Plant-Based Jackfruit Chili Recipe (Instant Pot or Stove Top)

You don’t need to buy processed vegan meats to enjoy some meatless meals. Easy, all-natural chorizo, pepperoni, and other flavorful meat alternatives are easy to make with whole food ingredients. And several plants work well as straight up “meaty” substitutes, like certain mushrooms, tofu, and the latest trendy vegan food, jackfruit. Young jackfruit is fairly neutral in taste, and it makes a great “pulled meat” alternative in recipes like this plant-based jackfruit chili.

This Jackfruit Chili is Plant-Rich and Ready for your Instant Pot

Jackfruit is a tropical fruit that grows in Southern Asia. When ripe, it’s similar to mango, but when underipe, it has a neutral flavor and somewhat stringy texture. This young jackfruit is sold in cans in North America. You can find it in Asian markets, at Trader Joe’s, and in the canned section of some other grocery stores. You can also buy it online.

Jackfruit is very light in calories and isn’t very high in protein, so it’s good to use other balanced or high protein foods with it, depending on your dietary needs. This jackfruit chili is loaded with other vegetables, and has both beans and peanut butter added for a higher ratio of protein.

This plant-based jackfruit chili recipe with photo was shared with us by the Georgia Peanut Commission.

Special Diet Notes: Plant-Based Jackfruit Chili

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, tree nut-free, soy-free, vegan, plant-based, and vegetarian.

For peanut-free and paleo jackfruit chili, you can substitute sunflower seed butter or cashew butter.

Plant-Based Jackfruit Chili (with Instant Pot Option)

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

35 mins

Total time

40 mins

Author: National Peanut Board

Recipe type: Entree

Cuisine: American

Serves: 8 servings

Ingredients

2 teaspoons oil
½ large white onion, chopped or diced
½ green bell pepper, chopped or diced
½ red bell pepper, chopped or diced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes
2 cups water
1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can green jackfruit, drained, rinsed, and chopped / shredded
¼ cup peanut butter
Vegan cornbread or tortilla chips, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the oil, onion, and peppers, and sauté for 3 minutes.
Add the tomato paste, garlic, cumin, chili powder, and salt, stirring to coat. Sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.
Stir in the crushed tomatoes, whole tomatoes, water, kidney beans, and jackfruit. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer the chili for 25-30 minutes.
Stir in the peanut butter, and simmer the chili for another 5 minutes.
Serve with cornbread or tortilla chips, if desired.

Notes

Instant Pot Option: Follow steps 1 and 2, using the sauté setting on your Instant Pot. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, whole tomatoes, water, kidney beans, and jackfruit, and add the peanut butter in dollops across the top of the chili. Screw on the lid and cook on the chili setting (or on manual at high pressure) for 10 minutes. Let the chili cool for 10 more minutes, then release the pressure. Stir to combine. If it’s too thin, boil the mixture using the sauté setting for 5 minutes.