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My favorite season has started; days are getting colder, and it’s time to bring back the comfort food! Introducing this jackfruit casserole!
This is what this cozy casserole is all about. A buttery brown rice and pulled jackfruit bake served in a creamy and spicy buffalo sauce. This bake needs to be on your table on a chilly evening.
Brown rice and jackfruit make the base of this recipe. You start by cooking the rice in boiling water.
I first thought of adding dry rice directly to the baking dish and baking until cooked, but since the cooking time of brown rice can differ quite a lot depending on the brand (from 20 to 50 minutes), I ended up cooking the rice in boiling water first. This way, you can test the doneness of rice and make sure it is perfectly cooked.
While the rice is cooking, prepare the jackfruit. Cut off the core and place the shredded jackfruit on a baking sheet. Baking the jackfruit helps remove some moisture, resulting in a better texture, closer to shredded chicken.
If you can’t find jackfruit, feel free to use seitan or Tofurky “Chicken.”
In the meantime, prepare the buffalo sauce. All the flavors of the dish come from the sauce. It consists of soaked cashews blended with water to make a smooth cream. Then comes buffalo sauce (I used Frank’s Red Hot Sauce), maple syrup, and smoked paprika. I also added some nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor (not pictured above). You blend everything together until smooth before mixing it with the cooked rice and pulled jackfruit.
Transfer to a baking dish and bake for 20 minutes or until the top gets crispy and golden brown. Done!
You can serve this with roasted veggies on the side, a green salad, or use it as a dip with tortilla chips and raw veggies. I like to add a dollop of cashew cream (or coconut yogurt) on top to balance the spiciness of the dish.
If you are looking for a spicy, heart-warming casserole, look no further! This buffalo rice & jackfruit casserole is creamy and flavorful and makes the perfect fall weeknight dinner!
In the comments, let me know if you try this recipe!
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Buffalo Jackfruit Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry brown rice
- 3 cups water
- 1 20-ounce can young green jackfruit
Buffalo Sauce
- 1 cup raw cashews soaked overnight
- 8 tbsp buffalo sauce (I used Frank's Red Hot Sauce)
- 1 and 1/2 cup water
- 2 tbsp vegan butter (or coconut oil)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 clove of garlic (small)
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika optional
Instructions
- Start by cooking the rice. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the rice and cook according to the package instructions.
- In the meantime, preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Drain and rinse the jackfruit. Cut off the hard core parts and discard. Slightly press the jackfruit with your fingers, or with a fork to give it a pulled texture. Place the pulled jackfruit on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and set aside.
- Prepare the buffalo sauce by combining all the ingredients in a blender. Blend on high speed for 1-2 minutes, or until smooth.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked rice, pulled jackfruit, and buffalo sauce. Stir to combine. Transfer to a baking dish (I used a 9x6-inch) and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat, let cool a few minutes and serve immediately.
- This buffalo bake will keep for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. To reheat, cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and place in a 350°F preheated oven for about 25 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
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Leave a Comment
This looks really good! I need to step my game up when it comes to my rice, I don’t have too many recipes in that area.I’ll give this a try soon. thank you
Thanks Bryan! Let me know if you try it 😉
Would you suggest any alternative to the Buffalo Sauce? Would Spiracha do? And if so how much?
You could use Sriracha but you will have to use a lot less, probably 1/4th so around 2 tbsp of Sriracha I would say. Also, the flavor will be slightly different and a bit more garlicky.
So glad I found your blog, your recipes are original and inspired!
I wanted to ask what kitchen gadgets you recommend? My blender & food processor are on the way out & am tossing up a Vitamix & a Kitchen Aid mixer or a lower end processor.Any advice appreciated
Hi Dominique, thanks for the kind words!
Personally, I’m using a Magimix food processor and blender, both are very powerful and great quality. But I’m not sure this brand is available everywhere…
Hi, Thomas. Greetings from Canada! I took this out of the oven moments ago and it is delicious! I think your idea to bake the jack fruit first is brilliant; it makes for a great texture. Thank you again for a wonderful recipe. Looking forward to sharing this dish with family and friends.
Hey Elle! Greetings from France 😉
Thanks so much for your feedback, I’m glad you liked this bake!
Looks delicious! I will try it this weekend. What is the white topping? Sour cream?
It’s cashew cream 🙂
This had great flavor, but wasn’t a great stand alone dish. I think I might try using it as a filling for a wrap with some lettuce and celery next time.
Thanks for your feedback Dorrie! Sorry to hear you found it wasn’t flavorful enough.
Such a great idea! It looks so good!
Thanks Lori!
Hey! Thanks for your story and sharing this recipe. Using ‘motherlode rocky mountain hot sauce’ …. uhhh, I wasn’t going to let the word buffalo throw me off….should be ready to taste in about 30 minutes!
You’re welcome Julie! Sure, feel free to use your favorite hot sauce!
My husband and I loved this dish, I’ll definitely be making it again. It went well with roasted broccoli and lots of scallions on top.
Glad you and your husband liked it! Thanks for the feedback Christine!
