Jackfruit Stew ~ Vegan Pot Roast Recipe
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Jackfruit Stew
All the flavors of a classic Tuscan Italian beef stew, but actually good for you and most importantly cruelty-free. A jackfruit pot roast of sorts, easy 1 pot wonder and guilt-free comfort food! You need this recipe in your back pocket during the colder months.
To keep it gluten-free and as healthy as possible I used some milled flax and chia mix as a thickener for the stew. You can add it at the same time with the potatoes or just before the stew is done. Let it sit for a few minute before serving.
About the Jackfruit
You must use the green unrip variety that comes in a pouch or a can. I prefer the pouches as there is no liquid so therefor a perfect canvas to soak up all the savory flavors from the stew. If using the canned variety make sure to drain and rinse in a colander first.
Recipe Tips
- Add Ins – Feel free to also add in some of your favorite veggies here: green peas, mushrooms, green beans, spinach, kale, they all pair well with the slow cooked flavors of this hearty stew. If you prefer you could even swap the potatoes in the recipe for gnocchi dumplings as I did here, barley or farro, whatever your tastebuds fancy.
- Dietary Compliance – Although I made this recipe 100% WFPB I found we still preferred it served with a light drizzle of olive oil. However, I only used a cold pressed extra virgin variety so the oil doesn’t get cooked at all. It is simply there to provide that luscious binding of the gravy, potatoes and jackfruit together. Feel free to skip it for WFPB + Plantricious Diest compliance.
- Storage – The stew stores great for a few days in the refrigerator in glass containers and freezes well for up to 4 months. Thaw out in the refrigerator and reheat on the stovetop for best results.
P.S. The Batman says the stew is AMAZING, so I really think you should give it a try asap. Make sure to also add these favorites to your list: this potato pizza, vegan chicken, these jackfruit ribs, this corned jackfruit, our famous Zuppa Toscana + these Jackfruit Tacos!
Serving suggestions
how to make vegan potato jackfruit stew
Vegan Potato Jackfruit Stew
Ingredients
- 4 cups young jackfruit pieces -(plain & drained well if packed in water)
- 3 cups potatoes -diced into 1 inch cubes
- 1/2 yellow onion -chopped
- 5 cloves garlic -minced
- 1 large carrot -sliced into rounds
- 9 cups veggie stock -low sodium
- 1 cup fresh cherry tomatoes -chopped
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 3-4 tsp smoked paprika
- 3 leaves bay
- 10 sprigs thyme
- 2 tsp dry oregano
- 3 tsp onion powder
- 1.5 tsp chili powder
- sea salt to taste
- 1.5 tbsp flax + chia meal
- 1/3 cup Italian parsley -chopped
- 1.5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (Optional)
Instructions
- Heat up a medium dutch oven over medium low flame. Add the chopped onion with a pinch of sea salt and a splash of water and sautee until translucent (about 5 minutes). Stir in the carrots and the garlic and cook another minute or so until it starts releasing its flavor making sure not to burn it.
- Stir in all the spices, thyme and bay leaves then add the jackfruit pieces. Pour in the veggie stock and bring the stew to a good simmer. Cover with a lid and cook 40 minutes.
- At this point you can use a potato masher to help shred the jackfruit into tender little bites. Add the potatoes and the flax meal and simmer the stew for another 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, taste and adjust seasonings with more seas salt at this point. Remove from heat and discard the bay and thyme sprigs. Stir in most of the parsley reserving some for garnish.
- Allow the stew to sit covered for a few minutes and thicken up before serving with garlic bruschetta, parsley and freshly cracked black pepper.
Video
Nutrition
How much oil did you use at the end? Also, did you just pour it on? Looking forward to making this recipe!
It’s up to you Aaron, but just a drizzle over the top should be enough to give it that glossy rich finish. Enjoy!
Has anyone used an Instant Pot to make this? How long would you pressure cook it for?
This would make a great addition to my weekly dinner rotation!
Did you try making it in the Instant Pot? How did it turn out if you did?!
I made this this evening in my 6 quart instant pot. Turned out great! I sautéed the onions and garlic in the pot, then added the carrot and sautéed a minute longer. Then added everything else in the same order as provided in the recipe (using 8 cups of broth instead of 9), with the exception of the parsley. Closed the lid and set to 10 minutes on the pressure cook setting. I allowed it to do a natural release for 10 minutes, then quick released the rest.
