Easy Jackfruit Carnitas

Tender and flavorful vegan jackfruit carnitas require just a handful of simple, inexpensive pantry ingredients and 25 minutes to prepare—perfect for tacos, enchiladas, burritos, and more!

What is Carnitas (and Jackfruit Carnitas)?

Carnitas, meaning ‘little meats’ in Spanish, is traditionally made by braising or simmering the meat over several hours until very tender, then using it in several popular Mexican dishes, like tacos, tortas, burritos, and tamales.

Unsurprisingly, though, these vegan jackfruit carnitas ditch all the animal products. Instead, this recipe relies on jackfruit to make a tender, juicy, flavor-packed vegan carnitas option, versatile enough to enjoy in dozens of meals, including as moreish vegan taco meat, as you’ll see below!

What is Jackfruit, and What Does it Taste Like?

Jackfruit is a tropical fruit that grows up to 50lbs in size and originates from Southeast Asia, such as Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines. When cut open, jackfruit is filled with lots of individual fruits, all containing a seed (up to 500 of these per fruit). However, it’s the fruit flesh (whether unripe, aka ‘green jackfruit’, or ripe) that has become popular in vegan cuisine.

In terms of taste, ripe jackfruit has a naturally sweet, almost subtle pineapple or banana flavor, with some likening it to bubble gum. In comparison, unripe green jackfruit has a very subtle taste and acts more like a flavor absorber, perfect for both sweet and savory recipes.

Once cooked, its texture is tender and juicy but also dense and fibrous, easy to shred and slice into a delicious meat alternative. It’s also low-calorie yet loaded with nutrients, containing almost every single vitamin and mineral you require—like vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, etc.- in moderate-high amounts. It’s also loaded with several types of antioxidants, too!

While you can purchase whole jackfruit from international markets, preparing it is a long and arduous process. Luckily, canned jackfruit in brine is now readily available in most major grocery stores, making it perfect for making this quick and easy vegetarian carnitas.

Why You’ll Love This Jackfruit Carnitas Recipe

There are plenty of reasons to love this jackfruit carnitas recipe. Here are just a few:

• Easy to prepare, with minimal hands-on prep
• Just 8 simple, inexpensive, pantry-friendly ingredients
• Loaded full of flavor and easy to adapt
• Packed with nutrients, antioxidants, and even some protein
• Ready in about 25 minutes
• You can cook jackfruit carnitas in a slow cooker or on the stovetop

The Ingredients

• Jackfruit: Use canned young jackfruit (green jackfruit) in water/brine, not syrup, drained. Available in most grocery stores and international supermarkets.
• Oil: Any neutral cooking oil like avocado oil, vegetable oil, etc.
• Aromatics: You’ll need onion and garlic for this carnitas jackfruit recipe.
• Seasonings: I’ve used a simple blend to provide earthy, savory flavors.
  • Ground cumin
  • Ground coriander
  • Cinnamon
• Vegetable broth: Use regular or reduced-sodium vegetable stock. For a sweeter flavor, replace some or all of the broth with orange juice (this also helps to caramelize the fruit if you want crispier results).
• Liquid smoke: For a subtle but delicious smokey flavor in this jackfruit meal.

To Make Jackfruit Carnitas Tacos

You’ll also need small corn tortillas and your favorite taco toppings, like salsa, guacamole, refried beans, shredded lettuce, pickled vegetables, fresh herbs (like cilantro or parsley), vegan sour cream, etc. Check out my jackfruit tostadas recipe or vegetable taco recipe for more topping inspiration.

I highly recommend serving the vegan carnitas with lime wedges, too, and the bright and acidic flavor is wonderful with the carnitas flavor.

How to Make Vegan Jackfruit Carnitas?

How to Prepare Jackfruit?

Drain the jackfruit well. Then, use your fingers or a fork (or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment) to shred the jackfruit, removing any tough core pieces if preferred (they are edible, but some prefer it without).

To help the fruit soak up even more flavor, you can optionally wring out any excess water using a kitchen towel first.

To Make The Vegan Carnitas

• 1) First, prepare the jackfruit, mince the garlic, and dice the onion.

• 2) Then, heat the oil (or a splash of broth) in a pan over medium-high heat and sauté all three ingredients for two minutes.

• 3) Add all the spices, vegetable broth, and liquid smoke, and mix well. Then turn the heat to high and bring it to a boil.

• 4) Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pan with a lid. Allow it to simmer for 15 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

If there’s still too much liquid, increase the heat to high again and cook for a further minute or two, stirring regularly.

• 5) If you want to make jackfruit carnitas tacos, load up the corn tortillas with all your favorite taco fixings, and enjoy!

Serving Recommendations

You can use this carnitas in plenty of jackfruit vegan dinner recipes, including:

• Jackfruit tacos
• Enchiladas
• Burritos and Burrito bowls
• Tostadas
• Tamales
• Quesadillas
• Over nachos or fries

You can also use the leftovers to enjoy alongside your favorite grain or even in buddha/salad bowls. I’ve also previously added it to vegan mac and cheese.

FAQs

Top Recipe Tips and Notes

• Use young jackfruit: Ripe jackfruit is much sweeter with a different color and softer texture, so it won’t work the same way.
• Tweak the seasoning: Taste and adjust any of the spices to preference before serving.
• For crispy jackfruit carnitas: For the crispiest results, omit most of the vegetable stock and cook it uncovered until crispy, with some oil. Alternatively, you can spread the carnitas in a single layer on an oven tray and bake at 350F/175C until slightly crispy in places but still tender in the middle (about 15-20 minutes). Alternatively, broil until lightly crisp on top.

Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions

Make ahead/store: You can prepare the jackfruit carnitas several days in advance/store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Freeze: Allow it to cool completely, then store it in a freezer-safe container or bag for 2-3 months.

Reheat: You can reheat the jackfruit carnitas in a skillet or the microwave (in 30-second increments) until piping hot. Add an extra splash of broth if needed. For crispier results, you can reheat them in the oven.

More Spanish-Inspired Vegan Recipes

• Air Fryer Nachos [Vegan Black Bean Nachos]
• Chickpea and Walnut Meat Tacos [Walnut Chorizo Tacos]
• Easy Butternut Squash Enchiladas
• Vegan Instant Pot Mexican Rice
• Vegan Elote [Mexican Street Corn| Nut-Free]
• Tater Tot Nachos [Totchos]

If you try this easy vegan jackfruit carnitas recipe, I’d love to know what you think in the comments below. I’d also really appreciate a recipe card rating!

Photos by Alfonso Revilla