Jackfruit corned beef reuben sandwich is a veganized deli classic you’ll crave. Packed with corned jackfruit, crunchy sauerkraut, and creamy Thousand Island dressing, it’s served on toasted marbled rye.
This flavor-packed lunch or dinner truly delivers.
When it comes to vegan reubens, I'm like a Pokémon trainer. I want to catch 'em all.
(Come here, little reuben. I want to get a Picachu!)
If I'm at a restaurant with a vegan reuben, I know what I'll be ordering. And yes, I've been known to concoct road trips just because there's vegan reuben at the end of it.
One of my favorite “road trip reubens” was from the now shuttered restaurant, FÜD in Kansas City.
Once they closed their doors, making a FÜD-style jackfruit corned beef reuben moved to the top of my to do list. I'm so excited to finally share my recipe with you today!
This craveable sandwich is filled with briny corned beef-style jackfruit, crunchy sauerkraut, and a drizzle of vegan Thousand Island dressing on marbled rye.
Best of all, no roadtrip is necessary for this unforgettable sandwich.
Prefer a wheat-based vegan reuben? Try Chicago Diner’s seitan reuben recipe.
In this post:
Why readers love this recipe
“I could eat this every day for every meals. I wanted to cry it's so good. Corned beef/reubens were one of my favorite foods before going vegan. Thank you for this recipe!!” – Kelsey
What is corned jackfruit (vegan corned beef)?
The "corned jackfruit" filling is what makes this reuben such a standout.
It’s a play on the corned beef you’d find in a non-vegan reuben sandwich, which is made from salt-cured brisket seasoned in a tangy pickling brine. The curing process creates a pink color, which is immediately recognizable.
In the case of vegan corned beef, the bright pink jackfruit gets its color from beets.
(I'm not usually a beet fan at all. However, you can't taste them in the sandwich. They're really just there for color, like when I make quick pickled turnips.)
The jackfruit is also cooked down in a brine mixture of mouth puckering pickle juice, umami-rich bouillon, tamari, dill, and granulated onion for a boldly flavored sandwich filling.
Corned jackfruit reuben ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need to make this recipe.
Vegan mayonnaise: Vegenaise is my go-to. Use any eggless mayo you prefer.
Ketchup: For the best tasting ketchup, pick natural ketchup that isn’t sweetened with high fructose corn syrup.
Lemon juice: Freshly squeezed is preferred. It adds acid and tang to the dressing.
Pickles: Dill pickles are used both for crunch in the dressing, plus brine from the jar to flavor the jackfruit.
Cooked beets: Beets are added for color. You can either steam a few chunks, air fry the beets, or microwave. They just need to be soft enough to blend easily.
Tamari: This Japanese soy sauce adds salt and umami. It can be replaced with any soy sauce (or soy sauce alternative) you prefer.
Bouillon: Better Than Bouillon no beef base is what I recommend. However, any vegan beef-style bouillon that you like works here.
Green jackfruit: Choose canned young green jackfruit packed in brine or water. Don’t use fresh or ripe jackfruit in syrup. It is too sweet for this recipe.
Look for canned jackfruit at Asian markets or natural grocery stores. You can also buy it online.
Oil: Use any neutral-flavored cooking oil. Avocado oil is my go-to option.
Seasonings: Dried dill and granulated onion. (Granulated onion can be replaced with an equal amount of onion powder.)
Tahini: Tahini is sesame seed butter. It masks any remaining flavor of the jackfruit brine, offers a little bump of protein, and adds “stickiness” which holds well in a sandwich.
Marbled rye: Look for marbled rye at your favorite bakery, or pick up Jewish rye and pumpernickel deli swirl from Pepperidge Farm. It’s available in many grocery stores and big box stores.
Vegan butter: Used to brown and toast the bread, a soft vegan butter in a tub spreads the easiest.
Sauerkraut: For the best crunch and vibrancy, choose sauerkraut from the refrigerated section, as opposed to the shelf stable kind sold in the middle grocery aisles.
Step by step instructions
This section shows how to make this recipe at a glance with process photos of the steps. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.
1. Make the vegan Thousand Island dressing by combining the following in a small bowl:
- Vegan mayonnaise
- Ketchup
- Lemon juice
- Dill pickles
2. Make the corned jackfruit brine by blending the following:
- Cooked beets
- Water
- Tamari
- Better Than Bouillon no beef base
- Dill pickle juice
3. Drain and rinse canned jackfruit in a colander.
4. Pour the jackfruit onto a clean kitchen towel. Wring it dry with the towel to get out as much of the liquid from the can as possible.
5. Transfer the jackfruit to a food processor, and give it a few pulses, breaking it up in small, even pieces.
6. Brown the shredded jackfruit in a lightly oiled skillet. Don't move it too often, so that it can get nice and brown on both sides.
7. Pour the beet liquid from the blender into the pan, as well as granulated onion and dried dill. Let it simmer, allowing the jackfruit to fully soak up the liquid.
8. Once the skillet is pretty much dry, turn off the heat. Add a spoonful of tahini to the mixture.
Tahini makes the jackfruit sticky enough to hold together on the sandwich. It also evens out the flavors, and mutes any remaining brine flavor from the can.
9. Lightly butter the bread with vegan butter, and toast it in a large, non-stick skillet over a medium heat.
10. Compile the sandwiches by putting the vegan corned beef filling onto toasted marbled rye, topping with sauerkraut, and drizzling with vegan Thousand Island dressing.
Make it your own
You can make this jackfruit reuben sandwich your own by varying the ingredients.
Omit the beet: Beet is only in the recipe for color. If you don’t care about the corned jackfruit being hot pink, simply leave it out.
Add vegan cheese: There’s already so much flavor in the sandwich, I don’t find vegan cheese to be especially necessary here. However, if you like, add vegan Swiss, provolone, mozzarella, or smoked gouda.
To melt the cheese, add it to the bread in the skillet as it's toasting and cover with a lid. Or warm the sauerkraut in a skillet, lay the cheese slice on top of it, and cover. The extra moisture in the sauerkraut helps it melt really well.
Add avocado: Instead of cheese, sliced avocado adds creaminess and delicious body.
Add sauteed veggies: Sauteed bell peppers, onions, and/or mushrooms offer extra crunch and flavor.
Make a double batch of the dressing: You can add it generously to the jackfruit reubens plus use it on a Rachel sandwich!
Make it spicy: Add pickled jalapenos to the sandwich or to the dressing for a kick of heat.
Make it a bowl: Instead of a sandwich, have a reuben bowl. It’s made with the same jackfruit reuben fillings plus roasted potatoes, spinach, and cabbage.
Serving suggestions
Serve this deli-style sandwich with any of the following side dishes:
Storage instructions
Store each reuben component separately in the fridge in airtight containers. The jackfruit corned beef and Thousand Island dressing will last about 4 days in the fridge.
Jackfruit corned beef also freezes well. Freeze in an airtight, freezer-safe container. When you’re ready to enjoy it, thaw in the fridge. (Do not freeze the dressing.)
To reheat jackfruit corned beef, lightly warm it in a skillet or microwave. Then add to a sandwich just as you do when it’s freshly made.
Are you a huge reuben fan? Be sure to check out my vegan reuben round-up for even more ways to satisfy your cravings.
If you try this recipe and love it, let me know! Leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It truly makes my day and is such a help!
📖 Recipe
Jackfruit corned beef reuben sandwich (vegan)
Ingredients
Vegan Thousand Island dressing
- 2 Tablespoons vegan mayonnaise I use Vegenaise
- 1 Tablespoon ketchup
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon finely chopped dill pickles
Corned jackfruit
- 2 Tablespoons cooked beets*
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon tamari
- 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon no beef base
- 2 Tablespoons dill pickle juice
- 20 ounces young green jackfruit canned in water or brine, not syrup, drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil or other neutral-flavored, high heat oil
- ½ teaspoon granulated onion
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- 1 Tablespoon tahini
Jackfruit corned beef reuben sandwich
- 8 slices marbled rye bread
- non-dairy butter for toasting bread (optional)
- 1 cup sauerkraut drained
Instructions
To make vegan Thousand Island dressing
- In a small bowl, combine vegan mayonnaise, ketchup, lemon juice, and dill pickles. Set aside.
