel movements. So, if you drink water after eating jackfruit, it can lead to even smoother bowel movements and cause diarrhoea.

Is jackfruit hard to digest? ›

Because of the high fiber content Jackfruit is difficult to digest. Eat small portions. Secondly it has a large content of natural sugar and this will elevate your sugar in the blood and make you feel restless. Some people are allergic to jackfruit and should avoid it completely.

Can you eat jackfruit raw? ›

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.

Why are jackfruit so expensive? ›

Another reason for the price hike is the thinner supply, according to jackfruit growers. After being hit by the Covid pandemic, farmers reduced their jackfruit-growing areas, so the output of the fruit this year is 20-30% lower than in previous years.

What are the benefits of eating jackfruit? ›

It's this gut-friendly fibre content along-with vitamin C and beta-carotene that suggests jackfruit may be useful for supporting immune health and potentially reduce the risk of viral infection. In addition to this, a compound found in the seed of the fruit appears to activate key immune cells, called neutrophils.

Is jackfruit pulled pork good? ›

They're easy to make ahead and have wonderful meaty texture and spicy/smoky flavor. This BBQ jackfruit pulled pork recipe has been a long time coming. Over the last couple of years, I've gotten SO many requests for jackfruit recipes.

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