The most flavorful jackfruit pulled pork vegan BBQ sandwiches! It's all about this easy gluten-free sauce and slow cooking this meatless pulled pork for the most tender rich flavors! Recipe includes stovetop or slow cooker methods of cooking.
Served in tacos, sandwiches or by itself with a side of delicious crunchy coleslaw or cucumber salad! For the chicken version, see my slow cooker pulled BBQ chicken.
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 4 to 6 hours on high in a slow cooker, or 45 minutes on the stove
- ⏳ Total Time: about 4 hours 10 minutes (slow cooker)
- 🍽️ Serving: 8 sandwiches
- ⚡ Calories: 357kcal per serving, per the recipe card
- 🥣 Ingredients: canned young jackfruit, ketchup, celery, onion, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, coconut sugar, molasses, tamari, liquid smoke and spices, plus a quick cabbage slaw
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Smoky, tangy-sweet BBQ with a shredded, meaty texture
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, the slow cooker does the work
Quick Answer
Drain 4 (20 ounce) cans of young jackfruit and add them to a slow cooker with 2 cups gluten-free ketchup, ½ cup each chopped celery and white onion, ¼ cup each apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, water, coconut sugar and molasses, 2 tablespoons tamari or coconut aminos, 1 tablespoon each liquid smoke and dry mustard, and the spices. Cook on high 4 to 6 hours (or simmer covered 45 minutes on the stove), then twist with a fork to shred it. Serve on toasted gluten-free buns with cabbage slaw.
Jump to:
- Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why Jackfruit Works as Pulled Pork
- Why You'll Love These Vegan BBQ Sandwiches
- What Goes Into This Recipe
- Jackfruit: Fresh vs. Young
- How to Make Jackfruit Pulled Pork Sandwiches
- Expert Tips
- What to Serve With Jackfruit Pulled Pork
- Jackfruit Pulled Pork FAQs
- More Meatless Mains
- Jackfruit Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwich with Coleslaw
Why Jackfruit Works as Pulled Pork
Click to see why it works
- Young jackfruit is bland but picks up the flavors of whatever sauce it is cooked in.
- It shreds like meat. It has a shredded texture that resembles pulled pork.
- Canned young jackfruit is less sweet than ripe fresh jackfruit, making it wonderful for savory dishes.
- Slow cooking turns it into a tender, meat-like consistency.
- Liquid smoke and molasses give the sauce its smoky BBQ depth.
Why You'll Love These Vegan BBQ Sandwiches
- Meatless and vegan, with a gluten-free homemade BBQ sauce.
- Two ways to cook it: stovetop in 45 minutes or hands-off in the slow cooker.
- Feeds a crowd with 8 sandwiches.
- So versatile. Serve it in tacos, sandwiches or by itself.
- I promise it is worth all the flavor in these vegan BBQ pulled pork sandwiches!
What Goes Into This Recipe
The ingredients look lengthy, but they are for the gluten-free BBQ sauce used. You can also use a barbecue sauce that is already prepared.
- 4 cans of Jackfruit in water.
- Chopped celery and white onion.
- Organic ketchup - organic for no preservatives and fake sugars, and make sure it is gluten-free.
- natural liquid smoke and tamari soy sauce or coconut aminos.
- Apple cider vinegar, lemon juice and water.
- Molasses and coconut sugar.
- Spices: ground ginger, onion powder, all spice, black pepper, dry mustard.
- Olive oil (optional) and cole slaw: green and purple cabbage, carrots and vegan mayonnaise.
See recipe card for quantities.
Jackfruit: Fresh vs. Young
At first glance, this large fruit looks leathery prickly and bumpy. Jackfruit is a very large edible fruit of the jackfruit tree from South and Southeast Asia. In Bangladesh jackfruit is served in many ways. Jackfruit curry, stir fry, juice, chips, ice cream, milkshakes, and even baking flour are just a few of this miracle fruit's remarkable ways it can be used. It can be dried, fried, slow cooked into BBQ pulled pork or go ahead and grill it!
There are two versions of finding jackfruit in stores. Either fresh or canned. Fresh jackfruit is ripe and has a sweeter taste that is perfect for baked goods, smoothies and milkshakes. The canned version is young jackfruit and is less sweet, making it wonderful to use in savory dishes such as vegan pulled pork.
Health benefits of jackfruit: Jackfruits benefits are that they are rich in dietary fiber, minerals, and vitamins. It is high in vitamin C, vitamin B-6, niacin, riboflavin, and folic acid. It is also a good source of potassium, magnesium, manganese, and iron. Potassium is good for controlling heart rate and blood pressure. One bulb of jackfruit contains only about 95 calories with no trace of saturated fats or cholesterol, making it one of the healthiest treats to enjoy!
I made this recipe previously using chicken in my Crockpot BBQ Chicken Recipe, and decided to use the same recipe replacing chicken for jackfruit. There are a couple of meatless options that can be substituted in a BBQ pulled pork recipe. Two alternatives are jackfruit and mushrooms. Sounds strange, I know, but both can be shredded and turn into a tender meat-like consistency when slowly cooked in the crock pot.
How to Make Jackfruit Pulled Pork Sandwiches
1Add everything. Slow cooker: add the jackfruit pulled pork ingredients (first 17 ingredients) to a slow cooker. Cook on high 4-6 hours. Stovetop: add them to a large pot. Cover and bring to a boil then turn the heat down to simmer for 45 minutes.
2Shred. With a fork, twist to pull the jackfruit into shreds. Optional to add fresh olive oil and mix in.
3Make the slaw. In a small bowl stir together green and purple cabbage, carrots and vegan mayonnaise until combined.
