Easy Vegan Buffalo Jackfruit (vegan buffalo chicken) • It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken

Spicy, vegan meaty, creamy, this Easy Vegan Buffalo Jackfruit is bar food flavour heaven, that’s quick and easy enough to make that it might just become your new go-to staple!

Sure you can eat this by the forkful and be totally satisfied, but this jackfruit recipe is great to have on hand for amping up any meal. Pile high on a taco, add this meaty topping to your pizza, amp up a dip, load up your vegan nachos, layer into a wrap, use hot or cold on a hearty sandwich, add to a quesadilla, top a baked potato, spoon onto a grain bowl… the options are deliciously endless.

If you are new to jackfruit, it is indeed a fruit. You can often find it covered in sticky syrup in cans, but in this recipe the key is to use young green jackfruit that is in brine or water (not syrup). When the jackfruit is young and not fully ripe, it’s much starchier and not sweet and is mild in flavour. The cool thing about it is that once cooked, it has this pulled, shredded texture that is so meat-like. It’s the perfect base for making an awesome vegan shredded chicken alternative!

This easy vegan buffalo jackfruit taste like buffalo chicken, but of course so much better because it’s vegan, healthier, it’s made from a fruit, and of course no chickens were harmed. All the flavour, none of the cruelty. This recipe takes just 30 minutes or less, and requires just 8 ingredients. Better yet, buffalo jackfruit is perfect for meal prepping and even freezes well. It’s the perfect meal amper-upper to have on hand.

How to make Buffalo Jackfruit:

Notes on Blenders: you only need ½ cup of cashew cream for this recipe. If you have a small strong blender, such as a Magic Bullet this will work beautifully to blend a small batch of cashew cream. If you have a larger blender, you may want to double or even quadruple the cashew cream recipes so it blends smoothly. Leftover cashew cream is great to have on hand for sauces, dressings, dips, or to stir into coffee.

Boiling the cashews (optional): Cover the cashews with water and bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes until the cashews are very tender. Drain and rinse with cold water before using. Boiling the cashews ensure they blender smoothly, however I skip this step as I have a strong blender so it is not needed.

Add the ¼ cup cashews (boiled or unboiled) and ¼ cup water to a blender, and blend until completely smooth and creamy, stopping to scrap the sides as needed. Set aside.

To chop the jackfruit:
For optimal texture, cut the jackfruit into thin slices from core to the outer edge as seen in the picture above. This breaks up the tougher core as much as possible and makes for the best shredded texture. Do NOT discard the core or seeds, they are totally edible, and you are just wasting precious jackfruit!

To make buffalo jackfruit:
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onions and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes until the onions have softened and begin to brown.
Add the chopped jackfruit, broth, and ¼ cup Frank’s Red Hot to the pot and cover. Reduce heat and let it simmer until the jackfruit softens slightly, and about ½ of the liquid is absorbed. About 5 minutes.

Now take a potato masher, and smash all the jackfruit up to get that shredded texture.

Stir in the cashew cream and remove from heat. If desired add more Frank’s Red Hot to taste.

Use buffalo jackfruit on tacos, pizza, dips, nachos, wraps, sandwiches, quesadillas, in a bowl, or anywhere you like! For more vegan meaty recipes that you can use to enhance any dish, check out my Tofu & Beet Ground, BBQ Shredded Tofu, Mushroom Bacon, Chorizo Tofu Crumbles, Seitan Tenders, or my very popular Baked Tofu Bites.

Bon appetegan!

Sam Turnbull.

Print Recipe

Easy Vegan Buffalo Jackfruit

Just 30 minutes or less to prepare and requires only 8 ingredients. Add this to tacos, pizza, dips, nachos, wraps, sandwiches, quesadillas, baked potatoes, grain bowls. Perfect game day inspired recipe for meal prepping and it’s freezer friendly.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Main Course, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: 6

Calories: 146kcal

Author: Sam Turnbull • It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken

Ingredients

For the cashew cream: (see notes for more options)

To make buffalo jackfruit:

• 2 20 oz cans green jackfruit in water or brine drained, rinsed, and chopped (see instructions)
• 1 tablespoon light oil (such as canola or vegetable)
• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup vegetable broth or water
• ¼ – ½ cup Frank’s Red Hot Original (or similar hot sauce)

Instructions

To make cashew cream (see recipe notes before proceeding):

• Boiling the cashews (optional): Cover the cashews with water and bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes until the cashews are very tender. Drain and rinse with cold water before using. Boiling the cashews ensure they blender smoothly, however I skip this step as I have a strong blender so it is not needed.

• Add the ¼ cup cashews (boiled or unboiled) and ¼ cup water to a blender, and blend until completely smooth and creamy, stopping to scrap the sides as needed. Set aside.

To chop the jackfruit:

• For optimal texture, cut the jackfruit into thin slices from core to the outer edge as seen in the pictures above in this post. This breaks up the tougher core as much as possible and makes for the best shredded texture. Do NOT discard the core or seeds, they are totally edible, and you are just wasting precious jackfruit!

To make buffalo jackfruit:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onions and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes until the onions have softened and begin to brown.

• Add the chopped jackfruit, broth, and ¼ cup Frank’s Red Hot to the pot and cover. Reduce heat and let it simmer until the jackfruit softens slightly, and about ½ of the liquid is absorbed. About 5 minutes. Now take a potato masher, and smash all the jackfruit up to get that shredded texture. Stir in the cashew cream and remove from heat. If desired add more Frank’s Red Hot to taste. Use on tacos, pizza, dips, nachos, wraps, sandwiches, quesadillas, in a bowl, or anywhere you like!

Notes

Blenders: you only need ½ cup of cashew cream for this recipe. If you have a small strong blender, such as a Magic Bullet this will work beautifully to blend a small batch of cashew cream. If you have a larger blender, you may want to double or even quadruple the cashew cream recipe so it blends smoothly. Leftover cashew cream is great to have on hand for sauces, dressings, dips, or to stir into coffee. 
Cashew cream: cashew cream is easy to make, but these days there are also store-bought vegan creams available. Feel free to sub the homemade cashew cream with ½ cup store-bought plant-based creamer or ½ cup full-fat coconut milk. Alternatively you could also substitute the cashews for equal amounts of softened blanched almonds, softened raw sunflower seeds, or macadamia nuts.
Oil-free: to make oil-free simply omit the oil and do a water or broth sauté instead.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (recipe makes 6 servings) | Calories: 146kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 1010mg | Potassium: 156mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 44IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg