Jackfruit is a mysterious food. As its name implies, it’s a fruit, and when it’s raw, it’s just as sweet as you would expect a fruit to be. However, when it’s cooked and appropriately seasoned, it has a meaty taste and texture. We loved it as a meat substitute in Trader Joe’s Jackfruit Curry, but we weren’t sure that Trader Joe’s Vegan Jackfruit Cakes would be able to mimic the flavor of
These jackfruit cakes are fairly small, but they’re also quite thick. Trader Joe’s says that two cakes count as a serving, and that seems very appropriate to us, especially if you’re pairing the cakes with buns or some slaw. It takes about 16 minutes to cook the cakes, but the process borders on effortless. You can easily heat up these cakes while preparing a more complex side dish.
How do they taste? Well, definitely not like
While these cakes may not satisfy your seafood cravings, they don’t taste particularly fruity either. They’re definitely savory, and the texture of the cakes is a bit meaty. You can taste a little bit of potato in the cakes, and there’s a strong, onion-like aftertaste. The outer part of the cake is crispy, while the inner portion of the cake is much softer.
These definitely aren’t a replacement for crab cakes, but how do they stack up outside of that? We have to admit that we weren’t that impressed with them overall. We enjoy jackfruit, especially as a meat substitute, but these cakes don’t taste like a substitute for anything, and they’re not delicious enough to recommend on their own.
Trader Joe’s Vegan Jackfruit Cakes aren’t bad, and if you’re really curious about jackfruit, they might be worth sampling. However, if you’re excited about the prospect of vegan crab cakes, you should curb your enthusiasm. Nothing about these crispy cakes will make you think about the sea, matey.
To learn more about the nutrition content or ingredients in these Trader Joe’s crabless cakes, check out our package scan below.
