Author: These Pulled Jackfruit Sandwiches offer a vegan twist on a classic BBQ favorite, using only 6 simple ingredients. Featuring young green jackfruit in brine or water, this recipe delivers a meaty texture and a savory flavor similar to pulled chicken or pulled pork. This super-simple vegan recipe is perfect for those craving a hearty, meaty, plant-based sandwich that's bursting with flavor and is easy to prep. Get ready to indulge in a satisfying and delicious meal with Pulled Jackfruit Sandwiches!
This BBQ Jackfruit Sandwich is a vegan-ized version of a traditional BBQ pulled chicken or pulled pork sandwich and, when the jackfruit prepared this way, it has a super-meaty texture that makes for the perfect meat-substitute.
Common Questions:
What is jackfruit? If you are new to jackfruit, it is indeed a fruit. It grows on tropical trees in regions spanning southeast Asia, Africa, and South America (most notably Brazil). When packaged, you can often find it covered in sticky syrup in cans, but in this recipe the key is to use young green jackfruit that is in brine or water (not syrup).
Are jackfruit sandwiches gluten free? If you were to use a gluten-free bread and check that your BBQ sauce is free of gluten, yes! This sandwich can be made gluten-free!
What does pulled jackfruit taste like? Ripe yellow jackfruit tastes slightly sweet - sort of like a blend of banana, apple, and mango. When the jackfruit is young (and not fully ripe), it's called "Young Green Jackfruit" and it is much starchier and not sweet... It actually doesn't taste like much to be honest. The cool thing about it is that once the young green jackfruit is cooked, it has this pulled, shredded texture that is totally fun. Toss it with some BBQ sauce, and you are on your way to one of the best vegan sandwiches I have ever encountered.
How long does pulled jackfruit last in the fridge? Once cooked, jackfruit can last up to 4 days in your fridge if stored in an air-tight container (or wrapped tightly).
Where can I buy Jackfruit? I'm lucky enough that I can find jackfruit in my local discount grocery store in the Asian section. If you can't find it in your grocery store, check out Indian or Asian grocery stores, or order it online.
How To Prepare the Jackfruit:
I had a look at what a few other bloggers did with their jackfruit, and was horrified to see that many had written in the instructions to chop off and discard the core and seeds. DON'T DO THIS! You're just wasting precious delicious jackfruit. Why oh why would you do that!?
Drain and rinse the jackfruit, then cut into smaller pieces. For optimal texture, cut the slices from core to the outer edge as seen in the picture above, which breaks up the tougher core as much as possible, and makes for the best "pulled" texture.
Sauté onions and garlic in a bit of oil, and once tender add in the chopped jackfruit. Add in the vegetable broth and cover and simmer for another 8 to 10 minutes until the jackfruit is tender enough to mash.
Once it's mashable, take a potato masher and mash it all up until the desired amount of mashedness is reached. How many times can you put "mash" in a sentence?
Spread in an even layer on a lightly greased baking sheet and pop it in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and pour over ½ cup of BBQ sauce, and stir so that the jackfruit is evenly coated. Pop it back in the oven for another 10 minutes to make it all sticky and delicious. Stir in ¼ cup more BBQ sauce before serving, if desired.
How to Make a Pulled Jackfruit Sandwich:
Pile onto a bun with a simple coleslaw of shredded red cabbage, carrots, and red onions tossed with my Coleslaw Dressing. Perfection! This would also be super satisfyingly scrumptious in tacos, jackfruit carnitas, on pizza, or nachos as just a few ideas! Don't be surprised if you see these recipe ideas coming up in the future.
This Pulled Jackfruit Sandwich is...
- Easy to make - just 6 ingredients
- Meaty and full of flavor
- The vegan version of a pulled pork sandwich
- Ooey gooey, drippy, messy in all the right ways!
More Vegan Jackfruit Recipes You Might Enjoy:
- Easy Vegan Jackfruit Tacos
- Easy Vegan Buffalo Jackfruit
- Vegan Jackfruit Salad Sandwich
- Vegan Chicken Nuggets
If you try this recipe let us know by leaving a comment, rating it, and don't forget to tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
(click stars to vote)
6 Ingredient Pulled Jackfruit
Servings: servings
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Ingredients
- 2 20oz cans young green jackfruit, in brine or water (not in syrup!)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ yellow onion,, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic,, minced
- ¼ cup vegetable broth or water
- ¾ cup BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F (200C). Lightly grease a baking pan.
