This vegan BBQ Jackfruit Pulled Pork is super easy, pop it in the oven with sliced onions, BBQ sauce, and the right seasonings, and it's done in less than 30 minutes! Tangy and sweet--perfect for piling on a bun with your favorite toppings. Or get creative and use it for tacos, pizza, or a vegan quesadilla filling.
Have you heard of jackfruit? Have you tried it yet? You definitely should! Jackfruit is such an easy plant-based meat alternative. There are so many ways to prepare this ingredient, but one of my favorites is the humble BBQ Jackfruit sandwich. It's sweet, tangy, and so easy to prepare.
There are many different techniques for making BBQ Jackfruit, but as a super busy mom, I prefer this method for its simplicity. Just shred the jackfruit, mix the ingredients, and throw it in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
The beauty of jackfruit is the stringy, meaty texture that’s almost indistinguishable from shredded chicken or pulled pork. Young jackfruit has a neutral flavor that’s easily masked by BBQ sauce or other seasonings.
Pile on a bun along with pickled cabbage or a creamy vegan coleslaw. Your Omni friends won’t even know the difference!
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Ingredient notes
- canned young (unripe) jackfruit: Don't use ripe or sweetened jackfruit, as it would be too sweet for this recipe. See the FAQs below for more info.
- sliced onion: Any white or yellow onion is fine.
- powdered garlic: All of the seasonings add to the flavor.
- powdered onion
- smoked paprika
- dried oregano
- salt
- BBQ sauce You can use my homemade BBQ sauce (linked) or your own favorite brand.
Instructions
Here are step-by-step instructions with photos.
Step 1
- Preheat oven to 425°F or 220°C.
- Drain and rinse the jackfruit. (You don't need to discard the seeds--they will get broken down in the oven.)
- Place the jackfruit in a bowl or pan. Using two forks or your hands, shred the jackfruit. Set aside.
Step 2
- Slice your onion into thin strips.
- Add the jackfruit to a mixing bowl with the spices, onions, and BBQ sauce.
Step 3
Mix everything until the sauce and seasonings fully coats the jackfruit.
Step 4
- Spread the mixture evenly over a lined baking sheet.
- Place the jackfruit in the oven and cook for 25 to 30 minutes.
- After 15 minutes you should pull the jackfruit out of the oven to loosen it from the sheet with a spatula and redistribute. You might also notice a few more bits of the jackfruit that need to be broken up.
Step 5
When the edges are starting to get crispy and brown, the jackfruit is done. Remove from the oven, stir in another ¼ cup of bbq sauce, and serve immediately!
Variations
BBQ Jackfruit pulled pork is a super versatile meat substitute. Here are some fun ways to serve it!
- BBQ Sandwich --Pile it on a bun with coleslaw and pickles.
- Tacos! -- add it to corn tortillas with corn salsa and avocado chunks.
- Pizza -- Or use it as a topping for vegan BBQ pizza.
- Air Fryer -- Don't want to turn on the oven, you can also make this in the air fryer!
Equipment
For the recipe, you need a mixing bowl and baking sheet.
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How to Serve
You can serve this as a stand-alone dish with sides or as a sandwich with your favorite toppings. I like it with vegan coleslaw and pickles! Enjoy!
Serve with any number of starchy sides including Oil-free Oven Fries, Vegan Mashed Potatoes, Air Fryer Butternut Squash, or Vegan Potato Salad.
Or try it with lighter sides like a Summer Salad, Air Fryer Green Beans, Vegan Broccoli Salad, or Spinach Strawberry Salad.
How to Store
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
FAQs
This large, spiky green fruit might seem a bit intimidating, but thankfully, many grocery chains are now stocking canned jackfruit. Just be sure to get young jackfruit because the ripe variety is sweet and often canned with sugar.
Jackfruit has a great, meaty texture that's perfect for using as a meat substitute in Vegan BBQ, Curries, Stews, Vegan Crabcakes, and more.
The easiest type of Jackfruit to buy is probably canned Jackfruit. Trader Joe's currently stocks jackfruit in a green can, similar to the one below, and other grocery chains are following suit. Check the health-food section or the Asian aisle. If that doesn't work, you can always order online. Here's a link to a popular variety of Jackfruit.
