Jackfruit Carnitas
( out of 5, with 21 votes)
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After last week’s jackfruit pulled pork post, which was inspired by a recipe at Pure Luck (an LA vegan restaurant that is, sadly, closing) I decided to take advantage of the whole friend-of-a-friend thing and try to get the owner to give me a real recipe from his menu. Luckily for me (and you) he was happy to oblige!
One of their best menu items is their jackfruit carnitas, and I figured since I already tempted everyone to go hunt down some jackfruit I may as well do another recipe to really make it worth your while. And trust me – this one is worth your while. Even easier than my BBQ pork recipe, it comes together in about 30 minutes (which is faster than real carnitas) and is super simple. Having had both the restaurant version and my own homemade version, I can say that you really can use this recipe to get something very similar at home.
That being said, I will admit that I couldn’t resist changing a few things – I made it exactly as written once but then just had to make it again (I know, I know – the sacrifices I make) with my own modifications because the restaurant version, while amazing and delicious, wasn’t quite up to my clean eating standards.
The restaurant version essentially consists of jackfruit, “Better Than Bouillon” veggie bouillon, Mexican Coca-Cola (not regular Coke – Mexican Coke is made with real sugar instead of corn syrup), onion, garlic, and a bit of oil. My modified version is very similar except that I replaced the “Better than Bouillon” with a homemade spice blend, and replaced the Coke with maple syrup. Both recipes worked great – mine has a bit more flavor of cumin and chili powder, his is a bit more neutral and “meaty.”
To make it either way, just chop up some onions and garlic and throw them in a pot with the bouillon/spice blend until everything is softened and coated. Then add your drained and rinsed jackfruit along with your Coke, sugar, or maple syrup. The point of the sweetener is that the sugar caramelizes as it cooks and adds a little bit of brown color and crunch to the edges of your carnitas – I don’t think skipping it altogether would yield such good results, but if anyone tries it do let me know!
Once you’ve got everything mixed together, just let it cook for about 30 minutes, occasionally stopping by to break up the jackfruit into smaller and smaller pieces with your spatula – don’t stir it too often since you’re trying to get the outsides to brown and caramelize, just often enough to break up the jackfruit and prevent it from really sticking to the pot.
After 20 minutes or so it should look something like this:
I love how jackfruit starts out looking nothing like pulled meat and then once it softens and shreds a bit it’s totally convincing! Give it another ten minutes or so to really get nice and browned and caramelized and you’ll have a plate of this stuff:
That’s all there is to it! When I made it to the original recipe I made it as a burrito, so I added a can of pinto beans to the same pot I just removed the jackfruit from, along with a pinch of cumin, salt, and pepper, until they were nice and warm. Then I rolled the carnitas and beans up in a flour tortilla along with some salsa and guacamole (plus a side of sweet potato fries), and it was crazy good:
The second time I made the recipe, I decided to make tacos – so I added the jackfruit to a corn tortilla with a bit of avocado, salsa, and shredded cabbage:
Also amazing – this recipe is such a great replacement for shredded meat! Hopefully you can find yourselves some jackfruit and give it a try!
Vegan, Gluten-free, Soy-free, Low fat
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil (Canola or something neutral)
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 clove garlic, crushed
- 5ml (1 teaspoon) Better Than Bouillon. (This is enough to make ~1.5 liters of vegetable broth, so if you use a different brand, use their directions to determine the equivalent amount.)
- 1 20 oz can of Jackfruit in brine, drained (The chef says: Make sure you get Green Jackfruit in Brine or Water. You do not want ripe Jackfruit in syrup. This is sweet, gooey, sticky and will not make anything resembling a meat substitute…or anything resembling tasty.)
- 2 Tablespoons Mexican Coke or 2 teaspoons sugar
Directions:
- Place a pan on medium heat. Add oil, onion, garlic, and bouillon. Stir until onions are clear and bouillon is dissolved. Add jackfruit and sugar and stir occasionally to break up the jackfruit. It will be ready when the liquid is dissolved and the jackfruit darkens and starts to look like shredded meat.
Vegan, Gluten-free, Low fat, Refined sugar free, Soy free Ingredients: Directions:
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Comments
48 Responses to “Jackfruit Carnitas”Trackbacks
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Whoh! That jackfruit sounds interesting!
I wonder if I could find it at my grocery store! I’ll have to look!
Wow, this looks so amazing! I’ve bought the canned jackfruit, now just to make it!
