A fresh tropical jackfruit smoothie bright with mango, pineapple and the unusual fruit, jackfruit, all making this drink a tropical vacation and a powerhouse of nutrition, including protein, fiber and essential vitamins. Vegan, banana-free and dairy-free, and easy to make!
A deliciously healthy tropical smoothie with an unusually bright flavor with pineapple and mango, and a boatload of nutrition thanks to exotic jackfruit. Similar to my citrus smoothie and my strawberry smoothie, this one is bursting with a fresh fruit zing. The coconut milk adds a tropical flavor, but if you prefer try it with my homemade oat milk.
How Healthy Is This?
Thanks to jackfruit, mango and pineapple, this smoothie is rich with vitamin C, antiinflammatories and antibacterials which can replenish, cleanse, energize and fight disease.
Specifically these three fruits contribute the following benefits:
Jackfruit alone is full of vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber, and minerals, such as iron, magnesium, potassium and manganese so important to all body processes.
Mango is full of fiber, and pineapple provides compounds that fight inflammation, namely bromelain.
Pineapple provides digestive enzymes and vitamin C which improves your skin, supports weight loss, assists digestion, and even prevents kidney stones.
Ingredients
Jackfruit,frozen: Exotic jackfruit is rich in nutrients and fiber and a creamy and delicious as mango!
Pineapple, frozen: Loaded with anti-inflammatories and enzymes that support digestion and the definition of tropical, pineapple is a frosty fruity treat perfect in tropical smoothies.
Mango, frozen: Cool and creamy, sweet mango is also quintessential tropical and low in calorie while high in fiber.
Coconut Milk or Water: Unsweetened coconut milk or water is the essence of all things tropical and high in potassium and the perfect hydrator. Be sure to use the coconut milk found in the dairy section or boxed milk section, do not use canned coconut milk for this recipe - it is too high in fat and thick in texture.
Orange: to bring a tropical citrus punch to the drink.
Dairy free yogurt: Every smoothie needs a thickener and while frozen fruit helps, yogurt adds the perfect creamy texture a tropical smoothie needs. I chose coconut flavor to continue the tropical theme but any version would work here.
Steps to Make
Here is a quick summary of the steps, but the detailed recipe and video can be found below in the recipe card below.
Step 1. Blend all ingredients, and serve with a tropical umbrella.
To create the parfait pictured, combined ¾ coconut yogurt with ¼ coconut milk (dairy carton/not canned) to make the white layer. Then pour the same amount of smoothie on top.
Storage
Drink smoothie immediately but if you want to store, put it into a mason jar, and refrigerate for 24 hours. It will lose it's frosty texture however, so you can re-blend with ½ cup of ice, however the flavor will be more diluted.
Recipe Tips
1.Use frozen mango and pineapple and jackfruit, all found in the frozen section of my grocery store. The orange doesn't have to be frozen. Your liquid should be coconut-based to bring on the tropical flavor, and can be coconut milk for a creamier texture or coconut water.
2.To create the layered smoothie pictured, combine ¾ coconut yogurt with ¼ coconut milk (dairy carton/not canned) to make the white layer. Then pour the same amount of jackfruit smoothie on top.
FAQS
What is Jackfruit?
You don't need to add the jackfruit if you can't find it. Just add 1 cup-worth of a mixture of mango and pineapple. However, if you can find frozen jackfruit in your grocer freezer section, grab it! So what is jackfruit?
Jackfruit is a weird Jurassic park-like fruit rich in a slew of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, fiber, healthy fat and protein.
Specifically it is a watermelon-like fruit grown on a tree of the same name native to Asia, Africa and South America. The edible part is actually seeds inside giant enormous melons with a bumpy skin.
Jackfruit is also known to fight wrinkles, reduce mental stress, and address skin issues.
Two Ways to Eat Jackfruit
The edible part is actually not that easy to get to if you buy a raw jackfruit. I have a tutorial on how to cut a jackfruit here. The fruit is unusual because it has two roles in the food world lately, especially the vegan world.
Role #1 is savory: Jackfruit, when underripe, tastes neutral and has the texture of pulled pork when cooked. So it is popular as a meat-replacer now in foods that want to replicate traditional forms but be plant-based. In fact, here is my Jackfruit Pulled Pork in a Bun recipe and it is yummy.
Role #2 is sweet: Jackfruit, when overripe, tastes sweet and this is the version used in this tropical smoothie recipe. And it is overripe jackfruit that is available frozen from the companies I cited above and that is dried into dried fruits snacks.
Where to Find Jackfruit?
If you visit an Asian supermarket in the summer, you'll see big crates of them in the produce section, much like we are accustomed to seeing watermelons.
But if you want to buy it prepared, opt for frozen jackfruit which is sweet for this smoothie. I find this brand fairly regularly here.
Choose canned jackfruit for savory recipes such as these BBQ Jackfruit Sandwiches.
If you can't find frozen jackfruit, dried works well in this smoothie as well - just be sure it's a quality version with no added sugar. For instance, here is Whole Food's organic dried jackfruit.
How Does Ripe Jackfruit Taste?
Sweet! That is why we use it in smoothies and desserts. The unripe jackfruit tastes more bland, perfect to adopt savory flavors in dishes like jackfruit BBQ sandwiches here.
Other Smoothies
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📖 Recipe
Jackfruit Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup jackfruit, frozen or ½ cup quality dried jackfruit, reconstituted first in ½ cup water for 10 minutes. OR use more mango and pineapple.
- 1 cup mango, frozen
- 1 cup pineapple chunks, frozen
- 1 orange, peeled
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk, in dairy section of grocer, not canned or coconut water for a thinner drink
- 1 cup dairy-free yogurt
Bottom Layer
- ¾ cup dairy-free yogurt
- ¼ cup unsweetened coconut milk, in dairy section of grocer, not canned
Instructions
Prep
- If you need to use dried jackfruit because you can't find frozen, pour half a cup into 1 cup of water about 10 minutes before you make your smoothie to soften it up.
Make Smoothie
- Blend all ingredients, and serve with a tropical umbrella.
Create Two-Layer Parfait
- To create the parfait pictured, combined ¾ coconut yogurt with ¼ coconut milk (dairy carton/not canned) to make the white layer. Then pour the same amount of smoothie on top.
Store
- Drink smoothie immediately but if you want to store, put it into a mason jar, and refrigerate for 24 hours. It will lose it's frosty texture however, so you can re-blend with ½ cup of ice, however the flavor will be more diluted.
Kiki
The Tropical Smoothie looks delicious but how do you make the bottom white layer?
Dee
Hi Kiki, for the bottom layer, I combined 3/4 cup coconut yogurt with 1/4 cup coconut milk (dairy carton/not canned).
Bianca Zapatka
These look so good and refreshing! Love the flavors so much!
Dee
Bianca, thank you so much!
Ela
Jackfruit Smoothie? Wow, that sounds so nourishing and delicious. I would love to try it!
Dee
Ela! Thank you!
Nisha / Rainbowplantlife
What a healthy smoothie, Dee! I've never had frozen jackfruit - where can you buy it?
Dee
Nisha! Try Whole Foods!