Crockpot Bulgogi Jackfruit
Enjoy this Crockpot Bulgogi Jackfruit recipe as a meat-free alternative to pulled pork. You’ll love the flavors, texture, and healthiness of this recipe!
How to Make Vegan Pulled Pork
It seems like every where I turn I’m seeing pulled pork recipes. It’s on tacos, nachos, sandwiches, you name it. And so I decided there needs to be a delicious, meatless version of pulled pork. You know, for people who actually like Babe?
Pigs are friends, not food. I know, I know. I’m getting my movies mixed up. But anyway, I came up with this recipe for Crockpot Bulgogi Jackfruit and it’s been a super big hit here. I hope you like it too!
Have you heard of Jackfruit? We buy it in a can and it makes a great meat replacement. The jackfruit actually comes from a tree that belongs in the mulberry family. Just like the one in my neighbor’s yard when I was a kid!
Jackfruit is becoming a popular meat replacement because it has a malleable flavor and stringy consistency after its cooked. I made this Bulgogi Jackfruit recipe and we’ve been eating it on nachos, as sandwiches, and even on tacos. Don’t worry, I have recipes for those coming up very soon.
How to Make This Recipe
I made this Bulgogi Jackfruit in a slow cooker but that doesn’t mean you have to. Feel free to make this in a big saucepan on the stove, just allow yourself some time for it to simmer.
What I love about putting it in a crockpot is I can add all the ingredients and walk away. The jackfruit needs to cook for a bit before it gets tender and flaky and starts looking like pulled pork. Besides, all these flavors simmer together and it’s like heaven in your kitchen.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- A pear
- 2 cans of Jackfruit (young green jackfruit works best)
- Tamari and Bragg (both gluten-free, but you can use soy sauce too)
- White wine
- Fresh ginger
- Fresh garlic
- Agave nectar*
- An onion
- Sesame Oil
That’s about it. And look at the results! You’re going to love having this flavorful Bulgogi Jackfruit on hand!
Now, let’s talk about Tamari and Bragg. They are both a sort of soy sauce flavored ingredient. So if you don’t want to use both, then use just one. I like the extra flavor offered by Bragg, but I also find if I use too much it can overwhelm a dish. That’s why I used both.
This dish definitely has a salty tang to, that’s because it’s a bulgogi! If you’re not certain what that is, it’s a tradition Korean dish which literally means “fire meat.”
What You’ll Love About This Crockpot Bulgogi Jackfruit Recipe
Jackfruit has a significant amount of fiber and has a nice, subtle flavor which means it’s perfect for adapting with the right spices. In this recipe I used some traditional Korean bulgogi flavorings to create a savory, sweet blend that can play well with other ingredients, say cole slaw, or can even be served on its own as a sandwich.
Jackfruit is also a great source of vitamin C, protein, potassium, calcium, and iron. Talk about a perfect meat replacement!
Besides, a recipe that calls for a crockpot is so nice. I love the idea of throwing everything in a slow cooker and letting it cook all day. Then when you get home from another day at the office, the delicious aromas of dinner are there to greet you. This recipe actually calls for a double batch, but you can easily halve it and make a single batch.
Serving Bulgogi Jackfruit
The next question you might as is how you serve crockpot bulgogi jackfruit. Great question! It’s delicious on sandwiches, but I also love it another way — Vegan Bulgogi Jackfruit Nachos! Talk about comfort food! I’ve also made Vegan Bulgogi Street Tacos with it too. OMG!
The big question, of course, is where do you find Jackfruit? Most Asian Grocery stores carry Jackfruit. So you can do a google search for Asian Grocery Stores in your area. If it’s a drive, you might want to call before you head there to make sure they have canned jackfruit.
Our local health food store carries cans of Jackfruit too. So, shop around to see if you can buy it locally as well. Of course, if you can’t find it nearby, you can always consider purchasing jackfruit online. I always buy jackfruit in a brine rather than the ones in syrup.
