How to Eat Jackfruit the Right Way, According to Tropical Fruit Experts

If you're leaning into a plant-based diet, now's the time to learn how to eat jackfruit, a versatile tropical fruit worth its (hefty) weight in gold. But jackfruit is also an omnivore's delight. Few fruits can shapeshift from savory to sweet as effortlessly, plus it's a nutrition powerhouse, taking its place in the superfood pantheon alongside pomegranates, mangoes, and avocados. We connected with tropical fruit experts to discover more about this increasingly popular delicacy and the best ways to enjoy it.

What Is Jackfruit?

Indigenous to southern India, jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) grows on tropical evergreen trees and is widely cultivated in tropical regions of Australia, Brazil, East Africa, Mexico, and Central America and throughout South and Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, India, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Malaysia.

Some varieties are firm, others soft and spongey. Measuring 10 to 40 inches long and 6 to 20 inches in diameter, this leviathan is related to the more diminutive fig, mulberry, and breadfruit. "Jackfruit is the largest fruit in the world! The elongated round fruit with bumpy skin can be about 100 pounds (ours are 15 to 20 pounds),” explains Desiree Pardo Morales, founder and president of Tropical Fruit Box, a Miami-based online purveyor of tropical and exotic fruits.

Characteristics

Exterior: Its skin is yellow or green, and those bumps can protrude. "It has small spines that stick out (some more than others—it depends on the variety)," says Gabriel "Gabe" Bernal, executive vice president of Seasons Farm Fresh, a Miami-based distributor of tropical fruits and exotic produce.  

Interior: The inside is filled with fruit pods, or bulbs, surrounded by white strands; each pod contains 50 to 100 edible seeds. "It has a mild yellow interior color, and like many people who have tried it before, I think it tastes very similar to Juicy Fruit gum," Bernal says. Morales concurs.

Why It's Trending Right Now

Also known as jak or jak fruit, jackfruit is piquing interest stateside as plant-based diets become more mainstream. "It is one of the hottest 'newly discovered' fruits that people are using as a vegan meat replacement because of its meaty texture and excellent neutral flavor that will take the flavor of the sauce or spices you use," Morales explains.

Nutritional Powerhouse

Its health benefits are also a draw. Jackfruit is rich in fiber and has a low glycemic index. A good source of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, including vitamin C, niacin, riboflavin, folic acid, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus, it can help prevent inflammation and keep a lid on blood sugar levels.

How to Buy Jackfruit

Given its immense size and bulk, you may find jackfruit in other configurations besides its original tree-borne form.

Fresh options: Bernal says that many supermarkets sell portions of fresh jackfruit in the tropical produce sections. "If you find yourself with a portioned segment of jackfruit, all the hard work has been done for you already," he explains. Some ethnic and specialty stores, as well as online specialists, stock the entire fruit. "We offer our customers one whole, fresh jackfruit," Morales says. "Because of its enormous size, only one can fit in the box, and we have shipments almost year-round."

Prepared pods: You can also buy ready-to-eat jackfruit in many different flavors.

Frozen or jarred: Alternatively, jackfruit pods are sold in the frozen food aisle, or jarred, in water, or syrup.

Prepping Whole Jackfruit

Prepping whole fresh jackfruit can be a feat, but there are rewards. "It may look overwhelming at first, but it's well worth buying the fresh fruit, and it is manageable once you have the steps," Morales says.

Plan ahead before diving in. "If you have the courage to take on an entire fruit, I highly recommend using latex gloves to cut/handle it," Bernal advises. 

Here's how to tackle it:

1. Oil the fruit and the blade of a large knife—it allows you to move more nimbly around the sticky glue-like sap that coats the outside of the fruit, Bernal says.
2. Line a cutting board with parchment paper.
3. Cut the fruit in half, then fours, so you can access the core to remove it, Morales says. 
4. Using a paring knife, loosen the pods from the sticky core and pull the pods out. 
5. Discard the white strands.
6. Remove the seeds and set aside.
7. Cut the jackfruit into any size needed for recipes.
   

How to Eat Jackfruit

While some fruits are only consumed when fully mature, jackfruit can be eaten underripe, standing in for meat (like tofu or tempeh) in savory preparations. When ripe, it has a sweeter, tropical fruit flavor. Another bonus: it can be eaten raw or sautéed, boiled, braised, or slow-cooked.

Here's how to jumpstart your jackfruit experimentation:

Pork swap: Underripe jackfruit has a stringier texture that resembles pulled pork, offering a meat alternative, says Morales.

Barbecue: Make barbecued jackfruit, another dish reminiscent of pulled pork. Try our BBQ Jackfruit Sandwiches. 

Tacos: Shred the jackfruit, add spices, and trade it for poultry in our Crispy Chicken Tacos.

Pasta: Jackfruit is a natural in pasta creations. Sub it for meat in spaghetti Bolognese.

Pot pies: Ripe jackfruit lends intrigue to savory pot pies, like our Winter Vegetable Red Curry pot pie.

Desserts: "Jackfruit is used in many Asian desserts, and you will often find it paired with coconut or coconut milk," says Bernal. Scatter slices over our Coconut-Lime Semifreddo.

Halo-Halo: "My wife, who is Filipina, uses it in her country's famous halo-halo dessert, which includes other mixed fruits, shaved ice, and ube ice cream," he notes. 

Smoothies: The ripe bulbs are also easy to chop up and blend into smoothies, says Bernal.

Preserves: Ripe jackfruit can be puréed and blended with ghee, ginger, and cardamom to make Indian-style preserves called chakka varatti.

Jackfruit Seeds

When preparing jackfruit, don't discard the seeds. "I boil the seeds and add a little salt to make a savory snack," says Bernal.

Storing Jackfruit

Jackfruit pods can be wrapped tightly in plastic in an airtight container, and stored in the fridge for up to a week, and in the freezer for three months.