Flavorful vegan jackfruit carnitas tacos are infused with red wine, cumin, ancho chili powder, and coriander. They are then topped with lettuce, tomatoes, and guacamole. They are destined to become a dinner favorite!
If you love savory tacos, loaded with flavor, then you’re going to be all over these jackfruit carnitas tacos.
Delectable jackfruit carnitas are infused with wine, ancho chili powder, cumin, and other spices.
Then once it is totally infused with flavor and almost ready to serve, I add tahini to the skillet, so that it becomes clumpy, and gets some bite to it.
It’s wonderfully flavorful. I’ve been making it at least once a week for the past couple of months. I hope you will love it as much as I do!
Where to buy jackfruit
You can find it so many places nowadays.
- I buy mine at Trader Joe’s. It’s sold in the center aisles with their other canned products. It’s one of my favorite vegan Trader Joe’s products.
- It’s available at most natural grocery stores, including Whole Foods. Look in the aisles with other Asian foods – like tamari or rice noodles.
- You can also find it in standalone Asian markets. (The Indian market in my town carries it.)
What kind of jackfruit should I buy?
Buy green jackfruit in a can like this for this carnitas recipe.
This is important – you want to buy canned jackfruit that is packed in water or brine, not the kind in syrup. It’s sometimes called “green jackfruit.”
As the name would suggest, it is a fruit. The kind that’s in cans in water or brine is not ripe yet. (That’s why it’s “young.”)
Don’t buy fresh, ripe jackfruit for jackfruit carnitas.
The massive kind that is sold fresh in the produce area won’t work for this recipe either. It’s lovely on its own, but the flavor profile is totally different than the kind sold in cans.
Ripe jackfruit is very sweet and kind of reminds me of canned peaches + mango in taste and texture.
(If you ever want to buy ripe jackfruit just for its own sake, some grocery stores sell it in slices – as shown above. That’s really convenient when you don’t want to commit to a whole, watermelon-sized fruit.)
How to make this recipe
Start by draining the jackfruit. Then give it a good, generous rinse in a colander or berry bowl.
The jackfruit will be in large triangle shapes. You can use all parts of it, unless any of the pods seem very hard.
Blot the pieces on a towel to dry them. Then move them to a food processor with an S-blade.
Pulse the food processor 5 or 6 times.
By shredding it first into smaller pieces, any spices and flavorings that are added get fully infused into them. If you have bigger pieces of jackfruit, all of the flavor doesn’t get fully saturated into it.
Now it’s time to brown it!
Heat a large non-stick skillet with a light layer of oil. Let the jackfruit get nice & brown before flipping & browning the other side.
Scoot the browned jackfruit to one side & sauté onions & garlic.
Infuse it with flavor and de-glaze the pan
Add red wine to the skillet.
I like to use a dry red wine like Carmenere, Garnacha, or Tempranillo.
Albero Tempranillo and La Granja Tempranillo/Garnacha at Trader Joe’s both have “vegan” right on the label. Otherwise, check out Barnivore to find out a wine’s vegan status.
In addition to the wine, add water, the no beef flavor of Better Than Bouillon, cumin, coriander, ancho chili powder, paprika, tamari, and salt.
Let the jackfruit simmer in the liquid & spices. After about ten minutes, it should cook down, and be mostly dry.
Turn the heat off. Add tahini to the jackfruit. Use a spatula to fully combine it.
Taste for heat and salt. Add more salt, if you like, and/or a few dashes of hot sauce.
What if I don’t have a food processor?
No problem! In that case, just brown the large pieces of jackfruit in a light layer of oil on the skillet. Get both sides nice and brown.
Then use your spatula to break it up into pieces, as small as you can. Brown it a little more.
Then jump to the step where you add more oil, onions, and garlic (step 5 in the recipe box below), and continue from there.
Time to taco!
Heat the taco shells according to the package directions, or use an air fryer.