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Crockpot Bulgogi Jackfruit
Ingredients
- 40 oz canned jackfruit (green jackfruit in brine) drained
- ½ cup tamari
- ¼ cup Bragg Liquid Aminos or soy sauce
- ½ cup agave nectar maple syrup, or honey
- 1 cup white wine or mirin
- 2 tablespoons fresh peeled ginger minced
- 8 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
- 1 medium onion peeled and sliced
- 1 green pear cored and chopped
- ½ cup fresh cranberries , optional
- 4 tablespoons sesame oil
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- Place the jackfruit in a crockpot. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.
- Turn the heat to high and cook for another hour to help absorb any remaining liquid.
- Use a firm spatula to break apart the jackfruit into pieces. It should break apart easily at this point.
Recommended Equipment
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Notes
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Enjoy!
YUM! I crisped it up a little bit in a pan after it cooked in the crockpot, which was awesome. A couple notes: I had quite a bit of extra liquid, so I would omit the water next time. Also, this was too sweet for me, so I think I would cut the agave/syrup in half next time. I also added some chili flakes for a little kick. Loved this recipe and will make it again for sure
Your total calls for 6 hours but in the instructions it says cook for 6 hours on low and another hour on high. Can you please clarify?
Thanks Ticia. We converted our recipe plugin recently and so we fixed it to read 5 – 6 hours on low. Hope that helps.
I can get the actual jackfruit where I live.
So,I need to brine it first?
This recipe looks amazing. Just one question…by “green pear” do you mean green as opposed to red or Bosc, or green as in not quite ripe? I have everything but the pear, but, I’ll be making this soon. I wonder if an apple would work just as well?
Hi Dawn. Yes, I’m referring to an unripe, firm pear. I haven’t tried an apple in this recipe so I’m not sure it would work. I like the pear because I can use the skin and all. However, if I were making this recipe with an apple, I might be tempted to skin the apple first because apple skins seem to stay a little tough, even after cooking. Let me know how it goes!
Before you put the jackfruit in the slow cooker, do you cut off the tough part and remove the seeds or just throw it in, straight from the can? Also, I don’t like pears. Would apple work?
Hi Susan. I drain the can of jackfruit and put all the contents into the slow cooker, seeds and all. They all break up nicely when the recipe is done. Also, you can use apple, but I want you to know that the pear cooks all day long and the flavor is completely encompassed by the marinade. It adds just a touch of sweetness to the recipe but, for example, my husband didn’t even realize there was a pear in the recipe. It might be one to try out. Let me know how it goes!
If I use fresh jackfruit, how much do I need for the recipe? Thanks
Hi Mari. I think you can get by with using one jackfruit for this recipe. You may need to add a little additional sauce or a little extra water. I have mostly worked with canned jackfruit and have had great results with that.
I haven’t tried jackfruit yet but this looks amazing!
I love it Meagan! It’s so easy to work with and delish!! I hope you give it a try and that you like it too!
I have yet to try jackfruit but I do see it at my local Asian produce market – it is quite impressive!! I’ve also seen a pulled bbq jackfruit item on a food truck menu and I was so close to trying it – I wish I did!! This looks incredible Marly. Yum!
Ooh, Aggie, you’ve gotta try it. You’ll love it. And now that I know it has some good health benefits to it too, I’m gonna be making some more. Thanks to Jenni’s encouragement, carnitas will be next!!
This is so cool! I’m like your number one non-vegan vegan blogger fan! I may have to scrounge up some jackfruit and give something similar a try. Now I want you to make carnitas with it and let me know what happens… =)
Ah, Jenni, you always make me smile! I hope you do try some jackfruit and that you let me know how it goes. I’ve got carnitas on the list to be made soon. In fact, I’m going to make it for Adee’s coming home. Oh, and Jenni, Adee’s COMING HOME!! I have tears of happiness! 🙂
I love seeing jackfruit everywhere now! I actually made some last night smothered in barbecue sauce on top of a sweet potato (really good). Your recipe sounds amazing, like I want to put it on a taco and add a slaw and lime squeeze. Sounds phenomenal! Crock pot recipes rock my socks, so to speak 🙂
I love the jackfruit smothered in BBQ sauce! OMG!! It’s SO great on a sandwich! By the way, we have a recipe coming up soon with this Bulgogi Jackfruit smothered in slaw and some other good stuff. Vegan Street Tacos. Yes!