This hit the spot! I had a cold virus and craved something spicy and not soupy. This was easy and perfect! Glad I grabbed jackfruit in a can. I actually added only one can (14 oz) and put in a can of garbanzo beans. Super! Everyone loved it– teens (one vegan), vegetarian husband and I. Thank you!
Awesome! Thank you so much for your feedback and rating Laure 🙂
Absolutely delicious! I added some cauliflower and celery that were in my fridge and needed to be used up. Worked really well with the flavors.
Thanks! Happy to hear you liked it!
Simply delish! Very original recipe and my family and I liked it very much!
Thanks Stephanie!
Is there anything that can sub for cashews? I have used coconut cream before in other recipes, but not sure if that will work here. Recipe looks delicious!
I think coconut cream should work but you will obviously end up with a have a coconut flavor. If you don’t mind then it should make a good substitute!
With my allergies, I’ve learned that substituting Sunflower seeds for nuts (1:1) works. I’m planning to use some leftover creamy cauliflower/sunflower sauce for today’s dinner.
This sounds perfect!!
Thanks for the recipe
Soooooo delicious!! Definitely going to be a staple around here. Thanks!
Glad you liked it Kimberly! Thanks for your feedback 🙂
Still obsessed with this recipe! Perfect for football season. I’ve added some chopped up celery which gives it a nice crunch.
Thanks Kimerbly! 🙂
I really enjoyed this! My first time cooking with cashew cream and I was practically licking the blender. The bake was very hearty and had a great texture! Thanks for sharing!
Glad you liked it Lili 🙂
[…] 6. Buffalo Jackfruit Bake […]
Hi!
I love your creative recipes! I just tried this recipe last night and loved it!! Just what I was looking for, something new, savory, comforting on a cold day. The sauce was delicious!
Hi Mel,
Happy to hear you liked it 🙂 True, it’s a very comforting dish!
This is brilliant! I am trying this tonight only replacing the rice with cauliflower rice because I don’t tolerate grains well. I have missed all things buffalo flavored. Thank you!
Thanks Carrie!
What a creative idea!
Instead of buffalo sauce, I went with sriracha sauce, vinegar and butter flavor, had to reduce the water quantity.
Amazing taste.
Sounds like a great substitute!
Ohh, I also replaced the jackfruit with your chicken recipe! sooo good 🙂
;))
Thank you for sharing this recipe! It’s quick, easy and delicious! It’s one of my family’s favorites!
Awesome! Glad to hear that Sally!
Thanks for your feedback 🙂
[…] got many requests regarding where to find Frank’s Red Hot sauce since I released these Buffalo Jackfruit and Rice Bake and Buffalo Sweet Potato Soup recipes. Instead of telling you where to find it, I’m going to […]
I will be making this dish. I recently watched a UK Chef who put the jackfruit in a clean towel and squeezed all the water out. He said that made it more meaty and enjoyable and he was right. Otherwise I know the Full of Plants recipe will be perfect.
Hope you will like it 🙂
Hello from Bainbridge Island, Washington State! This looks and sounds delicious – so I whipped up a batch today! My oven timer just went off… Is it supposed to be soupy?? It’s not looking like the photo above. I’ve re-checked the ingredients and I prepared everything as directed. Way too much liquid for the 3 cups of cooked rice, 20 ou can of jackfruit. The only difference is I made my own buffalo sauce rather than using Frank’s Red Hot, the homemade being quite creamy and delicious. Love to hear your thoughts. 🙂
No it’s not supposed to be soupy, but creamy with some texture. It’s actually 1 cup of dry rice cooked in 3 cups of water and then drained.
This was great! I made it for my husband and me (trying to save a bit for my plant-based college kid when she comes home.) I didn’t know exactly how to work the canned jackfruit. After I separated the harder parts and the “bean” things, it seemed to be such a small amount left (I used 2 @14 oz cans so I had more than the recipe.) I put the softer shredded parts in our air fry oven and they came out super crispy and awesome. I read the whole jackfruit is edible so I went ahead and shredded the harder parts and the bean things and did those in the regular oven and ended up using all of it. They all tasted fine– the texture was different and I’d probably not use those odd parts next time. But the taste of the whole casserole was wonderful! It was on the spicy + side, which we really like, but if you are not into that, just tone down the hot sauce (we used Frank’s.). A side of celery was all we needed for a one-bowl meal. Thank you!
Thanks for your feedback Laurel! I’m glad you both liked the recipe 🙂
Yes the whole jackfruit pieces are edible, however the hard parts are sometimes a bit too hard to chew, that’s why I prefer to discard it.
What is buffalo sauce? Could you give the recipe. I am not able to get it where I live.
I have a recipe for homemade buffalo sauce here, you can find it by using the search option, or directly here.
Delicious! The sauce is so good I wanted to lick the blender. I added celery (per someone’s comment) and some chopped spinach. I’m going to try cooking it on the stove in a cast iron skillet so I don’t have to heat up the house in summer. YUM!
Thanks for your feedback Vicky 😉