- Drain and rinse the jackfruit. Cut the jackfruit into smaller pieces by cutting it from core to the edge for the most pulled texture (see photos).
- Add the olive oil to a large frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat, and when hot add the onions and garlic. Sauté until the onions are tender and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add in the chopped jackfruit and vegetable broth. Cover and continue to cook another 8 to 10 minutes, until the jackfruit is soft enough that it can be mashed. Mash the jackfruit with potato masher, until it breaks apart and looks pulled or shredded.
- To finish the jackfruit spread in an even layer across the baking pan and then pop it in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and pour over ½ cup BBQ sauce and stir to combine. Toss it back in the oven for about 10 minutes, until it looks delicious and golden and even a few strands get a bit burnt. Remove from the oven and if desired stir in the remaining ¼ cup of BBQ sauce to make it even saucier.
Nutrition
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I’d love if you left a rating and comment, it helps others find the recipe and makes my day! 💕More Meaty Vegan Sandwich Recipes You Might Enjoy...
Natalie says
Thanks for your recipes...I'm a bit of a freak and don't mind the longer recipes especially when they call for liquid smoke etc. If i were to merge the two jackfruit recipes, would I use the ingredients from one and the timing from the other, or just keep them separate?
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Natalie, just use one recipe or the other, merging isn't a good idea. Or you could always just add a dash of liquid smoke to the BBQ sauce in this recipe. Enjoy!
Jackie Noor says
I got canned jackfruit in brine and now don't know if I should use it because of the sodium content if I rinse it really well would that take away most of sodium?
Sam Turnbull says
The jackfruit I normally buy is also in brine as seen in the pictures above. Just give it a rinse and you're good to go!
Danielle says
HI this looks do good! I'm excited to bring this to a bbq tomorrow. What's the best way to reheat the pulled jackfruit? Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Danielle! I think you could toss it in a pot and reheat it with a bit of water over low heat. Enjoy!
Kimmers says
I'm having trouble finding canned jackfruit, but could grab fresh at the farmer's market tomorrow. Would that be okay? What would change in terms of preparation? Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Lucky you! I've never actually worked with fresh jackfruit before so I'm not too sure. The jackfruit I call for in this recipe is young or green and is not fully ripe. When it's not ripe yet, it's more on the starchy savoury side, but when it ripens it gets quite sweet. So make sure to grab a young jackfruit. Here's a good article on working with jackfruit that may help.
Jessy says
I absolutely fell deliciously in love with this recipe!! I love it!! Thank you so much for sharing :)))
I only have one question, how can I put protein in this dish, so we can feel full afterwards?
Thank youuuu
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you like the recipe! You could serve some beans with it. Enjoy!
Srivani says
I've been wanting to make this since you first posted the recipe (so almost a year now). I have been on the hunt in my small city this past year for the young jackfruit in water. No body has it (not even the big Chinese grocery stores that have popped up). Anyway, my neighbour's vegetarian boyfriend found it... and gave me two cans!!!!!! So, the point is... these were freakin' AWESOME!!!!! Super easy to make and super tasty to devour... that's it, no need to say anything more other than "make this recipe!" I would have given 10 stars, (Yes, I did ask where he got the jackfruit; a small Caribbean variety store in my city. I'll be going there soon for more!)
Sam Turnbull says
YAY!! So happy you were able to find jackfruit and finally enjoy this recipe! Thrilled you love it so much, especially after the long wait 😀
Marc says
This was just as good as when I cooked it for hours in a crock pot. If you get the canned jackfruit from Trader Joe's, it is already cut up for you.
Sam Turnbull says
Perfect! So happy you enjoyed it, Marc 🙂
James says
I'm a meat eater. I make BBQ for a living and love nothing more than succulent meats and the sides that accompany them. But, for anyone who may think that this recipe isn't going to be good, it is. I made it and fooled several of my friends. They just thought it was a new pulled pork recipe I was trying out. It's delicious and I'll be using jackfruit as a veggie option from now on.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha, wow! So happy you love it so much, James! Glad you are providing veggie options 🙂
Steph says
Made this for the first time last night. I thought it was fine. Family wasn't so thrilled, lol. Maybe I did it wrong? Can I bake it, covered, for a couple of hours? What about crockpot or pressure cooker? I think it had a slightly tart taste that they couldn't get over (omnis). I think it would have gone over better had I added sliced pineapple to it.
