• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Daniel's Plate
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
×

Home » Daniel Fast Compliant » Vegan Ackee

Vegan Ackee

Published: Apr 14, 2021 · Modified: Jan 28, 2022 by Gigi & Sersie

Jump to Recipe
Share this recipe:

This Vegan Ackee dinner is an example of honoring cultural heritage while maintaining a whole food, plant-based nutrition plan.

Oh, ackee…how I love thee. I was in Jamaica a couple of years ago to visit my grandmother and family, and I swear I ate ackee every day for the first week I was there. Ackee is nostalgic for me. I remember my mom making ackee for a special breakfast during the holidays. It has always been one of my favorite things to eat growing up. So, when I’m in Jamaica and eat fresh ackee from my family’s property, I am also ecstatic. Eating fresh ackee from the tree is such a treat, as it is only sold in the can back home here in the States.

This fruit cooked and simmered with onions, tomatoes, peppers, and the scotch bonnet pepper delights the soul. Although ackee is not indigenous to Jamaica, it is at the heart of the Jamaican culture and cuisine; It is the national dish of Jamaica, served with saltfish. If ever in Jamaica, you can’t leave the island without trying ackee.

This Vegan Ackee recipe has 11 key ingredients.

  1. Ackee
  2. Peppers
  3. Onions
  4. Garlic
  5. Scotch bonnet pepper
  6. Thyme
  7. Tomatoes
  8. Scallions
  9. Quinoa (or brown rice)
  10. Plantain
  11. Spinach

This scrumptious Vegan Ackee meal is filling and rich in several micronutrients, including Vitamins A, C, E, and K, the B-Vitamins Thiamin, Riboflavin, B6, and Folic Acid, as well as the minerals iron, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, and zinc.

For other culturally-influenced whole food, plant-based meals, check out the North African Chickpea Soup and Sweet and Smoky Black Eyed Peas and Greens.

— Sersie

close up view of Sersie's hand holding a ripe ackee fruit fresh off the tree.
fresh ackee in Jamaica
close up top view of a vegan ackee dinner on a white plate with ackee seasoned with peppers and onions, quinoa, spinach, plantain, avocado
vegan ackee dinner with ackee cooked in peppers and onions, steamed spinach, oil-free plantains, quinoa and avocado

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is fresh ackee illegal in the United States?

Unripe ackee contains high-level amounts of a toxin, hypoglycin A. Exposure to this toxin can result in vomiting, hypoglycemia, weakness, coma, and even death. Once the fruit fully ripens, the level of hypoglycin A toxin diminishes to "negligible" levels. However, the rind and seeds still have high levels of this toxin and should not be eaten. The FDA monitors canned and frozen ackee. Approved suppliers are put on a Green List of importers allowed to ship canned and frozen ackee to the United States.

What does ackee taste like?

It's reminiscent of an avocado, another fruit high in healthy plant fats, but with a soft, subtle savory, and nutty flavor. It looks like scrambled eggs on the plate. Check out this taste test conducted by a writer for The Paris Review.

Is ackee healthy?

Ackee is rich in omega six fatty acids, a healthy plant fat. Ackee also contains niacin, Vitamins A and C, potassium, iron, protein, and fiber.

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
top view close up of vegan ackee dinner on a white plate with ackee, quinoa, avocado, plantains and spinach

Vegan Ackee


★★★★★

5 from 3 reviews

  • Author: Gigi & Sersie
  • Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

This Vegan Ackee dinner is an example of honoring cultural heritage while maintaining a whole food, plant-based nutrition plan. Ackee is a staple in Jamaica. This fruit cooked and simmered with onions, tomatoes, peppers, and the scotch bonnet pepper is a delight to the soul. Served with steamed spinach, plantains, quinoa or rice, and avocado, this Vegan Ackee is a pleasurable and nutritious experience. #ackee #veganackee #jamaicanvegan #healthyveganrecipes #danielfastrecipes  


Ingredients

Units Scale

Ackee

  • 1 can of ackee
  • 1 small onion thinly sliced
  • 1 medium tomato chopped
  • 1 sweet bell pepper thinly sliced. (optional half green half red/or yellow)
  • 2 scallions (green onion) chopped
  • ¼ to ½ scotch bonnet pepper (seed removed) or ½ to 1 teaspoon of scotch bonnet pepper sauce
  • ¾ cup low sodium vegetable broth, separated
  • 4 cloves of garlic minced
  • 3 stalks of fresh thyme stems removed
  • Black pepper to taste
  • ¼ to ½ avocado (optional)

Quinoa

  • 1 cup quinoa (or brown or red rice)
  • 2 cups water

Plantain

  • 1 plantain, peeled and sliced

Spinach

  • 2 Tbsp vegetable broth or water
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 pound fresh spinach (2 large bunches)

Instructions

Ackee

Open the ackee can and pour it into a strainer. Lightly rinse for a few seconds with water and let drain.

