Jackfruit vs Breadfruit: What's the Difference?
Short answer: Jackfruit and breadfruit are close relatives in the genus Artocarpus, but they're used very differently. Jackfruit (A. heterophyllus) is huge, seedy, and eaten as a sweet fruit when ripe or a meaty vegetable when green. Breadfruit (A. altilis) is smaller, round, largely seedless, and almost always cooked - roasted, boiled, or fried - as a starchy staple that tastes like fresh bread or potato.
| 🍈 Jackfruit | 🍞 Breadfruit | |
|---|---|---|
| Taste | Ripe pods are intensely aromatic and sweet — banana, pineapple, and bubblegum in one bite, with a satisfying chew. Unripe "green" jackfruit is neutral and fibrous, a texture chameleon for savory cooking. | Cooked mature fruit is starchy, faintly sweet, and bread-like — between potato, artichoke heart, and fresh bread. Fully ripe fruit softens sweet enough for desserts. Raw it's inedible; this fruit assumes a fire. |
| Type | Tropical & subtropical | Tropical & subtropical |
| Peak season | Spring, Summer | Summer, Year-round |
| Origin | Western Ghats of India | New Guinea and the Malay Archipelago; carried across the Pacific by Austronesian voyagers as a canoe plant |
| Calories (per 100 g) | 95 | 103 |
| Sugar (per 100 g) | 19.1 g | 11 g |
| Vitamin C (per 100 g) | 13.8 mg | 29 mg |
| Typical price | Budget | Budget |
Jackfruit and breadfruit are true cousins - both belong to Artocarpus, in the fig and mulberry family - and both hang heavy and green with a knobbly, pebbled rind. What sets them apart is how they end up on your plate.
Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) is the giant of the two and the largest fruit borne on any tree. Ripe, it splits into dozens of sweet, golden, slightly rubbery bulbs, each around a big edible seed. Green and unripe, its neutral, stringy flesh pulls apart like meat, which is why it’s such a popular plant-based filling.
Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) is smaller, rounder, and usually seedless. It’s a starch crop first and a fruit second: picked mature but firm, it’s roasted, boiled, steamed, or fried, and eats like warm bread, potato, or plantain - the source of its name. Left to ripen fully it turns soft and sweet and moves into fritters and puddings, but it’s never the drippy dessert that jackfruit is.
In short: same family, different jobs. Jackfruit leans sweet fruit (or fake meat); breadfruit leans savoury staple.
Frequently asked questions
Are jackfruit and breadfruit related?
Yes - both are in the genus Artocarpus, along with cempedak and breadnut, so they're genuine cousins in the fig and mulberry family. That shared ancestry shows in the knobbly green rind and the milky sap both give off when cut.
Can you eat breadfruit raw like ripe jackfruit?
Rarely. Breadfruit is a starchy staple that's nearly always cooked - roasted, boiled, steamed, or fried - much like a potato or plantain. Very ripe breadfruit softens and sweetens and can be used in desserts, but it isn't a juicy hand fruit the way ripe jackfruit is.
Which one has the big edible seeds?
Jackfruit. Each of its golden bulbs surrounds a large seed that's edible boiled or roasted. Most cultivated breadfruit is seedless; its seeded relative is usually called breadnut.