The magic of plants continues to amaze me – every flavor, every texture, every dish from our omnivore days can be completely recreated using only plants. No animal has to suffer. It’s truly incredible and almost unbelievable – the kinda thing that makes you want to tell all your friends and shout the vegan message from the mountain tops! Yea, plants are where it’s at.
And this recipe? Yea, this is mountain-top-worthy. This vegan carnitas recipe uses the amaaaazing powers of JACKFRUIT to recreate an old favorite. It packs a major punch of flavor – the perfect balance of spicy and sweet – and the texture is basically melt-in-your-mouth spectacular. Wanna watch us make this recipe LIVE on Periscope? Check out the replay below!
Other Vegan Jackfruit Recipes:
And if you make this recipe, don’t forget to tag #PlantPowerCouple on social media. We could drool over your creations alllllll day. Enjoy! 🙂
Brittany Roche
These jackfruit carnitas are a great vegan/vegetarian dinner idea that is easy to make and delicious to eat!
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 20-oz can jackfruit, in brine
- juice from 1 lime
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp chipotle seasoning
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp Sriracha
- 1 tsp refined coconut oil
- 1/2 medium red onion, minced
- 5 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 large ripe avocado
- juice from the other half a lime
- 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- salt and pepper, to taste
- water, to thin
Instructions
- In a large zip-lock bag, add the jackfruit, lime juice, orange juice, soy sauce, maple syrup, Sriracha, and seasonings. Make sure the marinade is coating the jackfruit well and marinate for about 2 hours or overnight in the fridge.
- Heat coconut oil in a pan. When hot, add the minced onions and garlic. Add a pinch of salt and cook for 3-5 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
- Add the jackfruit and marinade. Bring to a simmer and cook on medium-low for 10 minutes, uncovered.
- Cover the carnitas and cook for another 10 minutes. Use two forks or a potato masher to shred the jackfruit and give it that "pulled pork" consistency. Stir to make sure it is coated in seasoning and turn heat to low. Cook for another 3-5 minutes.
- While you're cooking the jackfruit, make the avocado lime sauce by adding all the ingredients to a blender or food processor and blending until smooth. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as you go. Add water slowly as you go as well until desired consistency is reached. I ended up using about 1/3 cup of water. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use!
- When the jackfruit is ready, warm some tortillas, top with jackfruit carnitas, purple cabbage, and drizzle with avocado lime sauce. Enjoy!