Pour ¼ cup of vegetable broth into the pan to sauté onions, garlic, and thyme until the onion is soft and translucent.

Add the tomato, sweet peppers, scotch bonnet, scallions and cook for about 3-4 minutes; add more vegetable broth as needed.

Add ackee to the pan and add a little more veggie broth to give it a little moisture.

Stir the ackee VERY GENTLY, may only with about a few stirs.

Turn down the pot to low and let simmer for about 5 minutes with minimal stirring; add a little veggie broth if getting dry.

Remove from stove, sprinkle with black pepper and salt (optional) to taste.

Quinoa

In a medium pot, bring 2 cups of water and 1 cup quinoa to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the water is absorbed by the quinoa (about 15 minutes). Turn off heat, let sit it for 2 to 3 minutes, and fluff with a fork.

Plantain

See Perfect One-Ingredient Plantain

Spinach

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and 2 tablespoons vegetable broth or water to keep the garlic from sticking to the pan—cook for a minute. Add fresh spinach, cover, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until spinach is wilted.

Notes

  • Prep Time: 40 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Category: Lunch/Dinner Entrée
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Caribbean

Keywords: ackee vegan, ackee vegan and saltfish, ackee vegan recipe, ackee fruit, ackee vegan dish, vegan, quinoa, plantain, spinach, daniel fast compliant, daniel fast recipes, caribbean, jamaican cuisine, gluten free, nut free, soy free

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us @danielsplaterecipes — we can't wait to see what you've made!

Reset, Reconnect, and Realign

Packed with daily devotionals, nutritional tips, journal prompts, and inspirational quotes, A Prayer for Your Health Journal will help you create a God-centered vision for your health. This journal provides practical tools and spiritual guidance to bring physical, mental, and spiritual health back into your life. It will inspire you to reset your body and energize your walk with God.

A Prayer for Your Health Book cover on the left and young black woman smiling with prayer hands on the right
Buy Today!

FREE #PFYH 4-Day Challenge

A Prayer for Your Health 4-Day Daniel Fast challenge will nudge you in the direction of taking those first steps from the rut of an unhealthy lifestyle to taking control of your health.

Sign Up!

What you’ll get:

  • Access to a private FB community
  • Know-how & info with an instructional guide
  • Inspiration through daily scripture
  • Motivation with journal prompts
  • Actionable steps with sample meal plan with recipes
  • Encouraging daily emails to help strengthen you along the way
  • Success strategy from additional resources and information

A God-centered self-image (Day 1)

Breaking our addiction to food (Day 2)

Breaking generational cycles of poor health (Day 3)

The courage to take action (Day 4)

Sign Up!

Shop for Ingredients

As an Amazon Associate, we receive a small commission for qualifying purchases.

Share this recipe:
« Vegan Cheese Sauce
Amazing Lentil Soup (VEGAN, OIL-FREE) »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Judy

    January 29, 2022 at 7:30 pm

    This was the first time I tried ackee and it was delicious! I'm ordering some more cans to make it again. I love the plantains with it as well as the spinach. I did, however, use brown rice instead of quinoa. The scotch bonnet sauce had a great kick and plan to use it on some other recipes. Thanks for this!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen

      January 30, 2022 at 6:06 pm

      Thanks for the recipe ladies. Believe it or not I have never used Scotch bonnet pepper in my Ackee before. Used it this morning for my Sunday breakfast and it was so aromatic and delicious. Next time I will post a pic of my plate. Keep those recipes coming ladies.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Gigi & Sersie

        February 05, 2022 at 12:27 am

        Thanks Karen! We're so glad you enjoyed the Ackee and the Scotch bonnet pepper too. Yum!

        Reply
  2. Carter Bengal

    January 30, 2022 at 7:05 pm

    Absolutely loved this .

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Gigi & Sersie

      February 05, 2022 at 12:25 am

      Thanks Carter! We're so glad you love it. 🙂 So healthy too.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Primary Sidebar

Eat Better, Not Less

divinely delicious whole food, plant based recipes

About Us

Hi, we are Sersie and Gigi. We love to eat delicious whole plant foods that energize us to live out our purpose of helping you take control of your health.

Click here to learn more about us!

“We created Daniel’s Plate so you can eat your favorite foods without compromising your health. Life should be simple. Eat better, not less.”

Latest Recipes

top side view close up of a pink pineapple weight loss smoothie with metal straw; and second smoothie in a mason jar blurred in the background

Pineapple Weight Loss Smoothie

top view close up of tempeh chorizo crumbles in a yellow bowl on white marbled surface

Tempeh Chorizo

side top view close up of a square white bowl with cooked tempeh bacon leaning or standing up

Tempeh Bacon

Mushroom Barley Soup

top side view close up of mushroom pasta in a white bowl with fresh parsley on top

Vegan Mushroom Pasta

Ancient Grains Bowl

© 2022 Daniel's Plate. All rights reserved.  |  Learn more about The Daniel Fast   |   Privacy Policy