Jackfruit Chili with Fajita Veggies is hearty and warming with three types of beans. You won’t miss the meat in this vegan and gluten-free recipe.
Have you cooked with jackfruit?
It’s a really versatile ingredient.
The young, or unripe, jackfruit you’ll find packed in water or brine in a can doesn’t have much flavor.
But the texture can mimic shredded chicken or pulled pork.
And it takes on the taste of whatever seasoning you add to it.
I regularly use it to make Jackfruit & Black Bean Taco Filling and Vegan Taco Soup.
And I really love it in this Jackfruit Chili with Fajita Veggies.
Jackfruit Chili with Fajita Veggies is very easy to make in about 45 minutes.
The first step is to rinse and drain the canned jackfruit, then squeeze out as much liquid as you can.
I personally like to use my fingers to shred it before cooking it.
However, if you like it chunkier, you can leave the pieces bigger, or use your spoon to break them up as you cook the chili.
One thing to keep in mind when using jackfruit in recipes is that it isn’t a good source of protein.
The result is that it works as a meaty substitute in terms of flavor and texture, but it doesn’t really fill you up.
That’s why I often combine it with beans or other satiating foods.
You can learn more about what makes us feel full in this interesting article.
Jackfruit Chili is a one-pot meal perfect for weeknights.
After the jackfruit is prepped, saute it with sliced onion and minced garlic in a large pot or dutch oven.
Next the rest of the ingredients are added.
For the seasoning I use chili powder and ground cumin.
Then I add three kinds of canned beans: black, kidney, and pinto.
And a can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes gives the jackfruit chili a wonderful smoky flavor.
Finally some vegetable broth and strips of colorful bell peppers goes into the pot.
Everything simmers together until the chili is thick and the vegetables are soft.
The aroma of the cooking chili makes my mouth water!
Jackfruit Chili is delicious topped with your favorite garnishes.
While this dish is full of flavor on its own, I like to offer everyone some choices of toppings.
My favorite way to eat jackfruit chili is with diced avocado and some tortilla chips on the side.
Or sometimes I will crumble the chips and add them to the chili.
Other options include sliced radishes, green onions, or shredded vegan cheese.
What do you like to eat on your chili?
Now let’s make Jackfruit Chili with Fajita Veggies!
Jackfruit Chili with Fajita Veggies
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 can jackfruit in brine (not syrup), (20 ounces)
- 1 onion, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 can kidney beans, (14.5 ounces) rinsed and drained
- 1 can black beans, (14.5 ounces) rinsed and drained
- 1 can pinto beans, (14.5 ounces) rinsed and drained
- 1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, (15 ounces) with their juice
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 4 cups bell peppers, (red, yellow, and orange) cut in strips
- salt and pepper, to taste
Optional garnishes:
- avocado, cilantro, radishes, green onions, vegan cheese, etc.
Instructions
- Rinse and drain the jackfruit. Take each chunk and squeeze out any excess liquid. Use your fingers to shred the jackfruit, if desired.
- Heat the oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add the jackfruit, onion, and garlic to the pot and cook until the jackfruit is lightly browned and the onion is soft.
- Then add the chili powder, cumin, kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, diced tomatoes (with the liquid from the can), vegetable broth, and bell peppers.
- Simmer until the vegetables are soft and the liquid has reduced, stirring occasionally.
- Add salt and pepper, to taste.
- Ladle chili into bowls and top with optional garnishes, if desired.
Jennifer
This was sooooo good! I also added some blistered peppers, boca crumbles, and lentils. Huge portions for such small calories. Love it!
Leah
Hi there! How did you go about adding the lentils? Did you cook them first?
Amy
Hi Leah, this recipe doesn’t contain lentils.
Leah
Right – this was a comment in response to Jennifer who had noted that she added lentils! 🙂
Amy
Oh, gotcha! I do like that idea! 🙂