Smoky Jackfruit Chili Recipe

If you've been wondering about jackfruit and have been unsure about how to try it, we're about to wash away the fear and introduce you to a foolproof recipe that will not only make you a fan, but possibly make you obsessed with the vegan "meat" alternative. This smoky jackfruit chili has a bold flavor with a hearty texture that tastes meaty and delicious to please anyone in the room, whether you eat vegan or not. Jackfruit has a similar texture to pulled pork — it's stringy and meaty, and neutral in taste, so it takes on the seasonings and flavors of the other ingredients it's cooked with. We're using peppers, onions, and garlic, along with every chili seasoning in the book to create a bowl of hearty and smoky chili that is just begging for the toppings of your choice.

"Jackfruit is a hidden gem in my book," wellness coach and recipe developer Miriam Hahn says, adding, "I use it often to create plant-based dishes that are similar to classic favorites but higher in nutrients without sacrificing flavor." Hahn will walk you through tips for handling jackfruit, so all you need to worry about is what toppings you're going to adorn your vegan chili with.

To make this chili, start in the produce aisle and pick up an onion, garlic, red pepper, jalapeño pepper, Serrano pepper, and lime. The Serrano pepper is small and mighty and will add a lot of heat, so if you prefer a milder bowl of chili, leave it out. Red onion, cilantro, and avocado make wonderful toppings for this recipe, so if those sound good to you, add them to your cart.

You'll need several canned goods, so head in that direction and grab black beans, pinto beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, and jackfruit. We're using young jackfruit packed in brine, so make sure to look for that instead of fresh, ripe jackfruit, which is a sweeter and a juicer version. Along with vegetable broth and avocado oil, you'll need lots of spices: cumin, chili powder, coriander, oregano, salt, smoked paprika, and pepper.

Drain and rinse the jackfruit.

Cut the hard tip off each jackfruit piece and discard.

Shred the jackfruit with your hands.

Add the oil to a large pot and bring the heat to medium-high.

Add the onion, garlic, red pepper, jalapeño, and Serrano pepper and saute for 5 minutes.

Next, add the tomato paste, cumin, chili powder, coriander, oregano, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper and stir for 2 minutes on medium heat.

Add the shredded jackfruit, black beans, pinto beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, and broth to the pot, reduce heat to low, and cook for 1 hour. Stir the mixture occasionally.

Add the lime juice and serve with optional red onion, cilantro, avocado, and jalapeño.

Like all chili recipes, you have lots of creative freedom with ingredients. There are several other vegetables that you can add in if they are favorites, or if you have them on hand. To start with, other colors of bell peppers and chile peppers can be added. Green peppers, Anaheim, or poblano peppers are a nice complement to the sweeter red pepper and will add another element to the flavor. Diced carrots will add extra nutrition and color along with a mild sweetness to contrast the smokiness. To add some umami flavor, mushrooms are a great option. When adding peppers, carrots, or mushrooms, add them in step 5 when you are cooking the starting vegetables.

Diced zucchini or corn are perfect in this chili. Since they don't require sauteing, add them when you're set to simmer the chili in step 7.

You can swap out the black and pinto beans for white beans, kidney beans, or garbanzo beans, or to make this more of a lentil chili, add uncooked brown or green lentils to the pot before simmering or add cooked ones to the finished chili. For a grain addition, add ¼ cup of white rice or quinoa to the pot before simmering. Just check to make sure the lentils, rice, or quinoa are cooked to your liking before serving.

For the most part jackfruit is easy to work with, but there are a few tips that will be helpful if you are unfamiliar with using it. When you take it out of the can, it's important to rinse it well. It's packed in a salty brine, which can make your finished dish too salty if you don't rinse thoroughly. Each piece of the jackfruit has a hard tip or core. Some pieces are shaped like a triangle and the core will be at the tip, and in other pieces that are shaped more like a rectangle, the hard core can be along the side. The core is edible and can be used in the chili if you want a difference in texture. There are also some round, soft pieces that are the actual seeds. Since they are nice and soft, they can be included in the chili.

For the shredding step, you can use your hands or a fork. Using your hands tends to be easier and will go quickly once the core is removed. You may be surprised at the amount of shredded jackfruit that you end up with after shredding, compared to the small amount of pieces in the can.