20 minutes and just 4 ingredients to make! Vegan Jerk BBQ Soy Curls are spicy, saucy, tender, to die for delicious. You can enjoy these spicy soy curls anyway you like. Serve them along with some rice and coleslaw, pile them high on a bun, roll them into a wrap, or top a grain bowl. Wherever you add them, you're gonna be sooooo happy that you did.
The first time I had soy curls was in a vegan Jamaican Ital restaurant. The meaty chicken-like texture was so unbelievably delicious I soon craved them all the time. But it wasn't until recently that I realized how incredibly EASY it is to cook with soy curls at home. Once I got my hands on some I immediately made my own jerk-inspired deliciousness... and now I'm officially obsessed.
You better believe you will be seeing more soy curl recipes on this blog soon because these beauties are a new all-time fave vegan meat alternative.
You can make this dish as spicy or as mild as you like, just depending on the jerk seasoning you purchase and how much seasoning you add to your BBQ sauce. You can also make this recipe oil-free (see recipe notes).
To make Vegan Jerk BBQ Soy Curls:
First you're going to need some soy curls (obvi). If you are new to soy curls, don't be intimidated, they have just one ingredient: non-GMO, whole soybeans. They may look a little funny, but they are so easy to prepare and have such a great tender chicken-like texture. You can find soy curls in most health food stores, bulk food stores, Asian supermarkets, on Amazon, or online vegan grocery retailers.
To begin, first you need to hydrate the soy curls. Add the soy curls to a medium bowl and cover with warm water. Let soak for 10 minutes to soften. Once soaked, drain the water and squeeze the soy curls to get out the excess water. Set aside.
In a small bowl, mix together the BBQ sauce, jerk seasoning, and lime juice. If you are unsure how much jerk seasoning to add, you can start with 1 tablespoon and add to taste. I like my soy curls very spicy and flavourful so I add all 4 tablespoons. If you do the same, beware, your mouth will be on fire!
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. When hot, add the drained soy curls and cook for about 5 minutes until they begin to brown.
Add ¼ cup of the jerk BBQ sauce and stir to coat the soy curls. Continue to cook for for another 3 - 5 minutes until some spots are blackened.
Stir in another ½ cup of jerk BBQ sauce (or to taste) and remove from the heat. Serve hot with the remaining jerk BBQ sauce on the side, and garnish with cilantro if desired.
I love enjoying vegan jerk BBQ soy curls with a side of rice and coleslaw, but feel free to enjoy them however you like!
If you're looking for more jerk-flavoured recipes try my jerk tofu or my jerk burgers.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
(click stars to vote)
Vegan Jerk BBQ Soy Curls
Servings:
PRINT
PIN
COMMENT
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry soy curls (4 oz)
- 1 cup vegan-friendly BBQ sauce
- 1 - 4 tablespoons Jerk seasoning (mild or spicy)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon light oil, (such as canola or vegetable)
- chopped cilantro, (optional for garnish)
Instructions
- Add the soy curls to a medium bowl and cover with warm water. Let soak for 10 minutes to soften. Once soaked, drain the water and squeeze the soy curls to get out the excess water. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together the BBQ sauce, jerk seasoning, and lime juice. If you are unsure how much jerk seasoning to add, you can start with 1 tablespoon and add to taste. I like my soy curls very spicy and flavourful so I add all 4 tablespoons. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the drained soy curls and cook for about 5 minutes until they begin to brown.
- Add ¼ cup of the jerk BBQ sauce and stir to coat the soy curls. Continue to cook for another 3 - 5 minutes until some spots are blackened.
- Stir in another ½ cup of jerk BBQ sauce (or to taste) and remove from the heat. Serve hot with the remaining jerk BBQ sauce on the side, and garnish with cilantro if desired.
Caitlin says
I was actually looking for your bbq jackfruit recipe when I came across this one and remembered the 3 unopened bags of soy curls I had in my pantry. I completely skipped the jerk part of the recipe and just used plain old bbq sauce and it was so good! Piled on a bun with pickles and slaw. First time using soy curls and I can’t wait to make more things with them.
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Yes! That's terrific! We're glad you enjoyed and will cook with them again!
Christiane says
Excellent! I love the spices. And so easy to make. Thanks again!
Sam Turnbull says
You're welcome!
Tammy Corrado says
I was so excited to find soy curls near me. I knew this was the first recipe I would try! They were delicious and so easy! I will definitely be making again!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So happy you loved them so much 🙂
Deb says
Hi Sam! I made these Jerk BBQ Soy Curls and wow they are delish!! I prepared the whole package and increased the ingredients accordingly and we were lucky to have enough leftovers for 3 meals. I could easily eat these every night! : )
Thank you for all the work and effort you put into developing and sharing your recipes; you are very appreciated in our house!
~Deb
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome Deb! So thrilled you love them so much 🙂
Sarah Tsang says
First of all, I never comment on anything lol. But I just thought I'd let you know I just recently tried these soy curls and although they were good...they weren't great. Not until I read this recipe. This is the first recipe I have read that says to squeeze out the excess water. Blige changing!! I made this recipe for supper tonight and I honestly think you could fool anyone into thinking it was chicken. Thank you!!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Amazing! Sometimes it's the little things that make all the difference. Glad you enjoyed!!
khushi says
Hi. Would you happen to know how to make soy curls at home. I cannot get soy curls here in South Africa...but I can get whole soy beans. Thank you for your kindness in sharing your great recipes.
