These easy BBQ jackfruit tacos are made with less than 10 common supermarket ingredients! The jackfruit has an incredible pulled pork texture and is bursting with flavour. I've also included an easy optional homemade tortilla recipe!
This is a zero-waste vegan recipe!
No one likes wasting food and ingredients at home so this recipe is zero-waste (or minimal waste)! It incorporates coriander leaves AND stems (you won't notice) and a whole onion/avocado etc. I also included a homemade tortilla recipe (although, you're welcome to use store-bought tortillas).
Ingredients for the barbeque pulled jackfruit
Jackfruit is an excellent vegan pulled pork substitute! In Australia, we can now get canned jackfruit in our major supermarkets but it's widely accessible in East Asian stores.
For savoury jackfruit recipes, you should only use canned jackfruit in BRINE/water rather than the juice. Jackfruit in juice is far too sweet for savoury recipes!
To make the jackfruit similar to pulled pork, we add lots of wholesome ingredients including onion, garlic, barbeque sauce, spices, coriander stems (optional) and coconut sugar (or your sweetener of choice).
How to make tortillas for the jackfruit tacos (optional)
If you don't have access to tortillas or simply want to reduce your plastic consumption, you can make your own tortillas at home! It's an easy process although the rolling step can be a little time-consuming.
You only need 3 ingredients + water to make your own soft tortillas, including:
- Plain, wholemeal or spelt flour
- Olive oil
- Salt
Simply mix all the ingredients in a bowl until it forms a cohesive dough. Add a little more flour if the dough is sticky or a little more water if it's dry and separating.
Next, divide the dough into mini balls (about 20g each or 1 heaped tablespoon each).
Very liberally dust a clean surface with flour and use a rolling pin to flatten each piece of dough to form a mini taco tortilla. Make sure you dust the surface with LOTS of flour otherwise it will stick ... let's not make life harder for ourselves, right?!
Or if you have a tortilla press, feel free to use that!
To cook the tortillas, simply place them on a hot DRY frypan. It's just like cooking pancakes but easier. When they puff up or turn golden brown underneath, flip!
To save time, try to fit as many tortillas as possible on one pan :). When they're cooked, stack them on top of each other in an airtight container. This helps prevent them from drying out.
How to make vegan pulled pork jackfruit
First, cut and prepare all your veggies so you can serve your tacos when the jackfruit is ready!
The jackfruit needs to be cut into small chunks, along their grain. It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken demonstrates this well! Your chopped jackfruit doesn't have to be in perfectly shaped pieces but cutting them into small pieces first will make the cooking step easier!
In a saucepan, saute the onion and garlic until fragrant and tender. Add all the dried herbs and coriander STEMS and saute them too. If you know you won't use up all your coriander leaves (for garnishes), add the excess to the saucepan as well!
Next, add the jackfruit, BBQ sauce and sweetener of choice and saute for 5 minutes. Add the water or vegetable stock, reduce the heat to medium and cover. This cooks the jackfruit slowly and allows each piece to soften and soak in the flavours.
If you still have chunks of jackfruit after ~15-20 minutes, smash them with the back of a spatula or use a clean pair of kitchen scissors and cut the jackfruit into smaller pieces. Taste the jackfruit and adjust seasonings if needed but I think it's good to go!
Serving the bbq jackfruit tacos
The pulled jackfruit is bursting with flavour so I love lightening it up with fresh vegetables and ingredients such as:
- Sliced or smashed avocado
- Salad such as greens, shredded red cabbage or carrots
- Corn kernels
- Fresh tomatoes either cherry tomatoes or chopped whole tomatoes
- Dairy free sour cream
- Freshly squeezed lime juice
I hope you enjoy this recipe!
More easy vegan dinner recipes
- One-pot easy vegan ramen
- Vegan Mac and Cheese shepherd's pie
- Basil alfredo zoodles
- Easy vegan alfredo pasta
BBQ Jackfruit Tacos with homemade tortillas
Ingredients
Soft taco tortillas (or use store-bought)
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose plain flour, whole wheat or spelt flour, plus extra for rolling
- ¾ cup (80g) water, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons (45g) extra virgin olive oil
- Generous pinch of salt
BBQ Pulled Jackfruit
- 1-2 cups cilantro / coriander (about 1 bunch ), leaves and stems
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, or sub with water
- 1 brown onion, sliced thinly
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 x 550g can jackfruit in brine NOT juice (280g jackfruit without brine), finely chopped
- ¼ cup barbeque sauce
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar, or sweetener of choice
- ½ cup (120g) vegetable broth (stock), or water
To serve (as desired)
- 1 large avocado, sliced
- 1 cup tomatoes (about 1 punnet), chopped
- 1-2 cups salad greens
- Dairy-free sour cream
Instructions
To make the soft taco tortillas (or use store-bought)
- Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix until combined. The dough should be soft and supple but not sticky. Add more flour if the dough is too sticky or more water if it's too dry.
- Divide the dough into balls. Each should be about the size of a heaped tablespoon (about 20g each). You'll get around 18 tacos from this recipe.
- Liberally dust a clean surface and roll out each ball into a small circle. Add more flour if the tacos are sticking to the surface or to each other.
- Heat up a large frying pan and place 2-3 tacos on the dry pan. Allow to cook for 1 minute or until underneath is slightly golden brown. Flip and cook for another minute or until both sides are golden brown. Repeat for all the tacos. Stack the tacos in an airtight container until ready to use.
To cook the jackfruit filling (1)
- Separate the coriander leaves from the stems. Set aside the leaves for garnishing. Finely chop the coriander stems. Set aside.
- Add the oil or water to a large saucepan over high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 2 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic, dried herbs and coriander stems and sauté for 2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add the jackfruit, bbq sauce and sugar to the saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium and add the water or vegetable stock. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until the jackfruit is soft. You may need to break up the chunks of jackfruit even more with a spatula or kitchen scissors.
To serve
- Fill tacos with the bbq jackfruit and desired accompaniments. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- To save time, cook the jackfruit at the same time as making the tacos.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in August 2020 and updated in July 2021.
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I did not realise how WELL BBQ and jackfruit would go together! I reckon if you like sweet + savoury + a little bit of sour, then you HAVE to try this recipe! I also cooked it for exactly those 20 minutes and it turned out perfect. How did you know!
SO COLOURFUL AND BEAUTIFUL! OMG I can't wait to make these. Love jack fruit so much!
Aww, thanks sooo much beautiful!! xo