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Transport yourself to the tropics with this delicious, easy jackfruit smoothie. Jackfruit, coconut, and pineapple come together to create a refreshing tropical flavor with healthy boost of vitamin C. The best part? All you need is 5 minutes and 4 ingredients to make this simple recipe!
Not only is this jackfruit smoothie recipe easy to make, but it's delicious and healthy at the same time.
Jackfruit is full of nutritional benefits and anyone can enjoy this tropical fruit smoothie because it's vegan, gluten-free, and perfect for a plant-strong diet!
Jackfruit might sound like a hard-to-find ingredient but it's become quite popular recently and is available at most grocery stores. You can buy it fresh or canned - I prefer fresh for this recipe.
And if you're making another recipe that requires cutting into a whole jackfruit, making this tropical smoothie is a great way to use the rest of the fruit! Or you can just make a bigger batch using an entire jackfruit!
👩🏽🍳 Why This Recipe Works
- Easy use for jackfruit
- Only 4 ingredients
- Super quick and easy recipe
- Full of healthy fats
- Vegan and gluten free
- Healthy breakfast or snack
- No added sugar
- Easy way to increase your fresh fruit intake
- Boosts your immune system with vitamin C
- Easy way to try exotic fruits
Latest Recipe Video!
🥘 Ingredients
This is essentially a 3 ingredient jackfruit smoothie - all you need are 3 fruits, plus ice!
- Yellow Jackfruit: Yellow jackfruit has a subtly sweet flavor when it's ripe. It's said to taste like the mild flavor of a combination of pineapple, apple, banana, and mango. You can use canned or fresh jackfruit for this recipe. If you decide to make a canned jackfruit smoothie, try to find a variety that is packaged in water, not syrup.
- Coconut Milk: Coconut milk not only makes this smoothie creamier, but it also adds to the tropical flavor in a way that can't be replaced by other milk. You can use either full fat canned coconut milk, or canned light coconut milk, or unsweetened boxed coconut milk. The full fat version will make this smoothie taste like a jackfruit milkshake and will be super rich and creamy, but will also be higher in fat and calories. Light coconut milk or boxed unsweetened coconut milk will have far less calories and fat, and will still give you a creamy tropical vibe. I used the boxed version for this recipe.
- Frozen Pineapple: Much like the coconut milk flavor, pineapple makes this jackfruit drink more tropical and also gives it a stronger fruit flavor. Frozen pineapple is preferred to fresh pineapple in this recipe because frozen will make the smoothie thicker.
- Ice Cubes: Ice cubes help thicken this smoothie and give it a little more volume.
📖 Variations
- Avocado Jackfruit Smoothie: Adding avocado to your jackfruit shake will make it even more velvety and rich. Start by adding 2 tablespoons of avocado, blend, and then do a taste test. Only add more avocado if you want a more creamy texture.
- Jackfruit Mango Smoothie: Add even more tropical flavors to your frozen jackfruit smoothie by adding mango. Feel free to add 2 oz of fresh or frozen mango along with the pineapple, or do a complete swap and leave the pineapple out if you prefer.
- Tropical Jackfruit Smoothie Bowl: Making a smoothie bowl instead of a smoothie in a glass doesn't seem like much of a distinction, but the cool thing about a smoothie bowl is the toppings you can add. Add 1/2 a frozen banana to the smoothie ingredients and blend as directed. Then pour your smoothie into a bowl and add toppings like shredded coconut, maple syrup, granola, sliced almonds, chia seeds, chocolate chips, fresh fruit, or pretty much anything that sounds good!
- Jackfruit Passion Fruit Smoothie: A passion fruit and jackfruit breakfast smoothie is an excellent use of uncommon tropical fruits. Add passion fruit to this recipe either instead of pineapple or in addition to the pineapple.
🔪 Instructions
Combine Ingredients: Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender.
Blend: Blend until smooth. Make sure to blend the ice cubes completely.
Pour: Add the final mixture into serving glasses and serve immediately.
❓Recipe FAQs
WHAT IS JACKFRUIT?
Jackfruit is the name of a tree and it's also the name of the fruit that grows on the jackfruit tree. It's a tropical fruit that typically is grown in Asia, Africa, and South America. It has a thick, bumpy skin, and a soft, sweet, stringy flesh.
You can find different versions of jackfruit at the grocery store: fresh or canned green jackfruit (unripe, meatier texture, neutral savory flavor), or fresh or canned yellow jackfruit (ripe, sweeter flavor, softer texture).
WHAT DOES JACKFRUIT GO WITH?
Depending on whether you're using unripe or ripe jackfruit, it will go well with different types of dishes!
Green jackfruit has a more savory flavor and works well as a meat substitute in recipes like tacos, in vegan pulled pork sandwiches (as a substitute for pulled pork), or in different curry dishes.
Yellow jackfruit is sweet and pairs great with other tropical fruits, and works well in breakfast dishes, smoothies, and dessert.
WHO SHOULD NOT EAT JACKFRUIT?
Some people may be allergic to jackfruit and should not consume it. Jackfruit is also very high in potassium, so people with kidney disease shouldn't eat it. Lastly, jackfruit also has an amazing ability to lower blood sugar so general nutrition advice for those who have diabetes would be to consult a doctor if you are consuming jackfruit.
HOW TO KNOW WHEN JACKFRUIT IS RIPE?
When jackfruit is yellow, it is ripe. Unripe jackfruit is green and has a meatier texture, and less sweet flavor.
WHAT ARE JACKFRUIT SMOOTHIE BENEFITS?
Jackfruit in smoothies or on its own has loads of nutritional benefits and will help you reach your daily values for many of micronutrients that you need. Jackfruit is high in fiber, high in protein, and high in Vitamin A, C, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.
💭 Expert Tips
- Use yellow jackfruit for your smoothie. You'll want sweet jackfruit for this recipe. Young jackfruit, or green jackfruit, has more of a mild flavor and meaty texture. It is often used as a meat substitute in vegan recipes.
- For convenience, buy canned yellow jackfruit. It will be easier to find in stores and much easier to prepare for your smoothie. Sometimes canned jackfruit is packed in a sweet syrup, so try to find canned jackfruit that's packed in water, not syrup as that will make this smoothie a lot sweeter and will add a lot more sugar to the recipe.
- For a lower calorie option, you can use unsweetened almond milk, boxed coconut milk (unsweetened), or coconut water instead of full fat coconut milk. While coconut milk is very healthy, it's also very high in fat. While it's not bad for you, it could be too much fat in your daily diet if you drink this smoothie regularly for weight loss.