Sam Turnbull says
Hi! Sorry but I don't have a recipe for that, or even know of one. I imagine dehydrated tofu would be similar...
Lisa says
You can order them online. I got mine from Amazon.
JudyB says
LOVE your recipes ❤️ Just bought your cookbook. BTW @ChezGeorge has an insta video where he makes homemade soy milk then uses the dry by-product to make soy curls. EASY!
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome!
Lisa says
Soy curls ordered! Cannot WAIT to try these. Thanks, Sam!
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome! I hope you love them Lisa 🙂
Gina says
These look amazing and I ordered Soy Curls from Amazon so I could try it out. I have a question about the grams shown on this recipe (and on the Crispy and chewy sesame shiitake) the grams do not seem to be correct. It's say 2 cups or 4oz Soy Curls, when I switch to metric, it says 472 grams, which is more than a US pound, over 16oz., and on the Crispy and Chewy Sesame Shiitake, it calls for 2 cups, or 12-16 dried shiitake mushrooms, or 452 gr, which is just under 16 oz. I don't know if something is set weird on my phone or if they are typos or if I simply am not doing it right but I wanted to see if you could clear it up for me. Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Thanks for pointing that out, Gina! My recipe program automatically converts the recipe for me, so I guess sometimes it isn't accurate. I have fixed both of the problem now and I will be more aware of that in the future. Enjoy!
Joanne says
Sam,
I love this!!!! I used my "jerk chicken" to top a salad (with your ranch dressing). It was wonderful. I made a double batch of my BBQ sauce and froze it to make jackfruit bbq later. Now I am waiting patiently for a recipe from you that will make the chicken a different flavor - like ginger/lime???
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed, Joanne!! I'll definitely be posting more soy curl recipes soon 🙂
Huong nguyen says
Great recipe. Thank you Sam.
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed!!!
Brenda says
I'm not even vegan, but I had a good feeling about these from the first time I saw a recipe featuring them. Once I finally got my hands on some, my good feeling was confirmed: they are amazing. They have already made it so much easier and more delicious to have meatless meals than any other alternative I've tried. So yeah. Honestly, they're really easy to just throw into existing meat-based recipes as a sub, but this omnivore is still very excited for more soy curl recipes! Bring 'em on!
Sam Turnbull says
Woohoo! Love it!
Violet says
Hi Sam!
What are soy curls and where can you buy them? Never heard of them. Can you make them from scratch??? I love all your recipes and have your cook book. Can’t wait for book 2. Never stop creating and have fun.
Many blessings,
Violet
Sam Turnbull says
Thanks Violet! I explain all about soy curls and where to buy them in the post 🙂
Lili says
Sam these look amazing!!!!!! Can't wait to get my hands on some. Passing this recipe on.
Sam Turnbull says
Enjoy!
izzi says
Oh my gosh..thank you!! I only recently discovered soy curls, myself. I've been a vegan for years... how is it I'm just finding them?! I've been on a search mission for recipes and was totally jazzed to get your newsletter and see this. I'm making them tonight and since your recipes are always great, pretty sure these will be too.
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! I hope you enjoy them 🙂
Sebastien says
Hi Sam !
This is the first time I've heard of Soy Curls, they look amazing ! But they seems very expensive, at least on Amazon. I'm in Canada like you and a 6 pack of 8 oz bags is 73,49$. Do you know of any other retailer that sells this in Canada ? Thank you !!!
Sebastien says
I went on Butlers website and found an online retailer in BC...they charge 5$ less and are a vegan online store...I'll buy there 🙂
Can't wait to try your recipe !
Brenda says
I managed to get my brother to send me some from the States while he was there so I could try them, and having decided I definitely like them, I have now ordered a giant box from vegansupply.ca. It's an upfront investment, but it's ultimately more economical than getting them a bag at a time from Amazon or whatever, if you can't find them in your actual city somewhere (still holding out hope that somewhere nearer to me will start carrying them!).
Sebastien says
Thanks Brenda ! That's the shop I was looking at, but I also found others online retailers that sell them. But even better, I called Butlers and they gave me the name and number of the distributor for the eastern half of Canada and he might be able to sell to me directly...I hope it works out !
Sam Turnbull says
Oh no, they are very cheap! If that's how much they are, don't buy them there! Butler's has a list of retailers in Canada so you can find them from one of them for sure 🙂 Enjoy!!
Sebastien says
Yes I found other websites that sell them for about 7$ a package, but with shipping, a 6 pack comes to about 60$. I haven't called the distributor yet, I'll try and post an update here if I can reach him 😉
Cal says
Looks like a good recipe. Do you know that with a pot of water, vegan chicken bouillon, and some wide egg-less noodles you can make great chicken noodle soup or chicken and noodles depending on the amount of water. Just throw it all in the pot at once along with one or two tablespoons of earth balance for a small batch or a can of full fat coconut milk for a large batch. Salt and Pepper to taste. The curls reconstitute with the liquid in the pan and absorb the flavor and some fat. You don't need to squeeze out the excess water. Your recipe would make great jerk meat for burgers and you could add some TVP as well.
Sam Turnbull says
Sounds great!
Edwina Paschall says
So want to try this. I wonder can you put seasoning in the water to add a little more depth to the flavour.
Sam Turnbull says
Sure, but jerk seasoning has so much flavour I guarantee you don't need anymore 🙂