If you’ve tried or heard about jackfruit “pulled pork”, it’s the dish that inspired me to make a better veggie patty that’s perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas and would make a great burger patty too! They make the perfect Tofurkey Alternative.

You know what’s tough? Trying to keep a vegetarian diet in a world full of soy when you’re soy-intolerant. Meanwhile, many North American veg-heads eat too much soy to begin with, which can upset your hormonal balance.

For years I’ve been looking for the perfect soy-free meat alternative to have with gravy and cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving and Christmas and last year, I finally found it. I had tried some pretty great recipes before, like the Oh She Glows burgers, but this is now definitely my go-to.

The idea finally came to me after I got around to making jackfruit pulled pork for myself. I had tried jackfruit as a pulled pork alternative at Niagara Veg Fest and some restaurants, but it wasn’t until I made it for myself that the lightbulb went off.

If you aren’t familiar with it yet, unripened jackfruit has the surprising texture of meat! It’s pretty amazing! And it takes on whatever seasoning you add and produces a wonderful texture and mouth feel. I read somewhere that buying unripened jackfruit can really destroy your knives and it’s very convenient to use canned unripened jackfruit which I’ve found at Asian grocery stores.

For our Thanksgiving feast this weekend I used 5 cans of jackfruit and made about 20 patties so I would say one can of jackfruit makes about 4 patties.

Step 1.

Soak the jackfruit and remove all the seeds.

Step 2.

Use your fingers to separate all the jackfruit “meat” into strips to prepare it to sautee with oil, garlic, and spices. (See recipe below for full details.)

Step 3.

This next part doesn’t look very glamourous but it’s the part that gives the patties a richness and also binds it together. Use ground chia or flax seed (I used chia) and almond butter to make a batter. (See recipe below for full details.)

Step 4.

Mix the sauteed jackfruit mixture into the batter. (See recipe below for full details.)

Step 5.

Form the patties and bake them at 350 for about 12 minutes on each side. I use an ice cream scoop and use non-stick silpat sheets. (See recipe below for full details.)

Step 6.

They’ll be ready when they’re golden and crispy and looking suspiciously meaty. Serve and enjoy!

Savoury Jackfruit Patties – Recipe

The above photos show this recipe multiplied by 5. The following recipe makes 4 patties.

Ingredients

1 can of unripened jackfruit in water
1 tablespoon of grapeseed oil (or a cooking oil of choice)
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon of low sodium Old Bay or your favourite “meat” spice blend
2 teaspoon of ground chia or ground flax
1/4 cup of water or vegetable stock
1 heaping tablespoon of almond butter
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Start by soaking and rinsing your unripened jackfruit in water. Rinse it really well.
Go through the jackfruit and make sure there are no seeds. The seeds are quite soft and can be eaten if you accidentally miss any, but it’s better to remove them.
Separate the jackruit “meat” using your fingers from the core of the jackfruit which is harder. You can cut up the jackfruit core and include it or discard it. When I made a large quantity, I included the core but ran it through the food processor to pulverize it.
Take a non-stick pan and put it on medium to high heat with the oil and the garlic. Sautee it for a minute and then add the jackfruit and the spices. Sautee the jackfruit stirring regularly until it starts to change colour and seem “cooked”, about 7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool.
Preheat oven to 350.
In a bowl, mix the ground chia with the water and let it start to congeal for about 30 seconds, then mix in the almond butter to make a batter. It shouldn’t be too thick or too loose, but an easy to stir paste.
1. Notes about this recipe: I’m not much of a measurer. When you make these, you’ll want to adjust the ratio of the chia, liquid, and almond butter to make a paste that’s thick but not overly stiff. If you find it’s too hard to mix in the jackfruit, add more liquid, or if it’s too liquidy, add more chia and/or almond butter.
Mix in the sauteed jackfruit mixture.
Take a cookie sheet and a silpat non-stick baking sheet or use line your pan with parchment paper. Scoop the mixture onto the pan to make patties. I use an ice cream scoop and then flatten the mixture into a patty shape.
Make the patties for about 12 minutes on one side. Then flip and bake for another 10-12 minutes on the other side or until golden and somewhat crispy.
Serve with cranberry sauce and your favourite vegetarian gravy and enjoy!