How to air fry taco shells
I like to heat my hard corn shells in the air fryer. I keep them nested inside of each other, and put them straight into the basket. (If you have the little paper cone in the last one, that’s even better, because then the taco shell won’t close in on itself.)
Heat at 370 degrees for three to four minutes. Be careful taking the shells out of the air fryer. They will be hot. (I like to use my toast tongs when removing them.)
If you’d prefer to use soft corn tortillas or wheat tortillas, that will work too. It’s your call!
Load it up!
Add jackfruit carnitas to each shell, plus lettuce, tomatoes, a dollop of easy guacamole, and a pinch of non-dairy cheese.
My preferred cheese for taco-making is Daiya in a cheddar block. I don’t like the pre-shredded Daiya very much. But if you use the cheddar-style farmhouse block and shred it by hand, it’s remarkably good.
(You can find my other favorite vegan cheeses in this post, The Best Vegan Cheese For Your Every Need.)
I hope you love these tacos as much as we’ve been loving them at my house.
Jackfruit carnitas tacos with red wine
Ingredients
For the jackfruit carnitas
- 20 ounces young green jackfruit canned in water or brine, not syrup, drained and rinsed
- 2 teaspoons organic canola oil divided
- ½ cup chopped onions
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon no-beef base
- ¼ dry red wine I especially like Carmenere, Garnacha, or Tempranillo
- 1 teaspoon low-sodium tamari
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon ancho chili powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon tahini
- A few dashes of hot sauce optional
For the tacos
- 6 hard corn shells or the tortillas of your choice
- 1 cup green leaf lettuce roughly chopped
- ½ cup chopped tomatoes
- 1 batch easy guacamole
- ½ cup shredded non-dairy cheese
- Optional toppings: chopped cilantro, jalapeño pepper slices, hot sauce
Instructions
To make the jackfruit carnitas
- Drain and rinse the jackfruit in a colander. Then move the pieces to a towel, so that they will be as dry as possible. (Lots of extra water on it will make it harder to brown.)
- Move the jackfruit pieces to a food processor. Pulse the food processor a few times, until it is broken up into shredded pieces. (Don't do it so many times that you end up with jackfruit hummus. Just 5 or 6 pulses should be good.)
- Bring a large, non-stick skillet to a medium high heat with a teaspoon of oil. Put an even layer of shredded jackfruit in the skillet. Don't move it for a few minutes. Allow it to get fully brown on one side, then flip the jackfruit shreds and allow it to brown more.
- Once the jackfruit is nice and brown, move it to one side of the skillet. Put the remaining teaspoon of oil in the skillet, and put the chopped onions and minced garlic on it. The skillet will be pretty hot at this point. If it looks like the garlic will burn, lower the heat. Saute the onions and garlic for a minute or two. Then incorporate them with the browned jackfruit.
- Pour the cup of water, Better Than Bouillon, red wine, tamari, cumin, coriander, ancho chili powder, paprika, and salt in the skillet. 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.
- Turn off the heat and put the tahini on top of the jackfruit. Use your spatula to fully incorporate everything with the tahini, making sure it's evenly combined.
- Taste for salt & heat. If necessary, add more salt and/or a few dashes of hot sauce. Then fully combine everything with a spatula.
To make the tacos
- Now it's time to make the tacos. Heat 6 hard corn shells according to package instructions. If you'd like to use the air fryer to heat the corn shells, put them tucked inside of each other into the air fryer basket. Heat at 370 degrees for 3 to 4 minutes. Be careful removing them from the air fryer basket. They will be hot.
- Fill each taco shell with several spoonfuls of jackfruit carnitas. Then top them with pinches of green leaf lettuce, and chopped tomatoes. Add a dollop of guacamole to each, and a sprinkling of non-dairy cheese. If you'd like, add any optional toppings to the tacos like cilantro, jalapeño pepper slices, and dashes of hot sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Have leftovers?
