Vegan reuben bowl with jackfruit corned beef (gluten-free)

For this comforting recipe, marbled rye is replaced with a bed of roasted potatoes, dotted with lightly caramelized onions and peppers.

Then the hash is topped with jackfruit corned beef, sauerkraut, shredded cabbage, baby spinach, and avocado. Finally, it’s finished with vegan Thousand Island dressing.

There’s tantalizing reuben flavor in every spoonful of this gluten-free bowl.

Prefer the full sandwich experience instead? Make a jackfruit corned beef reuben sandwich or seitan reuben sandwich.

In this post:

Here are the ingredients you will need to make this recipe.

For the roasted potato hash:

Russet potatoes: Leave the skin on for extra texture and to simplify the prep.

Onion: Yellow onion is my preferred option for roasting because of its mildly sweet flavor.

Bell pepper: Red, orange, or yellow add delicious sweetness.

Oil: A light drizzle of a neutral-flavored oil helps with browning. Avocado oil is my go-to.

Salt and pepper: Just a pinch elevates the flavor.

For the Thousand Island dressing:

Vegan mayonnaise: Vegenaise is my go-to, but 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 lemon juice adds acid and tang.

Pickles: Dill pickles offer crunch and flavor.

For the jackfruit corned beef:

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. Stay away from fresh or ripe jackfruit in syrup, which are too sweet for this recipe.

Look for canned jackfruit at Asian markets or natural grocery stores. You can also buy it online.

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 and offers a little bump of protein.

For the vegan reuben bowl:

Potato hash, Thousand Island dressing, and jackfruit corned beef: Made from the previous ingredients.

Cabbage: Either cut a head of cabbage into shreds or buy packaged shredded cabbage mix. (Store-bought mixes often include purple cabbage and carrot, which adds color and nutrients.)

Baby spinach: Look for bright, green leaves that aren’t wet or wilted.

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.

Avocado: Choose a ripe avocado with gentle give.

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 roasted potato hash. Coat chopped bell pepper, onion, and potatoes in oil, salt, and pepper, and roast in the oven.

Pro tip: While the potato hash is roasting, you can make the jackfruit corned beef and dressing. This makes the recipe faster and easier.

2. Make vegan Thousand Island dressing. Combine the following in a small bowl:

• Vegan mayo
• Ketchup
• Lemon juice
• Dill pickles

3. Make the corned jackfruit brine. Blend the following:

• Dill pickle juice
• Cooked beets
• Water
• Tamari
• Better Than Bouillon no beef base

4. Drain and rinse canned jackfruit in a colander. Then pour it onto a clean kitchen towel, and wring it dry to get out as much liquid from the can as possible.

5. Transfer the jackfruit to a food processor. Give it a few pulses to break it up into small, even pieces.

6. Brown the shredded jackfruit. Don't move it too often, so that it can get nice and brown on both sides.

7. Pour the reserved beet liquid into the pan. Then add granulated onion and dried dill. Let it simmer, allowing the jackfruit to fully soak up the liquid.

8. Turn off the heat once the skillet is mostly dry. Stir in a spoonful of tahini.

Tahini evens out the flavors, adds a little protein, and mutes any remaining brine flavor from the can.

9. Compile the vegan reuben bowls. Fill four bowls evenly with:

• Jackfruit corned beef
• Roasted potato hash
• Sauerkraut
• Baby spinach
• Shredded cabbage
• Avocado

10. Finish with a drizzling of dressing.

It’s easy to make this jackfruit reuben bowl your own by varying the ingredients.

• Replace roasted potato hash with air fryer roasted potatoes, air fryer baked potato, or tater tots.
• Swap out homemade dressing for bottled vegan Thousand Island dressing.
• Lean into the reuben vibes by adding vegan croutons made with marbled rye. (Use gluten-free bread, if necessary.)

Store each bowl 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. The potatoes reheat nicely in an oiled skillet.

For more recipes inspired by reubens, check out my vegan reuben round-up.

📖 Recipe

Vegan reuben bowl with jackfruit corned beef

Author: Cadry Nelson

5 from 4 votes

Get the flavors of a vegan reuben without the bread! This hearty and filling bowl is packed with jackfruit corned beef, sauerkraut, avocado, potatoes, and a Thousand Island drizzle.