To make the corned jackfruit
- In a blender, combine cooked beets, water, tamari, Better Than Bouillon no beef base, and dill pickle juice. Blend until the beets are completely broken up and smooth. Set aside.
- Thoroughly rinse the jackfruit in a colander. The jackfruit will still hold a lot of brine flavor from the can. So rinse it well.
- Pour the jackfruit onto a clean kitchen towel. Over the sink, use the towel to twist and wring out the jackfruit, completely squeezing it dry to get out as much of the liquid from the can as possible. (If it's too wet, it won't brown as well. So use a second towel, if necessary, to get all of the liquid out.)
- Put the jackfruit into a food processor. Pulse it 5 or 6 times, stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary. It should be broken up into even, smaller pieces.(If you don't have a food processor, just chop the jackfruit up small on a cutting board.)
- Bring oil to a medium high heat in a large non-stick skillet. Evenly lay the shredded jackfruit across the skillet. Brown it really well on one side. You want it to get a some nice color and to dry out. (If you move it too often, it won't brown as well.) Once it has nicely browned on one side, flip the jackfruit with a spatula and brown the other side.
- Once it has browned all over and shrunken in the pan, it's time to infuse it with flavor. Add the liquid from the blender, as well as granulated onion & dried dill. Fully combine it with the jackfruit. You want the liquid to be at a simmer, so adjust your heat accordingly. Allow it to simmer in the liquid for ten to twelve minutes, until all of the liquid has cooked off.
- Once the liquid has cooked off, turn off the heat. Add tahini to the jackfruit mixture, and thoroughly combine. It will make the jackfruit sticky enough to stay on the sandwich, and it evens out the flavor.
To make jackfruit corned beef reuben sandwich
- Bring a large, non-stick skillet to a medium heat. If desired, lightly butter one side of the bread on all 8 slices of rye. Lay the slices buttered side down onto the skillet. (If you'd rather not butter the bread, you can skip that step. It just won't brown quite as nicely.) Allow the bread to toast for about 4 minutes, until it gets nutty brown on one side. Then turn off the heat, and remove the slices from the skillet.
- Now it's time to make the sandwiches. Put a few spoonfuls of jackfruit mixture onto four of the bread slices. Then top with sauerkraut (about ¼ cup of sauerkraut for each sandwich). Then drizzle Thousand Island on top of the sauerkraut (about a Tablespoon of dressing per sandwich). Top the sandwiches with the remaining slices of toasted bread and serve right away.
Notes
- Air fry: Cut the top off of a small beet and peel it. Then cut it in half, and cut those halves into quarters. (Or cut the beet into roughly one inch pieces.) Cover the beet pieces in oil, and add them to an air fryer basket. Air fry at 390 degrees for 11 minutes or until fork tender. (You probably won’t need all of the beet to reach 2 Tablespoons.)
- Microwave: Use frozen beets that are sold peeled & in chunks. Grab about 3 chunks, and pop them into the microwave for about 30 seconds.
- Steam: Put the fresh or frozen beet into a steamer basket, and steam until fork tender.
- Use beet juice instead: Simply pour in an equal amount of beet juice. (Again, if you’re just using beet juice, you won’t need to use the blender to blend the liquid corned jackfruit ingredients.)
Glenda Stormes-Bice
This is such a solid recipe. We landed some fresh, warm rye bread this week and as soon as it landed in my hands, I thought REUBEN. It was DELISHISH again!
Cadry Nelson
Yay! I love to hear that. So glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for letting me know!
