These amazing jackfruit carnitas were inspired by Pure Luck, a vegan restaurant in LA. This version tastes just as good as the original thanks to a creative mix of spicy, sweet, and sour flavors, but this recipe is much cleaner and healthier.
These carnitas are perfect for making tacos, burritos, and more.
Table of Contents
Why I Love This
Every time I eat these jackfruit carnitas, I’m transported to one of my favorite places on earth. Sadly, this restaurant shuttered quite a few years ago, but the chef was willing to share this awesome and versatile recipe with me.
I replaced the bouillon with my own personal spice blend to elevate the flavors even more. And I use maple syrup in my recipe rather than Mexican Coca-Cola. It still has all the spicy sweetness of the original recipe but is healthier and easier to make.
I’ve used these jackfruit carnitas in everything from tacos to stuffed peppers. You can even eat them plain, they are so dang good. The secret is the chewy texture of the jackfruit and the complex flavor blend that brings together traditional Mexican spices with sour lime and sweet maple syrup.
The best part? They’re ready in under 30 minutes making them perfect for weeknight meals, fancy lunches, and Taco Tuesday.
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.
Related Recipe: Jackfruit Tacos with Avocado Lime Sauce
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.”
Ingredients
- Chili powder – I like a bold chili powder with plenty of flavor, like this one from Simply Organic. Rather than heat, go for flavor to get the best results.
- Lime juice – This sour addition is key to mellowing out all those spices. I highly suggest using fresh lime juice over bottled.
- Jackfruit – Look for canned jackfruit in brine. Young fruit tends to have the best texture for carnitas.
- Maple Syrup – This is the secret ingredient that makes this jackfruit recipe so unforgettable. I prefer to use dark maple syrup because it has a more robust flavor that works very well with the rich flavors of the spice blend.
Substitutes
- You can swap raw sugar or agave for maple syrup if you’d prefer. Use the same amount of agave or 1.25-times as much sugar.
How to Make
Step 1: In a hot pan, add oil, garlic, onion, and your spice blend. Stir gently until the garlic becomes fragrant and the onions are coated in spices.
Step 2: Add the jackfruit and maple syrup to the hot pan and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up the jackfruit.
Expert Tip
The key to making these jackfruit carnitas look and taste like the real thing is to break them up as they cook. You’ll notice that after about 10 minutes, the jackfruit will start to dry out. Press on the pieces as you stir to help break them up.
Continue to stir and break up the larger pieces over the next twenty-ish minutes. The final product should look very much like real pork carnitas. They’ll even take on a similar texture—chewing, crispy, and just slightly moist.
What to Serve With
Turn these carnitas into tacos, burritos, or enchiladas, or use them to top a plate of tasty vegan nachos.
However you enjoy them, these carnitas pair well with many sides, including black beans, fiesta quinoa, and tortilla soup.
Some of my favorite toppings to dress these carnitas include tomatillo green chili salsa and guacamole.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are jackfruit carnitas made of?
Jackfruit is the star of any great jackfruit carnitas recipe. This odd fruit is related to breadfruit. The young specimens have a stringy, chewy, meaty texture and make a great vegan alternative to pork.
Can you overcook jackfruit?
Yes, it is very possible to overcook the jackfruit in this recipe. The key is to stir as you cook to break it up into uniform pieces. Once it starts to look like carnitas, taste it frequently and pull it off heat once it’s chewy and slightly crispy but still a touch moist.
How does jackfruit taste like meat?
The natural texture of young jackfruit is very much like that of pulled pork or ground beef. This paired with its neutral flavor and ability to absorb spices makes it a perfect meat substitute for vegans.
Storing and Reheating
Jackfruit carnitas are easy to store and serve later on. You can even prepare them at the beginning of the week and use them in various dishes all week long.
Fridge
Storing leftovers in the fridge is preferred. Just put the carnitas in an airtight container and store them for up to five days.
Freezer
The texture will change some if you freeze these, but I have done it plenty of times. The key is to reheat the thawed carnitas on the stovetop to help crisp them back up.
Reheat
Reheat refrigerated leftovers in the microwave. Alternatively, you can put them in a saute pan with a tablespoon or so of water. Cook until the water is absorbed and the carnitas have crisped up a bit.
Serving Size
This recipe makes about three servings or about enough carnitas for three decent-sized burritos.
Jackfruit Carnitas
Ingredients
Spice Blend
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp oregano
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 pinch cinnamon
- 1 tsp lime juice
- 1 tsp soy sauce optional – omit if you’re avoiding soy
Carnitas
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil Canola or something neutral
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 clove garlic crushed
- 1 20 oz can of Jackfruit in brine drained
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
- Place a pan on medium heat. Add oil, onion, garlic, and spice blend. Stir until onions are clear and coated with spices.
