So crispy on the outside, packed with flavor and gooey cheese on the inside, these vegetarian Baked Crispy Jackfruit Taquitos will be your new favorite weeknight dinner!

Did anyone else grow up eating up eating frozen taquitos as a kid? I remember being obsessed with them and feeling like it was like Christmas whenever my dad came home with a jumbo box from Costco. A handful of taquitos with a gallon of Pace salsa on the side was my actual favorite snack. So how it’s taken me this long to make homemade taquitos is a mystery to me!

Baked jackfruit taquitos to be exact! Needless to say, I’m willing to guess these are more than a shade healthier than the beloved frozen version from my childhood. Caleb and I have been on a real jackfruit roll recently, making all the best “shredded meat” foods but with jackfruit! He’s made us jackfruit nachos so many times that by now he’s practically a nacho-making pro. So when I was brainstorming just what type of taquito to make and Caleb suggested jackfruit, I knew he had a winning idea.

And if you’re starting to feel a little uneasy like ummmmm hello Colleen what even is jackfruit? And will my family even like it? Well never fear! First of all, Caleb and I were both skeptical when we first tried out jackfruit, but we have both since fallen in love! Secondly, read on dear friends, because I get deep into the nitty gritty jackfruit details and will alleviate all of your worry.

What is jackfruit?

First let’s address the big question in the room, what the heck is jackfruit? If you’re new to jackfruit, you’re not alone! I was introduced to this weird alien-looking fruit a few years ago, and ever since I’ve been hooked! For those who are unfamiliar, jackfruit is a large, green, tropical fruit that has an extremely mild, vaguely sweet, flavor. However, once shredded, it has the amazing ability to mimic the texture of shredded chicken or pulled pork. Jackfruit is also a bit of a flavor sponge in my opinion and really soaks up the flavors of the spices you add to it. For those reasons, it’s an extremely popular vegan “meat” replacement. I’m not personally a vegan, but I love switching up typical meat-based recipes for plant based ones when I can. Plus once you actually cook up the jackfruit and bake it into a taquito, I honestly think you wouldn’t even know what it was made of!

While some people buy jackfruit whole, I find that using canned jackfruit is way more convenient. The whole fruit is huge, can be hard to find, and honestly seems a little intimidating to work with so I highly recommend getting canned because it’s already ready-to-go! Check the canned section in your grocery store, but if you can’t find it be sure to ask an employee if they carry it. I’ve found that canned jackfruit is typically tucked away in a hard to find location in the grocery. Be sure to double check that you buy jackfruit in brine or water and not in syrup.

Why use jackfruit?

I like using jackfruit in a recipe like this for a couple of different reasons.

Even if you’re not vegan or vegetarian, this is the perfect meal to try out on “meatless Mondays”.
Flavor sponge – jackfruit really is the best at letting your spices and other ingredients shine in a recipe; it soaks up all that delicious flavor to really make a tasty meal.
It’s cheap. A can of jackfruit costs around $2-3! Doesn’t get much cheaper than that.
Jackfruit is super healthy! Jackfruit is packed full of vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, and more. It’s also rich in fiber which helps to keep you full and satisfied for longer.

Tips on preparing the Taquitos

There’s a couple things to note when assembling the taquitos.

Corn tortillas do not like to be tightly wrapped. They love to break, tear, and altogether cause frustration. The key to avoiding tearing tortillas is to warm them in the microwave which makes them pliable. Don’t skip this step. My instructions in the recipe card are to heat them all at once, but if you start to run into tearing, heat them in small batches! Heat 2-3 tortillas in the microwave at a time, fill and roll them, then heat 2-3 more tortillas, etc.
Oil the outside of your tortillas! This step is key to getting extra crispy taquitos that don’t end up getting soggy. I found the easiest method is to drizzle a small amount of oil onto your tortillas and then just spread it over the entire tortilla surface using your hands.

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If you make this recipe I would love it if you comment below and let me know how it was! Also tag @servingupsimplicity on Instagram and use the hashtag #servingupsimplicity. XOXO