Vegan Khoresh Fesenjoon Recipe (Persian Pomegranate and Walnut Stew)

This Vegan Fesenjoon recipe uses pomegranate molasses, pumpkin purée, and jackfruit instead of meat, offering a balance of tartness and sweetness. Serve over Persian Basmati rice.

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Why You’ll Love Vegan Fesenjoon

• Khoresh-e-Fesenjoon is one of my favorite Persian dishes, and it is surprisingly one of the simpler recipes. It is made with pomegranate molasses and can be quite tart. This recipe adds pumpkin purée and maple syrup to add a hint of sweetness.
• Khoresh-e-Fesenjoon is traditionally made with meat (chicken or meatballs). While we typically replaced the meat with mushrooms, my mom recently tried jackfruit, and it was spectacular. Our recipe below uses jackfruit although mushrooms can be used instead.

Ingredients/Equipment Notes

To make this delicious Fesenjoon, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements are in the recipe card below):

• raw walnut
• medium yellow onion
• 10 oz can green jackfruit in brine (drained, washed, and dried by squeezing water out with a cheese cloth or kitchen towel). You can roughly chop the harder pieces.
• salt
• turmeric
• black pepper
• 4 cups water
• pomegranate molasses
• pumpkin purée
• maple syrup

You will also need the following equipment:

• You will need a food processor to process the walnuts.

How to Make the Best Vegan Fesenjoon

1. Add the walnut to a food processor and blend until walnut is finely ground. Set aside.
2. Add 1/2 Tbsp cooking oil to a medium pot on medium heat.
3. Add the onion, and sauté until translucent.
4. Add the green jackfruit, salt, and spices, and sauté a few minutes.
5. Add ground walnut, and saute for a few more minutes. Add water, cover, and cook for 30 minutes (stirring occasionally).
6. Add pomegranate molasses and pumpkin purée cook for another 10 minutes.
7. Add the maple syrup and cook for another 20 minutes.
8. You can adjust the sweet and sour flavor of the Fesenjoon according to your taste by adding more maple syrup (for sweetness) or pomegranate molasses (for tartness).
9. Serve with Persian rice. Noosh-e-Jan (Enjoy!)

How to Serve Khoreh-e-Fesenjoon

Persian Khoresh is served over Persian rice. Serve this Fesenjoon with our Persian Saffon Basmati Rice recipe on the blog.

Did you make this recipe? Take a picture and tag us on Instagram @plant_basedpersian or share it on Pinterest!

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