Jackfruit lovers unite over these easy Buffalo Jackfruit Nachos! With spicy shredded jackfruit, crispy tortilla chips, and melty vegan cheese, topped with all your favorite nacho toppings, it’s an excellent weeknight or game-day recipe to get everyone to gather around the table.
These meatless jackfruit nachos are all the rage in my house! If you love the flavor of shredded BBQ chicken but don’t want the meat, jackfruit is the way to go! If you’ve never had jackfruit, you’re in for a treat! When shredded, jackfruit has the texture of shredded chicken. Although the flavor is different, the unique quality of jackfruit is that it takes on the taste of the sauce it is tossed with, much like tofu.
In these jackfruit nachos, the shredded jackfruit is tossed with vegan buffalo sauce, making it spicy and tangy, the perfect flavor pairing for crispy, salty tortilla chips, melted vegan cheese, and nacho toppings!
It’s an easy and quick meal, yet satisfying and tempting with every bite. It will become your favorite nacho recipe, as it has become my family’s top choice for nacho night! If you’re a fan of these jackfruit nachos, try my other recipes that feature jackfruit as the star: jackfruit pulled pork, jackfruit burgers, jackfruit pizza, and curried jackfruit!
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Jackfruit Nachos for the Win!
Quick and Easy: This recipe is not complicated! It’s one of those simple sheet pan recipes where all you need to do is combine the ingredients and let it bake until the cheese gets melty, the tortilla chips get crispy, and the buffalo jackfruit melds together with all the ingredients.
Suitable for Everyone: These nachos are perfect for every type of eater. Kids will love the cheesiness. Adults will enjoy sinking their teeth into the spicy jackfruit. Whether you’re making this recipe for someone vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, or soy-free, you’ve found a simple meal that will make everyone happy!
Ingredients and Notes
Tortilla Chips: Use high-quality tortilla chips. I recommend using organic tortilla chips that are made with ground corn. Lots of tortilla chips are made with sunflower oil or canola oil. If you can find a chip made from avocado oil, that’s the way to go! I like Siete Maiz Totopos Corn Tortilla Chips.
Canned Jackfruit: While you can purchase jackfruit fresh, it’s easiest to get canned. You’ll need one can drained and rinsed with the seeds taken out.
Buffalo Sauce: I have a simple recipe for vegan buffalo sauce that takes only three minutes to make, but you can also use store-bought hot sauce or buffalo sauce if you want to save time.
Black Beans: Provides texture and protein to this easy recipe. Use a 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed.
Vegan Cheddar Cheese: Depending on your time, you can use store-bought vegan cheddar shreds, but making your own cashew nacho cheese sauce is a more nutritious option with no preservatives.
Toppings: You can use any toppings that you choose. I like to use vegetables with various colors, tastes, and textures. I’ve used diced red bell pepper, jalapeño pepper, diced green onions, halved cherry tomatoes, and diced avocado.
Variations and Substitutions
Change Up the Toppings: If you like something different on your nachos! Maybe you like vegan sour cream or homemade guacamole. If you want to make the nachos less spicy, eliminate the jalapeños. Add roughly chopped cilantro, salsa, pico de Gallo, black olives, and a wedge of lime.
Make Your Own Vegan Nacho Sauce: You can make your vegan queso using cashews to create a thick and creamy finish, or my nacho cheese recipe that utilizes a combination of vegetables to create a healthy alternative.
BBQ Sauce and Jackfruit: Use BBQ sauce instead of hot sauce for BBQ Jackfruit Nachos.
Spiced Jackfruit: Combine ¼ teaspoon each of smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder to coat the jackfruit for a dry spiced seasoning.
Favorite Tools
How to Make Jackfruit Nachos
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Place parchment paper or aluminum foil over your baking sheet. Place the tortilla chips evenly over the baking sheet.
- While the oven is heating, drain the jackfruit from the brine. Use a paper towel to absorb the extra water, and remove any seeds in the center. Add the jackfruit to a medium mixing bowl. Tear apart using a fork. Add the buffalo sauce to the jackfruit and stir to combine until evenly coated.