4Assemble. Toast 8 gluten-free hamburger rolls. Lay them open faced. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, scoop the jackfruit pulled pork, draining extra juices, and add it on top of 8 slices of the buns. Top with coleslaw. Put roll top on and serve!
As always, be sure to check out the full recipe details in the recipe card below.
Expert Tips
- Using fresh jackfruit? If not using canned fruit, remove the skin and slice the whole fruit into a crock pot, or see this post explaining how to cut jackfruit for recipes. We use about 7-8 cups of the fruit or 4 cans.
- Can't find it locally? I had a hard time finding canned jackfruit at local grocery stores so I bought online a 6 pack of canned young green jackfruit in water.
- Use the pods. Pull each pod open, remove the seed with its casing, and use the pods, the part that shreds when broken apart using hands.
- Drain the juices with a slotted spoon so the buns don't get soggy.
- Short on time? Use a barbecue sauce that is already prepared, or my gluten-free BBQ sauce.
What to Serve With Jackfruit Pulled Pork
Sides: the cabbage slaw in the recipe card, Cucumber Salad or Vegetarian Taco Salad.
More meatless and BBQ dinners: Tofu Tacos, Vegetarian Burrito Bowl, Slow Cooker Tex-Mex Quinoa, Cauliflower Crust BBQ Pizza and Smoky Gluten-Free BBQ Sauce.
Jackfruit Pulled Pork FAQs
Fresh jackfruit has more of a mango, banana, pineapple tropical flavor. Young jackfruit, typically found in a can, has a bland taste that takes on the flavor of the sauce it is cooked in and a shredded consistency that resembles pulled pork.
The pods. Pull each pod open, remove the seed with its casing, save the seed and discard the casing. Use the pods, the part that shreds when broken apart using hands.
Canned young green jackfruit in water is best for savory pulled pork because it is less sweet. Fresh ripe jackfruit is sweeter and better for baked goods, smoothies and milkshakes.
Yes. Add the ingredients to a large pot, cover and bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 45 minutes before shredding.
Cook it on high for 4 to 6 hours, then twist with a fork to shred it.
Yes. The long ingredient list is the homemade gluten-free BBQ sauce, so a prepared barbecue sauce works in its place.
More Meatless Mains
Try Slow Cooker Pulled BBQ Chicken, Tofu Tacos or Jackfruit Mango Smoothie next. If you make this jackfruit pulled pork recipe from Delightful Mom Food I would love to see your creations and share it! Follow along with me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for a feature and more recipe inspiration! And don't forget to leave a comment below!
Jackfruit Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwich with Coleslaw
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Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
Jackfruit Pulled Pork
- 4 20 ounce cans of Jackfruit water drained
- 2 cups ketchup (organic & make sure it is gluten-free)
- ½ cup celery chopped
- ½ cup white onion chopped
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup molasses
- 2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon natural liquid smoke
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon all spice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (optional)
Cabbage Slaw
- ½ cup green cabbage shredded
- ½ cup purple cabbage shredded
- ¼ cup carrots shredded
- ¼ cup vegan mayonnaise
- 8 gluten free hamburger buns
Instructions
Stove Top
- Add jackfruit pulled pork ingredients (first 17 ingredients) to large pot. Cover and bring to a boil then turn the heat down to simmer for 45 minutes. With a fork twist and pull the jackfruit apart to shred it. Optional to add the olive oil in.
Slow Cooker
- Add jackfruit pulled pork ingredients (first 17 ingredients) to a slow cooker. Cook on high 4-6 hours.
- With a fork, twist to pull jackfruit into shreds. Optional to add fresh olive oil and mix in.
Cabbage Slaw
- In a small bowl stir together green and purple cabbage, carrots and mayonnaise until combined.
Assemble Sandwiches
- Toast 8 gluten-free hamburger rolls. Lay them open faced. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, scoop the jackfruit pulled pork, draining extra juices, and add it on top of 8 slices of the buns. Top with coleslaw. Put roll top on and serve!
Jason says
Turned out fantastic! I used three cans as I am party of 1, two cans was too little for even a small crock pot. I kept all ingredient measurements the same, and it was spot on, not too watery. Also, I used a Vitamix to shred '1' can at a time, of the jackfruit on lowest setting for 1 - 2 seconds before adding to the slow cooker. Will be making this again.
Question, can extra be frozen?
Danielle Fahrenkrug says
Jason, I am so glad you love this recipe! Nice idea to use the Vitamix for shredding:-). I have never tried to freeze it. It might work fine, and it might get slightly watery and just need to heat a bit longer to remove the water, so I can't say from experience. Glad you will have it on repeat!
Gen says
Mine came out watery and not a thick “bbq” flavor…I made it overnight in the crock pot not sure if that’s why. What can I try to fix it? I’m thinking just mixing and hearing with barbecue now 😭
Danielle Fahrenkrug says
Was the jackfruit drained? It will have some liquid that needs draining, but should not be super watery. Try mixing in 1 tablespoon at a time of cornstarch to thicken it.
marco pirri says
This is delicious! I will prepare this evening for my partner. Thank you very much
Walt says
Can this be made using jackfruit canned in brine? I have a case of the stuff and am looking for an easy slow cooker "pulled pork" recipe.
Danielle at Delightful Mom Food says
Yes, you can use the canned in brine jackfruit.
Halley says
Is 6oz of liquid smoke correct or a typo. I've never used more then a few dashes in anything and just want to make sure before giving it a go.
Danielle at Delightful Mom Food says
Hi Haley, after even more versions, I have updated the recipe and the liquid smoke is 1 Tablespoon.