Popular as a natural meat alternative, jackfruit has been making a name for itself in vegan and vegetarian cooking in recent years. Known for its texture resembling pulled pork, jackfruit is particularly popular as an ingredient in vegan barbeque dishes. The raw meat of jackfruit is said to resemble a combination of mango, pineapple, and banana in flavor.
Always up on the latest food trends, Trader Joe’s sells jackfruit along with many other vegan and vegetarian recipe ingredients. Trader Joe’s Jackfruit comes in a can and the fruit is preserved in a salt and citric acid-based brine.
Trader Joe’s also carries a few other products that feature jackfruit as a main ingredient, including their Vegan Jackfruit Cakes (which are savory, fritter-like patties marketed as a meatless alternative to crab cakes), their Yellow Jackfruit Curry with Jasmine Rice, and their Pulled Jackfruit in Smoky BBQ Sauce. Unfortunately, these products are not currently available in most stores due to supply chain issues.
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What Kind Of Jackfruit Does Trader Joe’s Sell?
Technically, Trader Joe’s carries a few different jackfruit-based products, but the only one we are currently able to find in stores is their Green Jackfruit in Brine.
Here is a list of all the Trader Joe’s Jackfruit products the store carries when they are fully stocked:
- Trader Joe’s Green Jackfruit in Brine ($1.99 / 20 oz.)
- Trader Joe’s Pulled Jackfruit in Smoky BBQ Sauce (price unavailable)
- Trader Joe’s Yellow Jackfruit Curry with Jasmine Rice (price unavailable)
- Trader Joe’s Jackfruit Cakes (price unavailable)
Trader Joe’s Jackfruit Nutrition Facts
Trader Joe’s Green Jackfruit is a super simple product and only contains four ingredients: jackfruit, water, salt, and citric acid.
Each can of Trader Joe’s Jackfruit contains 80 calories, and one ½ can is considered 1 serving. Nutritionally speaking, each serving contains 35 mg of sodium, 9 grams of carbohydrates (including 7 grams of fiber), as well as 4% of your daily recommended value of calcium and 2% of your daily value of potassium.
What Can You Do With Trader Joe’s Jackfruit? (Recipe Ideas)
Cooking with jackfruit may seem a bit unorthodox, but rest assured that there are plenty of delicious ways to incorporate this tropical fruit into your food, especially if you’re a fan of BBQ or meat-free dishes.
Trader Joe’s has a great recipe for a Pulled Jackfruit Sandwich up on their website, along with another recipe for Jackfruit Carnitas.
Pulled jackfruit is by far one of the most popular ways to prepare this savory fruit. Similar to tofu, jackfruit is great at absorbing flavors used in cooking, so it can be a good idea to marinate jackfruit before adding it to a recipe, or just be sure to give it plenty of seasoning if you’re using it for a savory recipe.
How Do You Serve Trader Joe’s Jackfruit?
Jackfruit can be served and eaten in any number of ways, some simple and some more complex. Although it’s not super common to do so, you can technically eat jackfruit raw without cooking it. Because Trader Joe’s Jackfruit is stored in brine, it will have a somewhat salty and tangy flavor in addition to the fruit’s natural flavor which resembles a combination of mango, pineapple, and banana.
After you’ve tried the adventurous thing of tasting raw jackfruit, you’ll probably be more interested in adding it to a recipe. Some of the most popular ways to serve jackfruit are as a BBQ-marinated pulled meat alternative in BBQ dishes and sandwiches or as a meat alternative in curry.
For some inspiration, check out this vegan pulled jackfruit hamburger
Trader Joe’s Jackfruit Reviews
Among jackfruit lovers who shop at Trader Joe’s, this canned variety of green jackfruit is getting great reviews. Here are some examples we found via Influenster.com.
FAQs
Is Trader Joe’s pulled jackfruit vegan?
Yes. Trader Joe’s Green Jackfruit in Brine is 100% vegan, containing only fruit, water, salt, and citric acid.
Are Trader Joe’s Vegan Jackfruit Cakes gluten-free?
Yes. Trader Joe’s Jackfruit Cakes are naturally gluten free.
Does Trader Joe’s sell frozen jackfruit?
While Trader Joe’s does sometimes carry frozen dishes that contain jackfruit, such as their Yellow Jackfruit Curry, they do not sell jackfruit on its own as a frozen product.
Are Trader Joe’s Jackfruit Cakes good?
Everyone’s take on these crabless cakes will be different, but we unfortunately found some less than thrilling reviews for Trader Joe’s Jackfruit Cakes online, including this one from Freezer Meal Frenzy. However, the folks over at Cooking Light felt a bit less critical of these crabless snacks and said they would try them again.
How do you make Trader Joe’s Jackfruit Crab Cakes?
The recommended method for preparing Trader Joe’s Jackfruit Cakes is by heating them up in the oven until the outside is crisp.
Does Trader Joe’s have jackfruit in water?
Sort of. Trader Joe’s sells jackfruit in brine, which is a combination of water, citric acid, and salt.
Is Trader Joe’s Jackfruit Available Anywhere Else?
Like with all Trader Joe’s products, the only place to buy Trader Joe’s Jackfruit is in person from a TJ’s location. Unfortunately, Trader Joe’s has a strong stance against selling their products online, so ordering through their website is not an option, although some sites like eBay and Amazon do sometimes carry TJ’s products for resale. Trader Joe’s locations can be found all over the United States, and their jackfruit is stocked in the same aisle as most other TJ’s canned goods, such as olives and beans.
Sidenote: Trader Joe’s doesn’t list their Green Jackfruit in Brine on their website guide to their store inventory, but we can confirm that they do still carry and sell this item as of May 2022.
Conclusion
Overall, it seems like Trader Joe’s Green Jackfruit in Brine is a hit with vegetarians and vegans as a trusty and versatile meat alternative. The options for using this Southeast Asian fruit are abundant, including using it as a main ingredient in BBQ dishes or as an addition to curries and stews. Trader Joe’s other jackfruit products, including their Jackfruit Cakes and Yellow Jackfruit Curry, are not currently available and it’s hard to say whether they’ll be coming back to stores any time soon. Try talking to your local TJ’s to find out.
