Vegan pulled pork is made with Soy Curls and cooked with barbecue sauce. Make them in the air fryer (my preferred way) or use a skillet. It’s a saucy vegan protein you can really sink your teeth into!
When you crave a hearty, protein-packed entrée with smoky flavor and plenty of chewy bite, vegan pulled pork is the answer. It’s made with Soy Curls, and cooked in the air fryer or skillet.
Coated in smoky barbecue sauce, it’s a wonderful complement to an evening of comfort food. The Soy Curls get delightfully crisp around the edges, while maintaining chewiness down the middle.
Great as part of a BBQ bowl or piled onto a vegan BBQ sandwich.
(Can’t find Soy Curls in your area? Make BBQ jackfruit instead!)
What are Soy Curls?
Soy Curls are made with just one ingredient – non-GMO whole soybeans. They are texturized into shreds & dried.
(Once opened, remember to store them in the refrigerator or freezer, because they don’t have any preservatives in them.)
In Portland, Oregon, Soy Curls are quite the culinary darling. They can be found in bulk bins at grocery stores, as well as on the menus of many restaurants. (I’m particularly fond of the way they are served at the magical Homegrown Smoker.)
For the rest of us, though, Soy Curls are less common. I’m able to find them in bags at my local Natural Grocers. Or they can be purchased online.
Vegan barbecue sauce
For this recipe, you’ll need store-bought or homemade barbecue sauce. Luckily, there are loads of animal product-free barbecue sauces out there. You can find them in any grocery store.
You’ll just want to read the ingredient label since some brands use non-vegan Worcestershire sauce, which includes anchovies.
To make this a gluten-free entrée, be sure to choose a gluten-free barbecue sauce.
Out of barbecue sauce? No problem. You probably have everything you need to make this easy barbecue sauce in just minutes. No cooking required – only stirring.
How to make vegan pulled pork
Since Soy Curls are a dried product, they need to be hydrated first. Start by soaking them in water + bouillon (or broth) for ten minutes.
Drain over a mesh sieve. Then really squeeze the Soy Curls to get out all of the moisture that you can. (This leads to the best browning.)
Soy Curls are already in shreds. But to make the texture even better for a vegan pulled pork situation, I like to shred the curls even more using my fingers.
They shred in a way that feels similar to string cheese. Don’t worry about the pieces being even.
The shredded texture means that there are more edges to get crispy in the air fryer or skillet. And it improves the ratio of BBQ sauce to Soy Curl per bite.
Put the shredded Soy Curls into the air fryer basket to dry them even further. Or if you prefer, cook them in a lightly oiled skillet.
Once they’re dry, remove them from the air fryer or skillet, toss with barbecue sauce, and then brown with oil or air fry for a few more minutes.
Finish with more barbecue sauce if you like for saucier vegan pulled pork.
What to serve with vegan pulled pork
Vegan pulled pork plays well with all kinds of Southern favorites. Pile them onto a vegan BBQ sandwich with coleslaw.
Or serve them with:
- Vegan potato salad
- Sautéed kale
- Vegan grits
- Black-eyed peas and collard greens
- Fried green tomatoes in the air fryer or beer battered fried green tomatoes
- Fried zucchini
- Grilled vegetable skewers
- Corn cakes
- Vegan pasta salad
If you love carb on carb action as much as I do, I highly recommend making a burrito with vegan pulled pork, non-dairy mac & cheese, and collard greens.
Pro tip: barbecued Soy Curls are also delicious with a drizzle of vegan ranch dressing on top.
Looking for more ways to use Soy Curls? They’re also terrific in meatless chili and Buffalo Soy Curls sandwiches.
Vegan pulled pork
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon vegetarian Better Than Bouillon no chicken base*
- 1 cup Soy Curls
- ¼ cup BBQ sauce plus more for drizzling
- 1 teaspoon canola oil divided (Only if cooking in skillet)
Instructions
- Soak Soy Curls in water water & bouillon in a bowl for 10 minutes. Drain them in mesh sieve, squeezing out all excess water.
- Move them to a bowl, and physically pull apart the hydrated Curls into shreds, like shredding string cheese.
- TO COOK IN AN AIR FRYER: Air fry the Soy Curls for 3 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove them from air fryer, move them back to the bowl, toss in ¼ cup of BBQ sauce, and stir them. Make sure all of the curls gets evenly coated. Return to air fryer. Air fry 5 minutes at 400 degrees, stopping twice to shake pan.