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Steph,
The tart taste may be your BBQ sauce as jackfruit doesn't have a ton of flavour and instead just takes on the sauce you use. Cooking it longer would just make it soggy, but you could for sure add pineapple. Hope that helps!
Lorri Payton says
This is the bomb. I have been vegetarian for 26 years and this is the best faux meat pulled pork sandwich I have ever eaten. I love it, as does my husband, and it will be a regular staple. Thank you so much for sharing....
Sam Turnbull says
Wow! So flattered to hear that, Lorri. So happy you and your husband love it so much!! Thank you for the lovely comment 🙂
Nora Taylor says
This was so freaking amazing! Like I can't get over it. I FINALLY got around to trying it tonight, and was totally skeptical. Served this to my kids (9 years and 1), my husband and my mom. Everyone loved it! My mom eats meat and would totally complain if she didn't like it but she ate it and said it tasted like pork and was delicious. Major compliment. You are a genius!!
Sam Turnbull says
Awww shucks, Thanks so very much, Nora! So happy it was a hit with everyone 😀
Marvie says
I made a jackfruit pulled pork attempt 3 years ago and never made it again because it was like bleh. But this recipe changed everything for me and my hubby! OMG! Popping it in the oven makes so much difference. Thanks for sharing Sam!
Sam Turnbull says
Woohoo! So happy you enjoyed it, Marvie 🙂
Ashley says
Just made this for tacos! Instead of bbq sauce I used tomatillo sauce (the green enchilada sauce in the can) and it turned out so good! For added spice I also added in some crushed red pepper. Just heat up some corn tortillas add in the jackfruit, onion, garlic mixture top with a little pico de gallo and squeeze a lime! so bomb, I didn't even tell my boyfriend that it was jackfruit and not pork until after dinner, he was so shocked!
Sam Turnbull says
Hahaha!! That's so awesome!! Great idea too 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Not sure where you are sourcing your information, everything I have read says jackfruit seeds are totally safe to eat and actually have a lot of benefits.
Sam Turnbull says
This article doesn't source any scientific studies, so personally, I wouldn't trust it. On top of that I found nothing but positive reviews of the health benefits of jackfruit. The jackfruit has been consumed for centuries, and the seeds are often served roasted or in stews like a bean. If you did want to take that article seriously, however, it suggests the fruit is also a problem, so stay away from jackfruit all together. It's up to you! Personally, I will continue to dig in!
Trish says
Just finished eating this - superb! I used a spicier BBQ sauce and unfortunately my son had trouble eating it - what a wuss 😉 My hubby and I happily scoffed ours though. Made a broccoli slaw to go with it. Will make this again with a tamer sauce next time for my son. My only complaint, however, this is hardly your doing, is that this barely made enough for the three of us. We all had to skimp on the jackfruit part. I did use a different brand of canned jackfruit though so perhaps that's the reason. I'll know for next time. Delicious, easy, and quick meal! Thank you soooooo much 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed it, Trish! Feel free to double or even triple the recipe to your liking when you make it again. I hope your son likes it when he gets a chance to try it as well 🙂
Bonnie says
I just found this post while looking for a vegetarian option. Planning to make this for a party. Can I make it ahead and keep it warm in a slw cooker?
Thank you
Sam Turnbull says
Yes that should be fine. Enjoy!
Mick says
Made this at the weekend, great recipe thanks. Used fresh Jackfruit, works fine.
Made the slaw too, and potato wedges.
Sam Turnbull says
Sounds epic! So glad it was enjoyed 🙂
Kerry Woodgate says
Going to try this recipe at the weekend when son is home , can I use vegetable stock ?
Sam Turnbull says
I hope you enjoy it. Yes, vegetable stock and vegetable broth are the same thing. 🙂
Christi T says
This BBQ jackfruit recipe is really good and family-friendly. Thank you so much for putting this together! I thought it had much better texture than the slow cooker method I found on another site. The flavor was a bit more acidic than I like, so we might try a homemade BBQ sauce next time, leaving out the acid to compensate for the acidity of the jackfruit. I'm also thinking of trying this recipe without onions and using teriyaki sauce for Asian bowl or stir-fry recipes...
Sam Turnbull says
Ooo love the teriyaki sauce idea! Might have to be inspired by that one! So happy you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
suzi says
this recipe I love!! made it several times but today is the first day of the new year, so.... I am gonna toss in some black eyed peas for good luck (and extra protein)!! thanks for this and happy healthy new year to all 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!! So happy you love it! Happy healthy new year to you as well suzi 😀