Vegan BBQ Pulled Jackfruit Burger
A vegan burger with shredded green jackfruit simmered in smoky BBQ sauce and topped with creamy coleslaw.
- Prep
- 15min
- Cook
- 22min
- Total
- 37min
- Serves
- 4
- Calories
- 420per serving, est.
By Time for Burgers, updated
Buy young green jackfruit packed in brine or water, not the ripe kind in syrup. Green jackfruit tastes of almost nothing and has a stringy grain that pulls apart like slow-cooked pork, so everything you taste comes from what goes in with it: onion, garlic, smoked paprika, liquid smoke and a vegan BBQ sauce.
Brown the shredded jackfruit for 5 minutes before the sauce goes in. That dries it a little and lets the sauce cling instead of sliding off. A quick slaw of cabbage, carrot, vegan mayo and cider vinegar adds crunch and acidity on top.
Vegan BBQ Pulled Jackfruit Burger
Prep 15 min, cook 22 min, total 37 min. About 420 calories per serving.
timeforburgers.com/recipes/bbq-jackfruit-pulled-pork-burger
Serves 4.
Ingredients
Instructions
Tap a step to keep your place.
Drain and rinse jackfruit, then shred into pulled pork-like pieces using your hands or two forks, removing any tough cores.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté diced onion for 5 minutes until softened, then add 3 cloves minced garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Add shredded jackfruit, 1 tsp smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, breaking up the jackfruit further with a wooden spoon.
Pour in ¾ cup vegan BBQ sauce and ½ tsp liquid smoke. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes until jackfruit is tender and sauce has thickened.
While jackfruit cooks, make the coleslaw: Mix shredded cabbage and grated carrot with ¼ cup vegan mayonnaise and 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
Pile BBQ jackfruit onto toasted bottom buns, top with generous coleslaw, crown with top buns, and serve immediately.
Tips
- After rinsing, squeeze the jackfruit firmly in a clean towel. Drier pieces brown better and take up more sauce.
- The firm, triangular core pieces won't shred. Slice them thinly across the grain so they blend in with the stringy parts.
- For crisp edges, spread the sauced jackfruit on a sheet pan and broil for 3-4 minutes, stirring once.
- Check the BBQ sauce label: many bottled sauces contain honey or anchovy-based Worcestershire.
Substitutions
- Sweet and Tangy BBQ Sauce instead of bottled: it works here as long as you use a vegan Worcestershire sauce.
- Oyster mushrooms instead of jackfruit: tear them into strips, brown them longer until the edges crisp, then sauce them the same way.
- No liquid smoke: double the smoked paprika.
- Gluten-free: use a gluten-free bun and check that the BBQ sauce is gluten-free.
Make ahead & storage
The BBQ jackfruit keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge and freezes well; reheat it to 165°F (74°C) with a splash of water to loosen the sauce. Dress the slaw shortly before serving, because the cabbage releases water and thins the mayo.
