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!
Using your fingers, pull apart the jackfruit pieces into shreds and add them to a medium-size pan with a lid.
Place pan over medium-high heat and saute the jackfruit with onion and garlic in oil (or water, if you’re using) for two minutes.
Add cumin, coriander, cinnamon, liquid smoke, and vegetable broth and mix well.
Turn heat to high, bring broth to a boil, and then cover pan and turn heat down to low.
Simmer for 15 minutes.
Serve with your favorite taco fixings.
Notes
If you find that your carnitas have too much liquid, turn the heat up for a minute or two until it’s absorbed.
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.