Jackfruit Seed Hummus
January 25, 2025 • Appetizers,
When our friends recently gifted us a jackfruit from their small backyard finca in Patillas, Puerto Rico, they explained that we simply must make hummus from the seeds. While that sounded weird, I’m always game to try new things and after reading about the health benefits of the seeds, I was all in. Getting the seeds ready to make the hummus is not a simple one step process. You first remove the pod that is the actual jackfruit, then the soft lining of the pod that covers the seeds.
Place them in boiling water until fork tender, about 45 minutes, then let them cool so you can handle them to remove the outer shell on the seeds. Some of these will have started to come loose while cooking the seeds, but it still take some time. Then proceed to make hummus as the recipe outlines below. The seeds have a very similar texture and taste to chickpeas, which surprised me, and friends have gobbled up the hummus. My seeds made about 3 8-ounce containers of hummus, and I froze two of them.
- Seeds from one jackfruit (about 3 cups), boiled and shelled
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons tahini, or more if needed
- 1 large lemon, zested and juiced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, or more if needed
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Combine the soft seeds in a food processor with the garlic, tahini, lemon, and cumin. Pulse to roughly chop up the seeds, then with the blade running, slowly add the oil to achieve a creamy hummus texture, adding more oil as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate or freeze oil a covered container. Serve with crackers or crudite.