Vegan reuben jackfruit sandwich

Published: Feb 7, 2019 · Modified: Aug 8, 2021 by Cadry Nelson
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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 a cheeseburger pizza or Rachel sandwich!)

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!

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.

About Cadry Nelson

Cadry Nelson is the writer, photographer, and recipe creator behind Cadry’s Kitchen, a vegan food & lifestyle blog started in 2009. Through approachable recipes, vegan travel guides, and down-to-earth discussions on the social aspects of being vegan, Cadry shows that living a vegan lifestyle is deliciously uncomplicated. Cadry has been featured on NBC News, Mashable, Today, Reader's Digest, Yahoo, Delish, Shape, and Huffington Post.

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