If you’ve never tried BBQ Jackfruit Pulled Pork, prepare to be amazed! These BBQ jackfruit pulled pork sandwiches are so reminiscent of the real thing, it’s crazy. The jackfruit gives a meaty texture, paired with the vegan coleslaw for the perfect bit of crunch all sandwiched between pillowy soft bread. The perfect vegan sammy!
Ingredients for BBQ Jackfruit Pulled Pork (with substitutions)
- Neutral oil – you’ll use this to sauté your onions. If you’re oil-free, you can also opt for water instead.
- Onion – you can use a white or yellow onion, whichever you have on hand!
- Canned young green jackfruit in brine or water – canned jackfruit is best for this recipe. Fresh jackfruit is more sweet, while canned jackfruit has more of a neutral flavor (making it the perfect meat substitute).
- Cumin
- Brown sugar
- Red pepper flakes – add a little kick to your jackfruit mixture with red pepper flakes. Not a fan of spice? Feel free to leave it out.
- Liquid smoke – A little liquid smoke goes a long way! This ingredient provides a special smoky flavor that’s hard to find anywhere else.
- BBQ sauce – you can use whatever BBQ sauce you enjoy most to get the perfect flavor!
- Burger buns – no burger buns? Sandwich bread works just as well here too.
- Store-bought slaw mix – you can use whatever kind you enjoy most. Most slaw mixtures include cabbage, but I actually used one made from broccoli!
- Vegan mayonnaise – my favorite vegan mayo is from Follow Your Heart, but if you have a favorite feel free to use that instead.
- Apple cider vinegar – this ingredient adds just a little bit of bite to the coleslaw mixture, but not so much that it’s overpowering.
- Dijon mustard – a little bit goes a long way! If you don’t have dijon mustard, you can also substitute with regular yellow mustard.
- Organic cane sugar – sugar adds just a touch of sweetness to balance out the tartness of the other ingredients.
- Celery seed
How to Make BBQ Jackfruit Pulled Pork
Making this recipe is really easy and not as difficult as you might think. The first thing you’ll want to do is gather all of your ingredients. There’s nothing worse than starting a recipe only to realize that halfway through you don’t have everything you need.
Once all of your ingredients have been gathered, go ahead and start prepping your ingredients. This includes dicing your onions, measuring out your spices and prepping your jackfruit. To do this, I always find it easiest to drain the water or brine from the can, then take each piece and remove the seed and/or cut away the hard parts. Once this is done, wrap the jackfruit pieces in a clean dish cloth and then wring them out to release all of the water.
In a large pan over medium heat, add some oil. Once it’s heated, add your onions and sauté them until translucent. Next, add your jackfruit. If your jackfruit isn’t shredded enough, use a fork to break up the pieces and shred until it resembles pulled pork.
Add all of your seasonings- cumin, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Then add the brown sugar. Stir everything together until combined. Now add your BBQ sauce of choice along with the liquid smoke. Stir to combine all of the ingredients, then reduce the heat to a medium low temperature and let sit.
While the BBQ Jackfruit Pulled Pork mixture is sitting, grab a medium sized mixing bowl and add all of the coleslaw ingredients to it and stir to combine. Now that both components have been made, you’re ready to start building your sandwich! Load your burger bun with a generous helping of the BBQ jackfruit mixture, add a little more BBQ sauce to taste, top it with vegan slaw and enjoy!
BBQ Jackfruit Pulled Pork FAQ
- Does jackfruit taste like meat? Young green jackfruit is similar to tofu in the sense that it can actually take on other flavors pretty easily. What’s cool about jackfruit is that it has the perfect stringy, meaty texture — just like pulled pork. Tip: for an even meatier texture, bake the jackfruit in the oven as done in my Vegan Carnitas Tacos recipe.
- Can this recipe be made ahead? Absolutely! One of the great things about this dish is that it tastes great as leftovers, so does the coleslaw.
- How do I store this recipe? Store each of the components– the jackfruit and coleslaw in airtight containers in the fridge separately for up to 5 days.
- Can this recipe be frozen? I haven’t tried it personally, but I think it’s worth trying! Store the jackfruit in an airtight container in the freezer and store it for up to three months. Transfer it to the refrigerator the night before you’re ready to serve in order to thaw. Make the coleslaw fresh and serve!
What do I Serve with BBQ Jackfruit Pulled Pork?
Pair these BBQ Jackfruit Pulled Pork Sandwiches along with your favorite cookout sides:
This BBQ Jackfruit Pulled Pork Sandwich is my favorite! I love that it’s so easy to make and that it’s perfect for meal-prep! Above all, it’s delicious!
I’m sure by now you’re probably just as hungry as I am. Go ahead and get in the kitchen to whip up this Vegan BBQ Jackfruit Pulled Pork sandwich. I promise you won’t regret it! Give it a try and let me know what you think in the comments below!
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This post, photos, and recipe was updated on 6/8/23.
Easy Vegan BBQ Jackfruit Pulled Pork [+VIDEO]
Ingredients
Pulled Jackfruit
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- ½ onion diced
- 2 20 oz. cans young green jackfruit in brine or water seeds removed – rinsed and drained
- ½ tsp cumin
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ tsp liquid smoke
- ¾ cup BBQ sauce plus more for serving
- 4 burger buns for serving
Vegan Coleslaw
- 2½ cups store-bought slaw mix (I used a broccoli mix)
- ¼ cups vegan mayonaise
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ tsp dijon mustard
- 2 tsp organic cane sugar
- ½ tsp celery seed
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the diced onion for about 3 minutes or until it becomes translucent.1 tbsp neutral oil, ½ onion
- Add in the jackfruit. Mash or shred with a fork until it resembles pulled pork.2 20 oz. cans young green jackfruit in brine or water
- Stir in seasonings and sugar.½ tsp cumin, 2 tsp brown sugar, 1 pinch red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste
- Add the BBQ sauce and liquid smoke. Reduce to a medium low heat and stir to combine all of the ingredients.½ tsp liquid smoke, ¾ cup BBQ sauce
- While the jackfruit is sitting, combine all ingredients to make the coleslaw in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.2½ cups store-bought slaw mix, ¼ cups vegan mayonaise, 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, ½ tsp dijon mustard, 2 tsp organic cane sugar, ½ tsp celery seed, salt and pepper to taste
- Load your burger bun with a helping of the jackfruit, a little more BBQ sauce and coleslaw. Enjoy!4 burger buns
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It’s MDW 2021 and I came here looking for this recipe! It’s too hot (in CA) to cook anything, but I made an exception for this quick and easy Jackfruit Pulled Pork situation. I also have an omnivore #PickyAssHusband and he approves! Thank you so much.
I was looking for a quick lunch idea and came across this. OMG!!!! I’m so glad I did. This is sooo delicious even my 8yo agrees. This will become one my favs, thanks for sharing