If you have jackfruit carnitas leftovers, make vegan taquitos! They can be cooked in the air fryer or oven.
David
As Billy Joel once said – “Only the Good Jackfruit Die Young”, but it’s totally worth it to make these delicious tacos! I can attest to the fact that these are really, really good. 🙂
Cadry
I had no idea that’s what Billy Joel was singing about. But now that you say it, it makes a lot of sense. I’ve learned something here today. Also, I’m glad you loved the tacos!
Dianne
I just happened to have bought a can of jackfruit at Trader Joe’s today with no plan for it mind. And then you posted this recipe, so I guess you knew I needed a yummy new recipe. I love the addition of the tahini! I’m looking forward to trying it!
Cadry
How fortuitous! It was meant to be. I think you’re going to love the addition of tahini to jackfruit. Let me know how it goes!
Susan
I love your jackfruit tips! I normally shred it/moosh it by hand or with a fork, but I think a food processor will be much better at getting nicer sized bits. Plus adding tahini, genius!
Cadry
Thanks, Susan! I’ve used my hands and a fork in the past too. It’s so much faster and more seamless with a food processor, and the pieces are a lot more even. Let me know if you try tahini with your jackfruit in the future!
Becky Striepe
CADRY! These are so good, and using wine in the mix was a great idea. I love a boozy taco!
Cadry
I’m so glad to hear that you liked them, Becky! Boozy tacos FTW!
Kathy Hester
I love the idea of using a food processor on the jackfruit. I do mine by hand and this will save tons of time!
Cadry
Oh, yes, the food processor is very handy for that. I used to always do it by hand too, but you can’t beat the convenience & even sizing with the food processor.
Shell
I had no idea one could buy canned jackfruit. I’ve never tried it myself, but have seen it used like pulled pork over the years. Is there anywhere in Iowa to buy Herbvorious Butcher items?
Cadry
Yes, there are a few places in Iowa that have Herbivorous Butcher products. All three New Pioneer Co-op locations have it in Iowa City, Coralville, and Cedar Rapids.
Lucy
Made the carnitas for dinner last night—my first try cooking jackfruit. So tasty! Nice with a fresh peach salsa avocado, and black beans on soft corn tortillas.
I love the seasoning combo you use, but I forgot to pick up the wine! I added a swig of the tamarind soda we were going to have with dinner and a little dribble of balsamic. Sounds weird but it seemed to work well! I will definitely make this again (and remember the wine this time!).
Cadry
That’s great, Lucy! I’m so glad that you enjoyed the carnitas, and that your workaround for the forgotten wine was a success! I like the idea of serving it with peach salsa and black beans. Sounds so fresh!
Linda from Veganosity
I rinse, squeeze the water out, rinse and repeat a few times, then simmer in no-chicken broth or “beef” broth for around 20 minutes, then roast it until the edges get crispy. I’ll have to try the tahini, that’s an interesting concept.
These look so good, Cadry! I’m definitely going to make these.
Cadry
Good tips, Linda! Thanks for sharing. I’ll be interested to hear what you think of the addition of tahini.
Mermaid
I have made this so many times!! I love making it for non-vegans and they love it.
holly
Do you think white wine would be okay? I know they are different, but I am wondering if I could use what I have on hand instead of buying another bottle?! Thanks!
Cadry
I think that would be fine. Like you intimated, the flavor of white wine is a little different & not quite as robust. But there are a lot of other flavors going on here. So I think it would still be good. Let me know how it goes, Holly!
Kathleen M.
I made these for my non-vegan family last night and they were fantastic. I followed the recipe exactly, except we used whole wheat flour tortillas, as my mother doesn’t like corn. Tonight we had the leftovers and they were even better (I had doubled the recipe). This is restaurant worthy, we all absolutely loved it! Thank you!
Cadry Nelson
That warms my heart so much, Kathleen! I’m delighted that you and your family enjoyed them. Thank you for letting me know!