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
⭐ Did You Make This Recipe?
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...
Alejandra Gutierrez says
Thank you so much! This was delicious.. Easy to find jackfruit at trader jos. I baked it for 35 minutes total. Great texture and taste!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you loved it, Alejandra!
D. Bourgeois says
Do you think this can be done in a slow cooker instead of the oven...at least for the second time?
Sam Turnbull says
I actually don't own a slow cooker, so I am not that knowledgeable about them. Seems like it would work tho. Enjoy!
Andy_P says
I'm not convinced... I think it needs the oven heat to caramelise the BBQ sauce and to just "catch" the jackfruit around the edges (as per description) to get the right texture. I reckon it would be a bit soggy from a slow cooker.
Emilie says
How hot is the oven? I know the revipe says 15 minutes...but no where does it say temperature?
Andy_P says
It's.right at the rop, Emilie:
"1. Preheat your oven to 400F (200C). Lightly grease a baking pan."
Marion M. says
Wow, this turned out great! It had great flavor and texture, and the only thing I would do different is to follow the last suggestion of adding more barbecue sauce after baking the jack fruit because it was a little dry. But even without that it was yummy and I will make again!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you loved it, Marion 🙂
Iselin says
I looove this recipe! Made it with a BBQ sauce from Norway and it was delicious Going to make again!
Sam Turnbull says
Woohoo! Thrilled you love it so much, Iselin 🙂
Krystin Fleming says
Hi I'm nervous to try this because last time I tried Jackfruit it was super slimy even in the sauce and tasted bitter. Is that normal? Does this recipe make it not taste like that?
Sam Turnbull says
Nope, that's not normal!
MBFordy says
try the prepared barbecued jackfruit sold in the vegetable section of Safeway and Ralphs in California. The texture is spot on.
Brandi says
OMG!! This was AMAZING!! I followed all the instructions and used SWEET BABY RAYS BBQ sauce!!! I posted a photo @myveganbodymytemple
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!! Thrilled you loved it so much, Brandi 🙂
Jay says
Great I did the same as well
Danielle Martinez says
This looks amazing! I getting married next year and am cooking all the food myself, well with some help from family, We have a few family members that are vegetarian and I don't want to serve them a pasta dish when everyone else is having pulled pork, messy for a wedding I know, but its what I want plus it's easy lol. I wonder if whole foods has canned Jackfruit, I live in a small town and there aren't any Asian markets and Trader Joe's is a few hours away.
Sam Turnbull says
Sounds perfect! Whole Foods should definetly carry green jackfruit, and if not you could always order it online. Enjoy!
Morgan says
If you have any Oriental or Vietnamese stores most of them carry fresh and canned jackfruit.
Kayla says
Amazon is where I ordered a case of Kackfeuit from-I live in a small remote town as well with limited options. Congradulations btw!
Kayla says
Amazon is where I ordered a case of Jackfruit from-I live in a small remote town as well with limited options. Congradulations btw!
Alexandra says
Can you tell me what kind of BBQ sauce you used for this recipe? I am hoping to make it this weekend 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
I'm not sure which one I used that day, but it was likely "My Favourite BBQ Sauce" which the recipe is in my cookbook. You could use any vegan BBQ sauce tho and it will be great. Enjoy!
Brandi says
I used "sweet baby rays!" You can get it anywhere and it vegan!
Stefanie says
Our local supermarket di not have canned Jackfruit in water. So I ventured to a local oriental market and they also did have Jackfruit canned in water. They did however have frozen Jackfruit meat. Will this work the same? The colour of the Jackfruit is yellow/orange like a motorcycle...different than the pictures shown here.
Sam Turnbull says
It sounds like that is ripe jackfruit, and not the younger greener jackfruit so it would be too sweet for this recipe. You can order jackfruit online if that helps?