In your original “pulled pork” jackfruit recipe, you had cut the center core off all your jackfruit pieces. Yet I see you didn’t do that with this recipe. Did you notice any difference?
I didn’t do it with this recipe and suspect you might not need to do it with the other one, either
You do need to make sure you break the pieces up with a spatula a lot as they cook to get that shredded look, but they seem to fall apart pretty well in the pan! (I had previously used a slow cooker to make them, and in that scenario cutting out the middles might save the effort of breaking it up as it cooks.)
Hey Jessica! I am an Indian and we grew up eating jackfruit! I have mostly tried Indian recipes only with it though. Looking at your posts make me want to try all these recipes!! We get tons of jackfruit and all fresh so thanks for the recipe
The previous poster mentioned using fresh Jackfruit. I too have Jackfriut here on Guam and would much rather use fresh. Do you know if it would work in this recipe? Does the brine make a difference?
I think fresh should be fine with this recipe, I’ve never tried it but I don’t think the brine is essential to the taste. You could always add a splash of vinegar, that wouldn’t hurt the recipe and might help, but I doubt it’s necessary.
Yum! That looks awesome. I’ve been hearing about jackfruit a lot, and I saw it not too long ago at the grocery store. Next time I see it, I’m picking some up for sure. I’m so curious about it and this recipe looks so yummy. I’m going to bookmark it to try
Cool! I had no idea you could do that – and it looks delicious! Do they sell jackfruit at the grocery store? And does it taste fruity?
They sell it at asian markets – if your store has an international or asian section it might have it, but I think it’s not too likely unless it’s a big section. It does taste sort of fruity, but it’s a pretty mild taste.
Jessica, loved your recipe, we in cali are fourtunate to get fresh ones. Which one would you prefer fresh or canned. I have a summer picnic coming up and would love to make carnitas with NO MEAT !!
I haven’t made it with fresh yet – I plan to go find one soon and try it. I hear they are a bit of work to cut and get the fruit out, so you might want to start with canned just to get the hang of the recipe and then try fresh later.
1 tsp of better than bouillon = 8 ozs (250ml) of broth according to the jar not 1.5 liters as you have indicated.
Soooo….would the recipe still be 1 tsp????
Yes, still one teaspoon – my math in how much broth it makes was wrong but I used a teaspoon when I made the recipe so that’s what we should go with
Congrats…What a awesome recipe and very beautiful:)
clean, green, simply. I totally get it and love it! Saw this on Foodbuzz top 9. I am a fan!
This was amazing. I made it for my husband for father’s day. We had a big crowd and even the meat lovers thought it was great. Served it with a spicy salsa and guacamole in a wrap.
Thanks
This looks AMAZING! Here in Miami we have tons of Jackfruit, I think I’m going to try to make these tonight and see if my hubby notices there’s no meat
!!
Just to clarify, do you just add 1 tsp to the mix OR 1 tsp +8oz (like the jar indicates for its basic broth)? Thanks!
Just the tsp
YES!! I miss Pure Luck so much! Thank you for this!! I didn’t like Melisser Elliot’s recipe – it was sooo sour from the mass amount of salsa verde, but maybe I made a mistake somewhere.
One question – (Assuming you live in the LA area) – I live in Koreatown and have tried my local Asian market, as well as a 99c Only store and can’t seem to find any canned jackfruit. Where do you get yours? A friend gave me the can I used to try the other recipe.
That Asian Seafood market on vermont just south of melrose has it!
99c only is different than 99 ranch market (Asian market)– few in la (artesia, Gardena). They often have both fresh and canned.
I like Clean Green Simple version much better. Hope i will be able to find this wonder jackfruit somewhere
Hi Melissa,
I live in Koreatown too. I usually get my canned jackfruit from Bangkok Market which is on Melrose near Harvard and Kingsley. California Market (another awesome Asian market) is closer to me, but they don’t have it. Most Thai markets should have them, as well as Figueroa Produce in Highland Park. Hopefully you’ve found a can by now.
I was really sad when Pure Luck closed (heard they were moving locations), so I am really glad to have found this. My jack fruit came out so great and looked a lot like your photos, just slightly less toasted at the edges. I probably should just cook it on higher heat for a minute. It’s delicious!
