Roasted Jackfruit Tacos

Every camp chef needs a good jackfruit taco recipe.

There’s something so classic about roasting up some toppings and listening to them sizzle while you’re circled around a campfire, slightly dirty and tired, and quite hungry from a long day of adventure.

A good jackfruit taco recipe incorporates some of the best principles of camp cooking- it’s simple, versatile, quick, and flavorful. For many of us, tacos were probably one of the first camping recipes we made, because, hey, they’re hard to mess up. Whether you’re just starting to get comfortable cooking on a camp stove or over the fire or not, it’s hard to beat a camping recipe that’s easy to throw together. Tacos have certainly remained a staple food in my camp cooking rotation, and this roasted jackfruit camping taco recipe is my go-to plant-based camping recipe for taco night.

If you’ve never had jackfruit before, you’re in for a treat! It’s gotten pretty trendy recently, and there’s good reason why. For non-meat eaters, it’s an amazing substitution for shredded chicken. Jackfruit looks almost identical, has a similar texture, and is very easily flavored. Additionally, jackfruit offers a great source of vitamin C, potassium, and fiber, along with several grams of protein. Even if you’re not entirely plant-based, subbing jackfruit out for chicken is a great way to simplify your pantry and not have to stress about keeping meat cold enough in a cooler, as you can find jackfruit in a shelf-stable can at most grocery stores. Canned jackfruit will come sliced in chunks, so you’ll need to shred it either before or while you’re cooking it. This can be easily done with two forks (it’s a little easier to shred jackfruit when it’s slightly cooked as it’s softer). Using this jackfruit taco recipe is also great if you’re running short on time, because jackfruit cooks up very quickly (5-7 minutes). Additionally, jackfruit is very absorbent of other flavors, making it easy to spice up or down depending on your preference.

In this camping jackfruit taco recipe, jackfruit is the star ingredient (along with a good mix of spices to boost the flavor), which makes the rest of the recipe easily modifiable to what you have on hand. I usually start whatever I’m going to be sautéing with a base of onion, garlic, and oil, and then go from there. In this camping recipe, I use mushrooms and bell peppers, but the sky is the limit. If you’re looking to add in more protein to this jackfruit taco mix, stir in some black, pinto, or adzuki beans. If you like spice, I’d suggest subbing out bell peppers for anaheim or serrano peppers. Both are fairly milld but are a great way to add in a little extra spice to your taco mix. Other veggies that work well with these jackfruit tacos are corn, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, and squash.

The mix of spices that I use brings in a slightly smokey, fire roasted flavor to this camping jackfruit taco recipe, thanks to paprika and a dash of cumin. If you’re not a fan of spicy foods, I’d suggest omitting the chipotle powder and using just a dash of chili powder.

If you’re planning this meal for after a long day out and know you’re going to be tired when you get back to camp, you can cut the prep by pre slicing the veggies and pre-shredding the jackfruit, or even pre-cooking the taco mix the night before. That way, all you’ll have to do when you get into camp is heat up the mix, toast a few tortillas, and eat up. Letting the mix sit overnight also helps to intensify and mix flavors slightly. Win-win.

Roasted Jackfruit TAcos

• 6-8 tortillas

• 1 Tablespoon oil (coconut or olive)

• 1/4 large red onion

• 2 cloves garlic, finely diced (or 1/2 tsp garlic powder)

• 1/4 cup sliced mushrooms

• 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced in strips

• 1/2 orange bell pepper, sliced in strips

• One 8oz can of jackfruit, shredded with a fork.

• 1/4 tsp chipotle powder

• 1/4 tsp chili powder

• 1/2 tsp paprika

• dash cumin

• salt and pepper to taste

• 2 limes

• 1 avocado, sliced in strips (optional)

• 3 Tablespoons fresh cilantro (optional)

Heat oil in a medium sized pan over medium low heat, then add in garlic and onion. Let cook for 1-2 minutes or until softened and slightly transparent. Add bell pepper, cover and cook for 2 mins. Next, add in mushrooms, shredded jackfruit, and all seasonings. Cover and let cook over medium heat for 5 mins. While toppings are cooking, slice avocado, dice cilantro, and cut limes into quarters. When the taco filling is nearly done, lightly toast tortillas in pan (until they are warm and slightly browned). To assemble, fill tortillas with taco filling, then top with avocado and cilantro, if desired. Eat and be happy!

Recipe serves 2.