Meg
My partner and I love this so much!!! We have made it multiple times and it is for sure a favorite. Such a better option that pre-made plant meats with jackfruit being so clean. I have a very sensitive digestive system and can enjoy this “safely rich” sandwich without my body being unhappy. I use kitehill almond based cream cheese for the mayo, and it works amazing because it is more savory than other cream cheeses. I also add a little extra pickle to the sauce as well for the ideal “dilliness”
Cadry Nelson
I’m so glad that you and your partner love this sandwich! That’s great to hear, and thank you for sharing your tweaks. Always fun to hear how people make a recipe their own to suit their needs/preferences. Thanks again!
Lee K
Hi. Do you remove the seeds and the core piece from the jackfruit? Or is that necessary as it’s going into the food processor?
Cadry Nelson
No, you don’t need to remove the seeds or core piece. It’s all edible. Just break it up in the food processor, and you won’t even notice it there.
Libby
Definitely making again. I used pickled beets because I love them. So I used the beet juice instead of pickle juice. The flavor of the jackfruit was very good.
Cadry Nelson
That’s so nice to hear, Libby! Thanks for the great feedback!
Layla
This rating is only for the jackfruit. As a life-long vegetarian, I’ve never tried corned beef but always was curious of the general flavor profile but I wanted a recipe that used jackfruit. This was a “trust the process” recipe for me and it did not disappoint. I get the great reviews. I followed another comment and only used 2 tsp of tahini because I think it does overpower after that for me. I only had fresh dill and I think I may have put a little too much in but it was still amazing! I did add Swiss cheese and raw red onions when cooking and served on rye. It was a hit and will def make again.
Cadry Nelson
I’m so glad you enjoyed the jackfruit, Layla! Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts!
Lise
This is PHENOMENAL!!! Tried it last week for the first time, and it’s on the menu again this week!
Cadry Nelson
That is so nice to hear. I’m thrilled you’re enjoying the recipe!
Jeanne
Oh my goodness!!!!! Unbelievable!!! I honestly think this has been THE best Pinterest recipe I have tried!!! And I’ve tried many!!!! Kudos to Cadryskitchen!!!! Stellar recipe!!!!
Cadry Nelson
Thank you for the glowing feedback, Jeanne! I’m over the moon that you enjoyed it.
Earlene
Hi Cadry, just wondering if you think soy curls would work in this recipe (once rehydrated). I have 3 bags of curls on my counter and I have not been brave enough to try them yet!
Cadry Nelson
Hi, Earlene! I’ve never tried it, but I think that would work great.
I’d start with the blender liquid with beets, water, tamari, Better Than Bouillon no beef, and pickle juice. Then I’d use that to rehydrate some of the Soy Curls for about ten minutes. Squeeze the liquid out from the Soy Curls, but keep the liquid. Then brown the Soy Curls in some oil in a skillet. (They won’t brown nicely if they’re too wet.) Once they are browned, add some of the reserved liquid to taste to get more of that flavor. Then let any excess cook off.
Here are some more ideas for your Soy Curls: meatless chili, Buffalo Soy Curls sandwich, BBQ sandwich, and vegan pulled pork.
Let me know how it goes!
Holly
This recipe was a fabulous find. I made it exactly as written. It was easy and only took half an hour and we had the leftover beets with it. I’ve been slowly weaning my husband off meat and he loved this sandwich. Thanks so much!
Cadry
That’s wonderful to hear, Holly! Thank you for letting me know!
Ann
Tasty and very filling!
Finding cans of jackfruit if the hardest think about this recipe. It’s super easy and quick! I made the jackfruit filling a day in advance but next time I would make it the same day, it was definitely best fresh off the pan! I also wish there was a picture of the browning jackfruit because I probably should have browned it a little more but it was still great! Thousand island dressing would good also and I made that a day in advance which I would do again to let the flavors combine. One note on the beet flavor, I tasted a slight beet aftertaste but the others who tried it did not so maybe I was just sensitive to it because I knew they were in there but it tasted good! Final note my husband (meat eater) said it was a great corned substitute deff not beefy but good and needed more salt so next time I’ll add a little more but overall great recipe!! Have already recommended it to friends and I will make it next year for patty’s day for sure!
