When I created my Quick Vegan Queso recently, I knew I had to make a quesadilla recipe to compliment it. Enter the Jackfruit Quesadillas!
If you're unfamiliar with jackfruit, it's a tropical tree fruit. It's often used as a "meat substitute" because of it's hearty texture. It pulls apart nicely and looks somewhat like shredded chicken. You can buy jackfruit in a few different forms, but for this recipe I recommend buying the canned stuff. A whole jackfruit is rather huge, and you simply don't need more than a can!
You could absolutely make a more laid back quesadilla with just the Quick Vegan Queso and some tortillas. But this recipe is for those times when you want to bulk up your quesadilla with lots of flavorful filling. My omnivorous husband ALWAYS goes back for seconds when I make this one, so I'd say it's a winner!
QUESADILLA TIME. (So excited).
Ingredients
Some of our stars include:
- Quick Vegan Queso - this is the cheesey goodness that you need for any delicious quesadilla! This one requires 20-30 minutes of soaking time for the cashews, but after that it only takes about 10 minutes!
- Jackfruit - Like I mentioned above, we are going to be using canned jackfruit for this recipe! We don't need a ton of jackfruit for this, so this makes more sense than buying an entire fresh jackfruit. Canned jackfruit is often found in the international aisle of the grocery store.
- Veggies and black beans - to bulk up our quesadilla and add some nutrition and flavor!
- Spices - to make things interesting. As always, feel free to adjust or add based on your personal preferences!
How to Make Jackfruit Quesadillas
The simplified version:
- Shred your jackfruit.
- Saute some veggies.
- Add in your jackfruit and broth and cover to cook.
- Uncover and cook a bit more.
- Add in spices, corn, and black beans.
- Spread your queso and filling between your tortillas.
- Cook your quesadilla on the stove top.
- Enjoy!
Tips & Tricks
A lot of todays tips are listed in the recipe itself. I wanted to include them here as well to explain why I wrote the recipe the way I did!
- Make sure to sandwich the jackfruit filling in between two layers of queso! Two thinner layers of queso seem to work better than one thick layer of queso. This helps the tortillas to stick together so that the process of cooking them isn't as messy!
- If cutting your quesadilla, give it a couple of minutes to cool! I found that cutting the quesadilla into triangles was a very messy process if I did it right away. But if I let it cool for just 1-3 minutes, it was an easier process! It'll always be a little messy (that's a sign of a good quesadilla), but this does help quite a bit.
- Note that the amount of serviill vary based on the size of your tortillas and how generous you are with your queso and filling. I usually use 8-inch tortillas and end up with 4-6 "half circle" quesadillas. My personal "perfect" ratio is around ¼ cup of queso and ⅓ cup of the filling per half-circle quesadilla.
- Looking for other Tex-Mex inspired vegan recipes? Check out my Black Bean Veggie Enchiladas or my Air Fried Avocado Tacos next!
Enjoy!
Jackfruit Quesadillas (Vegan!)
Ingredients
Quesadillas:
- 1 recipe of Quick Vegan Queso
- 1 recipe of Jackfruit Filling (see below)
- 4-6 tortillas (I use 8-inch whole wheat tortillas, but flour will also work!)
Jackfruit Filling:
- 1 cup canned jackfruit - drained and rinsed
- ½ small red onion - diced
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- ⅔-1 cup veggie broth
- ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ cup frozen corn - thawed
- ¾ cup canned black beans - drained and rinsed
Optional Toppings/Sides:
- Salsa
- Pico
- Guacamole
- Vegan sour cream (or plain coconut yogurt)
Instructions
Make your Jackfruit Filling:
- Prep your jackfruit pieces by draining and rinsing them, and then lightly pull them apart with your fingers so that they look a bit like shredded chicken. A few large chunks are fine, you will be able to break them apart more later if needed. Set aside.
- Add your red onion and a couple tablespoons of water (or veggie broth) to a pan over medium-high heat. Add more water/broth as needed to prevent sticking. Saute for 3-4 minutes, so that the onion has just barely started to lighten in color. Add in your minced garlic and saute for another minute.
- Lower the heat to medium and add in your shredded jackfruit and ⅔ cup of veggie broth. Cover with a lid.
- Allow your jackfruit to cook (covered) for 10 minutes total. Every few minutes, uncover briefly to give it a stir and add more veggie broth as needed to prevent sticking.
- After 10 minutes, uncover and keep the heat at medium. If you still have some larger chunks of jackfruit, you can now use the edge of a spatula to break the jackfruit into smaller pieces. If there is still a significant amount of liquid, allow the mixture to cook (uncovered) for a few more minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated (you still want just a bit to prevent sticking).
- Once most of the liquid has evaporated, add in your smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Give everything a stir so that the jackfruit is evenly coated with the spices.
- Add your corn and black beans. Give it all a mix so that it is thoroughly incorporated and the beans and corn are heated through.
- Remove your jackfruit filling from heat and set aside.
Assemble your Jackfruit Quesadillas:
- To make a "whole circle" quesadilla: Grab two tortillas and spread a couple spoonfuls of the Quick Vegan Queso on both tortillas. Next, add a few spoonfuls of the jackfruit filling onto just one of the tortillas. Sandwich the two tortillas together so that the jackfruit filling is in between the two layers of queso. Doing it this way helps the quesadilla stick together so that it doesn't fall apart when you cook it! To make a "half circle" quesadilla: grab one tortilla. Spread a couple spoonfuls of the Quick Vegan Queso onto the entire tortilla, and spread a couple spoonfuls of the jackfruit filling onto just one half of the tortilla. Fold the tortilla in half so that the jackfruit filling is sandwiched between the two layers of queso.
- Bring a nonstick pan to medium-high heat. Place your quesadilla in the pan and allow it to cook for 1-3 minutes (this will largely depend on how hot your pan gets and how cooked you want your tortilla). Flip and cook on the other side for another 1-3 minutes, until it is cooked to your liking. I personally like to cook it just until the tortilla starts to develop golden-brown spots. But you do you!
- Remove from the heat and plate however you'd like! If you want to cut your quesadilla into triangles, I recommend allowing it to cool for 2-3 minutes prior to cutting. This allows the queso to firm up just a bit so that the cutting process is a little less messy.
- Serve on its own or with optional toppings such as salsa, pico, or guac.
- Repeat this process with the remaining queso and filling until you have made as many quesadillas as your heart desires!
Notes
Happy cooking, friends! If you made this recipe don’t forget to tag me (@joyfulbalanceofficial) on facebook or instagram so I can cheer you on for your quesadilla-making ways.
Stay joyfully balanced!
Vegan Foodie says
This was delicious. Would definitely make it again. I’ll also use the queso for nachos soon
Delaney Marie says
So glad you enjoyed it! Nachos would be a great option!!
Vegan Climber says
The best vegan quesdillas!
Delaney Marie says
Thank you!