- Add jackfruit and maple syrup 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 (about 30 minutes).
Nutrition
I grew up in Colorado under the influence of three generations of knowledgeable women who knew their way around the garden. I graduated from Colorado State University with a bachelor of science in biology and a minor in English. A year before graduation, my life was upended by an unexpected diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes.
Facing the reality of living with an incurable autoimmune disease I left to reflect hard on my lifestyle. While this type of diabetes cannot be cured or treated with diet, I was certain that focusing on my health and fueling my body with clean food would help better manage the condition. As a lifelong animal lover, it wasn’t difficult for me to transition fully to a vegan diet.
When I'm not constructing articles for clients, you can find me wrist-deep in dirt in my vegetable garden, hiking with my dogs, or back in front of the computer creating imaginative worlds in my quest to become a published fiction writer.
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Could you use frozen jackfruit in place of canned?
LOVE IT. I don’t like maple syrup, so I added some coca cola to mine. Amazing flavor.
Very good!! It was fast and easy to put together. We made burritos .. So yummy.. My husband said, next time make a double batch!!
Saw some jackfruit recipes and ordered brined jackfruit. Then I was in the grocery store and bought pulled pork BBQ jackfruit to see how jackfruit should taste. I hated it, really…I spit it out. The jackfruit has been in my pantry ever since, daring me. Decided today I needed to either use it or get rid of it. I came across this recipe and thought it was worth a try. I had everything on hand. OMG! This was great! Used your spice blend and maple syrup and substituted Tamari for soy sauce to be GF.
So glad you liked it, Cat! Glad we could help change your opinion of jackfruit 🙂
Waaay better than I was even hoping for. Paired it with pickled red onion, fresh cilantro, avocado and some lime juice. Will definitely make again.
I have checked the comments and I can’t find out what I would like to know. Can these be made up and then frozen for another day? How do they come back and what is the best way for freezing.
Most fruits and veggies freeze well… I say give it a try! I think I would freeze it in a freezer bag (as flat as possible), then defrost in the fridge… Warm again in a skillet.
Easy and yummy!
Delicious!
These were so easy and SO good that even the omnivores dug in and were impressed. I ended up using two 14 oz cans, drained, and sort of upped the spice blend accordingly. Will definitely make again!
I’ve been using your recipe now for years and have made jackfruit carnitas probably one hundred times. What I’d add to this as something to make it easier is to squeeze the liquid from the jackfruit before adding it to the pan. I also chop it up a little smaller to speed up the cooking/browning process. Thank you for this!
Just did this! Awesome!! Had to switch up some stuff depending on what I had on hand, (no maple syrup so used honey instead, no limes so just squeeze out some orange on it???? still citrus right?!) and it was still good!! Next time I’ll go a little less on the spicy cause it was spicy for me!! But i have a very low spicy threshold lol Otherwise great!’
These were amazing! Everyone loved them! Thanks for a great recipe!
I make the clean green version. These are lovely and have become a favourite dish to make
I’ve tried jackfruit from many different restaurants but never made my own until this recipe. It tasted fine, definitely not carnitas tasting though. I know it’s hard to recreate but I have tasted really good jackfruit. I added a few drops of liquid smoke and chipotle in adobo sauce and it helped. I think in the future I’ll cook down the jackfruit after shredding it onto a pan so that the water evaporates and then I’ll cook it with a flavorful sauce.
Well I made this tonight with homemade tortilla’s and rice. It was awesome and even my non vegan husband liked it. My only suggestion is to make it in a slow cooker as it took a long time to get the jackfruit to shred like meat. Otherwise, I will definitely make it again!!
This dish is awesome the whole family loved it. We did soft tacos and I put it on a salad!
Make this for supper. I did it with the spice blend. Fantastic. Will be making again and again.
Wow…These recipe look great I will try and let you know, Thanks for sharing
Made this tonight with corn tortilla, salsa and refried beans. FANTASTIC.
Thank you.
This is my favorite Jackfruit Carnitas recipe! I have made this twice already and loved it both times. The other recipes out there make it in the slow cooker or braise it–this does not make carnitas! It should be darkened and crispy. This recipe does just that. Thanks!
Wow, just made these and they are phenomenal!!! So easy too! Thank you for such a great recipe!
I realize this post is from several years ago… But hopefully I can save someone the effort of my cooking disaster. I could only find fresh jackfruit. Let me tell you, it turned out awful. The more the fresh jackfruit cooked, the sweeter it became! I will have to hunt down the canned version and try again 🙁 not to mention the 30 minutes I took to dissect it!
Thank you for this! We couldn’t find jackfruit that wasn’t in syrup so on a whim we picked up a can of hearts of palm as a substitute. Your clean recipe worked wonderfully. It’s a favorite of mine so far! Next time I go to a Trader Joes or a Whole Foods, we’ll have to look for jackfruit to try this again.