Some grocery chains are also starting to carry fresh Jackfruit -- I've seen both whole Jackfruits and precut Jackfruit. I've also tried preseasoned Jackfruit in vacuumed sealed plastic packaging. That jackfruit had a much darker color, though, and I didn't love the seasonings, so I prefer to buy the plain, canned jackfruit and add my own sauces and seasonings.
Some people get jackfruit and durian confused because they look similar. They're both large, pale green, tropical fruits. From the exterior, an easy way to know the difference is that jackfruit has a pebbly shell while the durian is spiky. However once you cut them open, you see that durians have much larger fruit, while the jackfruit seeds are smaller.
The biggest difference is taste and smell. While the jackfruit is mild and slightly sweet, the durian is quite pungent. Apparently, the smell is so strong, the durian has been banned on public transit in certain parts of the world. Yikes!
More vegan dinner recipes
Pairings
If you're serving this BBQ pulled pork as a sandwich, here are my favorite pairings!
📖 Recipe
BBQ Jackfruit
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 20 oz can young (unripe) jackfruit (drained and rinsed)
- 1 small or ½ medium sliced onion
- 1 teaspoon powdered garlic
- 1 teaspoon powdered onion
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup BBQ sauce (divided)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F or 220°C.
- Drain and rinse your jackfruit. (You don't need to discard the seeds--they will get broken down in the oven.)
- Place the jackfruit in a bowl or pan. Using two forks or your hands, shred the jackfruit. Set aside.
- Slice your onion into thin strips.
- Add the jackfruit to a mixing bowl with the spices, onions, and a ½ cup of BBQ sauce. Stir to combine.
- Spread the mixture evenly over a lined baking sheet.
- Place the jackfruit in the oven and roast on 425°F or 220°C for 25 to 30 minutes. After 15 minutes you should pull the jackfruit out of the oven to loosen it from the sheet with a spatula and redistribute. You might also notice a few more bits of the jackfruit that need to be broken up.
- When the edges are starting to get crispy and brown, the jackfruit is done. Remove from the oven, stir in another ¼ cup of bbq sauce, and serve immediately!
Notes
- This recipe makes 2 to 4 servings. If you're making bbq sandwiches, it really depends on the size of your buns. For my family of two adults and two children, this is the perfect amount. However, if you're making this recipe for adults or teens, you might want to double the recipe.
- To get the edges crispy in the oven, be sure to distribute the jackfruit evenly over the sheet pan.
- If you want to sub out liquid vegetable broth for powdered broth, cook the jackfruit in a skillet with 1 cup of vegetable broth before transferring to a sheet pan for baking.
- You can use this homemade BBQ sauce or your favorite brand.
Nutrition
Did you try this recipe? Have a question? Just leave a comment below and I'll get back to you ASAP!
Carmelle Jean-Francois says
Although I'm not a fan of oregano, I kept an open mind and followed the instructions accordingly. I don't regret any of it! To answer your first question, no, I've never tried jackfruit! I'm so please with it and so pleased with the way my BBQ turned out! I thoroughly enjoyed it! Definitely something I'll try again. I'll post to insta tomorrow. And I'll look for the next dish that I'll try from your site! Thank you!!
Julianne Lynch says
I'm so glad you liked it! I have a lot of recipes with oregano (it's one of my favorites!), so I hope you find another recipe you like!
Ina says
Just tried your recipe and Wow! Seasoned perfectly in my opinion…and then i tried it on the hubby…..drum roll……..Thumbs up!
Thank you so much!
Julianne Lynch says
Awesome! I'm so glad you both liked it!!
Jacqueline says
This was delicious. I had just finished making (non vegan) pizza for my kids and their friends for a sleepover and was in desperate need of something low prep yet satisfying for myself. This was exactly what I needed! Super easy prep and came out sooo good. I used sweet baby ray's sweet and spicy (accidentally vegan) for the bbq sauce so mine had a nice kick as well. This is definitely a staple recipe, thank you!
Julianne Lynch says
Sounds great! I'm so glad you liked it!