Just made these tacos today and I LOVE your recipe! I added a little more chili, garlic, and cayenne powder to mine and served it with guacamole, pico de gallo, spring mix lettuce and the tiniest line of sour cream (I’m transitioning to vegetarian/vegan)…they were so beautiful and delicious! I live in Dallas, TX and found the jack fruit in 99 cent ranch! I am a culinary student and had never even heard of jackfruit until I watched Great Food Truck race and saw the Seabirds, a vegan food truck, make jackfruit pulled “pork” tacos. Still waiting to try that recipe.
Thanks! I just tried this recipe out tonight. My whole family liked it! My father once told me that he does not like “fake meat”. However, after he took a bite of the taco he said “this is really good!”.
When I tried a piece by itself, I didn’t think that it would be that good. However, in the taco it tasted pretty good.
For the taco I just used trader Joe’s organic corn/wheat tortillas, traders joe’s organic tomatillo and yellow roasted chili hot sauce, and cabbage. As a side I used black beans and pears with gruyere cheese (i’m not a vegan…yet).
Woah momma! Just made this with maple syrup and it was GOOD
Hi! I’m excited to try this. I have been eyeing whole jackfruits in a local market for years. Do you have any tips on how to make this with fresh jackfruit versus canned? The response about how you want to try fresh jackfruit is about a year old, so I’m hoping you’ve tried it by now.
Is it pretty much the same recipe, or would it require additional steps? THANK YOU!
I can’t believe how good this is! I made the clean green version with pinto beans and a simple homemade salsa and it was terrific.
Thanks for posting this!
Bless your precious heart for finding and posting this recipe. I have made it so many times when I just need my Pure Luck fix.
But, one thing never quite adds up for me.
For the Pure Luck version of the recipe, you mention cooking until the liquid is dissolved. But every time I make this, it’s almost immediate. Hot pan, only two tablespoons of liquid, it never turns out right. At first I thought maybe I was supposed to add water and actually make broth with the bouillon but I see in above comments that that’s incorrect as well. When I attempt to cook the jackfruit until tender, the pan gets burned on the bottom and it takes quite a while. What am I missing here?
Thank you!
My neighbor just gave me a jackfruit from his tree, can this recipe be made with fresh jackfruit? If so, how would I go about the jackfruit – i have never used it before and i am so intrigued!!
I haven’t done it but I’ve heard from my readers that it can indeed be made with fresh jackfruit – if you try it let me know how it goes!
WOWWWW!!!!!!!!!!! I just made these for my husband and myself, and wow. My husband took one bite and said, “This is ridiculously good.” He’s right. I served it with sliced avocado, salsa (for lack of pico), and fresh cilantro and extra limes, plus roasted corn and sweet potato fries. Delish! Officially in the repertoire.
That sounds like a great meal you put together, glad you enjoyed it!
I just had Sea Bird’s jackfruit asada tacos today and they were amazing! I wish you could try them. I’d never really heard of it until recently, and now I can’t wait to try making this on my own.
i’m having this problem too. do i have to keep stirring?
I tried jackfruit last night to make crab cakes and they were so good I started looking for other recipes. I can’t wait to try this one now! This is my new favorite “fake meat”. I also noticed when I pulsed it in the food processor, it looked like tuna – so can’t wait to try a tuna sandwich now, too!
For those of you wondering about using fresh jackfruit, this has been my experience. I made it today with fresh jackfruit which i got at the Asian food market BEFORE I saw the this recipe. By the way, this was the first time I ever had any dealings with this stuff. There were several kinds of jackfruit to choose from and since I didn’t know what I was doing I picked the kind that was already cut and orangish in color, because it was more appealing to the eye. It ended up having quite large pits (about the size of an apricot pit). It didn’t look anything like the raw picture above in the pan. Unfortunately it did not turn out and I ended up with a gooey gob of sticky stuff (an expensive $9.-mess). The flavor was not bad, but my kids would not touch it
I am going to try the one that looked more like the pic next time and hope it turns out better if not I’ll move onto the can. I’ll post on future outcomes.
I have made a very similar recipe twice, once with canned and then with fresh jackfruit. I was much less time consuming with canned, but fresh was worth it! I had to you tube how to work with fresh, and I found some at my local Asian market. I added molasses and liquid smoke along with more of the recommended spices. It was amazing! Someday I will make a blog or video of my own with more details. Thanks for the inspiration!
Delicious! I just made this recipe with your version. It turned out better than I could have imagined.
Thanks!
i found the centre/cores stayed quite hard and didn’t really break down, maybe if i cooked them for longer it might’ve worked? next time i may just cut them off though. the rest of it was delicious!