Hailing from Asia, jackfruit is the largest tree fruit globally and is often likened to the flavor of Juicy Fruit gum. This massive spiky fruit seems like an unlikely fit as an ingredient in the plant-based space, but unripe jackfruit has a neutral flavor and a texture similar to shredded pork or chicken.
One company that makes plant-based meat alternatives using jackfruit is Boulder, Colorado-based Jack & Annie’s. Jackfruit serves as the main ingredient for its extensive portfolio of plant-based alternatives, ranging from meatballs to shredded pork.
Jack & Annie recently sent me samples of its plant-based maple breakfast sausages, savory breakfast sausages, and chicken nuggets to taste test.
I first tried the maple breakfast sausage and savory breakfast sausage, both of which are made from a base of jackfruit, water, soy flour, and canola oil. Using my cast iron pan, I cooked both types of sausages in a small amount of oil for about 8 minutes.
So how’d they taste? Both alternative sausages were the right amount of oily, and had a great, chewy texture like a animal-based breakfast sausage. The level of seasoning in each sausage was phenomenal, and my entire (small) house smelled liked maple syrup after cooking.
The chicken nuggets, made from a base of jackfruit, water, wheat flour, and soy flour, were next. I cooked them in my air fryer for about 8 minutes and plated them.
The verdict? Like the sausages, the texture was spot on. However, I felt like the nuggets lacked seasoning (at least compared to the sausages) and the breading was a bit thin. There are a lot of plant-based chicken nuggets on the market now, so it’s challenging to say which is the best (I personally really like Nowaday’s nuggets).
Pea protein, soy, fungi, and wheat are some of the most commonly used ingredients used to create plant-based meat alternatives. These ingredients are lauded for their affordability, high protein content, and ability to mimic the texture of different animal proteins. Although jackfruit is affordable and has a great natural texture, one downside to it is that it’s protein content is not as high as other ingredients. However, it does offer potassium and vitamin B.
A few other companies in the plant-based space besides Jack & Annie’s are using jackfruit as a base ingredient. Last year, Singapore-based Karana raised $1.7 million to develop plant-based pork made from the fruit. Upton’s Naturals offers a few different flavors of seasoned, ready-to-cook shredded jackfruit, and The Very Good Butchers produce a taco stuffing.
Overall, I found Jack & Annie’s products to be great alternatives. The company’s products range from $4.99-$6.50, and can be found in stores like Sprouts. Target, Wegmans, and Meijer.
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