I found that it was not as thick as I’d like, so I scooped out some potatoes, mashed them, and added them back in as a thickener. I stirred the parsley in at the end, then garnished with fresh chopped chives. Served with garlic bread as others recommend. Delicious!
Oh my gosh. This. Was. Amazing. It reminded me of my mom’s classic Sunday pot roast! Next time my parents visit or I visit them, I’m definitely going to make it for them. I used a smoked jackfruit from Wholefoods instead of plain because that’s all I could find. I also added oil at the end like somebody suggested. Thank you for such a yummy meal!
That’s awesome Julie! I’ll have to try the smoked jackfruit myself next tome, it sounds like it be perfect in this stew.
Would this recipe work using diced can tomatoes or fire roasted can tomatoes. Since I have never used Jackfruit which brand of Jackfruit do you recommend?
Thank you for responding.
Yes it would, only use the diced tomatoes and not the sauce they come packed in.
I just finished my first bowl of this, and it was delicious! I added kale, and I didn’t have any tomatoes, but I’ll add them next time. I added too much salt so I’ll cut back on that a little, too. So comforting and flavorful, I can’t wait to make it again.
Took this to a potluck everyone loved it. I used fresh jackfruit
Woohoo! that’s so exciting, definitely one of our faves too!
I made this yesterday using Teriyaki flavored jackfruit. It was all my local grocery store had in stock. It worked excellent with all the other flavors. I also had to substitute chipotle chili powder, and that gave it some extra heat. My husband came in from outside and asked what smelled so good! He is getting some stew packed in his lunchbox for work today. Really great recipe, and I love how the jackfruit breaks up into the stew. Thanks for sharing and will definitely make this again.
Local supermarkets are out of flax and chia meal; what do you recommend using as a substitute?
Hi Carol, you can just use ground flax or scoop out some of the potatoes and puree withe some broth. Add back into the stew and it will naturally thicken.
Hi, can’t wait to try this! Would like to make it for a dinner party- do you think it would be good made the day before and reheated? When I was a meat eater I always felt stews were better the next day but I’ve never tried that with jackfruit. Thanks!
Definitely better the next day in my opinion, the flavor just gets deeper and permeates the potatoes, really delicious!
Just came across this recipe and want to sub barley for the potatoes. How much barley should I use?
3/4 cup to 1 cup of barley depending how thick you like the stew. Report back! ~ Florentina
What kind of potatoes did you use? Would russet work?ok??
I used Yukon gold potatoes, i love how buttery they are but also stay together. If you wanna use russets make sure to peel them and keep a close eye on them as they have the tendency to fall apart quickly and become mashed potatoes. Still delicious!
I can only find frozen jackfruit at my grocery store. Will this work in this recipe?
Hey Tim, unfortunately the frozen jackfruit is already ripe and sweet and would NOT work in this recipe. Check the canned section, most grocery stores have them next to hearts of palms and canned artichoke hearts.
This recipe was delicious! It was my first time cooking jackfruit, and I was a bit intimidated, but what a tasty introduction! I halved the recipe and still came out with 4 large servings. Used a 20 oz. can of young green jackfruit from Trader Joe’s and shredded it with a fork before adding the potatoes. I also needed to add more veggie stock before adding the potatoes because there wasn’t enough liquid left at that point. I will definitely be making this again! Thanks!
So good!! I added nutritional yeast and its delicious!
I have ground flax meal and ground chia could I just use half of each instead of the flax + chia meal?
Absolutely! Enjoy!
Hello! I just made this last night in my crock pot and Lordy it is delicious! Also I didn’t add the flax or chia but did add some sage to it. I also used veggie broth that I make from left over veggies in my kitchen. I added all the spices to the jackfruit in a bowl and mixed them all around and basically dumped everything into my crockpot to cook on high for 8 hours. It’s incredible!! Thanks for sharing this recipe. ❤️
Hi. I got round to making the stew. I used tinned ready pulled jack fruit. variations of the herbs as in dried. Thickened off at the end with flour mixed with water, which worked fine. I added the chia flax mix but found it didn’t thicken. Lovely flavour with a slight kick of spice. Will make again. Accompanied wirh oat cakes. Thanks for sharing. Sandy