Hearty and warming with three types of beans and fajita-style veggies, you won't miss the meat in this vegan Jackfruit Chili. Offer your favorite toppings at the table for an easy one-pot meal the whole family will enjoy.
Veggie chili is a staple in my house. Not only can you make it with pantry ingredients, it's nourishing and satisfying.
This jackfruit chili combines components from two of my favorite recipes: Jackfruit Vegan Taco Soup and Easy Vegan Fajitas.
The jackfruit provides a meaty texture while taking on the flavors of the seasonings. And the strips of onions and colorful bell peppers are a feast for the eyes as well as the palate.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- It's an easy one-pot meal you can make in 45 minutes.
- It's loaded with flavors and textures from jackfruit, beans, and vegetables.
- The leftovers taste amazing, plus they are freezer friendly.
Ingredients
Canned jackfruit: Look for cans of jackfruit packed in brine or water at Asian markets, Trader Joe's, and online. Do not purchase jackfruit packed in syrup for this chili recipe. (Save it for use in desserts.)
Young Green Jackfruit in Brine
- Pack of 6 cans
- Product of Thailand
You will also need to following easy-to-find ingredients:
- Olive oil (or use water for sauteing)
- Onion
- Garlic
- Chili powder
- Ground cumin
- Canned kidney beans, black beans, and pinto beans
- Fire-roasted canned diced tomatoes
- Vegetable broth
- Bell peppers (red, yellow, and orange)
- Salt and pepper
For the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Instructions
- Rinse and drain the canned jackfruit, then squeeze out as much liquid from the pieces as you can. Use your fingers to shred it. (If you like it chunkier, you can leave the pieces bigger, or use your spoon to break them up as you cook the chili.)
- Saute it with the onion and garlic in a large pot or Dutch oven.
- Add the spices, beans, 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.
Serving suggestions
Serve your vegan chili with any of your favorite toppings such as the following:
- Tortilla chips
- Cubed or sliced avocado or simple 4 ingredient guacamole
- Sliced green or red onion
- Sliced radishes
- Cherry tomato pico de gallo
- Fresh chopped or torn cilantro
- Shredded vegan cheese
- Vegan sour cream
Storing and freezing
Leftover chili can be covered and refrigerated for 3-4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. I like to freeze servings in individual portions in mason jars or small glass containers with lids. Be sure to allow a little room at the top since the liquid will expand when frozen.
To reheat, first defrost the frozen container in the refrigerator overnight. It will be thicker, so you may want to add a little water before reheating it in a pot on the stove or in a microwave-safe bowl.
Refer to the FDA Food Storage Guidelines for more information.
Recipe FAQs
Ripe jackfruit found in the produce and frozen aisles tastes similar to other sweet tropical fruit like mango or pineapple. However, young, unripe jackfruit packed in water or brine in a can can be used as a meat-replacer in vegan recipes. It 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.
Jackfruit in syrup is eaten as a dessert. For this recipe, look for canned jackfruit packed in water or brine.
The seeds are edible, but some people don't like their texture. It's up to you whether you want to remove them or not.
More chili and stew recipes
And for even more recipes, join the Vegan Mediterranean Diet Recipes Facebook group for support, inspiration, and fun.
If you love this recipe, please give it 5 stars! ★★★★★
📋 Recipe
Vegan 3-Bean Jackfruit Chili
Equipment
- Dutch Oven or large pot
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.
Notes
- Tortilla chips
- Cubed or sliced avocado
- Sliced green or red onion
- Sliced radishes
- Fresh chopped or torn cilantro
- Shredded vegan cheese
- Vegan sour cream
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
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! 🙂