- TO COOK IN A SKILLET: Bring skillet to a medium heat with ½ teaspoon oil. Add the hydrated & squeezed Soy Curls to the pan, and fry for 3 minutes, until they are dry and slightly crisp. Remove them from skillet and move them back to the bowl. Toss them with ¼ cup of barbecue sauce, making sure each Curl gets evenly coated. Put the remaining ½ teaspoon oil in skillet, and cook the Curls for 4 minutes longer. Don't move them too much, so that they can get some nice dark marks on them.
- If you like saucier Soy Curls, drizzle more barbecue sauce onto them when serving.Serve with vegan potato salad, collard greens, and/or non-dairy mac and cheese.
Notes
Nutrition
Content, recipe, and photos updated March 31, 2021. Originally posted March 5, 2018.
Becky Striepe
Oh my gosh, I love how simple this recipe is and just happen to have all of these ingredients in the fridge right now! I’m going to see if Darrol wants this for supper with a baked potato and kale!
Cadry
That’s great, Becky! You’ll have to let me know if you try it. I love the idea of serving it with a baked potato and kale. I was thinking it would be terrific with sweet potato too!
Kristin
yay! i just got an air fryer and was wondering if i could make soy curls in it. i’m excited to give this a try!
Cadry
Awesome! I hope you love them, Kristin, and congrats on the new air fryer!
Laura
I am new to the vegan lifestyle so I knew nothing about soy curls. Soy curls where have you been all my life? The recipe was easy. I used my air fryer and the soy curls came out crispy which was wonderful! (Not a fan of jackfruit. Like Cadry says it looks good but I never like it.) I made sandwiches with bbq soy curls, toasted gluten free bread and coleslaw. It was really easy and so good. This recipe is a keeper.
Cadry
I’m so glad to hear that, Laura! Thank you for letting me know.
Becky Striepe
I made these in the air fryer for lunch, and I’m glad I was home alone, so I didn’t have to share! Definitely a new fave.
Cadry
Aw, that’s great to hear, Becky! And I’m glad you didn’t have to share. 🙂
Lucy
I didn’t find any Soy Curls when we were stateside last month but I was able to order some online and this was the first recipe I made with them. Yum! We had it with mashed potatoes and sautéed chard. Will definitely make again. Love the idea of having this with mac and cheez too!
Cadry
That sounds like such a cozy meal! I’m really glad that you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for letting me know, Lucy!
Becky
I have made this recipe so many times in my air fryer. The first time I soaked them in water because that’s all I had to work with. I just reread the recipe and realized I’ve never shredded them and I don’t shake them during the 5 minutes and they’ve turned out delicious every time!!! Sometimes I make extra for niece to take to work with her and she reheats them in the microwave and she says they are still amazing!!! Thank you for the super easy amazing delicious recipe!!!
Cadry
I am so very glad to hear that, Becky! Thank you for circling back to let me know!
Blue
I need more stars!!!!! This was AHHHHH-MAZING!!!!! I’m a Texas girl, so I didn’t shred the curls (I wanted to keep that *bite*) and I plated them on a slider bun and then topped with some chopped onion and a nice-sized dill pickle slice– H E A V E N ! ! ! Thank you oh so much for this easy and absolutely DEEEEEE-LICIOUS recipe! (If you are reading this comment/rating and you haven’t run to go and make these, what the heck are you waiting for?!?!?! SOOOOOOOO good!)
Cadry
Your comment has made my day, Blue! I’m so glad that you enjoyed them, and thank you for taking the time to comment & rate!
Monica
I have never cooked with soy curls, I’m a 3 week old vegan, and I have chosen your recipe to pop my soy curl cherry for lunch tomorrow. Serving with vegan mashed potatoes. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Susan
One-year vegan here, and I’ve been looking for an easy intro recipe using soy curls. This recipe is my new BBQ best friend. Easy, quick prep, and delicious on a bun or by itself. Thank you so much for sharing.
Cadry
I’m so glad to hear it, Susan! Thank you for letting me know!
The Student-turned-Doctor @ Food for Dissertating
This was so easy and so good! The first time around I had them with corn on the cob and potato salad. I put the leftovers on a hamburger bun and had that with cucumber-tomato salad and more potato salad. Both great meals! Shredding the soy curls is a genius move.
Cadry Nelson
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, and I like your serving suggestions! Potato salad, cucumber-tomato salad, and corn on the cob are always very welcome.