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You’re going to love this vegan reuben jackfruit sandwich. It is packed with corned jackfruit, crunchy sauerkraut, and tangy Thousand Island dressing on toasted marbled rye. It’s a flavor-packed lunch or dinner that 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 I’ve been known to concoct road trips just because there’s vegan reuben at the end of it.
I have a list of 12 vegan reubens from across the U.S. to prove it.
My reuben list used to have one more addition, but it had to be deleted. That was the vegan reuben jackfruit sandwich from FÜD in Kansas City.
It was no fault of the sandwich. The restaurant itself closed a while back.
Once upon a time, David and I would come up with any excuse for making the 7-hour drive to Kansas City, mostly so that we could eat at FÜD. They specialized in jackfruit & raw dishes.
Even before they closed, making a FÜD-style jackfruit sandwich had been on my to-do list for a while. I’m so excited to finally share my recipe with you today!
A vegan reuben sandwich needs four things:
- A briny, toothsome filling
- Sauerkraut
- Thousand Island-style dressing
- Rye bread (Preferably marbled)
Corned jackfruit
The “corned jackfruit” filling is what makes this reuben such a standout.
This bright pink jackfruit sandwich 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 pickled turnips.
The hot pink jackfruit is reminiscent of the corned beef that’s on non-vegan reuben sandwiches.
Also adding to the corned beef quality is mouth puckering pickle juice, umami-rich bouillon & tamari, dill, and granulated onion.
Sauerkraut
For the sauerkraut, I always recommend using refrigerated sauerkraut, as opposed to the shelf stable kind sold in the middle grocery aisles. Those jars sold at room temperature just don’t have the crunch and vibrancy that you need in a reuben.
Remember to drain your sauerkraut completely. (You could even wring it in a towel if necessary.) You don’t want to end up with a soggy sandwich.
Vegan Thousand Island dressing
The sandwich is drizzled with a quick Thousand Island dressing made with vegan mayonnaise, lemon juice, ketchup, and diced pickles.
Finally, it’s topped onto rye bread that’s been toasted in a skillet.
The crunch of the bread & cold sauerkraut, plus briny corned jackfruit and tangy Thousand Island dressing makes for a truly unforgettable sandwich.
(Plan on making a double batch of the dressing, and use the rest on this cheeseburger pizza recipe!)
What about the cheese?
Non-vegan reubens usually come with Swiss cheese. Swiss is very mild, and I don’t think it adds a lot in terms of flavor. So I didn’t include non-dairy cheese in today’s sandwich recipe.
However, if you’d like, feel free to include a slice of non-dairy cheese. (Just add it to the bread in the skillet as it’s toasting, so that it can get a little melty.)
Non-dairy provolone or smoked gouda would be good here. Or you could add slices of avocado.
How to make this sandwich
Start by thoroughly rinsing and drying canned jackfruit. (Look for jackfruit sold in water or brine, not syrup. To see the specific Trader Joe’s jackfruit I buy, check out this post on jackfruit carnitas.)
Give the jackfruit a few pulses in the food processor until it’s broken up into small, even pieces.
Put 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.
Put cooked beets into a blender with water, no beef style Better Than Bouillon, pickle juice, and tamari. Blend until smooth.
For the cooked beets, I use frozen beets from Trader Joe’s. The bag is labeled Beet Chunks. They’re frozen beet chunks that have been peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces.
They’re very handy, because I can just use a few without having to worry they will go bad before I can use them. I throw about three pieces of beets in a bowl, and microwave them for 30 seconds. I give some other options in the notes section of the recipe card.
If you’re not into the hot pink color of the sandwich, simply leave the beets out.
Add the beet liquid from the blender plus seasonings to the browned jackfruit. Allow the jackfruit to fully soak up the liquid.
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.
Put the jackfruit filling onto toasted marbled rye with a generous drizzle of homemade vegan Thousand Island dressing.
I am so eager for you to try this sandwich. I know you’re going to love it. And best of all, you don’t even have to drive 7 hours to eat it!
Vegan reuben jackfruit sandwich with Thousand Island
Ingredients
Vegan Thousand Island dressing
- 2 Tablespoons vegan mayonnaise I use Vegenaise
- 1 Tablespoon ketchup
- 1/2 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 organic canola oil or other neutral-flavored, high heat oil
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated onion
- 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 Tablespoon tahini
Vegan reuben jackfruit sandwich
- 8 slices marbled rye bread
- non-dairy butter for toasting bread (optional)
- 1 cup sauerkraut drained (I like garlic sauerkraut from Gold Mine.)
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, combined 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. Then blot it on a towel. (If it's too wet, it won't brown as well.)
- 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.
- Bring canola 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 is nicely browned, 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 vegan reuben jackfruit 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 1/4 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
Nutrition
Looking for more vegan reuben options? Put this jackfruit corned beef into a jackfruit reuben nourish bowl. Also check out this seitan vegan reuben sandwich recipe from Chicago Diner, or kimchi reuben with bulgogi tofu.
Shell says
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 says
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!
Dianne says
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 says
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!
Kris says
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 says
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!
Becky Striepe says
Oh my goodness, I love a Reuben, and this one looks amazing! What a great idea to use beets for color!
Cadry says
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!!
Susan says
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 says
I’m excited for you to try it, Susan! I hope you enjoy it!
Darlene says
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 says
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.
allison says
pickle juice—-sweet or dill pickle?
Cadry says
Dill. I’ll update the recipe! Thanks for asking!
Je says
So delicious. Really simple recipe to develop amazing flavor. Honestly. I can’t even.
Cadry says
That is so nice to hear. I’m thrilled that you enjoyed it!
Susan says
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 says
Excellent! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Susan!
Angie Huffman says
Amazing…
Kelsey G says
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 says
Aw, this may be my favorite feedback ever! I’m so glad you enjoyed the reuben, Kelsey. You’ve made my day!
Todd says
Delicious!
Cadry says
So glad you enjoyed it, Todd!
Asha says
Hi,
How long do you think the thousand island dressing would last in the fridge after making?
Love this recipe so much!
Thanks
Cadry says
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!
Bliss says
I’ve never used canned beets but would they work for this? Do they have a funny flavor?
Cadry says
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.
Mel says
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 says
I also threw in a squirt of liquid smoke.
Cadry says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Mel! Thanks for the great feedback & notes about your substitutions.
Laurie says
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 says
Thank you, Laurie! I’m so glad to hear that you love it!
Stephanie says
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 says
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!
Otilija Todd says
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 says
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!
Luke says
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 says
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!
Ann says
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 says
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!
Ann says
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!
Holly says
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!