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These Jackfruit Enchiladas are made with beer braised jackfruit that is cooked with green chilies, beer and spices. Then bake with your favorite salsa verde and top with vegan cheese, vegan sour cream, cilantro and more corn! Best vegan enchiladas to satisfy any dinner guest! Instructions for making the jackfruit in the Instant Pot or stovetop below!

Enchiladas after baking topped with vegan cheese, cilantro, vegan yogurt and lime wedges

Using jackfruit is one of my go to’s when serving meat eaters. When cooked correctly, it can taste very similar in texture to chicken or pulled pork. Plus, good meat is all about using the right spices anyway!

This recipe was inspired by a jar of salsa verde and jackfruit I had in the pantry.

I am a huge believer in getting creative in the kitchen and cooking something with what you already have on hand instead of running to the grocery store. And I’m proud to report that I was able to throw these enchiladas together without going to the store at all!

If you keep your pantry stocked with the essentials, you’re guaranteed to be able to come up with something awesome when dinner time comes.

What is Jackfruit?

Jackfruit is a fruit that is in the same family as figs, mulberry and breadfruit. It typically grows on tree in tropical and subtropical areas of the world and is very unique looking! Jackfruit is also very mild in flavor and takes on the flavor or whatever you season it with.

If you’ve never cooked with jackfruit before, you should be able to find it at your local grocery store near the canned fruits. And check out this article by Love and Lemons: What is Jackfruit?

Now, when coming up with this recipe, I wanted to make sure that the jackfruit was really soft, tender and flavorful, sort of like the texture we achieved in our Slow Cooker Jackfruit Carnitas Tacos with Mango Salsa.

I find that when people try jackfruit and don’t enjoy it, it boils down to two main problems:

  1. It wasn’t cooked long enough.
  2. It wasn’t seasoned well enough to mute the sour, brine flavor.

Jackfruit can be pretty tough which is why it’s important to cook it in liquid long enough to soften it until it’s almost reached a melt in your mouth texture. You want the jackfruit to easily fall apart or it won’t be the most pleasant tasting.

I always use canned jackfruit in brine because I cannot easily find jackfruit in my area (and not to mention, it is pretty difficult to cut on your own!).

This is great because I don’t have to chop the jackfruit on my own BUT if you don’t use good flavors to simmer the jackfruit in, you will still be able to taste that brine flavor.

Jackfruit Enchilada meat in instant pot after cooking
Jackfruit Enchilada Meat After Cooking and Sautéing in Instant Pot

Cooking your Jackfruit

My favorite way to cook jackfruit is in the Instant Pot. The pressurized cooking softens the jackfruit perfectly every time and is super easy! I can also throw it in the Instant Pot and walk away and do chores around the house while it cooks!

Don’t worry, if you don’t have an Instant Pot you can easily make this recipe on the stove, too and the instructions are down below.

To make, turn your Instant Pot on the sauté function and sauté the onion and garlic in oil until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Then add in your jackfruit, chili in adobo sauce, fire-roasted green chilies, maple syrup, lime juice, beer, and spices.

Give it a good stir and allow it to simmer for 10 minutes to allow the alcohol to cook off.

taco meat on warmed corn tortilla before rolling

After 10 minutes, add the lid to the Instant Pot and pressure cook the jackfruit for 6 minutes.

Once finished, release the pressure, and you’ll likely notice that there is still quite a bit of liquid in the mixture.

Turn off the Instant Pot, then turn back on the sauté function, and allow the mixture to simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the remaining liquid has cooked off and the jackfruit is sauce-y and thickened.

Enchiladas in white baking dish before baking
Enchiladas before baking

Tips for the Best Vegan Enchiladas

Making enchiladas is pretty easy, but there are a couple of tricks I use to make sure they come out the best possible every time!

  1. Use thick, WARMED corn tortillas. If you use really thin tortillas or flour tortillas, there is a good chance that your enchiladas will come out soggy. You also need to warm the tortillas before rolling or they will tear. TRUST ME. Don’t try to roll them out of the package. To warm your tortillas, wrap them in a damp paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds to a minute. They should be very pliable or they will tear.
  2. Melt your vegan cheese on the stovetop. I always melt my vegan cheese shreds in a small sauce pan on the stove top and then pour the cheese over the enchiladas. Why? Vegan cheese does not melt well. And if you are serving non-vegans, they may be very put off by the look of unmelted cheese on top of their enchiladas. Melting it before hand makes it LOOK like regular cheese. Serving people food that looks like foods they are used to is very important!
enchiladas serving on single plate with fork

Doesn’t that vegan cheese look pretty good?!?!

I can’t wait for you guys to try this one. It’s really a recipe that doesn’t taste vegan which is my whole mission with this blog.

No bland, boring vegan food here.

And if you’re looking for more awesome vegan dinner ideas, check out these:

Two enchiladas topped with cilantro on plate with one cut in half

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Beer Braised Jackfruit Enchiladas

5 from 5 votes

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
These Jackfruit Enchiladas are made with beer braised jackfruit that is cooked with green chilies, beer and spices. Then bake with your favorite salsa verde and top with vegan cheese, vegan sour cream, cilantro and more corn!

