Easy Jackfruit Cakes (A Canned Jackfruit Recipe)

These tasty, savory, vegan jackfruit cakes are made with canned jackfruit and 11 other easy-to-find ingredients. Instructions to cook these include air-fryer and stove-top options.

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These jackfruit cakes make a delicious vegan snack or side dish.

The star ingredient of these cakes is canned green jackfruit, which I found at Trader Joe’s. Canned green jackfruit can be so versatile. I love how it absorbs the flavors of the spices and ingredients it is cooked with.

I’ve smothered canned green jackfruit with spices and sauteed it up to use in tacos and wraps. I have ALSO added it to a creamy spiced tomato sauce and enjoyed it in a delicious curry, with Sri Lankan roti.

What is green jackfruit?

Green jackfruit is unripe young jackfruit that is usually used in savory dishes. It is usually sold canned in brine or water. Some say that canned green jackfruit looks a lot like pulled pork and use it to make a bbq jackfruit sandwich.

Sweet, ripe jackfruit, on the other hand, is enjoyed plain or in sweet treats like smoothies and ice cream.

Where can you find canned jackfruit?

Here in Georgia, ripe, fresh jackfruit isn’t as easy to find as canned green jackfruit. Usually, I buy fresh, ripe jackfruit at the Dekalb Farmers Market or several other South Asian Farmers Markets scattered along Buford Hwy and Lawrenceville.

But canned jackfruit can be found at most local grocery stores such as Sprouts, Kroger, Trader Joe’s, and Publix. Or, there’s always Amazon – though I haven’t bought canned jackfruit from there – at least, not yet.

After the jackfruit tacos and jackfruit curry I made, I wanted to do something different with the next can of green jackfruit I opened up. The little hamster wheel in my noggin started spinning, and I thought of combining jackfruit and potatoes in some way.

And that’s how this jackfruit recipe came into being.

Why do we love these jackfruit cakes?

To me, these jackfruit cakes are spiced just right and are so tasty. They are vegan, are so easy to make, have the best texture, are filling, and great for meal prep.

I made these jackfruit cakes last week, and my daughter said that this was the best dinner she had that week!

What are the ingredients needed to make these?

The following 12 easy-to-find ingredients are needed to make these:

1. Ground coriander,
2. Chili powder,
3. Turmeric powder,
4. Smoked paprika,
5. Ground cumin,
6. Red or yellow onion,
7. Garlic cloves,
8. Fresh ginger,
9. Red pepper flakes,
10. Fresh cilantro,
11. A boiled potato, and
12. Canned green jackfruit.

Instructions

Step 1: Open the can of jackfruit and drain the brine. Canned jackfruit tastes salty, so I like to rinse off as much of the brine that it is packed in. Then, place the jackfruit in a colander and rinse it well. Using paper towels, vigorously pat dry the jackfruit and try to remove as much of the liquid from the chunks of green jackfruit. Let the jackfruit lie on paper towels for a bit.

Step 2: Then, place a boiled potato in a bowl and, using a fork, mash it up.

Step 3: Peel and finely chop the red onion and garlic, and add them to the bowl with the potato.

Step 4: Peel the ginger, grate it (should be approximately 2 teaspoons), and add it to the bowl as well.

Step 5: Add the dried jackfruit to the bowl, along with the coriander, chili powder, turmeric powder, smoked paprika, cumin, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and cilantro.

Step 6: Using your clean hands or a spoon, mix ingredients together well. Then, gather up a handful and shape it into a crab-cake-like shape. Repeat until all the jackfruit potato mixture is used up.

Step 7: These are ready to cook in an air-fryer or in a skillet on a stove top.

Air Fryer method:

Place the jackfruit cakes on an air fryer tray, spray them with oil, and place them in an air fryer set at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes.

Stove top method:

Add 2-3 tablespoons of oil to a pan and let it warm up. Then, add the jackfruit cakes to the pan. Turn the heat to medium and let the cakes cook about 5 minutes or until they are slightly browned. Using a spatula, gently nudge them so they don’t stick. Using the same spatula, gently flip them and let them cook about 7-8 minutes, nudging them with the spatula so they don’t stick to the pan.

Serving suggestions

These jackfruit cakes contain only 63 calories, which makes them perfect to pair with a salad like this kale crunch salad or this quinoa salad, for a simple meal.

For a fancy vegan meal, these cakes can also be paired with this yellow rice, this chickpea curry, these broccoli croquettes, and condiments like this pumpkin sweet chili sauce or apple chutney.

If you are a meat-eater, these jackfruit cakes can be served with this spicy-sweet salmon, this cilantro chicken, or this pineapple pork.

Thanks so much for stopping by. If you make this recipe, please let me know in the comments below what you think of it, or tag your creation on social media with @savoryspin or #savoryspin.
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Jackfruit Cakes (A Canned Jackfruit Recipe)

4.62 from 13 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Additional Time: 3 minutes minutes

Total Time: 33 minutes minutes

Servings: 12

Author: Shashi

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These tasty, savory, vegan jackfruit cakes are made with canned jackfruit and 11 other easy-to-find ingredients. Instructions to cook these include air-fryer and stove-top options.

Ingredients

• 2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 chili powder optional*
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 a red onion
• 3 large garlic cloves or 6 small garlic cloves
• 2 tsp fresh ginger ginger
• pinch of red pepper flakes optional*
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro***
• one boiled potato**
• 1 20 oz can green jackfruit
• 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper or to taste

Instructions

• First, open the can of jackfruit and drain the brine. Canned jackfruit tastes salty, so I like to rinse off as much of the brine that it is packed in. Then, place the jackfruit in a colander and rinse it well. Using paper towels, vigorously pat dry the jackfruit and try to remove as much of the liquid from the chunks of green jackfruit. Let the jackfruit lie on paper towels for a bit.
• Then, place a boiled potato in a bowl and, using a fork, mash it up.
• Peel and finely chop the red onion and garlic, and add them to the bowl with the potato.
• Peel the ginger, grate it (should be approximately 2 teaspoons), and add it to the bowl as well.
• Add the dried jackfruit to the bowl, along with the coriander, chili powder, turmeric powder, smoked paprika, cumin, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and cilantro.
• Using your clean hands or a spoon, mix ingredients together well. Then, gather up a handful and shape it into a crab-cake-like shape. Repeat until all the jackfruit potato mixture is used up.
• These are ready to cook in an air-fryer or in a skillet on a stove top.

Air Fryer method:

• Place the jackfruit cakes on an air fryer tray, spray them with oil, and place them in an air fryer set at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes.

Stove top method:

• Add 2-3 tablespoons of oil to a pan and let it warm up. Then, add the jackfruit cakes to the pan. Turn the heat to medium and let the cakes cook about 5 minutes or until they are slightly browned. Using a spatula, gently nudge them so they don’t stick. Using the same spatula, gently flip them and let them cook about 7-8 minutes, nudging them with the spatula so they don’t stick to the pan.

Notes

Chili powder and red pepper flakes are completely optional. I love spicy foods and so add both – but you can leave them out if you prefer milder jackfruit cakes.

**If you don’t have a boiled potato, then cut a large baking potato into 3 and place it in a pan with water covering the whole of the potato. Place the pan on the stove and bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover, and let simmer for 35-40 minutes or until the potato is done ~ which you can check by prodding the potato with a fork.

***You can use a cheese grater to easily get the cilantro leaves off the stem. Just pass the cilantro through the grates in the cheesegrater, and the leaves will easily separate from the stem.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 63kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 1g | Sodium: 103mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g

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