Emii says
Amazing! I added probably like two or three teaspoons of garlic powder after doing the last round of baking to get a flavor I like, but this recipe is awesome. Instead of the recommended pairing, I'll be serving it with Follow Your Heart Gouda slices on hamburger buns with Just Mayo. Now I'm just waiting for my boyfriend to get home so we can devour it!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Awesome! So happy you like it, Emii. Enjoy!
Stefanie says
Haha auto correct... this should say like the colour of a mango
Emii says
Haha wrong comment thread, Stef!
Wendy says
I was literally afraid of using jackfruit, I know that seems silly but I was. I'd take out the cans & look at them then put them back in the cupboard. I read online & researched but I just couldn't do it until today. Your 6 ingredient BBQ recipe's easy step by step took all the fear away & turned out quite well. Thanks Sam, another winning recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! I hope you aren't afraid anymore! You're most welcome, Wendy. So happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Karen says
Wendy, I felt the same way! I saw this recipe a while ago and bought some jackfruit, but it sat in the cupboard for a while. I finally got the courage to try it in Sam's Easy Vegan Jackfruit Tacos (side note: AWESOME!), and it was not as scary as I thought it would be.
Sam, our company has started Healthy Potluck lunches, so I can't wait to make this following the recipe and bring it in a slow cooker to warm it up and WOW the many meat-eaters in my office! 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Aww that's wonderful, Karen 🙂
Anastasia says
I just made this and it is so amazing! I love that the texture is not mush. I had pulled jackfruit in a restaurant before and did not like it. It was just a complete mush. This is tender, but still hold some of its texture. I think the baking did the trick. Thank you so much!
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome, Anastasia! So happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Deaner says
How well does this freeze?
Sam Turnbull says
I've never tried, but I imagine it would work.
Lenora miller says
Did you try freezing this? Does it come out good?
Deaner says
It freezes great! I made this for about 30 people a few days before. Froze it and thawed it the day before. We just threw it into a saute pan to warm and then added the BBQ sauce. Worked great! Thanks for the recipe.
Claire says
I just went vegan last week and recipes like this make me SO EXCITED! Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!!! Welcome, Claire. So happy you are excited! Let me know if you ever have any questions or need any support 🙂
Joely Ford says
Is there a good slaw recipe to go with this?
Sam Turnbull says
I have a recipe for coleslaw dressing here, and a a recipe for a super delish coleslaw in my cookbook. 🙂
Tashina Schimming says
Okay...this was heavenly!!! I had to force myself to stop eating. 😉 Seriously! Thanks so much for the recipe!!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha, love it! You're most welcome, Tashina!
Stefani says
Another winning recipe! We made this and the coleslaw recipe. Loved every bite!
Sam Turnbull says
Woohoo! Love it 🙂
Deb says
OMG....I JUST made this and shared the link to this recipe with all my friends, it is amazing! I cooked mine in my oressure cooker with a few cloves of minced garlic, some sautéed red onion and one “chicken” and one “beef” bouillon cube, I use Massels :)....Then I followed the rest of your recipe, its in the oven waiting for hubby to come home with some GF buns to grill, I can’t wait!
Sam Turnbull says
Woohoo!! So thrilled you loved it so much, Deb 🙂
Jane says
howdy. I'm going to try this tomorrow. (and I realize you might not read the comments until much later) I've ready the comments back through January and don't see the answer to my question (or missed it) But -- I won't be able to use it all. Does it keep its texture/flavor if I store in the fridge and reheat?
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Jane, I do try to answer comments within 48 hours, so hopefully I caught you in time! Yes, it's great leftover as well. Enjoy 🙂
Jane says
Thank you! And right on time 😉
Gayle says
Hi there. My jackfruit is cooking in the oven. The seeds have finished simmering and I'm wondering what to do with them now? (You did say keep them right!?) They actually taste ok warm, but wonder if you have any other ideas please?
Sam Turnbull says
Just cook the seeds right along with everything else, no need to separate them. Enjoy!