This vegan smoky jackfruit stew is brimming with good-for-you ingredients yet you’d never know it based on taste. Its savory, rich, and oh-so-creamy base is made with a combination of nourishing cauliflower-cashew cream and vegetable broth. Best yet? The Jackfruit Company's Smoked Jackfruit is stirred in at the end to add a meaty, hearty bite to this completely plant-powered dish!
This post is sponsored by The Jackfruit Company. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Blissful Basil!
It's officially fall, which means it's officially soup season. Bring on all the cozy things.
Cozy things like sweaters, pumpkin-themed lattes, cinnamon-spiced oats, and loaves of vegan sweet potato bread.
But most especially cozy things like a big, simmering pot of this vegan smoky jackfruit stew...
When I shared this recipe for creamy wild rice soup with you last winter, I was confident no soup could top it, but now I'm not so sure because this smoky stew might have done just that.
It's rich, buttery, and comforting, AND it's filled to the brim with nourishing ingredients. Even that creamy base is made with a combination of cauliflower and cashews. And yet you'd never know it based on taste.
To make this simple vegan stew, you'll start by boiling four cups of cauliflower until tender. This takes about 7–10 minutes, which means you can get started on the other steps in the meantime.
While the cauliflower boils, you'll dice several scallions and a couple carrots, and then sauté them in a bit of olive oil and smoked paprika until they just begin to soften.
Then, add three cloves minced garlic and continue to cook until it softens.
Next, add low-sodium vegetable broth to the stockpot, increase the heat, and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the boiled cauliflower to a high-speed blender along with vegetable broth, raw cashews, nutritional yeast, fresh lemon juice, sea salt, and pepper. Then, blend on high until silky smooth.
Once the base of the soup has finished simmering, add the creamy cauliflower mixture to the pot along with one bunch chopped lacinato kale and two packages of The Jackfruit Company's Smoked Jackfruit.
Jackfruit, as its name suggests, is a fruit. However, while the mature, ripened form of jackfruit is sweet and succulent, the young, unripened form is a deliciously blank canvas with a highly meaty texture. Young jackfruit can be cooked and served in a multitude of ways and easily masquerades as various forms of pulled meat—from chicken to pork.
The Jackfruit Company's packaged jackfruit is by far the best I've come across. Its texture and flavor is unparalleled, and I highly, highly recommend it. If you've been disappointed by the brininess and toughness of canned jackfruit, give The Jackfruit Company's slow-cooked jackfruit a chance. It's a game-changer.
Okay, where were we?
Once you've added the creamy cauliflower mixture, jackfruit, and kale, increase the heat and simmer the stew for five minutes, or until the kale wilts.
Finally, taste and generously season with more sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
I like to serve the stew alongside either crackers topped with hummus and veggies or big hunks of crusty sourdough for dipping.
This creamy vegan stew is everything. It's smoky, meaty, buttery, soothing, and packed with ingredients that nourish from the inside out.
I hope it makes its way into your fall lineup of cozy things!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Smoky Jackfruit Stew
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh cauliflower florets
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 scallions, ends trimmed and thinly sliced
- 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided
- ½ cup filtered water
- â…” cup raw cashews, soaked for two hours (unless using a high-speed blender)
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 (10-ounce packages) The Jackfruit Company Smoked Jackfruit (see note*)
- 1 bunch lacinato kale, thoroughly washed, stemmed, and chopped
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the cauliflower florets and boil for 7 to 10 minutes, or until fork-tender. Drain and set aside.
- While the cauliflower boils, heat the olive oil in a large stockpot or dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the scallions, carrots, and smoked paprika. Sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables just begin to soften, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and continue to cook for another minute, or until it begins to soften.
- Stir in 3 cups of the vegetable broth, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the boiled cauliflower to a high-speed blender along with the remaining 1 cup vegetable broth, and the filtered water, cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, sea salt, and black pepper. Blend on high for two minutes, or until completely smooth and creamy.
- Add the cauliflower mixture to the pot of soup and stir to incorporate. Then, stir in the jackfruit and kale. Increase the heat to medium and continue to simmer for just 5 to 8 minutes to thicken and reduce. Generously season with more sea salt and black pepper to taste. (I usually add another ½ teaspoon of sea salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper.)
- Serve warm.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 1 month.
- If the soup is thicker than desired after refrigerating and reheating, simply whisk in a bit more vegetable broth or filtered water and adjust seasonings as needed.
Brittany Audra @ Audra's Appetite says
Such a creative use of jackfruit! :)
Ashley says
Thank you! :)
Mark Guncheon says
How about a recipe showing how to make smokey jacksfruit?
Ashley says
Hi, Mark! I don't have a recipe for how to make smoky jackfruit, but I'll keep that in mind for the future.
Angela says
Hi Mark,
If you use Colgin Liquid Smoke it’s like grilling outside but, inside easy. Hands down it’s the BEST natural hickory flavor I have found. Plus, it’s gluten free, vegan and low sodium. I’ve used it with jackfruit bbq and it rocks the Smokey flavor we crave😊
Ashley says
Thanks for sharing, Angela! Love this idea.
Lisa is Planted365 says
Oh, this looks delicious. I like that you've done something other than BBQ jackfruit!
Ashley says
Thanks, Lisa! It's nice to mix things up a bit, and jackfruit is surprisingly versatile. :)
Celeste Jackson says
This looks so hearty and flavorful! I can’t way to try it.
Ashley says
Thank you!
Jill Healy says
can't find smokes jackfruit how would the bbq type work?
Ashley says
Hi, Jill! I think you could certainly try the BBQ type, and it should work fine in place of the smoky kind.
Laura says
Hi Ashley! I have a ton of jars of nut butter I'd love to use up... do you think it would work to substitute cashew butter for the raw cashews?
Ashley says
Hi, Laura! My apologies for the delay, I was out of state visiting friends and fell a bit behind on comments. You should be able to use cashew butter in place of the raw cashews. I'd start with about half the amount, blend, and test for creaminess (as it usually takes about 2 cups raw cashews to make 1 cup nut butter). Hope this helps and enjoy!
Laura says
Thank you so much!
Ashley says
You're welcome, Laura!
Sandy says
Hi Ashley,
This soup is calling my name but I can only find plain jackfruit in brine. Any advice as to what to do with it so that it's a bit more like the kind you used?
Ashley says
Hi, Sandy! I'd recommend increasing the amount of smoked paprika to accommodate and offer a bit more depth to the brined jackfruit. Hope this helps and enjoy!
LouAnn says
In any of your recipes that require cashews, do think I could sub sunflower seeds?
I can’t wait to try this jackfruit soup!!
Ashley says
Hi, LouAnn! It depends on the recipe. For instance, in this one, I'd recommend substituting shelled hemp seeds instead of sunflower seeds as they'll impart a more mild flavor and a more consistent color (sunflower seeds can be a bit earthy and gray when blended in sauces). Hope this helps, and happy cooking! :)
Hayley says
Delicious! Thank you