- Evenly spread the jackfruit on top of the tortilla chips. Add the drained and rinsed black beans, vegan cheese, diced red pepper, and jalapeno slices.
- Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the jackfruit is warm.
- Top with sliced green onions, halved cherry tomatoes, and diced avocado, and serve.
Alison’s Cooking Tips
- Allow the jackfruit and buffalo sauce to marinate overnight if you have time. It will allow the flavors to seep into the jackfruit and provide a rich and spicy taste.
- Thin chips become soggy. Opt for thicker, sturdier chips that can hold up to the toppings.
- Arrange your chips in a single layer on a baking sheet. This helps ensure even baking and crisping.
- Evenly distribute the toppings on the chips so that the chips don’t get weighed down, and each bite has a combination of all the ingredients.
- Keep an eye on your nachos while they’re baking to prevent burning. Every oven is different so that the cooking time may vary.
FAQS
Jackfruit is a tropical fruit that is grown in Southeast Asia. They grow on trees and can get up to 80 pounds each, making them the largest fruit that grows on trees. Its unique texture makes it an excellent meat substitute in vegan cooking.
I have seen whole jackfruit sold in Asian grocery stores, but unless you are experienced with cutting and preserving jackfruit, I recommend buying canned. I buy mine at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods, although I’m sure you can also find it at other grocery stores. It will likely be in the Asian grocery aisle or in the canned fruit aisle.
The best way to reheat nachos depends on whether they are loaded with toppings or if they are just chips and cheese. Place the nachos on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and heat them in the oven for 5-10 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
Make a Nacho Bar: Serving a crowd? Create a nacho bar! Make the base of the nachos with tortilla chips, buffalo jackfruit, beans, and cheese, and provide a variety of toppings for each guest to customize their nacho experience.
Storage
Nachos are best eaten fresh out of the oven. While you can store nachos in the fridge if you have leftovers, the chips will lose their crispiness. If possible, store the buffalo jackfruit in an airtight container in the refrigerator without adding other ingredients. Keep the tortilla chips in the bag at room temperature, and then, when you’re ready to assemble your nachos, put it all together. The buffalo jackfruit will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Video
More Jackfruit Recipes!
Recipe
Jackfruit Nachos
Equipment
- Parchment Paper or aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 12 ounce bag of tortilla chips
- 15 ounces jackfruit canned (drained and rinsed)
- ¾ cup vegan buffalo sauce
- 15 ounces black beans drained and rinsed
- 2 cups vegan nacho sauce or vegan cheddar shreds
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper deseeded and cut into round circles
- 2 green onions sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes cut into halves
- 1 avocado diced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Place parchment paper or aluminum foil over your baking sheet. Place the tortilla chips evenly over the baking sheet.
- While the oven is heating, drain the jackfruit from the can. Use a paper towel to absorb the extra water, and remove any seeds in the center. Add the jackfruit to a medium mixing bowl. Tear apart using a fork.
- Add the buffalo sauce to the jackfruit and stir to combine until evenly coated.
- Evenly spread the jackfruit on top of the tortilla chips. Add the drained and rinsed black beans, vegan cheese, diced red pepper, and jalapeno slices.
- Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the jackfruit is warm.
- Top with sliced green onions, halved cherry tomatoes, and diced avocado, and serve.
Video
Notes
- Allow the jackfruit and buffalo sauce to marinate overnight if you have time. It will allow the flavors to seep into the jackfruit and provide a rich and spicy taste.
- Thin chips become soggy. Opt for thicker, sturdier chips that can hold up to the toppings.
- Arrange your chips in a single layer on a baking sheet. This helps ensure even baking and crisping.
- Evenly distribute the toppings on the chips so that the chips don’t get weighed down, and each bite has a combination of all the ingredients.
- Keep an eye on your nachos while they’re baking to prevent burning. Every oven is different, so the cooking time may vary.
- It’s best to enjoy the nachos fresh out of the oven.
- You can store the buffalo jackfruit in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
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