Easy Vegan One-Pot Jackfruit Carnitas
Deliciously stewed smoked jackfruit that’s slow cooked until tender and juicy – the perfect healthy plant-based taco filling!
Sometimes there is nothing better than a delicious taco! This easy vegan carnitas recipe is my go to any time I’m looking to make vegan tacos, vegan burrito bowls, or these delicious jackfruit nachos. It’s simple, quick to clean up, and perfect for parties or meal preps.
If you’re looking for more vegan Latin American inspired recipes, give the following recipes a try.
- Vegan spicy tofu and potato breakfast tacos
- high in fiber chilaquiles rojas with soyrizo
- Ecuadorian lupini beans ceviche
What are jackfruit carnitas?
Carnitas, translated to “little meats” in Spanish, are slow cooked pork in traditional Mexican flavors and lard until they are tender and juicy. While this recipe is far from a traditional pork carnitas, it stays true to the texture and method of slow cooking with smoky bold flavors. I like to use young jackfruit to make meatless carnitas tacos for its similar texture and appearance to pulled meat.
How to make jackfruit carnitas in four easy steps
Step 1. Shred the jackfruit and pat dry
Step 2. Sautee the onions with tomato paste
Step 3. Simmer in broth and smoked spices
Step 4. Reduce the liquid and cook uncovered
Key ingredients & substitutions
- Jackfruit– I prefer to use green jackfruit that is preserved in brine. The young jackfruit in brine has a similar stringy texture to pulled meat and is neutral in flavor which makes it the perfect vehicle for meatless carnitas. You can find canned jackfruit in most asian grocery stores or online
- Smoked paprika – this recipe uses smoked paprika for a burnt smoky and sweet taste. You can use regular or sweet paprika as well but the end result will not have that smoked flavor
- Tomato paste – cooking with tomato paste helps bring out the natural sweetness without having to add sugar to the recipe. You can substitute with a tablespoon of brown sugar
Easy One Pot Jackfruit Carnitas
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Prep the vegetables. Drain the liquid from the canned jackfruit. Squeeze or press out any excess liquids. Roughly break and pull the jackfruit pieces into shreds similar to shredded pork. You want the jackfruit as dry as possible so it can absorb the broth. Slice the yellow onion.
- Brown the onions. In a medium dutch oven pot, heat the olive oil over medium to high heat until hot. Add the sliced onion and sauté and translucent, making sure the onions do not burn too much. Add the tomato paste and mix well. As the tomato paste and and onions cook there will be lots of browning at the bottom. After a minute of cooking add half a cup of vegetable broth into the pot and allow the onions to soak up the broth while scrapping off the browned bits. This helps to bring in the flavor of the browning.
- Stew the jackfruit. Mix in the jackfruit and add in the rest of the broth, smoked paprika, garlic powder, chile powder, cumin, and bay leaves. Bring the pot to a simmer and then lower the heat and let it cook covered for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, uncover the pot and let the rest of the liquid reduce down. Depending on how strong your oven is this should take around 5-10 minutes.
- Serve. Add the salt and pepper as well as juice of half a lime. The lime really helps cut through the spice. Serve with corn tortillas for jackfruit tacos or add it to some loaded nachos.