Cadry
Thank you for the great feedback, Ann! I’m so glad you enjoyed the sandwich.
Ann
Hi! I just got all of my ingredients but how long would this last in the fridge? Can I make it a day or two ahead? Thanks!
Cadry
Hi, Ann! You can definitely make the separate components a few days ahead of time. Both the jackfruit filling and Thousand Island dressing will last at least four days in the refrigerator. By the way, you can also freeze the jackfruit filling and thaw for later use. Let me know how you enjoy it!
Luke
This is a very interesting recipe. I’ll likely give it a try someday.
I’ve made about 5 iterations of seitan corned beef, none of which quite hit the mark, but once you add sauerkraut and rye bread and thousand island dressing, it’s pretty good. Now I’m wondering if pickle juice and tahini might be the ticket to make the seitan corned beef just right.
Cadry
Have you tried the Chicago Diner reuben recipe? It is made with seitan & uses pickle juice in the marinade. It adds a lot. The tahini is mostly to add some protein and body to the jackfruit, as well as mute any leftover brine flavor. But you could certainly give it a shot!
Otilija Todd
For the canned jackfruit, do you remove the seeds that are often in them? Or do you just leave them in there? This sounds like a great recipe. I miss reubens.
Cadry
You can leave the seeds. If you give them a squeeze, they’re pretty soft. Once you pulse the jackfruit in the food processor, you won’t even notice them. I hope you get a chance to make it!
Stephanie
Reubens were my mom and I’s favorite sandwich. She is no longer with us so I love to enjoy Reubens and remember her. Since going vegan 2 years ago I haven’t had one. I stumbled across this recipe and omg! I agree with a previous comment I almost cried! It was so wonderful and I got to think of my mommy. Thank you so much for a fabulous recipe!! And this is the first review I have ever left on a recipe it was so good I had to comment. Thank you again. I left out the beets because I didn’t have any on hand and it wasn’t pink but it was wonderful!
Cadry
I am so touched by your words, Stephanie. This has to be one of my favorite comments ever. I’m glad this recipe could be transportive for you & remind you of your mom. Thank you for sharing!
Laurie
We love this recipe exactly as written. Skipped the beats. You do not need cheese with this one. Thank you Cadry for the excellent recipe!
Cadry
Thank you, Laurie! I’m so glad to hear that you love it!
Mel
This was a revelation! I have tried a number of jackfruit recipes and alternatives to corned beef and this is hands down the best. I substituted canned pickled beets, and used the juice instead of pickle juice. Then I just added a bit more dill and some mustard seeds to the liquid mixture. Thank you for this!
Mel
I also threw in a squirt of liquid smoke.
Cadry
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Mel! Thanks for the great feedback & notes about your substitutions.
Bliss
I’ve never used canned beets but would they work for this? Do they have a funny flavor?
Cadry
I’ve never used canned beets or tasted them either. However, I think they’d work fine in this recipe. It’s just two Tablespoons of beets, and that’s entirely for color. All of the other flavorings are really strong, so you don’t even taste the beets. If you’d prefer, you can omit them. The jackfruit just won’t be pink.
Asha
Hi,
How long do you think the thousand island dressing would last in the fridge after making?
Love this recipe so much!
Thanks
Cadry
Hi, Asha! That’s a great question. The dressing should last for at least five days. All of the ingredients last a long time in the refrigerator separately (mayo, ketchup, lemon juice, and pickles). So it may be fine for longer, as long as it doesn’t start separating. I’m so glad you love the recipe!
Todd
Delicious!
Cadry
So glad you enjoyed it, Todd!
Kelsey G
I could eat this every day for every meals. I wanted to cry it’s so good. Corned Beef/Reubens were one of my favorite foods before going vegan. Thank you for this recipe!!
Cadry
Aw, this may be my favorite feedback ever! I’m so glad you enjoyed the reuben, Kelsey. You’ve made my day!