This is great, thanks! But, I do think it’s important to note that in the “Clean Green Simple” version, it says its “gluten free,” but it’s not when you use Soy Sauce.
I just made this for dinner and it was amazing! It was my first time cooking jackfruit and I can’t wait to try it in some other recipes too. Or just have this one again soon! Thanks for posting!
PS This recipe is omnivorous boyfriend approved! 🙂
I found the Jack fruit at a flea market. It was expensive, but worth it. I tried the carnitas recipe, I have to say it was delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe!?
Umm, yum! I didn’t have any Coke or maple syrup, so I mashed up 1/2 of a small banana as the sweetener and it was awesome! Little bit of a cuban flare!
Someone on my local craigslist is selling jackfruit seedlings and curious I googled jackfruit and found this blog. I am not trying to be mean but when you are making an effort to go green, you need to consider the carbon footprint of your food as well. Jackfruit is not a local sourceable item and no doubt uses a crazy amount of fuel to transport it to your area. Support your local farmers and farmers markets and you support your planet. Thanks!!
I found this recipe after cleaning up our diet, and I have to say, this recipe was AWESOME….I have never found a meat substitute that tasted so good….jackfruit is my new favorite food 🙂
I’m confused about the liquid. It says not to make the broth, but otherwise there is no liquid? I’m making it now, and I seem to be getting a scorched pan.
It doesn’t have much liquid – it’s more like sauteing vegetables or searing a steak – if it’s sticking to the pan maybe add a touch more oil or water and stir more often.
I’m not a jackfruit expert, but the type canned in brine is “green” or unripe jackfruit. Like many fruits, it appears to convert its starches to sugars during the ripening stage. If you’re buying canned, avoid ripe jackfruit packed in syrup and look for it in brine or water. If you have access to fresh jackfruit, you may need to ask the vendor for green or unripe jackfruit. I hope that helps!
I made these for the third time tonight & just want to thank you for a delicious, healthy recipe. We eat it in Trader Joe’s corn tortillas with salsa, avocado, and shredded lettuce and it’s delicious. We tried fresh jackfruit just as fruit & our family loves it. If you use fresh jackfruit for the carnitas, I think you would have to get a green one because the ripe ones are very different from the young, green canned ones! I plan to try the pulled pork next!
I grow jack fruit it is the grossest food to work with. It has a white stringy glue, is impossible to work with! .I recommend lots of oil on hands, knife, cutting board, anything it touches before it gets to the pot or in the pan, There is no other fruit or vegetable like it ,closest is a unripen bread fruit with a similar white glue Or taking the slime off a conch GROSS! I made a great soup with the jackfruit like a minestrone when making the stock for Jackfruit Carnitas The glue got to me I did fry it tasted it I found it to bland and added bay leaf and a liquid smoke , that was a great touch to just give it a unique flavor like a barbequed soup.
I also shredded it in my vitamix – much easier
I guess i was supposed to add water with the better than beef? didnt’ say to, so I didn’t but it was still a wonderful dinner for the 4th of July
I just made the second version of these– they are amazing! I made some salvadorian “curtido” coleslaw and a garlic sauce to go with them, and ate them in a brown rice tortilla. Amazing X infinity! I feel like I’m in a restaurant (: Thank you so much for posting this recipe and I can’t wait to experiment with more jackfruit.
There’s a Central Javanese this called Gudeg that uses unripe jackfruit. It’s delicious.
I did it and it was indeed great. I added a few canned chipoltie peppers. I’m thinking about having it again for breakfast. Thanks
I love your blog! I’ve made three items from your recipe list tonight with the Jackfruit Carnitas as one of them. They were pretty good. I’m so glad you shared this. I’m newly vegan and my boyfriend isn’t, but he found this really tasty. It’s nice because he’s a bit of a picky eater.
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!
Delicious! I just made this recipe with your version. It turned out better than I could have imagined.
Thanks!
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!
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 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!
i’m having this problem too. do i have to keep stirring?
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.
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
Woah momma! Just made this with maple syrup and it was GOOD
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).
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. 🙂
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!
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 like Clean Green Simple version much better. Hope i will be able to find this wonder jackfruit somewhere
99c only is different than 99 ranch market (Asian market)– few in la (artesia, Gardena). They often have both fresh and canned.
That Asian Seafood market on vermont just south of melrose has it!
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.
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
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 🙂 !!
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
clean, green, simply. I totally get it and love it! Saw this on Foodbuzz top 9. I am a fan!
Congrats…What a awesome recipe and very beautiful:)
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 🙂
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.
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.
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 😀
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.
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 🙂
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.)
Whoh! That jackfruit sounds interesting! 🙂 I wonder if I could find it at my grocery store! I’ll have to look!