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.
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More Meaty Vegan Sandwich Recipes You Might Enjoy...
Sylvie says
This is an amazing recipe! Very tasty
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
We're glad you enjoyed it!
Emily says
I have tried a few jackfruit recipes like this one and they never quite hit the spot. The jackfruit is usually too soft and not meaty enough. By cooking it on the skillet and then baking it, you get a great texture with a bit of chew to it. If you want to make jackfruit, this is the way to go!!
MJ says
This is the best bbq meat substitute I’ve ever tried! I served this to friends on 4th of July and they didn’t know it wasn’t pulled pork/beef until I told them. They were impressed and wanted the recipe!
Barbara says
A great quick recipe easy to make taste great jackfruit is really good I like this recipe often in my family enjoys it
Belinda says
I have made these and they're amazing! I made.them once for a co worker get together and no one realized that they were vegan ( I didn't tell them what I was bringing lol) Definitely a big hit at the party and I was asked for the recipe. Thank you so much, it's a great one!
Matt Stephens says
Hi I made a version last week from another recipe and was not impressed
not yours but another one. it was young jackfruit in water but had lime juice in it. even rinsing it still had that weird taste. Is that normal? I'm a new vegan and will definitely put this only this lost to make!
Cathrine Melragon says
This was ABSOLUTELY amazing! Thank you for doing what you do. Evey recipe I make is so incredibly GOOD!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So happy you loved it. Thank you for your review 🙂
Dani says
awesome as always! my dogs are trying to sit on my lap to try and get a bite, but I'm not sharing!
Holly says
Hi! I made this recipe today and really enjoyed it. I liked the approach and the preparation. Honestly the best jackfruit preparation I have ever tried and will continue to use this approach. Sincerely, thank you!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Fantastic!
Laurie E says
Great flavor and so easy. Only complaint is that the “meat” didn’t crisp up too much in the oven. I may try at 425 degrees next time. Topped with cole slaw and sides of fresh corn on the cob and fresh Door County WI cherries for dessert…a wonderful summer meal!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Good luck with your adjustments! Sounds like an incredible summer meal for sure. 🙂
Caitlin says
This method of making jackfruit is by far the easiest out there. I adore your jackfruit taco recipe, and came searching for a bbq recipe for that reason. I’m a mom of a toddler who needs dinner to be quick and easy- I followed the recipe (though I did do the initial sauté and shredding earlier in the day for time) and I can’t say that baking it in the oven really made that enormous of a difference. Next time, due to time, I’ll just add the bbq sauce in the pan after shredding it. Also, it desperately needed salt! Toddler gobbled it up, but I tossed it with some sea salt after the fact.
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
We're thrilled to hear this was a success for you!
Amy says
Can you use this recipe in the crockpot?
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
It hasn't been tested in a crockpot, but please let us know if you try.
CHRISTIANE says
I had tried cooking jackfruit once before and I was not impressed. But your recipe totally changed my mind. The BBQ sauce takes care of any « briny » taste left and this way of cutting the jackfruit works really well. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome! So happy you loved it!!
Tania Allan says
I’d never had jackfruit before but holy wow!! This is going on the rotation!!! Delish!!!!! Thanks Sam!
Barbara Pitts says
My husband and I are vegan newbies. We have loved every recipe of yours that we have tried. Today we did the jackfruit barbecue sandwiches. My question is regarding the seeds that I encountered in preparing the fruit for cooking. Can they just be included or should we remove them?
Ann says
I make this all the time! So easy and delicious! It is also good served inside tortilla with avocado and slaw. Tonight we’ll stick to slider buns!❤️
julie says
I found a store that carries fresh jackfruit (wild things, they are!) Use it in the same way?
Michelle says
So easy and delicious. I added a small amount of liquid smoke and some paprika and celery salt. Thank you for this amazing recipe. My husband made the complicated version in the past and this was even better.