Angie Huffman
Amazing…
Susan
Kept a bit of filling and sauce leftover from my nourish bowl so I could make a sandwich as well, and it was great. I didn’t have rye bread, but I made do. And I added the avocado. Excellent!
Cadry
Excellent! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Susan!
Earlene
I am slowly working my way through all of your jackfruit recipes. We had the Reuben’s for lunch today and Jim says they are better than the ones he orders at a local restaurant, which are tofu based. I have never eaten a real Reuben, so I can’t compare it that way, but Jim has and he enjoyed yours just as much. I used beet powder for the coloring, just adding it to the other liquids and didn’t have to dirty my blender. We had your pink onions, some whole grain mustard, pickles, and sprouts along with the usual toppings in our assemble your own lunch. Thanks for another great recipe!
Cadry Nelson
Thanks for the great feedback, Earlene! I’m so glad that you and Jim enjoyed the sandwiches. That’s a great tip on using beet powder to save yourself from cleaning the blender. I love the idea of adding pickled red onions. I’ll have to do that next time I make it!
Je
So delicious. Really simple recipe to develop amazing flavor. Honestly. I can’t even.
Cadry
That is so nice to hear. I’m thrilled that you enjoyed it!
allison
pickle juice—-sweet or dill pickle?
Cadry
Dill. I’ll update the recipe! Thanks for asking!
Darlene
I’m so-so on jackfruit, so I’m thinking I could make this with soy curls. I don’t see how it could turn out bad if it even remotely tastes like corned beef!
Cadry
Maybe give it a shot with jackfruit first! I was always so-so about jackfruit too, but this new method I’ve been using over the past 6 months of processing the jackfruit, drying it in a pan, infusing it with a flavorful broth, and then finishing with tahini have really changed how I feel about it. It might do the same for you!
But if you do try it with Soy Curls instead, let me know how it goes! I may try it with Soy Curls in the future myself.
Susan
I love Reubens as well! They are not that common here in Australia, especially vegan ones. But I hve enjoyed some on my US visits, and made some myself as well. I will add this to the list.
Cadry
I’m excited for you to try it, Susan! I hope you enjoy it!
Becky Striepe
Oh my goodness, I love a Reuben, and this one looks amazing! What a great idea to use beets for color!
Cadry
Thanks, Becky! I can’t take credit for the beets idea. Chicago Diner uses beets in their marinade too. It’s a pretty popular way to get that hot pink color. We will have to get one of their reubens this summer!!
Kris
The original FUD was also one of my favorites. Hard to choose between that and the Chicago Diner but this looks absolutely mouth-watering delicious. I will be making this for sure to satisfy my Rueben cravings; unless of course you would deliver to Dubuque.
Thanks Cadry
Cadry
Yes, I remember how sad I was when you messaged me that they were closing… And then happy when you messaged me they had re-opened. And then sad when they closed again. It’s been quite a roller coaster!
I agree that it’s hard to choose between the Chicago Diner or FUD reuben. They’re so different! I always say that my favorite reuben is the one in front of me. 😉
Sadly, Dubuque is juuuuuuuuuust outside of my delivery radius. But if you’re ever in my area, I’ll be happy to hook you up!
Dianne
I’d rather have a reuben than roses, too! I make reubens every once in a while, and I usually use tempeh. I’m planning on making this one really soon!
Cadry
In general, tempeh isn’t my favorite. But I’ll make an exception for tempeh reubens! I’ll be excited to hear what you think of this reuben, Dianne!
Shell
I can’t believe how much this looks like a real Reuben! My favorite use of Gold Mine sauerkraut is an individual size Rueben pizza (minus the corned beef). I think this would make a great pizza, too!
Cadry
Oh, what a good idea to make a reuben pizza, Shell! I have some leftover corned jackfruit. I’ll have to do that with what’s left!
Laurie
I have been making this recipe for a couple of years. I skip the beets for ease. I just want you to know how much I love this recipe. Thank you.
Cadry Nelson
That’s so nice to hear! I’m thrilled you’re enjoying it. Thank you for letting me know!