To maximize your time, make the dressing and jackfruit corned beef while the potato hash is roasting in the oven.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 32 minutes minutes

Total Time: 47 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 people

Course: Bowl, Lunch

Cuisine: American, Vegan

Keyword: buddha bowl, nourish bowl, power bowl

Ingredients

Roasted potato hash

• ▢ 1 small bell pepper red, yellow, or orange, about 5 ounces or roughly ¾ cup, chopped medium
• ▢ 1 small yellow onion about 4 ounces or roughly ¾ cup, chopped medium
• ▢ 2 medium Russet potatoes about 13 ounces total or roughly 2 generous cups, chopped medium
• ▢ 2 teaspoons avocado oil or other neutral-flavored high heat oil
• ▢ Pinch of salt
• ▢ Dash of pepper

Vegan Thousand Island dressing

• ▢ 2 Tablespoons vegan mayonnaise I use Vegenaise
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon ketchup
• ▢ ½ teaspoon lemon juice
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon finely chopped dill pickles

Jackfruit corned beef

• ▢ 2 Tablespoons cooked beets*
• ▢ 1 cup water
• ▢ 1 teaspoon tamari
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon no beef base
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons dill pickle juice brine from jar
• ▢ 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 or onion powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon dried dill
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon tahini

Vegan reuben bowl toppings

• ▢ 1 cup sauerkraut
• ▢ 1 cup baby spinach
• ▢ 1 cup shredded cabbage
• ▢ 1 avocado sliced

Instructions

To make roasted potato hash

• ▢
  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Then line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

  (If your baking sheets are small, use two of them. For proper browning, it's important the ingredients have room to spread out.)
• ▢
  Put chopped bell pepper, onion, and potatoes on parchment paper covered baking sheet. Toss with oil, and top with a pinch of salt and dash of pepper.

  Spread the mixture evenly across the baking sheet in a single layer, being careful that the vegetables don't overlap.
• ▢
  Bake for 20 minutes.
• ▢
  Remove baking sheet from oven. Toss the bell peppers, onions, and potatoes with a spatula.

  Spread them across the baking sheet again, and cook for 10 more minutes.
• ▢
  Remove from oven and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Set aside.

To make vegan Thousand Island dressing

• ▢
  In a small bowl, combine vegan mayonnaise, ketchup, lemon juice, and dill pickles. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

To make jackfruit corned beef

• ▢
  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.

To compile vegan reuben bowls with toppings

• ▢
  Fill four bowls with a few spoonfuls of jackfruit corned beef, roasted potato hash, sauerkraut, spinach, and shredded cabbage. Put ¼ avocado on each bowl.
• ▢
  Finish each one with a drizzle of vegan Thousand Island dressing.

Notes

*The cooked beets are added for color alone. So if you don’t want/don’t care if your corned jackfruit is pink, feel free to leave them out.

If you do leave them out, then you don’t need to get the blender involved. Simply add the water, tamari, bouillon, pickle juice, and spices to the pan with the jackfruit after it has been browned. 

Options for cooking fresh or frozen beet:

1. 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.)
2. Microwave: Use frozen beets that are sold peeled & in chunks. Grab about 3 chunks, and pop them into the microwave for about 30 seconds.
3. Steam: Put the fresh or frozen beet into a steamer basket, and steam until fork tender.
4. 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.)

If you have a high speed blender, you can use raw or frozen beet pieces for the marinade. Just add them to the blender. You don’t even have to thaw the frozen beets before blending.

If you have access to an air fryer, you can make breakfast-style air fryer potatoes instead.

About the dressing amount: This makes just enough dressing for each bowl to get a small drizzle of Thousand Island. If you prefer a very saucy bowl or would like leftovers, I recommend doubling or tripling the recipe.

Note about gluten: If you have a gluten sensitivity, use a vegan bouillon or broth that works for your needs when making the jackfruit corned beef.

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Nutrition

Calories: 395kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 789mg | Potassium: 989mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1616IU | Vitamin C: 55mg | Calcium: 127mg | Iron: 3mg