These vegan jackfruit quesadillas are super tasty and easy and fun to make.
A quesadilla is a Mexican dish. It is typically a filling which can be pretty much anything you like from beans, beef mince, pork etc. The filling is sandwiched between 2 corn or flour tortillas and then fried. It also has cheese inside, and once melted this helps the 2 tortillas stick together. My version of quesadillas uses jackfruit as the bulk of the filling, along with some Mexican spices such as coriander, cumin and paprika and also an onion.
If you’ve never had jackfruit, the first thing to know is that you need YOUNG jackfruit. Young jackfruit is essentially unripe and quite different from ripe jackfruit which is eaten like any other fruit. Young jackfruit comes in a can and it has a consistency which is a bit like pulled pork and it doesn’t have much flavour, making it a great substitute for meat. I have only ever seen two brands at my local supermarket and the Ceres Organics one is my go to as I find the quality much better and there are less tough bits and seeds. You’ll need to add lots of flavour, hence all the delicious spices I’ve added to these vegan jackfruit quesadillas.
Cheese is a must for quesadillas as it really helps everything to stick together. If you don’t use cheese your quesadillas will likely fall apart and the filling will go everywhere when you try to flip them. Luckily there are a lot of vegan cheese alternatives on the market now. You’ll need one which melts well. I find ones with coconut oil in them melt the best, which is why I used Angel Food Dairy Free Mozzarella
I have also tried these with a handful of fresh spinach and kale mixed in and cooked with the other ingredients on the stove and it worked well. So if you want to get some extra greens into your diet feel free to give that a go.
There are so many awesome things about quesadillas. I love that once you have a general idea of how to make them and have tried one recipe you can start making your own creations and pretty much add any filling you like. After you make my vegan jackfruit quesadillas I encourage you to have a go at making up your own filling! I also love that they’re a really good sharing food and you don’t necessarily need a knife and fork to eat them, which means they’re great for events or parties or just socialising!
I love serving these with a nice drizzle of chilli sauce and some fresh coriander. Guacamole and vegan sour cream also make great toppings!
If you’re a fan of Mexican food and looking for other ideas, check out my Mexican Stuffed Capsicums
Ingredients
Instructions
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Pull apart the smaller pieces of jackfruit using a fork, and chop up the bigger pieces so the sizing is a bit more even and there’s no big chunks.
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Put the jackfruit pieces into a bowl with the smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, chilli powder and liquid smoke. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
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Put a frying pan on a medium heat with about a tablespoon of cooking oil (I use olive oil but you can use whatever you have on hand), add the onion and cook until just starting to brown.
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Add the jackfruit mixture into the pan with the onions and stir so that the onions are mixed through.
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Add tomato paste and cook until hot and everything is well combined,
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Now it’s time to assemble and cook the quesadillas. To do this lay one corn tortilla on a flat surface then cover it with a good sprinkling of grated cheese. On top of the cheese spread on a few spoonfuls of the jackfruit mixture, then top with some more cheese.
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Put a pan on medium heat with a couple tablespoons of oil. Once hot, carefully lower the prepared tortilla into the pan. Immediately place another tortilla on top then press down lightly with a spatula or fish slice to help it all stick together which will help when it comes to flipping.
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When the cheese is starting to melt and the bottom is browning, carefully flip the quesadilla. Cook until the other side is also browning then remove from the pan and set aside on a plate or board.
- Repeat steps 5-7 with remaining tortillas and jackfruit mix.
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Once all quesadillas are done, cut each into quarters so they’re little triangles. Serve with chili sauce, fresh coriander and guacamole if you like.
It looks delicious I loved it Thanks for sharing