Ingredients
 

Jackfruit Meat Filling

  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil I used avocado
  • 1 yellow onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 (14 ounce) cans jackfruit in brine drained and rinsed
  • 1 (12 ounce) beer I used an IPA
  • 1 (4 ounce) can fire-roasted diced green chilies
  • 1 1/2 cups white sweet corn frozen
  • 1/2 lime juiced
  • 1/4 cup chipotle peppers in adobo sauce with tomato adjust to your spice preference
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • sea salt and black pepper to taste

Enchiladas

  • 8 corn tortillas
  • 2 cups salsa verde
  • 1 cup vegan mozzarella
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro for serving
  • cashew sour cream for serving
  • lime wedges for serving

Instructions

Instant Pot Instructions

  • Turn on sauté function and heat 2 tablespoons avocado oil.
  • Sauté diced onion and minced garlic frequently until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
  • Add in the rinsed and drained jackfruit and remaining meat filling ingredients (no need to chop jackfruit - it will break down as it cooks). Stir well and allow to sauté for an additional 10 minutes.
  • After 10 minutes, stir well to make sure nothing has stuck to bottom of pot, add Instant Pot lid, turn pressure cook on high pressure for 6 minutes. Make sure valve is set to seal.
  • After 6 minutes, release remaining pressure by switching valve to vent. I usually put a tea towel over the vent to prevent any splatter.
  • Remove lid, give it a good stir and then put the Instant Pot back on the sauté function for 15-20 minutes or until the extra liquid has cooked off and you are left with a thick, saucy mixture.
  • At this point, break up any of the larger pieces of jackfruit with your spatula until you have a nice uniform texture.  See photos for reference.
  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, Fahrenheit.
  • Warm your tortillas by wrapping your corn tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwaving for 30 seconds to 1 minute. 
  • Then, in a 9x13 baking dish or 12" oven safe round dish, add 1 cup of the salsa verde.
  • Next, assemble your enchiladas. Spoon about 1/4-1/3 cup of the jackfruit filling into each corn tortilla, roll it and then place seam side down in baking dish. Repeat process until all tortillas are used. If you have additional filling, you can tuck it into the sides of the enchiladas or just add to bottom of baking dish.
  • Pour remaining cup of salsa verde overtop enchiladas in baking dish and add vegan mozzarella cheese (see notes for how I like to melt vegan cheese!).Bake for 10-12 minutes or until tortillas are nice and crisp on edges.
  • Serve with cilantro, lime wedges, and a dollop of vegan cashew sour cream or vegan yogurt.

Stovetop Instructions

  • In a 4 qt pot with a lid over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons avocado oil. Sauté diced onion and minced garlic frequently until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
  • Add in the rinsed and drained jackfruit and remaining meat filling ingredients (no need to chop jackfruit - it will break down as it cooks). Stir well and allow to sauté for an additional 10 minutes.
  • After 10 minutes, stir well, add lid, lower heat slightly and allow to simmer for 20-25 minutes.
  •  After 20-25 minutes remove lid, give it a good stir, and then allow to simmer without lid for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the extra liquid has cooked off and you are left with a thick, saucy mixture. At this point, break up any of the larger pieces of jackfruit with your spatula until you have a nice uniform texture. See photos for reference.
  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, Fahrenheit.
  • Warm your tortillas by wrapping your corn tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwaving for 30 seconds to 1 minute. 
  • Then, in a 9x13 baking dish or 12" oven safe round dish, add 1 cup of the salsa verde. Next, assemble your enchiladas. Spoon about 1/4-1/3 cup of the jackfruit filling into each corn tortilla, roll it and then place seam side down in baking dish. Repeat process until all tortillas are used. If you have additional filling, you can tuck it into the sides of the enchiladas or just add to bottom of baking dish.
  • Pour remaining cup of salsa verde overtop enchiladas in baking dish and add vegan mozzarella cheese (see notes for how I like to melt vegan cheese!).Bake for 10-12 minutes or until tortillas are nice and crisp on edges.
  • Serve with cilantro, lime wedges, and a dollop of vegan cashew sour cream or vegan yogurt.

Notes

  • Exact adobo sauce I use: Frontera Foods Chipotle Adobo Seasoning Sauce. I like this one because it is a lot less spicy than the traditional adobo sauce with chipotle peppers in can. If using a different brand, be careful to not make your mixture too spicy!
  • I like to melt my vegan cheese shreds in a small sauce pan with a little plant-based milk and then pour the melted cheese overtop the enchiladas. Vegan cheese does not melt well and this guarantees it will melt and look more like traditional cheese.
  • These would be great with my Instant Pot Refried Beans and Cashew Sour Cream.
  • If you can't find canned Jackfruit, you can substitute in two packs of Upton Naturals Jackfruit Chili Lime Carnitas. Consider lowering spice measurements if you do this method as this is already seasoned jackfruit.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 456kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 21g | Sodium: 2000mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 15g

Disclaimer: The Nutritional Information provided for this recipe is only an estimate. The accuracy of the facts listed is not and cannot be guaranteed.

Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican Inspired

Did You Love This Recipe?

Rate the recipe here and make sure to leave a comment below!

5 from 5 votes
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